Primary sourceSpeech30 April 1789

President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech

George Washington · 30 April 1789

Washington's 1789 inaugural address, which Madison helped draft and then helped the House answer.

Madison helped draft this speech and the House's reply, showing his role as Washington's closest adviser in 1789.

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Handwritten manuscript page in brown ink on aged paper, headed 'Fellow Citizens of the Senate and of the House of Representatives', beginning 'Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order'. A folded fold line runs down the left side with a string-like tie, and a faint red wax or seal mark is near the bottom. — George Washington's First Inaugural Address, 30 April 1789. U.S. National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This is the manuscript of George Washington's first inaugural address, delivered April 30, 1789, in New York. It is held at the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

Washington became the first U.S. president under the new Constitution, taking his oath at Federal Hall before Congress and crowds of citizens. James Madison, then a member of the House of Representatives and one of Washington's closest advisers, helped draft this speech and later helped write the House's official reply to it, showing how closely he worked with the new president at the start of the government.

Look closer

Why might the first president's words have mattered so much for setting precedents?
What does it suggest about Madison's role that he helped write both the speech and the reply to it?
What does the careful ceremony around this speech tell you about the new government's confidence, or lack of it?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Madison, George Washington and Friedrich von Steuben on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.