Launching a New Nation
Chapter 8
Washington takes Office


The Capital of the
United states was
New York City
George Washington
traveled there in
April of 1789.
 Washington was
inaugurated on April
30, 1789

He was anxious and
knew that his
actions would set a
precedent.
Washington takes Office

Congress and the
President had to put
together a working
government.
 The Congress passed
laws to set up three
departments for the
Executive Branch (The
President)


The Department of
the Treasury,
Department of State
and Department of
war
Each was headed by
a person chosen by
the President
Washington takes Office





The President appointed
an attorney general to
advise him on legal
issues
Alexander Hamilton was
the Secretary of
Treasury
Thomas Jefferson was
the Secretary of State
Henry Knox was the
Secretary of War
Edmund Randolph was
the Attorney General
 Today the
Presidents advisors
are known as the
Cabinet.
Washington takes Office

The Judiciary Act of
1789 set up for the
Supreme Court of 6
justices
 Under the Supreme


Court were 3 circuit
Courts and 13 district
courts
The job of the federal
courts was to hear
appeals from the
state court
John Jay was the
First Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court
Washington takes Office

After the Revolution
the federal
government owed
$52 million
 This was owed in

bonds
Speculators bought
bonds from people
because the people
thought that they
were not going to
worth money
Washington takes Office

Alexander Hamilton, the
Secretary of Treasury
came up with a plan to
solve the problem
 The US government


would agree to pay all
federal and state debts
The US government
would open a national
bank for depositing
government goods
The US government
would start a high tax
on imported goods
Washington takes Office

Hamilton wanted to
prove to other countries
that the US would pay
back their debts
 Several southern states

did not think they
should have to pay the
federal debt because
they already paid off
their state debt
After debate, the
Southerners would help
pay back the debt

In return the capital
would be in the South
Washington takes Office

Hamilton created a
bank that would hold
funds and issue paper
money
 Thomas Jefferson


fought against the bank
saying it was
Unconstitutional
The bank was created
1791
Hamilton imposed a tariff
on goods
 It would raise money for
the government
Washington takes Office

In 1791, Congress
started a tax on
whiskey
 This was supposed

to raise money for
the government
It led to a revolt
because many
farmers made money
by turning corn into
whiskey.
Washington takes Office

In 1794, officials in
western PA tried to
collect taxes




The Farmers rebelled
and burned down the
home of the tax
collector
This gained popularity
and a mob marched
throughout Pittsburgh
and was known as the
Whiskey Rebellion
Washington sent the
militia to break it up
This was an example of
the new government’s
strength.
The Birth of Political Parties

The writers of the
Constitution did not
believe that political
parties were going to
develop
 People instead spoke of


factions instead of
political parties
Both Jefferson and
Alexander Hamilton both
disliked factions, they
believed that it would
bring chaos
By 1790, Jefferson and
James Madison formed
on political party and
Alexander Hamilton
formed the other
The Birth of Political Parties



The Republicans argued that
the federal government was
growing too strong under
Washington and that power
should be at the state level
Federalists believed that
there needed to be a strong
central government to make
the country work
The country became torn,
Hamilton claimed that
Washington was a federalist
 Newspapers claimed that
Federalists wanted to betray
the constitution and bring
back the king
The Birth of Political Parties



Federalists also
favored a national
bank and tariff,
close ties with
England
Republicans did not
want a bank or tariff
and wanted ties
with France
In 1796, George
Washington would
not run for a third
term, this set a
precedent
The Birth of Political Parties



Republican candidate
was Thomas Jefferson
Federalists candidate
was John Adams
In 1796-President and
Vice president did not
run together, the person
who got the most votes
became president and
the person who got the
second most was vice
president


Adams became
president and
Jefferson became vice
president
This led to tensions
Troubles at home and Abroad



Ten years after the Treaty
of Paris, British soldiers
were still in the North West
Territory.
The Native Americans
tried to keep their lands
too
Many American leaders
believed that the future
depended on settling
western lands
 The officials tried to force

the natives to sell their
land
They succeeded in buying
most of Kentucky and part
of Tennessee
Troubles at home and Abroad

Washington sent
troops to end the
native attacks on
settlers
 The Natives defeated
the military twice
before Washington
sent General
Anthony Wayne.

Wayne won against
the Natives at the
Battle of Fallen
Timbers-Named this
because of all the
fallen trees
Troubles at home and Abroad

The French Revolution
began in 1789
 Most Americans

supported the French at
first because it was
similar to what they
went through
But then the French
Revolution got much
more violent with the
“reign of terror”

17,000 people,
including the king and
queen were killed.
Troubles at home and Abroad

By 1793, France and
England were at war,
Washington wanted to
remain Neutral



But still trade with both
sides-Unfortunately,
both countries began
to stop American ships
and seize their cargo.
The British began
impressment of sailors
Hamilton urged the
president to stay
friendly with Britain
because the US
depended on them for
imports
Troubles at home and Abroad

John Jay went to
London to form a treaty
with Britain




The US would pay its
debts to British
merchants and the
British would pay for
the ships it has seized
They would also
withdraw from the
Northwest Territory
They refused to
recognize the US right
to trade with France
and would not stop
impressment
The Jay’s Treaty was
approved by the senate
Troubles at home and Abroad

In 1796, Washington
decided to retire, he
left pieces of advice
 He warned against
political parties and
thought they would
divide the nations
Troubles at home and Abroad

He said that the nation
should remain neutral
and not get involved with
European affairs

Things Washington
accomplished
 The Unites States
now had a Federal
Government
 The economy was
improving
 Washington had
avoided war
 The British had
been forced to leave
the Northwest
Territory
The Presidency of John Adams

When Adams
became president,
the French were
angered by US
neutrality
 Jay’s Treaty with
England only
increased tensions
The Presidency of John Adams

In 1797, Adams sent
three men to FranceThey were met with
French agents
demanding that the US
pay a bribe of $250,000
 They also wanted


several million dollars
The Americans refused
The Bribe became
public and the French
agents names were
kept secret

This was called the
XYZ Affair
The Presidency of John Adams

Because of the XYZ
Affair, Federalists
demanded that
Adams ask
Congress to declare
war on France
 Adams asked

Congress to increase
the size of the Army
and rebuild the Navy
He also created a
separate department
of the Navy
The Presidency of John Adams


Between 1798 and
1800, the US fought an
undeclared naval war
with France
To avoid real war,
Adams sent a new
mission to France


Napoleon Bonaparte,
Frances leader, was
fighting a war in
Europe and agreed to
stop seizing American
ships.
Although Adams had
avoided war, his own
Federalist Party
disapproved with him
The Presidency of John Adams

The Mistrust in France
led to a mistrust of
Immigrants
 The Alien Act was

passed saying that a
person had to live in the
US for 14 years before
becoming a citizen,
instead of 5 years
The Sedition Act was
passed putting a limit
on free speech
It was a crime to
speak out against the
President, Congress
or Government
The Presidency of John Adams

The Republicans
denounced the Alien
and Sedition Acts.
 The Problem was
that the Supreme
Court was not fully
established and did
not know how to
make a law
unconstitutional.
The Presidency of John Adams

James Madison and
Thomas Jefferson led
the campaign toward
the power of the
Supreme Court
 They said that states



had the right to declare
laws unconstitutional
The Sedition Act
expired in 1801
After this, the Supreme
Court could nullify the
laws passed by
Congress
The differences between
states rights and federal
rights became a problem
after this.