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A New Nation
Washington’s Administration, Adams’s administration, and the
“Revolution of 1800”
A New Government
• President: George Washington
• Unanimous choice for the first president
• Strong national leader
• Hero of the Revolution
• Encouraged nationalism- pride in one’s country
• Washington created executive departments which
became his first cabinet
Political Disputes
• Setting up a New Nation:
• Washington basically starts from scratch.
• Only executive branches that existed at the time were: State, War,
Treasury, and Attorney General
• Congress did some creating of its own, mainly:
• Bill of Rights
• Judiciary Act of 1789
• The Constitution had authorized Congress to …
• Set up a Supreme Court (Chief Justice and 5 associate justices), 3
federal courts and 13 federal district courts
Domestic Issues
• First order of business was …
• Hamilton’s program:
• Hamilton’s goal was to make the United States ....
• His program had five parts:
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Assuming state debts
Create a new national debt
Create a bank of the United States
Tax producers of whiskey (and other excise taxes)
Impose tariffs and provide government subsidies to industries
• He also proposed creation of …to deal with ...
Hamilton’s National Bank
• Hamilton proposed the creation of the National Bank
• Funded by both ?
• The Bank of the United States would issue …
• chartered for a term of twenty years, by the United States Congress
on February 25, 1791.
• Hamilton favored a “loose” interpretation of the Constitution
and the “elastic clause” (Article 1 Section 8, Number 18)“necessary and proper”. Also cited the “general welfare” clause
of the Constitution justified his program.
Discussion Question
•Why was Hamilton’s financial plan,
particularly the Bank, so controversial?
The Emergence of Opposition
• Opposition to Hamilton’s plan was voiced by Whom?
• Hamilton’s plan depended on ...
• Opponents believed the US’s future lay?
• At first, opposition to Hamilton’s program arose almost entirely from where?
• Jefferson insisted on “strict construction” of the Constitution, which
meant the federal government could only exercise powers specifically
listed in that document.
• Jefferson agreed southerners would accept Hamilton’s plan in
exchange for placing the national capital on ?
• 1790, the debt bill is passed
The Emergence of Opposition
• First split into political parties took place under Washington
• The Federalist Party supported Washington and Hamilton’s economic plan and close
ties with Britain.
• The Democratic-Republican Party
• Were more sympathetic to France and had more faith in democratic self-government.
• Political language became more and more heated.
• The political debates of the 1790s expanded the public sphere.
• The Democratic-Republican Societies
• Supporters of the French Revolution and critics of the Washington administration
• The societies argued that political liberty meant not simply voting at elections but
also constant involvement in public affairs.
• The Democratic-Republicans gained support from political dissenters emigrating …
• Newspapers and pamphlets were ...
Domestic Issues
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Whiskey Rebellion:
Frontier Farmers were furious over the excise tax (a.k.a the whiskey tax)
1794, farmers in Pennsylvania refused to pay the tax
Farmers beat up federal marshals in Pittsburgh and even threatened to …
15,000 militiamen along with Washington and Hamilton hiked over the
Allegheny Mtns and scattered the rebels without a single loss of life
• Proved to Federalists that democracy in the hands of ordinary citizens
was dangerous.
Foreign Policy Issues
• The French Revolution, initially … became very radical by 1793, and
France went to war with Britain.
• George Washington declared ...
• Jay’s Treaty abandoned any American alliance with France by
positioning the United States close to Britain.
• The Treaty eliminated British control of western posts within two years and
provided America a limited right to trade in the West Indies.
• Although Jay's Treaty provoked controversy, Washington pressed for
ratification. Passed the Senate in June, 1795.
• Pinckney’s Treaty (1795):
• established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. It
also defined …and guaranteed the US …
Foreign Policy Issues
• The Haitian Revolution (YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS)
• A Slave uprising broke out in August of 1791, which
was then joined with a growing opposition movement
that was Inspired by the French Revolution and the emphasis it
placed on the equality of all men, slaves (and recently freed
Creoles) began to revolt against white plantation owners.
• The revolt was led by Toussaint-L’Overture, a Creole and
Freed slave, Educated, Military skill (“The Black
Napoleon”), and Skilled politician
• More on this later….
The Adams Presidency
• The Election of 1796
• Adams won a very close election. Jefferson became VP
(what? Isn’t he part of the opposition?)
• His presidency was beset by crises.
• Quasi-war with France:
• French thought US was making an alliance with the British and began
seizing US ships
• XYZ affair, building of the Navy, potential escalation.
• Fries’s Rebellion
The Adams Presidency
• Congress passes 3 laws (In response to French and Haitian Revs, among
other things):
• were designed to control the activities of foreigners in the United States during a time of
impending war.
• Naturalization Act• Alien Act- Immigrants had to register with gov’t and …
• Sedition Act- crime to criticize the gov’t and further limited civil liberties
• Passed because immigrants tended to gravitate to D-R
• Federalists felt that they cannot trust foreigners
• Actually made D-R stronger
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
• The Sedition Act thrust freedom of expression to the center of
discussions of American liberty.
• Virginia and Kentucky resolutions:
• Jefferson and Madison see the Alien and Sedition acts as misuse of power by
the fed gov’t. Wrote these resolutions secretly at the time.
• Stressed the compact theory- states entered into a compact when they
agreed to the Constitution
• Fed gov’t was created by the states to serve as their agent
• State legislatures could therefore declare laws of Congress unconstitutional
and consider them void (nullification)
• Argument for states' rights and strict constructionism of the Constitution.
• Used as a campaign ploy in the election of 1800- as a threat
Discussion Question
•What is your opinion of the concept of
Nullification? do you think this will be
relevant later in history?
The “Revolution of 1800”
• The Election is sometimes referred to as the "Revolution of 1800"
because ...
• Adams’s acceptance of defeat established the vital precedent of a
peaceful transfer of power from a defeated party to its successor.
• This election also led to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment:
• refined the process whereby a President and a Vice President are elected by
the Electoral College.
• Jefferson’s election as president was aided by the three-fifths clause
Jefferson in Power
• Jefferson’s inaugural address was conciliatory toward
his opponents.
• However, he hoped to dismantle as much of the
Federalist system as possible.
• Jefferson helps the common (white)man
• Repeals the excise tax and the Naturalization Act
• Alien and Sedition Acts expire
Jefferson in Power
• The Louisiana Purchase:
• To purchase Louisiana, Jefferson had to abandon his conviction that the
federal government was limited to powers specifically mentioned in the
Constitution.
• Jefferson’s concern with the territory was over trade through New Orleans.
• Jefferson asserted that the additional territory would allow the republic to
remain agrarian; he believed that justified his abandonment of “strict
construction” principles.
• Lewis and Clark-commissioned by Jefferson
• Lewis and Clark’s object was both scientific and commercial.
• Their journey from 1804 to 1806 brought invaluable information and paved
the way for a transcontinental country.
The Judiciary
• Federal Judiciary Act of 1801:
• Dealt with Circuit Court Judges, which originally was required ...
• Basically expands the number of federal judges
• Once passed, positions had to be filled, were done so by Adams during the
last few days of his presidency-called Midnight judges for when appointed
(11th hour)
• Jeffersonian Republicans accused the Federalists of …Thomas Jefferson, and
the Republican majority in the Seventh Congress came into office intent on
repeal.
• Thomas Jefferson refused to honor the commissions
• Led to…
The Judiciary
• Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the
precedent of the Court’s power of judicial review
relative to federal laws.
• Fletcher v. Peck (1810) extended judicial review
to state laws.
Foreign Policy Issues
• The Barbary Wars:
• European wars directly influenced the livelihood of American farmers,
merchants, and artisans.
• Jefferson hoped to avoid foreign entanglements.
• Barbary pirates from North Africa demanded bribes from American
ships.
• Because Jefferson refused to increase payments to the pirates, the
United States and Tripoli engaged in a naval conflict that ended with
American victory in 1804.
Foreign Policy Issues
• War between France and Great Britain hurt American trade.
• because of the Napoleonic Wars
• Impressment
• The Embargo of 1807: was imposed in response to violations of
U.S. neutrality
• Embargo Act resulted in a crippled U.S. economy.
• Leads to the War of 1812