Carole Bucy
Osher Lifelong Learning - Class 2
January 26, 2016
The Temple, Nashville
carole.bucy@nashville.gov
Carole.bucy@volstate.edu
 Whigs and Tories
In the 13 British Colonies
Patriots & Loyalists
 Kind of Legislative branch – proportional or equal
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representation – A Compromise
Election of the Upper House – a Compromise
Counting of the people for purposes of determining
the representation in Congress – a Compromise
Executive Branch – Several Compromises
Way the states would ratify this new document – a
Compromise
Number of States required before this new framework
of government went into effect – a Compromise
 Popular Sovereignty: Ultimate Authority in this new
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government: the people – “We the people of the United
States in order to form a more perfect Union….”
Republicanism: The people elect representatives to make
decisions for the whole
Federalism: The responsibilities of governance are divided
between 2 levels of government: the national government
& the state governments
Separation of Powers: The responsibilities of the national
government are shared among 3 branches of government.
Checks and Balances: Each of those 3 branches check &
balance the other 2 branches.
 Federalists – James Madison, Alexander Hamilton,
George Washington ( all the signers)
 Anti-Federalists – Patrick Henry, George Clinton,
George Mason
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison,
George Washington, John Jay
Patrick Henry, George Mason, George
Clinton, Sam Adams, Richard Henry Lee
Supported removing some powers from the
states & giving more powers to the national
government
Wanted the states to retain most of the
political power; feared a strong national
government
Favored dividing powers among different
branches of government
Wanted the legislative branch to have more
power than the executive
Proposed a single person to lead the
executive branch
Feared that a strong executive might become
a king or tyrant
Saw the Constitution as a bill of rights with
limitations and reserved powers for the
states; state constitutions already provided
protections with state bills of rights
Believed a bill of rights needed to be added
to protect people’s rights
Were concerned about the protection of
property rights
Wanted fewer limits on popular
participation
Property owners, landed rich, merchants of
the NE and Middle Atlantic states
Small farmers, shopkeepers, laborers
Elites: saw themselves and those of their
class as the most fit to government (others
were to be governed)
Favored smaller electoral districts, frequent
elections, and a large unicameral legislature
Sources: www.kids.britannica
Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2010’ www.wsj.com
 Assumption of the debt
 High Protective Tariff
 Excise Tax on Whiskey
 Bank of the United States
 Theory of Strict Construction
 The powers of the national government are
ENUMERATED in the Constitution.
 Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court can
only do those tasks expressly
in the Constitution.
enumerated
Yes! Yes! Yes! Because?
 Theory of Loose
Construction
 How can you justify this?
 It is IMPLIED in Article 1,
Section 8 in the ELASTIC
CLAUSE.
•The United States needed to
stabilize trade with Great
Britain; our primary market
•Continued debate over the
American-Canadian boundary
•Wartime Debts
•Great Britain continued to
have forts in the Great Lakes
region
•Continued interference with
American ships crossing the
Atlantic (trade)
 Britain agreed to
compensate U.S. for
cargoes seized 1793-94
 Britain agreed to close
forts in Great Lakes
 Agreed to arbitration
over the border dispute
What is missing?
Source: www.tngenweb.org
Source: MTSU Center for Historic Preservation website
Source: www.tngenweb.org
Source: Tennessee: A Short History by Robert E. Corlew, p. 96
The Two Political Parties, 1793-1800
The Hamiltonians
The Jeffersonians
Strong central government with strong
executive
Weak central government with weak
executive
Government support for commerce
No
Pro-British – Supported Jay’s Treaty
Pro-French – Wanted the U.S. to Support
France
Pro-international Trade
Against international trade
Sell public lands to speculators
Sell public lands to farmers
Strong army
Weak army
Central Bank
Anti-Bank
Party of the Elite
Party of the People?????
Federalists
Republicans
Hamiltonians
Jeffersonians
 Loose Construction
 Strict Construction
 Implied Powers
 Enumerated Powers only
President John Adams’
Solution to the
Ongoing Trouble with
France:
The Alien & Sedition
Acts
Source: Tree of Education Website - www.treeofed.com
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com
Map Source: www.tngenweb.org
Map Source: Library of Congress, www.loc.gov
 Faction of Radical Federalists – the Essex Junton – led by
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Thomas Pickering – ready to secede
Blamed Republicans
Did not Buy Bonds
Traded with Britain
Did not send militia
Met in Hartford in Secret (Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Vermont, New Hampshire) for 3 weeks to discuss secession
The Hartford Convention
 Requirement of a 2/3 vote by Congress to declare war
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or admit new states
Prohibition on embargoes lasting more than 60 days
A one-term limit for the presidency
A ban on successive presidents from the same state
Remove 3/5 clause for determining representation in
Congress