John Hanson, first President of the United States?

John who?

The United States was actually formed upon the adoption of the Articles of Confederation, first proposed in June 1776, and ratified on March 1, 1781. A President was needed to run the country and Congress chose John Hanson of Maryland.

So why haven't most folks heard of Hanson or the six Presidents who followed him? Well, under the Articles of Confederation individual states had most of the power and there was precious little for the chief executive or the federal branch to do.

Most historians consider the adoption of the Constitution and the election of George Washington as the true start of the American federal government.

Courtesy of Independence National Historical Park

Independence Hall -- centerpiece of historic Philadelphia.

So what does all this have to do with Philadelphia and the Presidency?

While no President was ever born in Philadelphia, the three major documents that define the United States were conceived and executed in Philadelphia. The powers of a chief executive as well as the philosophical foundation of the country were born here. The Declaration was written, debated, and ratified in Philadelphia. The Articles of Confederation were first enumerated in Philadelphia. And the United States Constitution was heatedly debated and ratified in the City of Brotherly Love. The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in 1787, when the city was the country's largest and when it was the "think tank" for the nation, giving birth to a great experiment that is America.

The Declaration of Independence not only declared independence, it articulately expressed why to America, England, and the world.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

This view of the inspiring text of the Declaration of Independence comes from George Washington's personal copy, which was printed in Philadelphia and sent to him on July 6, 1776.

The Constitution established a strong central government that extended national power well beyond the scope of the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution created an executive branch with great authority nonetheless checked by the legislative and judicial branches of government.

It's one thing to produce a Constitution, another to live under it. America's great experiment politically began in Philadelphia with George Washington's two terms as President. So many questions needed to be answered:

• What were the precise powers granted to the federal government by the Constitution?
• Who would enforce an unpopular Supreme Court decision?
• Should there be a national bank?
• How long should a President serve?
• How would power be transferred from one President to another?

Dolley Payne Todd was introduced to her future husband -- President James Madison -- in May, 1794, by James' friend Aaron Burr. They would be wed in September and live in Philadelphia for three more years.

Many early Presidents lived or spent a great deal of time in Philadelphia. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson all spent formative years in the city. James Madison met and courted Dolley here. James Monroe spent his youth in Washington's Continental Army defending the city.

Philadelphia is also the place where the earliest political parties evolved from the Federalists and Democrats right up to 1856 when the first Republican convention was held here. In total, 9 major nominating conventions were held in Philadelphia, six of them by the Republican Party.

The Constitution of the United States -- conceived, penned, and signed here in Philadelphia -- begins with this now-historic phrase.

From Ulysses Grant in the 19^th century, to William McKinley in the 20^th century, Republican candidates have left Philadelphia conventions and moved on the White House.

We, the people, get to decide whether George W. Bush will do likewise in the year 2000.