Washington’s Inauguration as First President
Chosen unanimously by the Electoral College, George Washington took the oath as the first president of the United States on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York, the temporary capital.
Amos Doolittle · Public domain · Source
In the first presidential election under the new Constitution, held early in 1789, every elector voted for George Washington, and John Adams became vice-president. On 30 April Washington stood on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, the temporary capital, and before crowds filling the street took the oath of office with his hand on a Bible.
After two terms Washington declined a third and stepped down, setting the custom that presidents serve no more than two. That July the Bastille fell in Paris and the French Revolution began; the debts France had run up helping the American war were one of the causes that brought down its monarchy.
