On April 30, 1789 George Washington invented the inauguration speech as the 1st President of the United States of America.

George Washington – First Inaugural Address

At that time, the young republic was in a precarious state.  How would this grand experiment play out?

Would the struggling nation with a really unusual form of government make it to the second president if Washington failed?

This first inauguration took place in New York City which was then the country’s capital.

The following article published by David Head, UCF Forum columnist on January 13, 2021 outlines the challenges Washington faced and the approach he took with the 1st inauguration address. 

The sole required part of a president’s inauguration is to recite a specific oath of office. But over the spring, as Washington saw he would be elected president, he decided he should also give a public address.

The speech itself was brief. A mere 1,400 words, it might have taken less than 10 minutes to deliver. The speech advocated no specific policies. But what Washington lacked in innovative ideas, he made up for in his vision of the nation’s destiny.

The full article is below:

https://www.ucf.edu/news/now-is-the-time-to-heed-washingtons-1st-inaugural-address-a-call-to-unity/