George
Washington
And a New
Nation
The First President
• In 1789, George Washington became
the first president of the U.S. under
the Constitution.
• John Adams became the first vicepresident.
• Americans feared a president would try
to become a king- but they trusted
Washington.
• Washington asked to be called Mr.
President.
Washington’s Cabinet
• Washington set up 3 departments to help run
the country (called his cabinet):
1.State Department: relations with other nationsThomas Jefferson.
2.Treasury Department: financial matters- Alexander
Hamilton.
3.War Department: provide for the nation’s defenseHenry Knox
• Edmund Randolph was appointed Attorney
General to deal with the nation’s legal issues.
• The president was given the power to
dismiss cabinet members. Increased power.
The Court System
• The Constitution only mentioned a Supreme Court.
Judiciary Act of 1789 established a federal court
system with 13 district courts and 3 circuit courts.
• Federal courts could reverse state decisions.
• The Supreme Court was the highest court in the land,
and John Jay was chosen as the first chief justice of
the Supreme Court.
• The first ten amendments- the Bill of Rights- (written
by James Madison) was added to the Constitution in
1791. It was added to limit the power of the
government and protect individual rights.
Financial Problems
•
•
The new nation faced serious financial problems
after the war. The national debt was growing.
Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury,
tried to improve America’s financial reputation &
strengthen the nation. He came up with a financial
plan:
1. Pay off all war debts (Federal government should pay all
debts- even states’ debts)
2. Raise government revenues (tariffs would raise money and
encourage American manufacturing)
3. Create a national bank (a safe place for money and could
make business loans)
A New Capital
• Southern states were angry. They had
already paid their debts (had less) and didn’t
want to pay the North’s debts.
• A compromise was reached. Southerners
would support Hamilton’s plan, and the new
capital, Washington, D.C., would be located
in the South (between MD and VA).
• Jefferson and Madison disagreed with the
national bank. They believed it would only
benefit the wealthy.
Opposition to Taxes… Again
• One tax Hamilton proposed was on whiskey.
• Farmers in Pennsylvania were angered over this.
They often bartered and had no cash for a tax.
• A mob attacked tax collectors during the Whiskey
Rebellion.
• Washington crushed the rebellion with federal
troops.
• He showed that if people wanted to challenge the
government, they should do it peacefully through
the Constitution.
• The government would use force when necessary.
Trouble with the British
• Native Americans in the west denied that America
had any authority over them.
• They turned to Britain and Spain for help.
• The British encouraged the Native Americans to
destroy American settlements. They demanded all
Americans north of the Ohio River leave the area.
• Anthony Wayne was sent to challenge them.
• The Battle of Fallen Timbers crushed Native
American hopes of keeping their land.
• In the Treaty of Greenville, Native Americans gave
up all land in present-day Ohio.
The French Revolution
• The French Revolution began around 1789. It was
initially supported by Americans. Things turned
bloody, and support declined.
• Washington wanted to maintain neutrality after the
British & French went to war.
• The Proclamation of Neutrality prohibited Americans
from serving in the war. It also barred British &
French warships from American ports.
• The British were angry over French & American
trading. They captured American merchant ships
and forced the crews to join the British navyimpressment.
• This pushed America closer to war with Britain.
Jay’s Treaty
• Washington sent John Jay to negotiate with Britain. They
didn’t want a war with the U.S.
• In Jay’s Treaty:
1.
2.
3.
Britain would remove all troops from U.S. soil
They would pay damages for ships they’d seized
American ships allowed to trade in the Caribbean.
• Americans were angry because the treaty did not deal
with the issues of impressment or trade interference.
• Spain feared America & Britain would team up against
them. In Pinckney’s Treaty, Spain agreed to allow
Americans access to the Mississippi River & New
Orleans.
Washington’s Farewell:
• In 1796, Washington said no to a 3rd term, setting a
precedent (an example for others to follow)
• In his farewell address, he warned against the dangers
facing the new nation:
1.
2.
Evils of political parties would divide the nation
Involvement in foreign affairs should be avoided
• By the mid 1790s, two distinct political parties had
formed:
1.
2.
Federalists: Hamilton and Adams-strong federal
government.
Democratic-Republicans: Jefferson and Madison- limited
government power.
Political Parties
• Hamilton & Jefferson differed in their views
of the Constitution. Hamilton- implied
powers, Jefferson- strict interpretation.
• Federalists supported representative
government- elected officials rule in the
people’s name. It was not wise for the public
to become involved.
• Democratic-Republicans feared government
run by a few. Ordinary people should run the
government.
Election of 1796
• In this election, members of political parties ran
against each other for the first time.
• Federalists: John Adams & Thomas Pinckney
• Democratic-Republicans: Thomas Jefferson & Aaron
Burr.
• Adams won with 71 electoral votes, Jefferson came
in second with 68. Jefferson would be vicepresident.
• The country had a Federalist president and a
Democratic-Republican vice-president.
Adams has Trouble
• Adams inherited the conflict with France. They were
seizing American ships. He wanted to avoid war and
sent delegates to Paris to negotiate a deal.
• The French foreign minister sent three men to meet
with them. They demanded a loan of $10 million and
$250,000 for each agent. The French agents referred
to themselves as “X,Y, and Z”. The American delegates
refused their offer and returned to the U.S.
• Adams was furious and anti-French sentiment greatly
increased in the United States.
• The XYZ Affair caused Congress to consider war
with France. They strengthened the army and navy.
Alien & Sedition Acts
• Americans became suspicious of the French living in
America. As a result, the Federalist –dominated Congress
passed the Alien and Sedition Acts.
• The Alien & Sedition Acts allowed the president to:
1. Deport any immigrant that he felt was against his
policies.
2. Arrest anyone who wrote or said anything bad
about the government.
• These laws openly violated the 1st Amendment rights of
freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
“States’ Rights” and Nullification
• Many Americans had issues with Adams’s attack on their
freedoms, especially Jefferson and Madison.
• The Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions (written by
Jefferson and Madison) claimed that the Alien & Sedition
Acts could not go into effect because they violated the
Constitution.
• They argued that states could overturn federal laws they
felt were unconstitutional. This idea became known as
“states’ rights” and limited the power of the federal
government.
• The Federalists were under attack. Adams’s own party
opposed him. This paved the way for Jefferson to win
the election of 1800.