The landmark First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia, subject of a fierce debate in the early years of the American republic, will be getting a $22.2 million renovation as part of a ...

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton pitched it as a way to foster economic unity among the 13 newly independent states following the American Revolution, a plan endorsed by George Washington the same year.

George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, circa 1789. Three Lions/Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption toggle caption ...

But the Bank of the United States, like many of Hamilton's other projects, would generate controversy. Alexander hamilton's statue in front of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. 1980 ...

The United States began celebrating its first president when he was still a general. Nearly 300 years since George Washington’s birth, the holiday has morphed into a celebration of the presidency.