In world history and civics, who was the first President of the United States of America after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution?

Introduction / Context:
The position of President of the United States is one of the most important political offices in modern world history. Knowing who first held this office after the adoption of the United States Constitution is a basic general knowledge and civics fact. The first President helped set many traditions, or precedents, for how the office would function. This question checks whether you can correctly identify that leader from among other early American statesmen.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The office in question is the President of the United States of America.
• The time frame is after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in the late eighteenth century.
• Four options are given, all of whom were important figures in early American history.
• We assume standard historical facts about U.S. presidents.

Concept / Approach:
To answer this question, recall the sequence of early U.S. presidents and their roles. George Washington, a leading general of the American War of Independence, was unanimously elected as the first President under the new Constitution. John Adams served as the first Vice President and later became the second President. Thomas Jefferson was the third President, and James Madison was the fourth. Therefore, the correct answer must be George Washington. The approach is simple recall of a basic historical sequence, but the distractors are all real presidents, so you must know the correct order rather than just recognize familiar names.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Remember that the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787 and went into effect in 1789.Step 2: Recall that George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, was widely respected and trusted.Step 3: Washington was unanimously elected as the first President and took office in 1789.Step 4: John Adams served as his Vice President and only later became the second President.Step 5: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison followed as the third and fourth Presidents, respectively, so they cannot be the first.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative way to verify is to remember some simple memory aids often taught in history classes. For example, many lists of presidents begin with the pattern Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison. Another check is that most descriptions of the early United States refer to Washington as the Father of His Country and emphasize that he set the example of serving only two terms, which later became a standard. These points all confirm that he was indeed the first President. None of the other options has that same basic association in historical writing.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
John Adams was an important revolutionary leader and diplomat but served as the second President, not the first.
Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence and later became the third President, so he is also not the first President under the Constitution.
James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution, served as the fourth President, again later in the sequence.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse the order of early presidents because all the names are familiar. Students who remember that Adams and Jefferson were presidents but cannot recall the exact order may guess incorrectly. Another pitfall is mixing up the roles played by these figures before they became President, such as authoring key documents or serving as Vice President. To avoid confusion, it is useful to remember at least the first four names in order as a fixed sequence. This helps in many related general knowledge questions.

Final Answer:
The first President of the United States of America under the Constitution was George Washington.