Caption from poster:_

 John Hanson

A " Black " Man, A Moor, John Hanson Was the First

 President of the United States! 1781-1782 A.D.

George Washington was not the first President of the United States. In fact, the first President of the United States was one John Hanson. Don't go checking the encyclopedia for this guy's name - he is one of those great men that are lost to history. If you're extremely lucky, you may actually find a brief mention of his name. The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress. As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever been President and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office would set precedent for all future Presidents. He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the troops demanded to be paid. As would be expected after any long war, there were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened to overthrow the new government and put Washington on the throne as a monarch. All the members of Congress ran for their lives, leaving Hanson as the only guy left running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops down and hold the country together. If he had failed, the government would have fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing to King Washington. In fact, Hanson sent 800 pounds of sterling siliver by his brother Samuel Hanson to George Washington to provide the troops with shoes. Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite the feat, considering the fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus. Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson also established the first Treasury Department, the first Secretary of War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time. Six other presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. The back of the $2 bill has an engraving of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the image is a man who has dark skin and wearing a powdered wig while sitting at the table just to the left of the men standing in the center of the engraving. This dark skinned man is John Hanson in his position as president of the continental congress. In the original painting hanging in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, the dark skinned man does not appear!!! John Hanson, April 3, 1721, To Nov 15, 1783 A.D. He was Maryland patriot during the American Revolution, president of the New Nation under the articles of confederation. A member of the Maryland assembly from A.D. 1757, he became active in the resistance to British tax in the 1760's A.D. He was an early supporter of independence, as a delegate to the continental congress (1780-82 A.D.). Hanson signed the articles of confederation. Contrary to what many believe, George Washington was not the first president. For "if George Washington was a general in the war against Britain, then who was the president that appointed him general? How could he be general without being appointed by a president? There were fourteen other presidents before George Washington. They were the presidents of the continental congress. John Hanson was the first president of the union under the articles of confederation, thereby, making him the first president of the United States. It was the one that appointed George Washington general in the civil war. The First Constitution Of The United States Was The Articles Of Confederation. The Continental Congress drafted it in 1777 A.D. It only governed the original 13 States, before the American Revolution. It was ratified or signed by 13 States/Colonies In 1781 A.D. The articles only provided for a "Firm League Of Friendship" in which each of the 13 states wilfully retained its sovereignty, freedom and independence. Congress functioned under these articles until 1788 A.D., when a revised edition was signed by all the states and adopted as the constitution of the United Thirteen States Of America in 1789 A.D. This was when George Washington became president. However, there were nine previous presidents of the union, of which John Hanson was the first, under the Articles Of Confederation.