George Washington delivered his first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress, assembled in Federal Hall, New York City, on 30 April 1789. Since the Constitution only requires incoming presidents to take an oath of office, Washington’s inaugural address set the precedent for a speech of this kind. Other precedents set by George Washington include: Oath of office taken out-of-doors; saying "So help me God" after taking the oath; kissing the Bible after the oath; and using fireworks at the end of the day's celebration. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pinotable.html)

Washington Inaugural Address

Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789, in Washington's hand.
Library of Congress. Manuscript Division. The Papers of George Washington. Online in Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mcc&fileName=053/

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