Thank you for joining me again today for On This Day in American History! Let’s jump right into February 4th.
On this day in American History, February 4, 1789, George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States of America. Washington, thus far, is the only U.S. President to be elected by unanimous vote.
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February 4 – George Washington is Elected President
On February 4, 1789, the first President of the United States, George Washington, was elected. Washington was unanimously elected by the Electoral College, and John Adams served as his Vice President.
To do:
1.) If you would like to do a small study on George Washington, download the George Washington Worksheet Packet. It is loaded with activities – Fascinating Facts, a flip book, word search, ABC Order, and more.
2.) George Washington served for two terms as President. After some research, answer the following in your notebook:
- How long is a presidential term? Read Article II Section I Clause I of the U.S. Constitution if you need help.
- Read the 22nd Amendment and then summarize it in your own words. What is the total number of years a president can serve, according to the 22nd Amendment?
- Do you think two presidential terms is the right length of time for a president to serve?
Make three columns in your Notebook of Knowledge. Write ‘2 Terms is Too Short’ as the heading for column 1, ‘2 Terms is Just Right’ for column 2, and ‘2 Terms is Too Long’ for column 3.
Now brainstorm and write support for each of the three headings.
For example, under ‘2 Terms is Too Short’, you could write:
If a president is loved by The People and enacts policies that help ensure freedom and prosperity, two years is too short! The People will want him to stay longer, but the Law of the Land doesn’t allow for that.
Try to write 1 or 2 support statements under each heading.
3.) When George Washington was 14 years old, he copied 110 Rules of Civility in his personal copybook.
Spend some time reading through the list and choose 5 that you think are the most important. Write those 5 in your own Notebook of Knowledge in your best handwriting. Share with your parent why you think those are the most worthy of knowing and copying. Click here to read through the Rules of Civility.
If you are new to On This Day in American History
If you are new to On This Day in American History, Welcome!
Each day, I share an interesting event that occurred in our nation’s past. You will learn about famous Americans, interesting inventions and their patents, American art and music, and more.
You will also find suggested activities – labeled “To do” – if you would like to research this during your homeschool’s group time in the morning, or you can assign the activities for your children to work on independently.
If you think you will do more than one day of On This Day in American History, I would encourage you to have your child keep what I call a Notebook of Knowledge. A spiral notebook or sheets of paper stapled together is more than adequate!
Have your child write the day’s event and the date at the top of his paper. If there are writing activities, have him use his best composition, grammar, and penmanship as he completes the answers. After just a few weeks or even a month, he will have an excellent resource to read through!
If you would like to use this resource throughout the month, you might be interested in purchasing the full February Calendar. It contains:
- Access to the webpage with all of the February events listed, including all suggested activities for each daily event.
- A .pdf of the February Calendar, listed in chronological order with all suggested activities
- All necessary downloads to complete the assigned activities. These same downloads are linked on the webpage, however, they are also included here for easy access.
- The answers to any questions asked in the daily activities.
You can purchase that here:
On This Day in American History: February 3 – Norman Rockwell is Born
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