Changes

==First president==

==First president==

[[File:Federal Hall Wall Street New York.jpg|thumb|Statue of George Washington, erected on the spot where he took his oath of office in 1789.]]

[[File:Federal Hall Wall Street New York.jpg|thumb|Statue of George Washington, erected at the [[Federal Hall National Memorial]] on the spot where he took his oath of office in 1789.]]

In [[United States presidential election, 1789|the first Presidential election]], George Washington was enthusiastically and unanimously elected.  Reluctantly, he once more assented to the call of duty.  This allowed him great freedom in setting up the customs, honors and daily functioning of the new government. Washington surrounded himself with a sophisticated and intelligent group of consultants and supporters and successfully delegated most of the responsibility for the conduct of their offices to those trusted colleagues. He practiced "leading by listening"<ref> Ellis (2004) p. 175</ref>.  

In [[United States presidential election, 1789|the first Presidential election]], George Washington was enthusiastically and unanimously elected.  Reluctantly, he once more assented to the call of duty.  This allowed him great freedom in setting up the customs, honors and daily functioning of the new government. Washington surrounded himself with a sophisticated and intelligent group of consultants and supporters and successfully delegated most of the responsibility for the conduct of their offices to those trusted colleagues. He practiced "leading by listening"<ref> Ellis (2004) p. 175</ref>.