George Washington was commander in Chief of the army that won
American independence from England in the Revolutionary War. He
was also president of the convention that wrote the United
States Constitution and he was unanimously voted the first
President of the United States. At first, people wanted to call
him “Your Highness,” but he said, “Call me Mr. President,” and
that’s what Presidents have been called ever since. One week
after Abraham Lincoln became our 16th President in 1861, the
southern states formed the confederacy and the Civil War began.
The Civil War ended four years later on April 9, 1865. Five days
after that, on April 14, 1865, after Lincoln had freed millions
of slaves, he was assassinated. Lincoln’s life was one of many
challenges, but he showed great determination in keeping our
country together. The first verse of We Salute the Presidents
honors two great men in American history, George Washington and
Abraham Lincoln. A February national holiday was established to
honor these men whose bi