• April 30, 1789- Washington is inaugurated
• Very humble man, did not consider himself worthy of
his position
• Constitution provided a rough framework of
Presidential powers, but no one was sure what
the day-to-day duties of the President would
be
•George Washington- strong, active role- much
like his role as a general
• The Cabinet- a group of advisors who head the executive
departments
• Originally only 3 Cabinet departments (today 15)
• Department of State- John Jay (Replaced by Thomas Jefferson in 1790)
• Department of Treasury- Alexander Hamilton
• Department of War- Henry Knox
• US Government maintained a large debt from the American
Revolution ($54 million with interest), along with assuming the
debts of the states($25 million with interest)
• Hamilton’s ideas
• We needed to pay off ALL our debts to show the world our stability and
independence- this would encourage foreign investors
• National Bank- collect taxes, make loans, hold government funds
• Protective tariffs- encourage American industry- break dependence on
England
• Opposition to Hamilton
• Some southern states had already paid off their debts- didn’t want to pay
taxes for other state debt
• Thomas Jefferson and James Madison thought the national bank was
unconstitutional- didn’t think the government was given the right to create
it
• Thomas Jefferson feared supporting industry would damage farmers
• Hamilton lost popularity- Jefferson painted him as a monarchist
and elitist
Year of Crisis
• French Revolution- began in 1789, in 1793 King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette executed
• French attempt to enlist American help in their Revolution
• America desperately wanted to remain neutral- despite their treaty with France
• Couldn’t afford a military entanglement with England
• Refusal to support France caused great division within American people
• John Jay sent to England- negotiated a treaty in attempts to remove English
troops from the frontier
• Seen as taking sides with the English over France- upset Jefferson
• Mass protests
• Washington reluctantly signs treaty to keep America out of war
The Whiskey Rebellion
• To pay debts, Congress passed a tax on whiskey- which is made
from wheat- easiest way for farmers to make money from
wheat was to make liquor
• 1794- 7,000 Pennsylvania farmers marched on Pittsburgh` in
protest- Washington led 15,000 militia men against them
• Washington wanted to show that the government would enforce Congress’
actions
• Thomas Jefferson- upset at the government ignoring and supressing the
desires of the people
• Afterwards, Washington was eager to retire to Mount Vernon in
1796
• What do you think of George Washington as a President?
• Take a look back through your notes of the things that happened during
his time in office, the choices he made, who he agreed with, etc.
• What did you like/dislike? (Hamilton’s plan, his response to the Whiskey
Rebellion, treatment of France, etc.)
• How do you think a President is supposed to make these tough decisions?
• How do you think Washington’s choices impacted the future of the
Presidency?
• Write your answers into a mini-essay (at least 3 paragraphsintro, discussion of Washington, discussion of the
presidency/conclusion) that will be due at the start of class
tomorrow