On this day, the first US electoral college voted for George Washington as the first president of the United States of America. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain. This victory led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783 in which Britain finally acknowledged the independence of the United States. Washington subsequently served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which drafted the current Constitution of the United States. Thanks to his pivotal role in America’s fight for independence, George Washington is often referred to as the “Father of His Country”.
