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Stepping Into History
"I do solemnly swear..."
-- George Washington
On April 30, 1789, George Washington stepped onto the second floor balcony of New York City's Federal Hall and took the oath of office as the first president of the United States. When he finished, the swelling crowd of politicians, townsfolk, and foreign dignitaries exploded in a chorus of cheers as a salvo of 13 cannons rang out over the nation's temporary capital.
Chancellor Robert Livingston administered the 35-word oath of office to Washington as Secretary of the Senate, Samuel Otis, held the Bible at New York's Federal Hall in April 1789. |