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The Mayflower Compact, 1620 The Albany Congress, 1754 The First Continental Congress, 1774 The Declaration of Independence, 1776 The Constitutional Convention, 1787 The First Federal Congress, 1789 Washington's Inauguration, 1789 Washington's Farewell Address, 1796

A larger view of the central scene is also available.

Allyn Cox
Oil on Canvas
1973-1974

George Washington was sworn in as the nation's first president on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York. The mural depicts (from left to right) Robert R. Livingston, chancellor of the state of New York, administering the oath; Secretary of the Senate Samuel Otis holding the Bible; George Washington, with his hand upraised; and Vice President John Adams.

• Left: A woman pleads her case to a magistrate, symbolizing the new government's establishment of a judicial system.
• Right: A business transaction represents the beginning of the national banking system.