Launching a New Government
Chapter 6
Sections 1-4
Gov’t takes shape
• George Washington inaugurated first Prez
– Took job reluctantly
• Runner up was John Adams- VP
• Congress Passes Federal Judiciary Act to set up
supreme court- 5 justices plus chief justice
• 13 federal courts made up lower courts
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Thee Departments- State, War, Treasury
Jefferson, Henry Knox, Alexander Hamilton
Attorney General would come later
What did each do?
Problems
• U.S. owes over 52 million
• States owe over 25 million
• Hamilton wanted to solved by selling bonds
and excise tax on certain goods
• Jefferson- Southern states had already paid off
debt
• To get passed, agreed to move capitol to the
south so southerners would agree
• Chose District of Columbia
• Pierre L’Efant would be the designer
The Banks
• How should banks be structured
• Not mentioned in constitution
• Hamilton- loose construction- believed could
do anything not restricted by constitution
• Madison and Jefferson- strict constructioncould only do things stated by constitution
• Washington agreed with Hamilton. Would
structure banks the way he wanted and first
Bank of U.S. established in 1781
Tariffs
• Congress raised tariffs to finance the bank
• Hurt the south, which mostly imported goods
• Yet another disagreement between Southern
farmers and Northern Merchants
Whiskey Rebellion
• Tax on whisky upset many Pennsylvania
farmers
• Didn’t have currency and used Whiskey as
trade item
• Marched on Pittsburg and were put down by
13,000 federal troops led by Washington
• Most of the rebels disappeared under such a
force
• Showed that federal gov’t now could handle
internal problems
Two Party System
• Federalist- loose constructionists- Hamilton
and John Adams- believed in a strong national
gov’t- northerners and business owners
• Democratic Republicans- Strict
constructionists- Jefferson and Madisonsouthern and farmers.
The West
Section 2
• British still had forts in Northwest territory
• Giving the Natives guns and ammunition
• 1790 and 1791 Little Turtle defeats American
forces
• Battle of Fallen Timers
– Washington sent General Wayne to fight against
Little Turtle
– 1794, knew natives fasted before battle
– Halted march and delayed battle till Natives
were weak
– Won the battle and forced natives to give
up land
– Natives sign treaty of Greenville- give up
land and move west
French Revolution
• French Revolution breaks out and French
people think U.S. will support
• France overthrows kings and declares war on
other European
• Democratic Republicans want to support
• Federalist do not: Why?
Proclaiming Neutrality
• French start executing people by the
thousands
• U.S. distances itself
• Jay’s Treaty- signed between U.S. and GB. Stop
capturing American ships, vacate Northwest
Territory
• Pinchney’s Treaty- signed between U.S. and
Spain - allow right of deposit in New Orleansallow us to trade there
Washington’s Farwell
• After two terms, Washington wants to retire
• Set the example of giving up power
• John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in
1796 as federalist take control
XYZ Affair
• French diplomat Talleyrand sent three men to
negotiate with Americans: XYZ
– Asked for 12 million dollar loan
– 250,000 for Talleyrand just to talk about treaty
• Americans outraged and began building army
and navy- united country
• However war would not break out and
Americans would sign treaty with Napoleon
Bonaparte in 1800
Politics:
Federalist pass:
Alien and Sedition Act: Made it hard to become
a citizen and people who criticized gov’t
exported
Why?
Virginia and Kentucky Resolution: Declared law
unconstitutional, believed in states rights
This would cause a problem. Why?
Election of 1800
• John Adams- federalist vs. Jefferson- republican
• Jefferson and Burr Tie:
• Hamilton convinces congress to go with Jefferson:
was less extreme
• Burr will eventually shoot Hamilton
• Burr was batcrap crazy
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhCfwH6dOq
A
Federalist Vs. Republicans
• Was a peaceful transfer of power
Section 3
The Age of Jefferson
• Under Adams, the Federal gov’t had become
too big in the eyes of Jefferson
A. Reducing Gov’t
• Jefferson shrunk national debt- 80 to 57
million
• Cut Army, navy, and federal bureaucracy
• Import revenue increased
• Western land sales skyrocketed
B: Court System
• John Marshal appointed Chief Justice in 1801,
before Jefferson took office
• Although related, extreme federalist
• 4 part legacy: 1. judicial review
– 2. federal laws superior to state laws
– 3. broad interpretation of constitution- implied
powers
– 4. Sanctity of contracts
– Established many important precedents
C. Marbury V. Madison
• Marbury, a federalist, denied his paycheck
• John Marshal, through this case, expanded the
power of Supreme court
• Agreed with Democratic Republicans, by ruling
in favor of Madison
• Judicial Review- determine if acts of Congress
constitutional
D; Louisiana Purchase
• By 1800, Great Britain, Spain, and at times
France still had claims to western territories
• Most Americans moving into Western lands
supported Jefferson
• In 1800 Spain would return the Louisiana
purchase to France
• France would then shut down the Mississippi
to American ships
• In response, Jefferson sent ministers to France
with an offer to buy New Orleans
• Also a threat, “Must side with British”
• Meanwhile, Napoleon’s forces would lose out
on Hispaniola- 30,000 killed by yellow fever
• Disgusted, he sold the Louisiana territory to
the Americans for 15 million
• Did this even though constitution said nothing
about federal gov’t buying land
E: Exploring the Far West
• The Lewis and Clark Expedition
– Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis to lead an
expedition into the Louisiana territory
– Called the Corps of Discovery
– Lewis chose William Clark to recruit and oversee
volunteer force
– York also accompanying- Clark’s slave
• Expedition left St. Louis in 1804 with 40 men
• Went up the Missiouri River and wintered in a
Mandan Indian Village in North Dakota
• 1805 Frenchmen Toussaint Charbonneau and
Sacajawea led the expedition to the Pacific
Ocean
• Shoshone helped cross mountains
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpH2B5tRXMY minute 26
• Along the way made maps and took scientific
specimens
• Would return to St. Louis in 1806
• Trip took 28 months
Zebulon Pike
• Suppose to explore southern portions of
Louisiana Purchase
• Suppose to find the Red River, technically the
boarder between the U.S. and SPain
• Went west through Kansas and reached the
Rocky Mountains
• Would be arrest by the Spanish and would
later be returned
Stephen H. Long
• Also trying to find the Red River
• However, was on wrong river, the Canadian
River
• All three explores however did help to
– Create first accurate maps
– Establish legacy of Great American Desert
– Create American interest in the Fur Trade
F: Foreign Troubles
• U.S. making money on British and French War
– Re-exporting
• Great Britain begins impressing American
sailors
• By 1812- 6,000 sailors impressed
– Attack of Chesapeake
• Jefferson calls for an Embargo- fails miserably
Barbary War
• American ships being attacked by Barbary
States in North Africa
• Washington and Adams had paid fee for
protection
• Jefferson refuses, sends in Navy to blockade
Tripoli
• 1805 issued settled.
Conclusion
• Jefferson wins re-election in 1804 and another
Democratic Republican, James Madison,
become prez
The War of 1812
• France and England at War again and both are
seizing American ships
• Jefferson tried to solve by passing Embargo
act- American ships could not go to other
ports and foreign ships could not come to ours
• Disaster for the U.S.
• James Madison would win election of 1808
and chose the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809Allowed ships to trade with any nation but
Britain and France
• However, upset Americans would still call for
war
Natives Unite
• Tecumseh and his brother knows as “the
Prophet” began and Indian movement to
unite the Natives of the Northwest Territory
• Upset over the sale of native land at less than
.5 cents and acre
• Had native bases at Prophetstown on
Tippecanoe Creek
• William Henry Harrison would burn down
Prophets town and end the movement
War Hawks
• British blamed for supporting Natives
• Group of Americans called the War Hawks
start calling for War with Great Britain
• Henry Clay was their leader
• Upset that Tecumseh was welcomed in
Canada
• Wanted British out of North America all
together
• June 18, 1812, declared war- Three reasons
– Impressment of American sailors, violations of
American rights at sea, British encouragement of
the Natives
First Phase
• Great Britain busy with war in Europe
• Fought defensive war, set up blockade, and hit
and run tactics
• Most important General was General Brock
• American Army was pathetic
• Relied mostly on Militia
• But still heavily out numbered Canadian forces
• Only 1,200 Trained British troops in upper
Canada
British Strike First
• British surround and capture fort on Mackinac
Island before we even knew we were at war
Invasion of Canada
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U.S. population 8 million
Canada-250,000
American Plan a 3 part invasion
Part 1
– General Hull suppose to invade Canada from fort
Detroit
– However, British Brock surrounds fort, marches his
native allies around several times
– Dressed Canadian militia in British regular uniforms
• Hull surrenders his much larger force that was in
the fort to the much smaller British force after 3
hours of shelling
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-bC2TWTGyQ minute 28:30
Invasion Part 2
• Further east, U.S. General Stephen Van
Rensselaer prepared an October 11 assault on
Queenston Heights, located on the Canadian
side of the Niagara River
• American army crossed with only 13 boats,
but took the heights
• General Brock shot and killed
• British and Natives rally and force 900 U.S.
soldiers to retreat
• Most were killed or captured while New York
Militia refused to help.
Part 3
• General Dearborn marched with 6,000 men
on Montreal
• However, the two columns get lost and
confused
• End up firing on each other
• Dearborn calls off the invasion before ever
reached Canada
Success at Sea
• U.S. constitution “old Iron Sides” attacks and
captures two British frigates
• Another American vessel also captured a
British frigate
• Great Britain had never lost 3 engagements at
sea
• The only thing we could brag about in 1812
Some Success in 1813
• British fail to take Fort Meigs in Ohio- defended
by William Henry Harrison
• Oliver Hazard Perry- defeats British on Lake Erie
– His ship was sinking, took the flag to a new ship and
continued fighting- DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP
• Slogan from the Ship Chesapeake- dying words of their
captain
• William Henry Harrison defeats retreating British
at Battle of the Thames in Canada and retakes
Detroit
– Tecumseh killed in this battle
Another Invasion
• U.S. tries to invade again in New York/Niagara
region
• 2 armies adding up to 12,000 men
• Both armies beat back by Canadian forces
• Meanwhile, both sides raid and burn towns
and villages
Washington and Baltimore
• Second phase of war began when Britain
defeated Napoleon
• Admiral Cockburn raids Chesapeake bay without
challenge
• Freed 4,000 slaves
• Now British could focus might on U.S.
• August 1814, burned the capitol
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LgV6KIDtoE
• Next attacked Fort Henry at Baltimore which
inspired Star Spangled Banner
• The fort held and the British withdrew
Failed British Invasions
• British already negotiating treaty of Ghent
• Wanted native American state and some land
concessions from U.S.
• To have more negotiating power, planned
invasion of U.S. from Canada
• Occupied Maine
• 2 prong attack in the North
– Invasion by land and by Lake Champlain
– British navy defeated on the lake
– Invasion of 12,000 man army called off
Battle of New Orleans
• British also sent large invasion force of 6,000
regulars to defeat New Orleans
• In the meantime, the treaty of Ghent was
signed
• However, Andrew Jackson defended the city
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-bC2TWTGyQ minute 1:40:40
• In 20 minutes, killed over 2,000 British while
only sustaining 71 casualties
• Made Americans feel like they won the war
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Result
Treaty of Ghent officially ended the war
No territory changed hands
No clear winner
Boarder results would be resolved later
Clear winners- maybe Canada,
Clear losers- the Native Americans
• War of 1812 did give the U.S. a feeling of
confidence and pride. Felt like we won that
thing
Hartford Convention
• Called by New Englanders
• Wanted to end war or secede from the Union
• The details of the convention just coming out
as war ending
• Made Federalist look terrible
• Lost power as a party