What do you mean, George Washington wasn’t our first president?

Though George Washington was the first President of the United States, he technically wasn’t the first person in the federal government with the title of “president.” Washington was elected under the government formed by the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. But in 1781, the Articles of Confederation — the United States’ first constitution — formed the Confederation Congress. Following the ratification of the articles, John Hanson was elected President of the Confederation Congress.