Inside the Vault: George Washington's Inauguration

Join our curators, Kevin Cline, 2016 National History Teacher of the Year, and Sabrina Imamura from Hamilton as we investigate documents related to the inauguration of the first President of the United States. Discover the careful planning that went into establishing this important precedent. The documents featured will explore how Washington prepared for the inauguration, how his speech was created, and how the American people reacted to the inauguration.

Click here to download the slides from the presentation.

Classroom-ready resources for the documents presented

• Spotlight on a Primary Source: George Washington’s First Inaugural
• Spotlight on a Primary Source: George Washington’s letter to Henry Knox, April 1, 1789
• Essay: “‘No Event Could Have Filled Me with Greater Anxieties’: George Washington and the First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789” by Phillip Hamilton
• Images: Newspaper account of Washington’s Inauguration
• Images & Transcript: Pages from the first draft of George Washington's Inaugural Address
• Images & Transcript: Opinions on Taking the Oath of Office

Use the timestamps below to jump to the documents you want to view

• Opinions on the manner of George Washington taking the Oath of Office: 13:04–18:14
• George Washington’s letter to Henry Knox about becoming president: 18:15–39:24
• George Washington’s Inaugural Address: 39:25–40:12
• A leaf from the discarded draft of George Washington’s Inaugural Address: 40:13–41:34
• George Washington’s Inaugural Address, printed in the Gazette of the United States: 41:35–1:01:30

Transcripts of newspaper accounts of Washington’s Inauguration

• Transcript: Address of the Citizens of Alexandria congratulating George Washington, April 16, 1789
• Transcript: Answer of George Washington to the citizens of Alexandria, April 16, 1789
• Transcript: Address of the Citizens of Baltimore congratulating George Washington, April 17, 1789
• Transcript: Answer of George Washington to the citizens of Baltimore, April 17, 1789
• Transcript: Address of the Pennsylvania State Society of the Cincinnati congratulating George Washington, April 20, 1789
• Transcript: Answer of George Washington to the Pennsylvania State Society of the Cincinnati, April 20, 1789
• Transcript: Address of the President and Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania congratulating George Washington, April 20, 1789
• Transcript: Answer of George Washington to the President and Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, April 20, 1789
• Transcript: Address of the Mayor Recorder Alderman and Common Council of the city of Pennsylvania congratulating George Washington, April 20, 1789
• Transcript: Answer of George Washington to the Mayor Recorder Alderman and Common Council of the city of Pennsylvania, April 20, 1789
• Transcript: George Washington’s arrival in New York, April 25, 1789
• Transcript: The inaugural address of George Washington, to Congress, April 30, 1789
• Transcript: Response of the House of Representatives to George Washington, May 8, 1789
• Transcript: Response of the Senate to George Washington and his response, May 16, 1789