I know this is long but it is worth reading. I am really asking a question. I would really like to hear your opinion. Maybe all of you have heard – maybe not. But the new presidential dollars approved by congress, are to bear all of the presidents of the united states starting with our first president. Well the fact is we had several presidents before Washington. Why are we not honoring them ? – First off I am going to give a brief history lesion that will put this controversy into a bright light. The very first sparkle of our beginning as the united states began in a tavern in Philadelphia, at that discussion they decided to hold the first official meeting in private, makes since, because they were planning a revolt. Afraid that a strong central government would become more like a monarchy, the president’s terms were for only one year. In October 22, 1774 Peyton Randolph was elected as the first President of the Continental Congress as The United Colonies of America. At this point I don’t think there was any governing document. This lasted for about 3 years until a very famous date that we all should know July 4, 1776. Signing of the Declaration of independence. Little if any people know that John Hancock was president at the time. Most people say “Well he was just a signer of the declaration –No the president of the United States of America” Technically at this point there was no document to bind all of the states together, and why we are called the United States at this point is also unclear to me. Without any clear documentation as to how a government was going to work, we decided to leave England and form our own government, The colonies were in revolt since 1775 a year earlier. Our first binding document is the Articles of confederation. Some people refer to this document as a stop-gap measure, until the Contusion was signed. But if you read the articles there is no mention that the document will expire. On the contrary, it says that this document is perpetual. Congress approves the Articles on November 15, 1777. Ratification by the first state was on March 1,1781At this point the federal government is working officially under these articles. The first president under the articles was Samuel Huntington March 1, 1781 to July 6, 1781 . Again only serving a one-year term as laid out in the articles. Ok, now we have kicked out England through a bloody and messy war. The new country was going to settle in for peace and the governing body was looking at the big picture instead of the war, and noticed that amendments needed to be made to the Articles, well the way I understand it they argued fiercely and no one could agree. General George Washington in a letter to congress states that the document was weak and needed to be replaced by a stronger document. Since the document stated the form of the government he was saying is in a sense that the government was weak. So now we draft the Constitution of 1787 ( We know it as Just the Constitution) and it is ratified and in force by 1789. Hopefully you are able to follow all of this, now comes the controversy. Most people will tell you that they just replaced the articles of confederation with a better one, or that it is just ink and paper and is a tool of the government. I believe as well as a law student I was asking about this believes that it was actually a bloodless coup. Because it was re-forming a governmental structure. The continental currency under the Articles were debased, this would infer to me that the Old United States was dead. And a whole new one was born under the constitution. now we have our first president as we all should know George Washington. There were 10 presidents under the articles, Why can’t we honor them on our coins and at the wreath laying ceremonies? If it is just “ink and paper tools of the government” Then they should be honored in our history, they literally stuck their necks in a noose for us. Or if it was a coup, then we would be honoring presidents of a overthrown government. What is your opinion ?
There is a big difference between the offices of President of the Continental Congress & the President of the U.S.A. Here's an article about the office of President of the Continental Congress; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Continental_Congress . Here's an article about the office of President of the U.S.A.; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States . Aidan.
And my hometown of York, PA was the first capital of the United States during the revolutionary war. No - really, it was. I lived there for years until I found that out. Kind of neat. It's also home to a Harley Davidson factory, York Barbells, the weightlifting hall of fame and amateur softball hall of fame, and the original home of York Peppermint Patties (until they needed a bigger factory and moved to Reading). Oh yeah, and we have a shoe house, as seen in the Amazing Race Family edition a few seasons back.
You have a point in that the Articles did not have an Executive branch for fear of a monarchy. But the congressmen elected to the position were very influential individuals, maybe they did not hold the “power” but they held power by influence. If today you strip away the executive branch you can say the speaker would be the most powerful. So under the articles you could say he held the highest office. This was a different government. In any government you would put the spotlight on the highest office.
This is a quote from one of my sources. "The Presidents under the articles signed congressional laws, treaties, and military orders. They called for Congressional assembly and adjournment. Presidents signed military commissions including George Washington’s commander-in-chief appointment, received foreign dignitaries, received, read, answered, and at their own discre­tion held or disseminated the official mail addressed to Congress and the President of the United States in Congress Assembled. The Presidents each had one vote in the Unicameral Congress. The Presidents presided, much like the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, over judicial Congressional Cases. The current US President conducts many of the same duties today but is not permitted, under the 1787 Constitution, to vote, act as a presiding judge or to receive, open, and hold Congress' mail or serve as a judiciary official of the United States."
There is actually a reference to the Articles of Confederation on the Fugio Cent.Here's an article; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_your_own_business . Aidan.
"Why Congress decided something the way it did?" is a political question, not a numismatic one. If you want to continue this discussion, please do it in the Politics, Reliigion and World Events forum, where it belongs.
