United States History
Chapter #6
“The Origins of American Politics”
(1789 – 1820)
Washington’s Presidency
•
Major Political
Events:
1.
First Bank of the
U.S.
2. Neutrality during the
French Rev. and b/w
France and England
when they went to
war.
3. Whiskey Rebellion
Washington’s Legacy
• Inauguration – April
30, 1789
– In temporary capital,
NYC (later Philly)
– Elected unanimously *
• Precedents:
– Established a cabinet
– Took control of
foreign affairs
• Proclamation of
Neutrality
– Suggested laws to
Congress
– Use of federal troops
to enforce laws
– Presidential terms
– State of the Union
The New Gov’t
• First elections – Fall 1788 (GW, Sp 1789)
• John Adams, VP
– Frustrated with lack of activity
• Judicial branch didn’t exist…
– Appointed, not elected
– Judiciary Act of 1789 – Set up Federal Cts
• First Supreme Court Justice – John Jay
• Bill of Rights passed - 1791
What about all the debt???
• Congress agreed to collect TARIFFS
• Creation of Economic system?
A. Hamilton (on the $10)
=
– Only 33 when Sec. of Treasury
– Believed in:
• Strong national gov’t (afraid of “mob mentality”)
• US economy based primarily on manufacturing,
not farming
• Power should be in hands of wealthy
Hamilton’s Financial Plan
• Debt – paid back in the following order:
– Foreign Debt ($12 million to France &
Netherlands)
– Domestic debt to merchants
– Assumption bill – assume state debts, $25 mil
– Gov’t needs some debt – motivation!
• Encourage development of industry
• Excise tax – tax on goods produced in the
USA ---- Whiskey tax
The National Bank
• Modeled on Bank of England
• Would hold $$$ and revenues of gov’t
• Bank would issue paper $$$ backed by
gold and silver (kept in vault)
• Bank would be owned by gov’t and
wealthy investors
• Passed through Congress, signed by GB
• 20 year charter, $10 million to start
Some Opposition
• Jefferson and Madison
– Said plan favored wealthy only
• Southern states
– Favored agriculture & had already paid debts!!
• Strict Constructionists
– Plan was unconstitutional
– Power not listed as enumerated in Constitution
Agreed….
• On the Assumption Bill of 1790
– Federal gov’t assumed state’s debts
– National capital would be moved to the
District of Columbia
Sect. #1 cont. (things causing problems for
Washington and the U.S.
• French Revolution
– 1789
– The oppressed French people ousted from power
Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.
• Remember the saying, “let them eat cake”?
– Divided Americans
• At first they said, they are fighting for the same reasons
we did (you know Amer Revo), we should help.
• But then the French started chopping people’s heads off.
– Little extreme for some Americans…
– How should the American govt. respond?
(remember Neutrality under Wash.)
• They did stay neutral
More Problems…
– Whiskey Rebellion
• Resistance to Hamilton’s economic program.
• Can this government make it or will they not be
able to put down a rebellion like the Articles?
– Washington flexed the gov’ts muscels and put down
the rebellion!
– Significance: showed this gov’t wasn’t going
anywhere.
– Jay’s Treaty
– Was a war b/t GB and FR
– Pres. Washington believed it was better for the
U.S. to side with Britain than France. So he sent
John Jay to Britain to sign a deal.
– Lost the support of many Americans.
Homework!!!
• Create a primary document!
– Newspaper Article
• About the Whiskey Rebellion OR the French
Revolution.
– Include:
• Background information, American involvement, and the
Significance.
• Color and be creative!
– Name your newspaper, get photos, etc.
Sect. #1 cont.
• FEDERALISTS
– Led by Washington and
Hamilton.
– Favor strong central
govt.
– Support new taxes and
tariffs.
– Support more powerful
army and navy.
– Pro-British
– Pro-Business
• JEFFERSONIAN
REPUBLICANS
– Led by Jefferson
– Favored weak central
govt.
– Oppose new taxes and
tariffs.
– Against large army and
navy.
– Pro-French
– Pro-Agriculture
George Washington steps down
• Because of criticism from the Jeffersonian
Republicans, President Washington chose not to
run for a third term.
• So his Vice President, John Adams, ran for
President against Thomas Jefferson.
• Adams won and was President from 1797-1801;
Jefferson became the Vice President because he
came in second (in 1804 that changed with the
12th Amendment)
Washington’s Farewell Address
• He warned us of:
– Foreign alliances
– Political parties
• “[A system of political parties] agitates the
Community with ill-founded jealousies and
false alarms, kindles the animosity of one
part against another, [and] foments [stirs
up] occasional riot and insurrection.”
nd
2
President: John Adams
1797-1801
2nd President: John Adams
• Born: Oct. 30, 1735
• Died: July 4, 1826
• Birthplace: Braintree,
MA
• Party: Federalist
• Married: Abigail
(“Remember the ladies…,all men
would be tyrants if they could”)
• Children: Abigail, John
Quincy, Susanna,
Charles, and Thomas
Section #2: John Adams President
“The Government Takes a New Course”
• John Adams – Major Political Events
– XYZ Affair
• The most pressing item at hand was the
harassment of U.S. shipping to and from Great
Britain.
• The French were angry about Jay’s Treaty b/t US
and GB.
• The American people wanted war (there was also
rumor that France was planning an invasion of
North America)
• Adams knew America was not ready to fight, so he
heeded Washington’s warning and tried to avoid
conflict.
X,Y,and Z
• President Adams sent three diplomats to meet
French foreign minister Charles Talleyrand.
• Talleyrand, appointed three of his own agents to
meet w/the Americans. (these three were identified
as X,Y,and Z)
• The Frenchmen asked for a bribe of $250,000 to
stop harassing the U.S. ships.
• This infuriated Adams, but he still knew a war was
not a good option, so he persuaded Congress to
suspend trade with France and made
arrangements for the British navy to protect
transatlantic shipping. (this angered Jefferson, and
many other Americans – felt it went against the
American Revolution)
President John Adams
• Quasi-War:
– Spring of ’98, U.S. frigates engaged French warships
in an armed struggle over U.S. neutrality, this lasted
for two years.
– It was known as the Quasi-War b/c officially, the two
countries were at peace.
– Adams delayed asking for Congress to declare war,
hoping that the French, busy fighting in Europe,
would stop bothering with N. Amer.
– In Sept., 1800, a second, more successful diplomatic
mission to Talleyrand persuaded France to recognize
U.S. neutrality in exchange for an increase in U.S.
exports to France.
John Adams
Alien and Sedition Acts
• During the summer of 1798, when war with France
seemed likely, Adams signed the:
• Alien and Sedition Acts
– Alien Act, President gained the right to imprison or
deport citizens of other countries residing in the U.S.
– Sedition Act, persons who wrote, published, or said
anything “of a false, scandalous, and malicious” nature
against the Amer. Govt. or its officials could be fined or
jailed.
Alien and Sedition Acts
• These laws were supposed to protect national security by
giving the president special powers to deport dangerous
foreigners and suppress dangerous speech.(sounds a lot like
the Patriot Act of 2002)
• However, in practice the Federalists used the Alien and
Sedition Acts not to prosecute spies but to persecute
Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican party.
• Dem-Rep. Congressman Matthew Lyon of Vermont was
sentenced to four months in jail for writing in a personal
letter that Adams was selfish and pompous.
Section #2 cont.
– The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
• Jefferson and Madison believed the Alien and
Sedition Acts were unconstitutional, so they argued
the states should decide b/c the Constitution, did
not spell it out.
• If a state decides a law is unconstitutional, it can
declare it “null and void” within the state.
– This issue of nullification went unresolved.
– Increasing Tensions
• Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Republicans
• Jefferson: “Spirit of 1776” vs. Adams: “Spirit of
1787”.
– Idea of liberty with the Revo vs. Emphasis on order in
the Constitution.
Gabriel Prosser’s Rebellion
• Before the election of 1800 took place,
another event in the summer demonstrated
the conflict surrounding the unresolved
issue of slavery.
• Gabriel Prosser led a rebellion of slaves in
Richmond, Virginia, they intended to take
over Richmond and win freedom for the
slaves.
Section #2 cont.
• Prosser’s Rebellion
– Gabriel Prosser, blacksmith
from Virginia.
– Planned a slave rebellion at
Richmond.
– Failed b/c they were
outnumbered
– Prosser and 20 others executed.
– “I have adventured my life in
endeavoring to obtain the
liberty of my countrymen, and
am a willing sacrifice to their
cause.”
During Adams’ Administration
• 1797, Philadelphia becomes the first
U.S. city to build a centralized watersupply system.
• 1800, Parson Weems writes, The Life
and Memorable Actions of George
Washington, which invents such
famous stories as that of young
George chopping down his father’s
cherry tree.
• 1800, census shows a national pop.
Of 5,300,000. This figure includes
about 1,000,000 blacks, of whom
90% are slaves. Virginia, with
900,000 people, is the most populous
state.
Jefferson Vs. Adams
Election of 1800
*Nasty election campaign.
*Jefferson won the majority of popular vote, unable to get a
majority of Electoral College.
*House would choose new President.
*Feb. 17, 1801; Jefferson was finally elected the third President of
the U.S. on the 36th vote.
*Adams failed to quiet his critics and angered his supporters.
*Jefferson was the clear leader of the people who believed in local
to national govt.
*The first transfer of power was a very important precedent, luckily
the Federalists understood the significance and did so peacefully.
3rd President: Thomas Jefferson
(Democratic-Republican)
1801-1809
3rd President: Thomas Jefferson
• Born: April 13, 1743
• Died: July 4, 1826
• Place of Birth: Shadwell,
VA
• Party: DemocraticRepublican
• Married: Martha
• Children: Martha, Jane,
Mary, Lucy, Lucy(one
died at birth)
Section #3:
“The Jefferson Administration”
• Reducing Government:
• “The sum of good government is a wise and frugal Gov’t,
which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall
leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits
of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the
mouth of labor the bread it has earned.
• Domestic Changes:
– Reduced taxes
– Cut the size of bureaucracy.
– Reduced the size of armed forces
• Army from 12,000 down to 3,000 troops.
– He became a very popular president. His style was very casual
and none pompous, so he easily won election in 1804, even
received votes from Federalists states (Mass.).
Alexander Hamilton
Vs. Aaron Burr
• July 11, 1804
• Hamilton was a lawyer in
NY.
• Burr was the VP under
Jefferson
• Burr challenged Hamilton
to a duel b/c he thought it
was Ham., that caused
him to lose the VP.
• Hamilton intentionally
fired into the air, but Burr
didn’t miss.
• Hamilton died the next
day.
Sect. #3 cont.
– The Judiciary Acts
• Jefferson’s relationship with the Judicial Branch was most
controversial.
• Constitution had not fully explained either the organization or
the role of this branch of govt.
• Judiciary Act of 1789: filled in missing details.
• Judiciary Act of 1801: decreased the number of SC justices.
Pres. Adams and outgoing Congressmen were trying to limit
Jefferson’s opportunity to appoint justices to the Supreme
Court.
• Midnight Judges: appointed by Adams as he was leaving
office
Judiciary Acts
• Marbury v. Madison (1803) Chief Justice John
Marshall
• Judicial Review: Gave power for federal courts to
review state laws and state court decisions to
determine Constitutionality. Also allows federal
courts to decide whether laws passed by Congress
are Constitutional.
Sect. #3 cont.
• Louisiana Purchase: A Turning Point
– The Land Act of 1800
• Americans were able to buy land on credit.
• Transfer of land from Govt. to citizens.
– Napoleon and the French
• Napoleon took over much of Spanish lands in America, including
New Orleans.
• James Monroe sent to Paris by Pres. Jefferson to purchase New
Orleans for $10 Million.
• Napoleon offered all of French claims in America for $15 million.
• This becomes the Louisiana Purchase.
– Lewis and Clark Expedition
• Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark:
* Bonus opportunity: find out their first names,
bring it in tomorrow for a bonus card!!!
Sect. #3 cont.
• Jefferson’s Foreign Policy
– European wars troubled the United States.
– American ships being harassed. U.S.S.
Chesapeake (look up this incident)
– Embargo Act of 1807:
• Embargo: a restriction on trade
• Economic weapon
• Ruined Jefferson’s second term, direct interference
of the national govt.
Section #4
“Native American Resistance”
• Questions of what to do about the Native American culture?
– The British who had once helped them no longer did, and the Americans
were pushing them off their land.
– Treaty of Greenville
• 1795, Native Americans in the Ohio region signed over two thirds of Ohio.
• Forced them to accept that the Ohio River was no longer a permanent
boundary between their lands and those of American settlers.
– What to do with natives?
• Exterminate – do we kill them all and be rid of the problem?
• Assimilate – do we try to simple force them into our culture and have
them abandon their own?
• Removal – do we just kick them out and put them somewhere
small/desolate?
– How would the Natives Americans react?
• Some accepted white culture, blended Indian and American culture,
returned to Indian traditions, or took military action.
Battle of Tippecanoe
• An Indian leader, Tecumseh, believed Indians’ only hope
of resisting American expansion was to unite Indians by
overcoming local and group differences.
• Tecumseh protested Americans “buying” Indian land, b/c
the Indians were always tricked in some way
– He protested in Indiana and the Governor Harrison was waiting
for him with 1,000 soldiers.
• On Nov. 11, 1811 Tecumseh ordered his men to attack.
– Battle of Tippecanoe
• The Battle lasted about two hours, and nobody won.
• Significance: battle shattered Native American
confidence and trust in Tecumseh as a leader.
Tecumseh
• During the War of 1812,
he rallied warriors to
fight with the British in
Canada. He died in the
Battle of Thames in
Ontario.
• He left a vital legacy of
defiance against the
Americans and gained
respect from his people
and their culture.
Fourth President: James Madison
1809-1817
• Writer of the Constitution
and parts of The
Federalist Papers
• He had a deep faith of
limited government.
• During his administration
this cost him b/c he failed
to make decisions against
the British in the War of
1812.
Fourth President: James Madison
1809-1817
• Born: March 16, 1751
• Death: June 28, 1836
• From: Port Conway,
VA
• Party: Dem-Rep
• Married: Dolly Payne
Todd
• Children: None
Major Political Events : Madison
• Tecumseh’s Confederacy
• War Hawks
• War of 1812
War Hawks
• In 18ll, voters replaced
nearly ½ the members of
the House with an
aggressive group of
young politicians anxious
for war with Britain.
• They complained
Madison’s diplomacy
wasn’t doing enough to
stop the con’t harassment
of U.S. shipping.
Henry Clay – War Hawk
War of 1812
• In June 1812, worn down by the “War Hawks,”
Madison reluctantly asked Congress to declare
war on Great Britain.
• As his justification, Madison cited the ongoing
attacks against U.S. vessels and Britain’s
encouragement of Indian raids along the western
and northern frontiers.
• From the start of the fighting, the war went
poorly for the Americans
War of 1812
• When Madison called for fifty thousand
volunteers, only five thousand enlisted.
• The New England states, whose economic future
depended on lively trade with Britain, opposed
the war and refused to allow their militias to
participate.
• The most significant victories were won by Capt.
Oliver Hazard Perry on Lake Erie in 1813, and
by Gen. Andrew Jackson at New Orleans in
1815.
• Jackson’s victory actually came after the Treaty
of Ghent formally ended the war.
Section #5:
“The War of 1812”
• War (be sure to know the following info.)
– Impressment: the act of forcing people into
military service. (this was done by the British)
– Invade British-held Canada, beaten by the British
in the summer of 1812.
– Battle of Thames, Oct. 1813.
– Battle at Horseshoe Bend, March 1814.
– Naval War
– Burning of Washington D.C., Aug. 24, 1814
War of 1812 “Mr. Madison’s War”
The Star Spangled Banner
• The words to the song
were written by Francis
Scott Key during the War
of 1812 (1814). He had
watched the bombing of
Fort McHenry by the
British an dawn saw the
American flag still flying.
He knew the British
attack had been turned
back!
Section #5 cont.
• The War Ends
– The Hartford Convention:
• Dec. 1814, New Englanders met to consider leaving the
Nation
• Secession
– The Treaty of Ghent:
• War no one wanted.
• Dec. 24, 1814 signed the treaty in Belgium ending the war.
• Battle of New Orleans:
– Dec. 23, 1814 through Jan. 8, 1815.
– Final battle took just over an hour, most shooting over in
20 min.
– British suffered 2,036 casualties to only 21 American.
5th Pres: James Monroe
• 1817-1825
• Missouri Compromise
is made during his
administration.
• We will look at his
administration more
in detail next chapter!
Section #5 cont.
• Post-War Boom & Panic
• The Missouri Compromise
– Economic prosperity in
1815.
– Republican party
dominated politics,
Federalists faded out of
existence.
– Creation of Second Bank
of the United States.
– Panic of 1819:
– Admission of the state of
Missouri.
– Basic issue of slavery at
stake.
• First Great Depression
• Economic downturn
– Missouri Compromise of 1820
• Slavery would be permitted in
Missouri.
• Maine would come into the
union as a Free State.
• As the U.S. expanded
westward, states north of 36°
30‘ latitude would be free
states.
• Avoid confronting the issue of
slavery for the time being!
Missouri Compromise