On January 8, 1790, in Federal Hall in New York City, President George Washington delivered his first annual address to Congress. His speech praised the union’s recent accomplishments: admitting North Carolina as a state and increased international visibility and respect for the young nation. Washington advocated for new legislation including the “proper establishment of troops,” a uniform system of weights and measures, defining the citizenship process, and the “advancement of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures by all proper means.”

And Washington closed his speech with a message of cooperation: The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed, and I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the