The very first presidential election in the U.S. played a huge part in world history. It was the beginning of a systematic, very organized and highly efficient system in choosing the nation’s president. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and find out when was the first presidential election.

The 1789 U.S. Presidential Election

When was the first presidential election? This significant event started on December 15th in 1788 and ended on January 10th of 1789. It was the very first presidential election in the U.S. that pitted John Adams and George Washington. It happened after the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788. Washington went on to win this event. Aside from Adams, he also defeated other opponents including Connecticut Governor Samuel Huntington, Massachusetts Governor John Hancock and New York Governor George Clinton. Adams went on to become the first ever U.S. Vice President.

Significant Information and Other Details Related to This All-Important Event

In the old system of leadership prior to such an election, there was no chief executive. Instead, the Confederation Congress was mandated to lead the national government as stated in the Articles of Confederation. Various executive departments and a presiding officer were highly important under this kind of government system. Under the terms of this election, the one who earned the most votes automatically won the presidency. On the other hand, the second-placer automatically got the role of vice president.

This kind of electoral system was changed eventually after the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment some time in 1804. Under the new system, an elector must cast separate votes for the positions of vice president and president. Washington easily won this election. Adams grabbed the vice presidency for finishing second.

Overall, twelve candidates qualified for the election. Aside from Washington and Adams, Edward Telfair also competed in this event. He was a former Governor of Georgia. Meanwhile, John Rutledge was former Governor of South Carolina at that time. John Milton also joined the election while holding the position of Georgia Secretary of State. These gentlemen were joined by Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Benjamin Lincoln, New York Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay and Maryland judge Robert H. Harrison. The last candidate was James Armstrong, a renowned politician from Georgia.

Results of the 1789 U.S. Presidential Election

Washington got an electoral vote of 69, while Adams only got 34. Washington received a popular vote of 38,818. The electors represented South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia and Connecticut.

The Bill of Rights is known as the first ten changes to the Constitution of the United States. To learn when the Bill of Rights was written it is essential to know the important events in the history of the country. The amendments were proposed by James Madison, member of the First United States Congress, to resolve the concerns about the proposed overall modification of the Constitution. These modifications are very significant to the U.S. government and law. In addition, it is important to the culture as well as independence of the nation. The Bill of Rights has 14 copies and one of these is available at the National Archives of the country.

When Was the Bill of Rights Written?

The U.S. Bill of Rights was written in 1789 by Madison, however, the amendments were formally implemented on the 15th day of December year 1791. The changes in the Constitution are very important to prevent the Congress from creating laws related to religious practices as well as establishments of different religions in the country. In addition, the amendments do not allow the federal government to deprive an individual of life, property and liberty without the person undergoing due process of law. When it comes to federal criminal cases, the changes in the Constitution have improved public trial with the introduction of an unbiased jury. The jury should be composed of several citizens of a certain judicial district where the crime happened.

Other Relevant Information About the U.S. Bill of Rights

One important amendment in the Constitution was the removal of unusual and cruel punishment. In addition, the Bill of Rights does not allow the implementation of excessive bail to people who are under prosecution. Aside from these, the federal government is not allowed to do unreasonable searches. To do searches, the government officials and employees should have a search warrant. Another relevant change in the Constitution was the assignment of police and military officers and personnel to secure a particular area or state in the country.

Some of the proponents and supporters of the Bill of Rights are Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. The other original copies of the amendments were secured by the local governments of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia and Maryland. Aside from the mentioned states, there are also copies available at the governments of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York. Finally, U.S. citizens can also find copies at the governments of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina as well as Virginia.

A popular international nongovernmental organization, Amnesty International (also known as AI or Amnesty) aims to conduct studies that are helpful to avoid cases related to the violations of human rights. This association also desires to assist people whose rights were desecrated. Some of the services that the organization offers are lobbying, research as well as direct-appeal campaigns. To know when was Amnesty International created, let us explore and learn the events that have been essential to the formation of this association. It is also helpful to take a look at some relevant information about the campaigns launched by AI.

History

When was Amnesty International created? Lawyer Peter Benenson established this organization in July 1961 in London, England. According to Benenson, his desire to form this nongovernmental association was inspired by the imprisonment of two Portuguese students because they had a toast to freedom. The lawyer asked help from Eric Baker who was known for providing financial grants to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Baker and Benenson wrote an article entitled The Forgotten Prisoners, which was published by The Observer, a famous periodical in the 1960s.

The article dealt with violations made by governments to some of the sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The publication of the article triggered the launch of the Appeal for Amnesty, 1961, a world campaign to stop human rights violations. To formalize the world campaign, the people behind it led by Benenson and Baker, created Amnesty International.

Other Relevant Information about Amnesty International

The worldwide presence of the organization continued until the latter part of the 1960s. In the 1970s, Al was led by some famous personalities including Martin Ennals and Sean MacBride. At this time, the services of the group were focused on fair trials as well as disagreements to the use of terror to prisoners. To help victims, the organization introduced the movement Abolition for Torture. The membership of the association increased to 200,000 before the decade ended.

In the 1980s, Amnesty International continued its operations and campaigns to end the use of torture equipment and devices to prisoners. To become more popular and to get the support of various countries, the organization held the Human Rights Now! Tour in 1998. The association’s international presence was felt in the 1990s and 2000s. One of the most recent campaigns and activities of Al is the mobile donating campaign that initiated limits on world arms trade. Lastly, this group became popular when it opposed and criticized the Iraq War in 2008.