Elections: George Washington
George Washington taking the oath as the first president of the US
Quote of the Day
"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." - George Washington
"Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” - George Washington
Day 1 VoCaBulary
Choose: to select freely and after consideration
Elect: carefully selected OR chosen for office but not yet holding office
Ballot: the action or system of voting OR the number of votes cast
Law: a rule of conduct or action laid down and enforced by the supreme governing authority (as the legislature) of a community or established by custom
Partisan: a person who is strongly devoted to a particular cause or group
Campaign: a connected series of activities designed to bring about a particular result
Candidate: one who runs in an election contest or is proposed for an office or honor
George Washington
George Washington (1732-1799) was the first President of the United States of America. He served as President from April 30, 1789, until March 4, 1797 (two terms). His Vice-President was John Adams (1735-1826), who was later voted the second President of the USA.
George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. He was raised by his mother after his father died and later by his brother.
Washington married Martha Custis in 1759. Martha was a rich widow who had two children, Martha "Patsy" and John "Jacky." Their home in Virginia was called Mt. Vernon. George and Martha did not have children together.
George was a colonel in the French-Indian War and a General in the American Revolution.
George Washington became known as "The Father of Our Country". He is an important person in the history of the United States. The people wanted to make him king, but he thought the country needed a different kind of government. He established the title President instead of the title king. They elected him president in 1789. He received a unanimous vote by the men who were doing the electing. He served for two terms; 8 years, as president. The people wanted him to run for a third term, but he declined and established the standard maximum terns served by a president. He later returned and became Commander in Chief of the Army.
Washington wore false teeth made from hippopotamus ivory.
Washington died on December 14, 1799, at his home, Mt. Vernon, located in Fairfax County, Virginia. After his death, the nation's capital was moved from Philadelphia to a location on the border of Virginia and Maryland near Washington's home, and was named Washington, District of Columbia in his honor.
Discovering Elections
What is government?
Government is the officials making up the governing body of a political unit. Government is the executive branch of the U.S. federal government
Why do we need a government?
Government determines the way in which a country, state, county, township, city, or village is run. At every level, government makes laws that citizens must obey and creates policies about everything connected with the daily life of a community—whether that community is a nation, a state or the town where you live.
What form of government does the United States have?
Constitution-based federal republic
The president is elected for a four-year term and may be reelected only once. The bicameral Congress consists of the 100-member Senate, elected to a six-year term with one-third of the seats becoming vacant every two years, and the 435-member House of Representatives, elected every two years. The minimum voting age is 18.
What is an election?
The act of choosing a person to fill an office or employment, by any manifestation of preference, as by ballot, uplifted hands or viva voce; as the election of a king, of a president, or a mayor.
How often do we elect a president in the United States?
The president is elected for a four-year term and may be reelected only once.
How and when was the first president of the United States selected?
The President was chosen by the Electoral College. In 1788, the method for selecting electors was decided by each state legislature—by public vote in some states and by legislative selection in others. Each state had as many electors as senators and representatives. The election was administered only in ten of the states because Rhode Island and North Carolina had yet to ratify the Constitution and a quarreling New York failed to choose electors in time. Each elector was given two votes to cast for President. Washington received the support of every one of the electors, each of whom cast one of the two ballots for him.