•On April 30, 1789, George Washington
took the oath of office as the first president.
•At this time, Congress was deeply divided.
Some members wanted a strong national
government and others wanted to limit the
power of the new government.
•They even debated on what to call
Washington, but they finally settled on “Mr.
President.”
Congress agreed upon three departments:
A Department of State to handle relations with other
countries
A Department of War to defend the nation
A Treasury Department to oversee the finances
Congress also created an attorney general to advise
the president and a postmaster general to head the
postal system
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To help raise money for the early republic,
Washington started to tax whiskey
Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage
The farmers who grew the grain to make the
whiskey were angry.
Farmers had a hard time getting their grain to
market, so they turned their grain into whiskey,
which was easier to transport.
 They received more money for the whiskey
anyway.
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Farmers traded the whiskey for salt, sugar,
and other goods.
Farmers used whiskey as money to get
whatever supplies they needed.
Farmers did not have the money to pay
for the tax.
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In the summer of 1794, a group of farmers in
Western Pennsylvania rebelled against the
whiskey tax and staged the Whiskey
Rebellion.
One group attacked a tax collector and
coated him with tar and feathers.
Why do you think tax collectors were tarred and
feathered?
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Alexander Hamilton wanted the
government to look strong. He
encouraged President Washington to stop
the revolt.
Washington led13,000 troops marched to
Western Pennsylvania and put down the
revolt.
Washington had proved that the
government would deal with people not
obeying the law.
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Before he retired,
Washington gave a
farewell address
(speech). In it he:
Warned against political
parties - he thought they
caused arguments
Urged the nation to
remain neutral and not
become involved in
foreign alliances
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Urged Americans to
maintain and value a
sense of national unity.
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Why did Washington urge Americans to
maintain a policy of neutrality toward
Europe?
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Using your folded sheets, you are going to
take notes on Alexander Hamilton and the
Federalist Party compared to Thomas
Jefferson and the Republican Party.
The front side will be about Alexander Hamilton and
the back will be Thomas Jefferson. Label five boxes
accordingly:
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1. Personal Background
2. Best Form of Government
3. Ideal Economy
4. View of Human Nature
5. Relations with Britain and France
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Despite Washington’s warnings, political
parties developed.
The first two political parties were the
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.
The Federalists wanted a strong national
government. The Democratic-Republicans
thought a strong national government would
lead to tyranny.
Hamilton was born in
the West Indies and
raised on the island of
St. Croix
 At 13, he traveled to
New York to study
 With no support from
family, he made his
way on ability,
ambition, and charm
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Was small, slim, and
handsome
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Born in Virginia to a
respected family
Inherited land from his
father and became a
tobacco planter
Was an eloquent writer
and had his hand in the
Declaration of
Independence and other
writings

Was tall and lanky with
reddish-brown hair
ALEXANDER HAMILTON
 He became Washington’s
personal assistant during
the Revolutionary War and
continued working his way
up
 Hamilton viewed humans
as selfish people who were
just out for themselves and
distrusted any system that
gave too much power to
the common people
THOMAS JEFFERSON
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Was much more hopeful ,
thought that informed
citizens could make good
decisions for
themselves/their country
Had good faith in farmers
and planters
ALEXANDER HAMILTON
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Sided with Britain when
war broke out between
France and England in 1793
 Hoped the US would
become as powerful as
Britain some day
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Most supported France
during the French
Revolution
 They argued that while
they regretted the
bloodshed, it was the price
to pay for freedom
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After Washington
retired, his VicePresident, John Adams
(a Federalist) became
the second president.
Thomas Jefferson
came in second. He
became VicePresident.
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Anything that was
considered encouraging
rebellion against the
government was
deemed a crime
Hamilton approved of
this law, believing it
would punish those who
published vicious lies
about the government
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It was used to punish
Republican newspapers
who insulted Adams
Republicans viewed it as
an attack on freedom of
speech and press
Jefferson drew up
statements opposing the
Acts