Chapter 7:
Completing the Revolution: 1780-1815
George Washington (1789-1797)
The First Congress
 When it convened in 1789, the first Congress had a great
deal of work to do
 Taxes: passed a tariff as the chief source of income
 Bill of Rights: James Madison proposed 19 amendments, 10 of
which were ratified
 Presidential Cabinet: created the Departments of State, War,
and Treasury
 Courts: passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, which created the
federal court system, including the Supreme Court
 Had to deal with a very weak economy and crushing debt
 Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first Secretary of the
Treasury
 His ideas helped to stabilize the economy and address debt
Hamilton’s Economic Plans
 In 1790, issued his “Report on Public Credit”, outlining the
debts of the United States and his plans to address them
and the economy
 Federal government would assume all debts, national and
state, left over from the Revolution
 Securities would be issued to creditors to pay off debt
 The debt would be a permanent fixture, rather than paying it
off
 Bank of the United States: created to manage debt and
taxes
 Excise taxes: issued on items such as alcohol, tea and
coffee to collect revenue and regulate to fund the debt
Opposition to Hamilton
 Many people opposed Hamilton’s plans, believing them to
closely resemble the tyranny that they fought to escape
 Biggest critic was Thomas Jefferson
 Supporters of Hamilton wanted a strong central
government and the Bank, including George Washington
 Supporters of Jefferson wanted less regulation and a farmer
friendly economy
 Compromise was made to accept the plan if the permanent
capital was built in the South
 Eventually, land in Virginia was used to build Washington,
DC
Foreign Affairs
 The United States faced several struggles with foreign
nations in the 1790s
 Anglo-French War in 1793
 Officially declared neutrality, but people chose their sides
 Citizen Genet: French ambassador that attempted to gain US
support

Angered Washington after he commissioned Americans to fight,
against the neutrality of the nation
 Orders in Council
 Issued by Great Britain in response to Genet
 Seized American ships and impressed Americans into royal
service
 Aided Native Americans in fighting settlers in the NW
Territory
Foreign Affairs
 Between the Anglo-French War and escalation of tribal
violence in the west, Washington entered negotiations with
Britain in 1794
 Sent John Jay to Britain, drafted Jay’s Treaty
 Addressed British occupation of forts on American land, to
which Britain promised to withdraw
 Did not address impressment or fair trade
 Pinckney’s Treaty
 Negotiations between the US and Spain
 Ended a dispute of lands in the Southeast and gave America
access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans
Domestic Affairs
 Things weren’t any easier on the home front in the 1790s
 Battle of Fallen Timbers, 1794
 Result of issues between tribes and settlers in NW Territory
 Defeated tribes near Toledo, OH, led by General “Mad
Anthony” Wayne
 Treaty of Greenville: forced tribes to cede lands to white
settlers in Ohio and Indiana, causing more frictions
 Whiskey Rebellion: skirmish in western PA in 1794
 People refused to pay tax on whiskey, challenging federal
authority
 Washington sent army to Pittsburgh to end it, with little
resistance
Washington’s Farewell and the
Election of 1796
 In 1796, Washington was asked to run for a third term of
office, but he refused
 Felt that change was needed to avoid looking like a king
 Set a precedent that held until FDR in 1940
 When he stepped down, he addressed the nation on several
issues
 Avoid political parties
 Avoid getting involved in foreign affairs and treaties
 Vice President John Adams was elected as the new
president
 His opposite, Thomas Jefferson, was elected vice president
 Set up a heated showdown in 1800
John Adams (1797-1801)
Adams’ Presidency
 Foreign relations were sticky as Adams came into
office
 France broke off relations with the US after Jay’s Treaty
 To cool the tensions, Adams sent representatives to
France
 Resulted in the XYZ Affair



Three unnamed French officials refused to see the Americans
Demanded a payment of $250,000 and a loan of $12 million
“Not a sixpence” was paid, and the Americans returned home
 In 1798, an undeclared naval war erupted between
France and the United States
Adams’ Presidency
 Alien and Sedition Acts
 Extended naturalization period from 5 to 14 years
 Deport immigrants without cause during wartime and those
“dangerous” to the United States
 Punished people that spoke ill of the government or
advocated disobedience
 Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
 Reaction by each state to the Alien and Sedition Acts
 Nullified the laws, with the law not being renewed when it
expired
 Cost Adams reelection in 1800
Election of 1800
 One of the most important elections in the nation’s history
 Pitted John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr in a
bitter partisan battle between Federalists (Adams) and
Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson & Burr)
 Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 votes, eliminating Adams
 The House of Representatives were charged with electing the
President
 Finally, after 35 votes, Jefferson was elected, with Burr as VicePresident
 A peaceful transfer of power took place as Adams departed
and Jefferson came in to office
 Set a precedent that has existed since
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
Jefferson’s Presidency
 Outlined his goals in his inaugural address
 Smaller government
 Elimination of a standing military
 Protection of civil liberties and states’ rights
 Wanted to purge the government of his opponents, the
Federalists
 John Adams packed the courts with Federalist judges before his
departure
 Repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801, eliminating many judge
positions
 Marbury v. Madison (1803)
 Established the power of judicial review
 Gives the courts power to decide on constitutionality of laws made
by the President and Congress
Jefferson’s Presidency
 Louisiana: large tract of land controlled by Spain, ceded to
France in 1801
 Napoleon planned for a new French empire
 Jefferson approached France about buying New Orleans to keep
American access to the Mississippi River
 Instead, Napoleon offered all of Louisiana for a price of $15 million
 Jefferson struggled with the constitutionality of the purchase, but
decided the benefits outweighed the consequences
 Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
 Sent by Jefferson to find a water route to the Pacific through
Louisiana and research the land, plants and animals of the purchase
Louisiana Purchase, 1803
Lewis & Clark Expedition, 1804-06
Jefferson’s Presidency
 First term of presidency a great success
 Second term, not so much
 War broke out again between Great Britain and France in 1804,
lasting until 1815
 America profited from selling goods to both sides early in the war
 Britain controlled the seas, France the lands of Europe, resulting in
stalemate


France issued the Berlin Decree to prevent trade with Britain
Britain issued the Orders in Council, preventing French trade
 However, British action against the United States pushed the
nation closer to war
 Led to the Embargo Act of 1808
 Outlawed trade with all foreign nations, destroying the US economy
James Madison (1809-1817)
Madison’s Presidency
 James Madison was elected to the presidency in 1808
 Inherited a terrible situation, foreign and domestic
 Responded to the Embargo Act with the Non-Intercourse Act


Opened up trade with foreign nations except France and Britain
Mostly ineffective
 Macon’s Bill No. 2, 1810
 Opened up trade to all, but reserved right to reinstate embargo
against belligerents
 France baited the United States into war with Britain by reopening
trade
 By 1811, Congress was discussing was with Britain
The War of 1812
 To protect American interests, a group in Congress called the
War Hawks called for war declaration
 Native Americans led by Tecumseh in the Northwest Territory
were thought to be instigated by Britain
 Defeated by General William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe in
November 1811
 War Hawks outlined several British violations to justify war
 Orders in Council and impressment of Americans
 British spies in the United States
 Instigating the Native Americans on American soil
 Madison addressed Congress in June 1812, calling for war
 War declared on June 18, with no votes from Federalists
War of 1812
 Fought the British and Native Americans from 1812-1815
 Tecumseh’s forces defeated at the Battle of the Thames
 Red Stick faction in the South defeated at Horseshoe Bend
 Many battles fought on the Great Lakes and in British
controlled Canada
 Final battle fought in January 1815 at New Orleans, a month
after the war ended
 Hartford Convention, 1814
 Federalist threat of secession over disagreement with the war
 Treaty of Ghent
 Restored previous borders
 British agreed to leave forts in American territory