Launching a New Nation:
1789 - 1816
New Gov’t Takes Shape
• Washington elected 1st President
unanimously.
• Although the Constitution provided a
strong foundation, it was not a
blueprint for governing.
• “We are in a wilderness without a
single footstep to guide us.” -- James
Madison
The Judiciary Act of 1789
• The Constitution had authorized Congress
to set up a federal court system, headed
by the Supreme Court, but it failed to
spell out the details.
• Judiciary Act of 1789 created the federal
court system and allowed state court
decisions to be appealed in federal court
when constitutional questions were
raised.
Washington Shapes Executive
Branch
• Congress created 3 executive
departments:
• 1) Department of State to deal
with foreign affairs
• 2) Department of War to
handle military matters
• 3) Department of Treasury to
manage finances
Washington’s Cabinet
• Washington chose Thomas Jefferson
as secretary of state, Alexander
Hamilton as secretary of the treasury,
Henry Knox as secretary of war, and
Edmund Randolph as attorney general
(the chief lawyer of the federal gov’t).
• These department heads soon became
the president’s chief advisors, or
cabinet.
Hamilton and
Jefferson
Debate
• Hamilton believed in a strong
central gov’t led by a
prosperous, educated elite of
upper-class citizens.
• Jefferson distrusted a strong
central gov’t and the rich. He
favored strong state and local
gov’t run by the common man.
•Hamilton believed that
commerce and industry
were the keys to a strong
nation.
•Jefferson favored a society
of farmer-citizens.
•Hamilton’s vision of
America found support in
the North, particularly New
England.
•Jefferson’s views won
endorsement in the South
and the West.
Hamilton’s Economic Plan
• Hamilton believed that no nation
could survive without the confidence
of foreign and domestic creditors.
• He believed the federal gov’t must
legislate to enrich the educated
business and professional men so that
they would be bound to that gov’t.
• Hamilton proposed to pay off the war
debt owed by the federal gov’t.
• He also proposed an assumption plan,
which called for the federal gov’t to
assume the war debts owed by the
states.
• Hamilton reasoned that assuming
state debts would give creditors an
incentive to support the federal gov’t.
• Assumption was strongly opposed
by the South, which had already
paid off most of their debt.
• The northern states were all for
assumption.
• Assumption vehemently opposed
by Jefferson and Madison.
• In exchange for southern support
for assumption, Hamilton
compromised with Jefferson and
Madison to move the national
capital from New York to
Philadelphia for 10 years, then to
a permanent spot on the Potomac
River.
Plan for a National Bank
• Hamilton also proposed a national
bank to issue paper money and handle
tax receipts and other gov’t funds.
• The bank would be funded by the
federal government and wealthy
investors.
• Hamilton hoped to tie these wealthy
individuals to the country’s welfare.
• The proposal for a national bank met
much opposition.
• Madison feared that the bank would forge
an unhealthy alliance between wealthy
investors and the gov’t.
• Jefferson saw the bank as
unconstitutional, because the Constitution
did not give the federal gov’t the power to
operate a bank (strict construction vs.
broad construction).
The First
Political
Parties
• The disagreements between
Hamilton and Jefferson caused
them to clash over gov’t policy,
and this fueled the growing
division in national politics.
• The split in Washington’s cabinet
helped give rise to the country’s
1st political parties.
• 2 parties formed around one
of the key issues in
American history -- the
power and size of the
federal gov’t in relation to
the state and local
governments.
• Those who shared Hamilton’s vision
called themselves Federalists.
• Those who supported Jefferson’s
vision of strong state governments
called themselves Republicans (No
relation to today’s Republican Party.
Later called Democratic Republicans,
Jefferson’s party is the ancestor of
today’s Democratic Party).
• Republicans believed in
limited central government, an
agrarian economy, strong state
governments, and a democratic
system based on broader
political participation.
The Whiskey Rebellion
• Occurred during Washington’s 2nd
term in office
• Reflected tensions between
national and regional interests
• Congress passed an excise tax -- a tax
on a product’s manufacture, sale, or
distribution -- to be levied on
whiskey.
• This infuriated frontier farmers in
western Penn., whose livelihood
depended on the sale of corn whiskey.
• When federal agents came to collect
the tax, the farmers chased them off.
• Washington didn’t want another Shays’
Rebellion, so he mobilized 13,000 state
militia to put down the “insurrection”.
• No casualties, only a few arrests of
ringleaders (many farmers fled to
Kentucky)
• Washington had demonstrated the power
of the federal gov’t to enforce laws.
Foreign
Affairs
Trouble the
Nation
US Reaction to French
Revolution
• Some Americans supported the French
Revolution because it was inspired by the
ideal of republican rule and because
France and the US were allies.
• Some disagreed with the Revolution due
to the excess of the revolutionary regime
(The Reign of Terror)
• During the French Revolution, France
declared war on Great Britain and
expected American help.
• Jefferson, Madison and the Republicans
favored supporting France.
• Hamilton and the Federalists wanted the
US to back the British.
• Washington issued a declaration of
neutrality, a statement that the US would
support neither side.
• The French sent a young
diplomat, Edmond Genet, to
win American support.
• Going against diplomatic
procedure, Genet began to
recruit Americans for the war
effort against Great Britain.
• Americans were outraged.
Federalists called Jefferson a
radical because he supported
France.
• Frustrated by these attacks and his
ongoing feud with Hamilton,
Jefferson resigned from the cabinet
in 1793.
Treaty With Spain
• US ambassador Thomas Pinckney negotiated
treaty with Spain in 1795.
• Spain gave up all land claims east of the Miss.
River (except Florida) and allowed American
traders to use the port of New Orleans.
• Pinckney’s Treaty helped pave the way for US
expansion west of the Appalachians.
Native
Americans
Resist White
Settlers
• Pioneers had been moving west of
the Appalachians since before the
Revolutionary War.
• Westward migration greatly
increased after the Treaty of Paris,
which secured the land between
the Appalachians and the Miss.
River for the Americans.
• British still maintained forts in the
Northwest Territory (a direct violation
of the treaty).
• Settlers also met fierce resistance
from the Indians, who often attacked
white settlers.
• The federal gov’t sent the army (into
Ohio) to secure the land for the white
settlers.
• Twice the army clashed with a
confederacy of Indian tribes led by
Miami chieftain Little Turtle and
twice were defeated.
• Washington appointed General
Anthony Wayne (“Mad
Anthony”).
• After training for a full year,
Mad Anthony defeated the
Miami Confederacy at the
Battle of Fallen Timbers near
present-day Toledo (1794).
• This victory ended Indian
resistance in Ohio.
Jay’s Treaty
• John Jay negotiated a treaty with
Britain in which the British agreed to
evacuate their posts in the Northwest
Territory.
• Jay’s Treaty allowed BritishCanadians to continue their fur trade
on the US side of the border. This
angered many western settlers.
• Even though the US remained
neutral in the war between France
and Great Britain, the British had
begun to seize US ships and
confiscate their crews and cargoes.
Many were furious that Jay’s
Treaty did not resolve this
problem.
Adams Provokes Criticism
• The election of 1796 was the first
contest between candidates from
opposing parties.
• The Federalist ticket was John
Adams and Thomas Pinckney.
• The Republican ticket was Thomas
Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
• Adams received 71 electoral votes,
almost all from northern states.
• Jefferson received 68 electoral
votes, almost all from southern
states.
• As runner-up, Jefferson became
the Vice President.
• The Framers had not anticipated
this problem because they had not
expected the formation of political
parties.
• The election highlighted the
growing danger of sectionalism -placing the interests of one region
over those of the nation as a
whole.
Adams Tries To Avoid War
• France regarded Jay’s Treaty as a
violation of the French-American
alliance, and began seizing American
ships bound for Great Britain.
• Adams sent a 3-man negotiating team
to Paris to negotiate a solution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afB5NJmER5M
• The team, including future Chief Justice
John Marshall, planned to meet with the
French foreign minister Talleyrand.
• Instead, the French sent 3 low-level
officials to meet the team, and they
demanded a $250,000 bribe to meet with
Talleyrand.
• This insult, known as the XYZ Affair,
provoked anti-French sentiment in
America.
• In 1798, Congress authorized the
creation of a navy and began seizing
French ships.
• For 2 years an undeclared naval war
raged between France and America.
• Many Federalists wanted full-scale
war, but Adams refused. This
damaged his standing with the
Federalists.
The Alien
and Sedition
Acts
• Many new immigrants to the US
were Republicans and openly
criticized Adams and the
Federalists.
• Sensing a danger to the gov’t, the
Federalists in Congress passed
the Alien and Sedition Acts,
which:
1) Changed the
citizenship
requirement
from 5 to 14
years.
2) Authorized the
president to deport or
jail any alien considered
“dangerous to the peace
and safety of the United
States”
3) Set fines and prison
sentence for anyone
expressing “false,
scandalous, and malicious
statements” against the
gov’t.
The Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions
• Outraged Republicans called the
Alien and Sedition Act a
violation of freedom of speech.
• Madison and Jefferson organized
opposition to the acts.
• Madison and Jefferson wrote
resolutions against the acts. The
resolutions were adopted by Virginia
and Kentucky.
• These resolutions asserted the
principle of nullification -- the idea
that states could nullify, or consider
void, any act of Congress that they
deemed unconstitutional.
• The resolutions showed
that the balance of power
between the states and
the federal gov’t
remained a controversial
issue.
End of Material
for 1st Chapter 6
Quiz
Jefferson
Alters the
Nation’s
Course
Election of 1800
• The election pitted Jefferson (R) versus Adams (F).
• Jefferson defeated Adams in the electoral college by
8 votes; however, Jefferson’s Vice President Aaron
Burr received the same number of votes as
Jefferson.
• The House of Representatives is called upon to
choose between the 2.
• The Federalists controlled the House.
• 35 ballots were cast over 6 days and the
House was still deadlocked.
• Finally, Hamilton convinced enough
representatives to cast blank ballots for
Jefferson to win.
• As a result of the deadlock, Congress
passed the 12th Amendment which called
for electors to cast separate ballots for
President and VP.
Peaceful Transfer of Power
• The peaceful transfer of power from one party to
another showed the world that the American
Republic could withstand political change.
• Jefferson attempted to bring the country together. In
his inaugural address, he stated: “Every difference
of opinion is not a difference of principle…We are
all Republicans; we are all Federalists.”
Simplifying the Presidency
• “That gov’t which is best is that which
governs the least” -- Thomas Jefferson.
• Jefferson tried to shrink the gov’t and cut costs
wherever possible.
• He rolled back Hamilton’s economic program
by eliminating all internal taxes and reducing
the influence of the national bank.
Southern Dominance of Politics
• Jefferson was the 1st president to take office in
the new federal capital, Washington, D.C.
• Southern capital reflected the growing
importance of the south in politics.
• Jefferson and next 2 presidents all from
Virginia.
• New England and the Federalists were
declining in power.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
• While Adams was President, he passed the
Judiciary Act of 1801, increasing the number
of federal judges by 16.
• Adams feared what Jefferson would do to the
country, so he appointed as many Federalists
to the new positions as possible (midnight
judges), in order for the Federalists to control
the federal judiciary for years to come.
• Adams also appointed his current
Secretary of State John Marshall, a
staunch Federalist, as Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court.
• Some of the appointments failed to be
delivered before the end of Adams term.
• As a result, Jefferson declared the
appointments invalid and his secretary of
state James Madison refused to deliver
the commissions.
• One of the midnight judges took his
case to the Supreme Court.
• In the famous ruling, Marshall said
that Congress’ Judiciary Act of 1789
was unconstitutional.
• This decision affirmed the principle of
judicial review, the ability of the
Supreme Court to declare an act of
Congress unconstitutional.
*The Barbary Coast Pirates
• The North African states of Morocco,
Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli had been
capturing foreign ships and holding them
for ransom.
• The US had been paying these pirates a
yearly tribute under Washington and
Adams.
• Jefferson refused to pay this tribute.
•Tripoli declared war on the
US in 1801, and a war
which the US won was
fought for 3 years.
•The American hero of this
was was Stephen Decatur.
Hamilton Duels With Burr
• Hamilton backed Burr’s opponent in 1800
(Jefferson) and his opponent in the 1804
New York Governor’s race (Burr lost
both and blamed Hamilton).
• Burr responded to challenging Hamilton
to a duel.
• In the duel, Burr shot and killed
Hamilton, who deliberately fired in the
air.
• Burr moved to Florida after indicted for
murder in New York and New Jersey (he later
returned to preside over the Senate).
• It later became known that while in Florida,
Burr worked on a scheme to organize a
secession of the Louisiana Territory into an
independent republic.
• Jefferson had him arrested and tried for
treason.
• Not enough evidence, he was acquitted.
The US
Expands
West
• During Jefferson’s presidency, Americans
continued to migrate across the
Appalachians.
• Most Americans arrived in Ohio,
Kentucky, and Tennessee through the
Cumberland Gap, a natural passage
through the Appalachians.
• In 1775, Daniel Boone had built a road
through the Gap into Kentucky (the
Wilderness Road).
The Louisiana Purchase
• In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte of France
persuaded Spain to return the Louisiana
Territory.
• Many Americans were alarmed.
• Jefferson feared that the French presence
would force the US into an alliance with
Great Britain.
• Jefferson sent James Monroe to
offer to buy New Orleans and
western Florida from the French.
• Before Monroe arrived, Napoleon
offered to sell the ENTIRE
Louisiana Territory for $15
million.
• As a strict constructionist, Jefferson
was unsure as to whether or not the
federal gov’t had the authority to
purchase new lands.
• After a delay, Jefferson submitted the
treaty and the Senate ratified it.
• With the Louisiana Purchase, the size
of the nation more than doubled.
Lewis and Clark
• As the Louisiana Purchase was being
finalized, Jefferson began organizing an
expedition to explore the the West.
• He appointed his personal secretary,
Meriwether Lewis, to lead an expedition
from St. Louis to the Pacific coast.
• Lewis chose William Clark to
be second in command.
• The purpose of the expedition
was to carry out scientific
studies along the way and to
document the native cultures
they found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJacjRpaSGE
• The expedition began with about
50 men, and later took on an
Indian women named Sacajawea
who acted as interpreter and guide.
• Expedition took 2 years and 4
months (May 1804-Sept. 1806)
and covered 7,689 miles.
• The Louisiana Purchase and
the Lewis and Clark expedition
contributed to the success of
Jefferson’s first term in office,
but trouble with Britain
loomed on the horizon.
The War
of 1812
Erupts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Hh8W69cos
The War Hawks Demand War
• Jefferson won reelection in 1804.
• Renewed fighting between Britain and France
threatened American shipping.
• In 1806, Napoleon decided to exclude British
goods from Europe.
• In turn, Britain set up a blockade of
Napoleon’s Europe.
• By 1807, Britain had seized over
1,000 American ships, and France had
seized about half that number.
• Americans focused their anger on the
British because of its policy of
impressment, the practice of seizing
Americans at sea and drafting them
into the British navy.
• In one incident, the commander of the
American ship Chesapeake refused to
let the British board his ship and
search for deserters. The British
opened fire, killing 3 and wounding
18.
• Jefferson convinced Congress to
declare an embargo, a ban on all trade
with other countries.
• Jefferson believed the Embargo
Act of 1807 would hurt Britain and
other European powers and force
them to honor US neutrality.
• Unfortunately, the embargo stifled
US business, and Congress
eventually lifted the order in 1809.
• A group of young congressmen
from the South and the West,
known as the war hawks,
continued to push for war.
• The leaders of this group were
John C. Calhoun (SC) and Henry
Clay (KY), the Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
• About this time (1809) a confederacy of
Indian tribes led by Shawnee chief
Tecumseh began organizing to fight for
their homeland in the Indiana Territory.
• The Indians attacked the US Army in
Indiana in 1811 but were defeated by
General William Henry Harrison at the
Battle of Tippecanoe. After the battle, it
was discovered that the Indians had been
supplied by the British.
The Election of 1808
• Virginia Republican James Madison coasted
to victory over a weak Federalist opponent,
Charles C. Pinckney.
• By 1812, Madison had decided to go to war
with Great Britain.
• He believed Britain was trying to cripple the
American economy.
Answers to First Invasion
Questions
•
•
•
•
1. 3 years
2. shipping
3. France
4. Embargo Act of
1807
• 5. impressment
• 6. British
• 7. Madison
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
8. Madison
9. impressment
10. New England
11. Federalist
12. Republican
13. British
14. Canada; no
15. “Old Ironsides”
Answers to First Invasion
Questions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
16. Napoleon
17. Bladensburg, MD
18. Dolly Madison
19. burn them
20. hurricane
21. Baltimore, MD
22. Fort McHenry
23. Francis Scott Key
• 24. no
• 25. wrote “StarSpangled Banner”
• 26. Hartford
• 27. New Orleans
• 28. Andrew Jackson
• 29. 2000; 20
• 30. Treaty of Ghent
Failure in Canada
• Republican cuts in gov’t spending left the
US ill-prepared for war.
• The 1st attempts to invade Canada were
disastrous.
• The next year things went better. A fleet
under the command of Oliver Hazard
Perry defeated a British fleet on Lake
Erie.
•The US retook Detroit and
won several battles.
•Tecumseh was killed in
battle, and Indian support
for the British began to
collapse.
British Burn the White House
• By 1814, the British were raiding
and burning towns all along the
Atlantic coast.
• In August, the redcoats burned the
Capitol, the White House, and
other public buildings.
The Final Battle
• General Andrew Jackson gathered 4,000
troops to defend New Orleans.
• The British advanced with 10,000 men.
• In just over an hour of fighting, the British
suffered 2,036 casualties; the Americans,
21.
• Jackson became an instant hero.
• Ironically the Battle of New Orleans
occurred 2 weeks after the US and Britain
had signed the Treaty of Ghent, officially
ending the War of 1812.
• By 1815, the US and Great Britain were
once again trading together. They agreed
upon borders for Louisiana, and agreed to
jointly occupy the Oregon Territory for
10 years.
Results of the War of 1812
• Increase in nationalism.
• Strengthening of isolationism.
• Increase of westward migration.
• Encouragement of US Industry.
• Death of the Federalist Party.
End of Material
for 2nd Chapter 6
Quiz