Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 355
ble on the first Wednesday in March to organize the government of the
United States. When the electors met each placed on a ballot two
names, whereupon George Washington, of Virginia, having received
every vote cast, was declared the unanimous choice of the electoral college
for President; and John Adams, of Massachusetts, having received the
next highest vote, was named its choice for Vice-President. The date fixed
for the assembling of the new Congress was Wednesday, March 4, 1789,
and the place of meeting the city of New York. But the members were
slow in arriving upon the scene. Fully a month elapsed before a quorum
could be counted for the transaction of business, and it was not until
April 30, 1789, that Washington took the oath of office as President.
We have already observed that three states bitterly fought the new Con
stitution. These were New York, Rhode Island and North Carolina,
It was largely to conciliate the first-named state that New York was
chosen as the temporary seat of government. Rhode Island did not enter
the Union until late in the year 1789 and North Carolina not until 1790.
To conciliate the dissatisfied states ten amendments to the constitu
tion were proposed by the First Congress, all of which in due time
became part of the fundamental law.
Georgia's first United States senators were William Few and James
Gunn. Her first representatives in the Federal Congress were Abraham
Baldwin, James Jackson and George Mathews.*
On August 7, 1790, in New York, a treaty was negotiated with the
Creek Indians, at the instance of President Washington, under which,
for a monetary consideration, the Indians agreed to validate the treaty
of Shoulderbone and to relinquish all right and title to the ceded lands
east of the Oconee. But we have already discussed this matter in a
former chapter.
Georgia's electoral support in 1793 was given to Washington, for
whose re-election to the presidency there was a spontaneous demand from
all sections. But for Vice-President she supported George Clinton, of
New York, in preference to Mr. Adams. Georgia's presidential electors
in 1793 were: Benjamin Taliaferro and William Gibbons from the
state at large, and John King and Seaborn Jones from the two congres
sional district.!
As we shall see later, Georgia, under the census of 1790, lost one
of her representatives in Congress.
On February 25, 1795, during Washington's second administration,
Joseph Habersham, of Georgia, was commissioned postmaster-general to
succeed Thomas Pickering of Pennsylvania. J Colonel Habersham held
this office until John Adams became President, He was a resident of
Savannah, distinguished for his early devotion to the cause of liberty
and especially for his prominence in two daring exploits, the raid on the
powder magazine at Yamacraw and the arrest of Governor Wright.
At this crisis in our history, one of the greatest problems of the
nation concerned its Indian affairs. To conciliate the savage tribes was
a matter of the utmost importance, requiring ability of a high order,
knowledge of Indian character, experience in treaty negotiations, and
"'"Biographical Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 30.
f "Lanman's Biographical Annals of the United States Government," pp. 513-514.
t "Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 9.