Washington (a Virginian-American), was inaugurated on April 30, 1789, so he had been President for 1796 minus 1789 = 7 years, (not just 4) in 1796, which is two decades after the DoI was signed.
If you're going to get technical, and throw up a smoke screen to distract from my point, get technical, but at least be accurate.
I say again, Fly Your State Flag, on Independence Day. Celebrate what the DoI stands for - STATE INDEPENDENCE. Legitimate Unity came much later, in 1788 (except for Rhode Island, which existed as a free and independent State, without war being declared on it (!) for a couple more years). Illegitimate Unity came in 1865, after the Southern States were forced to surrender under military occupation, and began having their Constitutions re-written at the points of bayonets. We have an involuntary, non-consensual Union, that was founded during that occupation.
So fly your State Flag on Independence Day, and Celebrate "Consent of the Governed".
By the way, a voluntary Union, is a more Perfect Union, and I wish Lincoln could have lived to preserve the principles which the Union Party Radicals ripped from the Constitution during their time of absolute power. I'll never bow down and worship them for what they did, nor would Washington have.
"Consent of the Governed", makes Governments legitimate.
Be accurate?
You're the one who indicated that there was no United States prior to 1796, and you're telling ME to be accurate?
Walt