By George, It’s Washington’s Birthday!

Over two centuries ago, on April 30, 1789, George Washington delivered his first Inaugural Address knowing that he had little to guide him in the job that lay ahead but the principles stated in the Constitution. 

During Washington’s first year in office, Congress ordered 600 copies of the Acts of Congress to be printed and distributed to Federal and state government officials. The book compiled the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other legislation passed by the first session of Congress.

George Washington’s personal copy of the Acts of Congress contains his own handwritten notes in the margins.

Washington rarely wrote on the pages of his books, and the presence of his distinct handwriting makes the historic volume even more remarkable. Customarily, Washington preferred to take notes on a separate sheet of paper, which he would insert into a book. But in his copy of the Acts of Congress, he not only wrote directly in the margins but also drew brackets next to the passages of particular interest to him.

Last year, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association secured the book at an auction, bringing it back to George Washington’s home.  At $9,826,500, it broke world auction records for an American historic document. 

Beginning next week, Washington’s Acts of Congress will travel the country and visit the 13 Presidential Libraries of the National Archives through a partnership with Mount Vernon.  Learn more at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/18/archives-george-washington-writes-margins .

Happy birthday George Washington!

February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799

Photo: George Washington’s copy of the Acts of Congress. His signature appears inside. Printed in 1789. Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.