Question 70 of 100 · 2008 civics test
Who was the first President?
From the 100-question list, the version for applications filed before October 20, 2025.
On the 65/20 list: one of the 20 questions for applicants 65 or older with 20 years as permanent residents.
Accepted answer
- (George) Washington
Why this is the answer
George Washington was the first president, beginning his first term in 1789 and a second in 1793. His most consequential decision may have been the one to stop. He resigned voluntarily after two terms and set an example that leaders elsewhere noticed: power in this system is given back. That tradition held until Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected four times between 1933 and 1945, and it was written into law afterward by the 22nd Amendment, passed in 1947, which limits presidents to two terms. Note that this question and the previous one have the same answer. Memory hook: first in war, first in office, and the first to walk away.