1784 Mifflin not Washington President - China Trade

On the night of November 15, 2009 the President of the United States, Barack Obama, addressed a town hall meeting in Shanghai China. The President said in part:

However, America's ties to this city -- and to this country -- stretch back further, to the earliest days of America's independence. In 1784, our founding father, George Washington, commissioned the Empress of China, a ship that set sail for these shores so that it could pursue trade with the Qing Dynasty. Washington wanted to see the ship carry the flag around the globe, and to forge new ties with nations like China. This is a common American impulse -- the desire to reach for new horizons, and to forge new partnerships that are mutually beneficial.

Although the President was correct on the year the President responsible for the mission was not George Washington, he was a private citizen.

This video addresses this latest error in the executive branchs understanding of the U.S. Presidencys start and evolution into the office the Honorable Barack Obama now holds. President Obama is not alone as in my lifetime 11 U.S. Presidents have made similar errors. It has been my personal mission, since the 1990s, to challenge confederation historical inaccuracies in a professional and constructive manner. Barrack Obama is a great man, my President, and I have the utmost respect for his high office. On the other hand, the mistake was made on a national stage and in this particular case a thoughtful response was warranted.

Below is my letter to the President. This video is nothing more than one mans feeble attempt to correct the historical record as Thomas Mifflin was President of the United States, In Congress Assembled in 1784 not George Washington.

Thank you for tuning in.
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November 15, 2009
The Honorable Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President,

George Washington was not the President of the United States in 1784. Thomas Mifflin, who also ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, was the President of the United States and signed papers to send the Empress of China to Canton. Robert Morris had hired a ship and through the efforts of Delegate James Monroe (the future U.S. President) the United States, in Congress Assembled resolved:

We the United States in Congress assembled, make known, that John Green, captain of the ship called the Empress of China, is a citizen of the United States of America, and that the ship which he commands belongs to citizens of the said United States, and as we wish to see the said John Green prosper in his lawful affairs, our prayer is to all the before mentioned, and to each of them separately, where the said John Green shall arrive with his vessel and cargo, that they may please to receive him with goodness, and treat him in a becoming manner, permitting him upon the usual tolls and expences in passing and repassing, to pass, navigate and frequent the ports, passes and territories, to the end, to transact his business where and in what manner he shall judge proper, whereof we shall be willingly indebted.

The Empress of China was a three-masted, square-rigged 1783 privateer ship that was refitted for commercial purposes due to the cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and the United States. The ship left New York harbor on George Washington's Birthday, February 22, 1784, transporting the first official representative of the American government, Samuel Shaw, to China. The ship cargo was lead, 30 tons of ginseng, cotton, camel cloth, 2,500 animal skins and several barrels of pepper.
On August 30, 1784 the Empress of China reached Canton, China. Samuel Shaw, Captain Green and the crew were not free to roam in China. They were limited to compounds called hongs where the Chinese merchants called to trade. The ginseng, which grew wild in North America, was their most profitable cargo as the Chinese valued its healing powers.

The trade was successful and the ship returned to New York City in May 1785 filled with a cargo of tea, tableware, silks, exotic plants, new metal alloys and nankeen (Chinese cotton) netting Robert Morris over $30,000 (about $978,000 in todays dollars) inspiring a host of U.S. merchants to enter into the Far East trade.




This aside, I was fascinated by the town hall meeting and applaud your efforts with China on behalf of We The People. With kind personal regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

Stanley L. Klos
www.ForgottenFounders.org

PS: I will send you a copy of my book, The Rise of The U.S. Presidency and the Forgotten Capitols for your library.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• George
• Washington
• Empress
• of
• China
• Thomas
• Mifflin
• Robert
• Morris
• James
• Monroe
• Far
• East

[mikepousti]

thanks for the post

[DifangDuana]

It is a common belief that George Washington was the first president of the US. However, people are usually pretty ignorant about the Articles of Confederation period of our history, so President Obama is not the only one.

And I find it ridiculous how so many people would be so quick to jump on his hate bandwagon when they themselves probably do not know about this President "Mifflin" and are probably not exactly Articles of Confederation period history buffs themselves.

[Glennishking]

Oh, dear. I would have thought W's departure would have marked the last of such embarrassing gaffes from our head of state. Not so, I see. I disagree with your contention that the Presidents of Congress under the Articles of Confederation held the same office as the 43 men who have served as President of the United States, but this error of the President's is embarrassing, nonetheless.

Not to be a nitpicker, but you have misspelled our president's name: it is "Barack", not "Barrack".

[DarkMagus1985]

Sir with a Masters degree in Science you seem to know a lot about American History. So be it. Many Americans are commonly ignorant to many facts. Do I blame the president for this mistake? No, to the contrary history is often muddled by those who study it. I'm sure the President is familiar with much of our nation's history. Though by trade he's a lawyer not a historian and as such his base of familiarity is on another field of education. This President is not an idiot unlike our former one.

[beyonceliker123]

shut this crap up please

[gbuster129]

If someone like me with a masters degree in science, not history, from UGA would know this why would I stoop so low as to go to Harvard and receive an substandard education like obama? I have said nothing about the former Gov. of Alaska, where did you get this info, or are you bipolar? Your weak comments attacking me do nothing to defend obama. You sound like the average obama supporter, one who will not face facts.

[MongoloidBabyUSA]

But the likes of you admire Palin. You couldn't even be a janitor at Harvard.

[gbuster129]

obama continues to secure his place in history as the dumbest president. BTW obma, we now have 50 states not 57 as you believe and tell the world.