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In 1789, when George Washington took office as the nation's first president, the United States was an experiment that could easily fail. Only a few years earlier, the fledgling democracy had broken away from British rule. The thirteen states were vying for power and had only reluctantly accepted a strong central government. Whoever led that central government would face many challenges. Most Americans believed Washington was the right person for the job. He worked to revive the struggling economy, secure the nation's borders, and gain the respect of other nations. And by inventing many of his duties and powers as he went along, he shaped the presidency into a strong and influential office.

Krystyna Poray Goddu has been a writer and editor for more than thirty years; her books include Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who Changed the World of Play, and A Girl Called Vincent: A Biography of Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, both middle-grade nonfiction. Her writing for children has also appeared in American Girl magazine. She reviews and writes about children's books for Publishers Weekly and The New York Times Book Review. In addition to her writing and editing experience, she has worked in school libraries and taught writing to middle-school students in independent schools in New York City. She holds a degree in comparative literature from Brown University.