<P> The United States presidential election of 1788--89 was the first quadrennial presidential election . It was held from Monday, December 15, 1788, to Saturday, January 10, 1789 . It was conducted under the new United States Constitution, which had been ratified earlier in 1788 . In the election, George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president, and John Adams became the first vice president . </P> <P> Under the first federal Constitution ratified in 1781, known as the Articles of Confederation, the United States had no ceremonial head of state and the executive branch of government was part of the Congress, as it is in countries that use parliamentary systems of government . All federal power was reserved to the Congress of the Confederation, whose "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" was also chair of the de facto cabinet, called the Committee of the States . It was not until the United States Constitution was enacted, that government was separated into co-equal legislative, executive, and judicial branches . </P> <P> George Washington was enormously popular, and his agreement to serve as the first President of the United States ensured that he was listed first when the electors cast their votes on the appointed day . The only real question was the person who the electors would list as their second choice, which was the person who would be named "vice-president". Originally under the Article Two of the United States Constitution, each state chose a number of electors equal to its representation in Congress . Each elector then cast two votes for President, requiring at least one of the two votes being for candidates from a state other than the one represented by the elector . All 69 electors cast one vote for Washington, so that he received 69 of 69 possible votes, thus making his election unanimous . Eleven candidates received the electors' second votes, of which John Adams received the most votes . As the person who received the second largest number of votes overall, he was elected vice president . This procedure was changed by the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution due to issues with Presidential and Vice-Presidential contentions and incompatibility, under which the electors have been able to cast separate ballots for both president and vice president since 1804 . </P> <P> No official federal political parties existed at the time of the 1788--89 presidential election . Candidates might be Federalists, meaning they supported the ratification of the Constitution, or Anti-Federalists, meaning they opposed ratification . These designations were not established or organized political parties, but each forming faction supported Washington for President . During this time, the Federalists were called by name of Cosmopolitans, and the Anti-Federalists as Localists . The terms "Federalist" and "Anti-Federalists" were not commonplace names until later elections . Although the first election was not known for its extensive campaigning, the beginnings of lobbying can be seen in the first 1788--1789 election for president . Maryland is a telltale example of the early formation of the two - party system, as the unofficial parties campaigned locally, advertising their platforms in order to appeal to the German - speaking population, and as a result, received substantially higher voter turnout rates . Party advocates in some states lobbied through public forums, parades in the streets, and dinners, forming what George Washington warned against in his farewell address--polarizing factions . </P>

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