George Washington served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and was then elected President of the United States in 1789. This is from his first address to Congress. Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to the Almighty Being, who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own; nor those of my fellow-citizens at large, less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And, in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude along with a humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seems to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me, I trust, in thinking that there are none, under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free government can more auspiciously commence. By the article establishing the executive department, it is made the duty of the President `to recommend to your consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.` The circumstances, under which I now meet you, will acquit me from entering into that subject farther than to refer you to the great constitutional charter under which we are assembled; and which, in defining your powers, designates the objects to which your attention is to be given. It will be more consistent with those circumstances, and far more congenial with the feelings which actuate me, to substitute, in place of a recommendation of particular measures, the tribute that is due to the talents, the rectitude, and the patriotism, which adorn the characters selected to devise and adopt them. In these honorable qualifications I behold the surest pledges, that as, on one side, no local prejudices or attachments, no separate views or party animosities, will misdirect the comprehensive and equal eye, which ought to watch over this great assemblage of communities and interests; so, on another, that the foundations of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality, and the preeminence of a free government be exemplified by all the attributes, which can win the affections of its citizens, and command the respect of the world. Acting as chief executive, Washington eels that it is appropriate to:
- follow faithfully the article establishing the executive department
- recommend to Congress consideration of certain measures
- pay tribute to those who devise and adopt particular measures
- announce that there shall be no interparty strife
- impose the morality of the United States on the world at large
Answer(s): C
Explanation:
Why option C is the best choice
The passage explicitly states that the President “shall substitute, in place of a recommendation of particular measures, the tribute that is due to the talents, the rectitude, and the patriotism, which adorn the characters selected to devise and adopt them .” This language directly mirrors option C: “pay tribute to those who devise and adopt particular measures.” Washington’s address is framed as a moral and ceremonial acknowledgment of the legislative body’s role, not as a policy prescription or a declaration of partisan unity.
Why the other options are less suitable
A – “follow faithfully the article establishing the executive department.” The Constitution does require the President to act within the powers granted by that article, but the passage does not focus on procedural compliance; it emphasizes a tribute to the legislators rather than a mechanical adherence to the article.
B – “recommend to Congress consideration of certain measures.” Although the Constitution empowers the President to recommend measures, Washington deliberately rejects this approach in the quoted text, choosing instead to offer tribute. Therefore this option contradicts the explicit wording of the passage.
D – “announce that there shall be no interparty strife.” No mention of parties or strife appears in the excerpt; Washington’s discourse is about gratitude and the moral foundations of government, not about party politics.
E – “impose the morality of the United States on the world at large.” The passage speaks of “private morality” as a domestic foundation, not as a doctrine to be exported globally. The wording of option E overstates the President’s intent and is not reflected in the text.
Conclusion Option C best captures Washington’s stated purpose: to honor the legislative contributors to the new government, which aligns precisely with the quoted passage.
Reference:
U.S. National Archives – “Washington’s First Inaugural Address” https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/inaugural-addresses/1789
Library of Congress – “Washington’s First Address to Congress (1790)” https://www.loc.gov/item/2004666575/ (contains the full text of the passage cited)
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