Comments on: Myth # 88: John Hanson was the real first president of the United States.

By: ippster

ippster — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:42:49 +0000

@. Betty Wilson, you are correct Betty…. No man of color would be allowed o be a politician at that time in history….They were slaves…and not allowed to vote let alone be in politics…

By: LYMHHM

LYMHHM — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:45:15 +0000

Gotta love history. Truth really is stranger than fiction. I guess I’m gonna have to stop telling people my great grandfather X 10 was the first man on the moon. LOL. Thanks for the great article, very enlightening.

By: SC

SC — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:02:50 +0000

“It’s high time folks stop trying to make their ancestors people they were not. ”
Exactly! Clearly Jesus was of pale skin as well,lol. Let the truth be told and made avaiable to all.

By: Vicki Michael

Vicki Michael — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:58:43 +0000

There were 9 rather than 8 presidents of the first government. They are as follows. For whatever reason, Dr. David Ramsay is sometimes left out of this list though he was duly elected and did serve.

1) John Hanson (1781-1782)
2) Elias Boudinot (1782-83)
3) Thomas Mifflin (1783-84)
4) Richard Henry Lee (1784-85)
5) John Hancock (Elected to the 1785-86 term but did not serve because of illness. The following two presidents served his term.)
6) Dr. David Ramsay (Nov 23, 1785 – May 12, 1786)
7) Nathaniel Gorham (May 15, 1786 – Nov 5, 1786)
8) Dr. Arthur St. Clair (1787-88)
9) Cyrus Griffin (1788-89)

The two presidents who served during the 249 days between March 1, 1781, when the Article of Confederation were ratified and AUTHORIZED a government, and November 5, 1781, when the Article CREATED the first government were not presidents of government but the last of the Second Continental Congress, a consultative body among the states.

By: Dwight

Dwight — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:32:44 +0000

Not quite true. Their were 8 presidents under the Articles of Confederation who all served 1yr terms:
1) John Hanson (1781-1782)
2) Elias Boudinot (1782-83)
3) Thomas Mifflin (1783-84)
4) Richard Henry Lee (1784-85)
5) John Hancock (1785-86)
6) Nathan Gorman (1786-87)
7) Arthur St. Clair (1787-88)
8) Cyrus Griffin (1788-89)
The 2 men who served as President under the Articles of Confederation before John Hanson both resigned at the beginning of their term and thus didn’t complete the 1 year term, therefore John Hanson was not only still considered the first President, he was also the first president to serve the complete 1yr term. The president of the Continental Congress was simply the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, which was a convention of delegates that emerged as the first national government of the United States during the American Revolution. The president was a member of Congress elected by the other delegates to serve as an impartial moderator during meetings of Congress. Designed to be a largely ceremonial position without much influence, the office was unrelated to the later office of President of the United States.
14 men served as president of Congress. The first was Peyton Randolph, who was elected on September 5, 1774. The last president, Cyrus Griffin, resigned in November 1788. President John Hancock is remembered for his large, bold signature on the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted and signed during his presidency. George Washington was simply the first president of the United States under the Constitution.

By: fusilier55

fusilier55 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:42:22 +0000

The First President of the Congress of the United Colonies was Peyton Randolph in 1774. The first President of the Congress of the United States was John Hancock (July 1776). the first President of the Congress of the Confederation was Samuel Huntington. None of these were the equivalent of the present office which is Chief Executive of the United States. The President of Congress was more similar to the Speaker of the House the the President of the United States and all of the office’s functions were under the direct control of the Congress. He was more like a chairman of a board. Its not simply that the system of government changed with the Constitution, it is a different office entirely.

The first President of the United States was George Washington.

By: Alan Nance

Alan Nance — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:12:32 +0000

I always believed that Samuel Huntington was the first American to hold the title of President of the United States. On March 2, 1781 Huntington took his seat as the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled. This wasn’t the constitution as we know it but is that relevant after all, that happened elsewhere as well. Do we seriously doubt that De Gaulle was President of France of Henry VIII was King of England. The fact that new and different constitutions alter the position and influence of a role doesn’t mean that others didn’t hold that role.It is time that Americans had proper history classes and not just folklore about Apple Trees and patriotism.

By: scott

scott — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:34:15 +0000

The actual first Thanksgiving day celebration occurred at the Berkely Plantation here in Virginia in 1619. That was a year before the Pilgrims even landed at Plymouth. For more information, Google Berkely Plantation and visit thier website.

By: Betty Wilson

Betty Wilson — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 04:37:10 +0000

I have researched this entire situation… and I approve of what the author of this site has to say. I am not meaning to make a ‘racial comment’ here although it will be perceived as such. Do you REALLY believe that a black man would have actually been allowed to be ANY kind of a politician in those days? I think not. The whole “Moor” situation is a dubious one….to me.

By: Cedric

Cedric — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:57:44 +0000

The only real facts about this article are not stated. The fact that Mr. Hanson was a black man only sshows that we as a nation need to come to some resolve over our troubled race history. Can credit be given where it is due. He accomplished some great things considering the way blacks were viewed in our nation at that time. Why isnt these tnhings being taught in the public school system. White washed.