Smithsonian Magazine Presents: America at 250—The Revolutionary Spark

On the morning of January 8, 1790, the first president of the United States strode into Federal Hall in New York City to deliver a speech that would become known as the State of the Union address. Dressed in an elegant dark suit, George Washington outlined his priorities for the young nation, calling on Congress to establish a standing army, a national currency, a post office and an educational system. And he urged lawmakers to reward Americans for their “exertions of skill and genius” by adopting a system to protect new inventions, a power entrusted to Congress by the newly ratified Constitution.

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