The internet loves a hidden historical trivia fact, especially one that upends what millions learned in school. For years, viral social media posts have circulated a striking claim: George Washington wasn't actually the first President of the United States. Instead, that title supposedly belongs to a Black man named John Hanson. This narrative weaves together two entirely different historical figures, a real misunderstanding of early American constitutional law, and modern digital myth-making.
Untangling this story requires looking at the actual documents, the white Maryland politician who presided over the Continental Congress, and the 19th-century Liberian senator whose identity was grafted onto the legend.
The Two Figures Behind the Confusion
The myth of the first Black American president named John Hanson relies on a complete conflation of two separate historical men who lived in different centuries.
The first was a white merchant and politician from Maryland, born in 1721. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was elected as the president of the Confederation Congress in 1781 under the Articles of Confederation.
The second was a Black man who lived from roughly 1791 to 1860. Historical records show he was a former slave who migrated to Liberia in the 1820s through the American Colonization Society. He later became a prominent merchant and served two terms in the Liberian Senate. He never held political office in the United States, nor did he live during the Revolutionary War era.
Viral posts merged these two men into a single biographical sketch, pairing the 18th-century political title of the white Marylander with a photograph of the 19th-century Liberian senator.
What the White John Hanson Actually Did
To understand why the white John Hanson is frequently dragged into debates about the presidency, we have to look at the Articles of Confederation. Ratified in 1781, this document established the first official government of the United States, predating the current U.S. Constitution by eight years.
Under this framework, the national government was unicameral. There was no separate executive branch, no cabinet, and no individual commander-in-chief wielding veto power. Instead, the presiding officer of Congress bore the formal title of President of the United States in Congress Assembled.
When Hanson was chosen for this post on November 5, 1781, he became the first person to serve a full one-year term under the newly ratified articles. His duties were primarily administrative and ceremonial. He presided over congressional debates, signed official documents and proclamations—such as the nation's Thanksgiving decree—and received foreign ministers.
Hanson was not, however, the very first man to preside over that body. Samuel Huntington and Thomas McKean, among others, held similar presiding roles before and during the formal transition of the articles. Furthermore, calling Hanson the "President of the United States" in the modern sense is anachronistic. He was closer to a modern Speaker of the House or a chairperson of a board than an executive head of state.
How the Myth of the Black President Spread
The internet didn't invent the idea that John Hanson was an overlooked chief executive, but it added the racial component that turned the claim into viral lore.
Early promotional efforts began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among descendants and biographers of the white John Hanson. Authors like Seymour Wemyss Smith published books arguing that Hanson was the true first president because he governed a free nation before George Washington took office. These early campaigns focused purely on elevating the Maryland politician over Washington, making no mention of race.
Decades later, photographs of the Black John Hanson from Liberia—particularly a well-known portrait taken by abolitionist photographer Augustus Washington around 1856—began circulating online alongside the 18th-century political claims. Because both men shared the exact same name, online researchers and historical bloggers compressed their timelines.
The resulting narrative spread rapidly across social media platforms because it offered a shocking twist on standard American history curricula. Unfortunately, it substituted a fabricated genealogy for documented facts.
Why the Distinction Matters in Historiography
Accuracy in historical research isn't about gatekeeping titles; it's about understanding how governance evolved. Conflating the Confederation Congress with the modern presidency misrepresents the structural weaknesses of the early American experiment.
The Articles of Confederation intentionally decentralized power to prevent tyranny, leaving the central government weak and financially unstable. The Framers replaced it in 1789 precisely because the executive office under Congress was inadequate to manage a growing nation.
When internet myths attribute modern executive powers to an 18th-century congressional chairman, they obscure the actual constitutional debates that created the modern presidency. At the same time, erasing the true identity and political career of the Black John Hanson—who helped build civil governance in 19th-century Liberia—displaces a fascinating real-life figure with an internet-generated composite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was George Washington the absolute first person to lead the United States?
No. Several men served as president of the Continental Congress and the Confederation Congress before Washington took office under the U.S. Constitution. However, those roles were legislative presiding officers, not heads of an independent executive branch.
Did the white John Hanson own slaves?
Yes. Like many wealthy planters of his era in Maryland, the white John Hanson operated plantations that relied on enslaved labor.
Why is there a photograph of a Black John Hanson if photography wasn't invented yet?
Photography was invented in the 1830s. The widely shared photograph of the Black John Hanson was taken in the 1850s when he was a senator in Liberia, long after the 18th-century Maryland politician had died.
What were the actual duties of the president under the Articles of Confederation?
The role involved running congressional sessions, managing official correspondence, signing legislative resolutions, and performing diplomatic duties on behalf of the assembly. The office held no veto power and commanded no separate executive agencies.
