President George Washington’s First Inaugural Speech

Posted by on Aug 31, 2010 in 1789-1808, 18th Century, All Posts, Famous Speeches, Founding Fathers, Major Historical Events, Milestone Documents, Presidents | One Comment

As a follow up to the previous post about the eyewitness account of  George Washington’s 1789 inauguration, below are excerpts from the May 6, 1789 Massachusetts Centinel, which contains descriptions of the inauguration as well as the full text of Washington’s first inaugural speech, one of America’s 100 milestone documents.

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Griswold’s Only Eyewitness Account of George Washington’s 1789 Inauguration

Posted by on Aug 27, 2010 in 1789-1808, 18th Century, All Posts, Founding Fathers, Major Historical Events, Presidents | 3 Comments

A lot has been written about George Washington’s 1789 inauguration and whether he actual said “So help me God” at the conclusion of his oath.  John Bell of Boston 1775 has a great piece on the inauguration.  And so does Ben Edwards of Teach History. In 1854, Rufus Wilmot Griswold first published The Republican Court; ...

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The Charters of Freedom: No Photos Allowed

Posted by on Jan 25, 2010 in 18th Century, All Posts, American Revolutionary War, Founding Fathers, Major Historical Events, Milestone Documents, Rag Linen News | One Comment

Thanks to the tip from @bostonhistory, we learned today that photographs and video will be banned in the Rotunda of the National Archives, home to the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The ban goes into effect February 24, 2010. For an excellent history on the conservation and preservation of the ...

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