The Federalist Era: 1789-1801
Characteristics of the Federalist Era
• Shape American politics
• Adoption of U.S. Constitution- expansion of federal government
• Foreign tensions: France and England
• Internal oppositions
Creation of Federalist/Anti Federalist Split
• Constitution ratified in 1789: supporters called Federalists
• Opponents of the Constitution: anti-Federalists:
• Lacked Bill of Rights
• Central government at expense of state sovereignty and personal
liberties
Key Points
• Federalists: good trading relations with Great Britain (legitimize and
stabilize). Alexander Hamilton
• Democrat-Republicans: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
• Independent yeoman agriculture-backbone to economy
• Self reliance through internal resources
The Federalist Era Begins
George Washington
•Vice President John Adams
•Two terms: 1789-1797
The First Congress
•Skeleton framework
•New York March 1789: judicial, executive and set legislative agenda
•Met popular demand for a bill of rights
Creating the Courts
•Judiciary Act of 1789
•1796: Supreme Court
Building a Cabinet
•1789 establishment of the Cabinet: three executive posts (Secretary of State, Secretary
of War, and of Treasury….and Office of Attorney General)
• Thomas Jefferson: Secretary of State
• Alexander Hamilton: Secretary of Treasury
• Henry Knox: Secretary of War
• Edmund Randolph: Attorney General
The Bill of Rights
Historical Background
•Concession made by the Federalists to anti-Federalists
•Concern that government would usurp rights of individuals and states
•James Madison and group drafted
•State legislatures ratified in December 1791
Opposition to Bill of Rights: Federalists
•A bill of rights would undermine the idea of a government with limited powers.
•Could not sufficiently define the rights that individuals possess by nature and those
rights and privileges which governments are obliged to secure to citizens. Due to the
impossibility of defining all of the rights which government must respect, a bill of rights
would leave a window open for government to infringe upon the rights of its citizens.
•A bill of rights might confuse people about the ultimate source of their rights. Many
Federalists thought there was no need for a declaration of rights in 1787, because the
work had already been done in 1776.
Significance
•Protection of liberties from Federal government
•Symbol and Foundation for individual liberty, limited government, rule of law
The Structure of Government
Problems with the Articles of Confederation
• National government to weak to regulate
• Wanted to produce new document outlining federal government
• Interpreted as treaty between a sovereign state rather than a constitution
Meeting
• Constitutional Convention, PA 1787
• Men of property
• Committed to reforms that would balance sovereignty
• Adopt efficient system of federal representation
• Federal government: mediate interests of society/provide stability
• Several proposals: drew upon English Common Law, writings of Enlightenment
political philosophers.
• 3/5 Compromise
• Executive Office: single individual elected for a fixed term
Debates
• Virginia v. New Jersey Plan
• Connecticut Compromise
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists: The Conflict
The Conflict
•Shaped early political debate
•Federalists: led by Sec. of Treasury Alexander Hamilton: strong central gov.
• Northeast mercantile interests
•Anti-Federalists: Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson: states rights
• Limited gov. in national defense and interstate commerce
• All powers left to state
• Mainly Southern and agrarian
Debate over National Finances
•1790: Hamilton proposal: national gov. assume unpaid state war-debts.
• Anti-Federalists: Federal gov. economic control over states.
• Plan passed: Concession by the North to South: 1800 removal of state capital
from New York to Washington D.C.
•Controversial Hamilton Plan: The National Bank
• Opposition: Thomas Jefferson: tie private individuals to close to gov. instit.
• Constitution: did not give federal government power to grant charter
• Strict Constructionists: James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
• Loose Constructionists: Alexander Hamilton, “Elastic clause”
•Tariffs
• December 1791
The Presidency of John Adams
Ideology
• Strong central government/expansion of executive power
• Civic virtue/republican values
• Retained Federalist-dominated cabinet members
• Management Style: avoided war: push for peace with Quasi-War
• Combative Spirit: internal and external upheavals/conflicts
Early Events During Presidency
• XYZ Affair: U.S. leaked info about French bribes
• Problems with French: seizure of private American ships
• Quasi War: July 1798
• The Alien and Sedition Acts
• Four Bills: outlawed speech critical of government
• Naturalization Act
• The Alien Act
• The Alien Enemies Act
• The Sedition Act
• Prosecution and Resistance
• Legacy
Expansion of U.S. Territory
Key Points:
• Expansion: war, treaty, land deals, and settlement
• With each Presidency: Washington, Adams, Jefferson
• Westward and Southern Expansion
• Territorial Acquisition: southwest, Texas, Oregon Country, California territory,
Alaska, Hawaii
• Territorial Evolution: following War: U.S. dominated project
Expansion
• The Wilderness Road: Virginia through the Appalachian mountains/ Daniel Boone
• The Frontier: The Northwest Indian War (1785-1795)
• Treaty of Paris (1783)
• Conflict with Western Confederacy
• Refused to recognize U.S. claims to area northwest of Ohio River
• Battle of Fallen Timbre
• Treaty of Greenville: cede all lands to Northwest Territory
• The Northeast Indian War
• Washington and Knox: General Josiah Harmar: offensive into Shawnee and
Miami country.
Black Resistance and Fear in the South
Haitian Revolution
•1789 French Revolution
•Publication of “Rights of Man”
•Racial tensions=enslaved insurrection
•Southern planters feared uprising
•Increased severity of Black Codes
Rebellions in North America
•250 + (Herbert Aptheker. Eugene D. Genovese)
Gabriel’s Rebellion
•Richmond Virginia. 25 men to capture Governor James Monroe. Failed. Snitch.
•Literate, enslaved blacksmith. Free blacks challenged condition of enslavement.
•Potential to cause mass chaos and violence
•Ratio of enslaved to planters: similar to Haiti
Affects of Gabriel’s Rebellion
•Treatment of enslaved
•Stricter emancipation laws
•Limited relaxed time between plantations
•Legislation designed to limit growing free-Black population
•Anti-slavery supporters: incompatibilities between slave system and republican nation.
Collapse of the Federalist Era
Alien & Sedition Acts
•Targeted political opponents
•Campaign strategy in the 1800 election
• Direct assault on freedom of speech and organized legislative opposition
The Revolution of 1800
•John Adams and Charles C. Pinckney vs. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr
•Slander and personal attacks on both sides
•Defeated Federalists:
• Better organization by Republicans
• Internal fighting between Adams and Hamilton supporters
• Controversy with Alien Sedition Acts
• Jefferson’s popularity in South
• Effective campaigning by Burr in New York
•Peaceful transfer of power
•Federalist policies remained
•Resulted in 12th Amendment (1804)