Washington’s First Inaugural Address

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Washington’s First Inaugural Address (us0072tt_1)

George Washington. First inaugural address, April 30, 1789. Manuscript. George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (72)
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President George Washington’s brief first inaugural address was delivered in the Senate Chamber of Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789. Washington expressed confidence that Congress would amend the new constitution with “a reverence for the characteristic rights of freemen, and a regard for the public harmony.” This brief, eight-page speech replaced his original draft of more than seventy pages.