A.P.
U.S. History Notes:
~
1789 – 1800 ~
I.
A
New Ship on an Uncertain Sea
1.
In
1789, the new U.S. Constitution was launched, and population was
doubling every twenty years.
a.
America’s
population was still 90% rural, with 5% west of the Appalachians.
b.
Vermont
became the 14th state in 1791, and Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio
(states where trans-Appalachian overflow was concentrated) became states soon
after.
c.
Visitors
looked down upon the crude, rough pioneers, and these western people were
restive and dubiously loyal at best.
2.
In
the twelve years after American independence, laws had been broken and a
constitution had been completely scrapped and replaced with a new one,
something that was not best of government
3.
America
was also heavily in debt, and paper money was worthless, but meanwhile,
restless monarchs watched to see if the U.S. could succeed in setting up a
republic while facing such overwhelming odds.
II.
Washington’s
Profederalist Regime
1.
At
6’2”, 175 pounds, broad and sloping shoulders, a strongly pointed chin and
pockmarks from Smallpox, George Washington was an imposing figure, which
helped in his getting unanimously drafted as president by the Electoral
College in 1789.
2.
His
long journey from Mt. Vernon to New York (capital at the time) was a triumphant
procession filled with cheering crowds and roaring festivities, and he took his
oath of office on April 30, 1789, on a balcony overlooking Wall Street.
3.
Washington
established a diverse cabinet (which was not necessary, Constitution-wise).
a.
Secretary
of State: Thomas Jefferson
b.
Secretary
of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
c.
Secretary
of War: Henry Knox
III.
The
Bill of Rights
1.
Many
states had ratified the Constitution on the condition that there would be a Bill
of Rights, and many antifederalists had criticized the Constitution for its
lack of a Bill.
2.
The
necessary number of states adopted it in 1791.
a.
Amendment
I: Freedom of religion, speech or press, assembly, and petition.
b.
Amendment
II: Right to bear arms (for militia).
c.
Amendment
III: Soldiers can’t be housed in civilian homes during peacetime.
d.
Amendment
IV: No unreasonable searches; all searches require warrants.
e.
Amendment
V: Right to refuse to speak during a civil trial; Double Jeopardy.
f.
Amendment
VI: Right to a speedy and public trial.
g.
Amendment
VII: Right to trial by jury when the sum exceeds $20.
h.
Amendment
VIII: No excessive bails and/or fines.
i.
Amendment
IX: Other rights not enumerated are also in effect.
j.
Amendment
X: Non-federal powers belong to the state.
3.
The
Judiciary Act o f 1789 created effective federal courts.
4.
John Jay became the first chief justice of the United States
IV.
Hamilton Revives the Corpse of Public Credit
1.
Born
in the British West Indies, his loyalty to the U.S. was often questioned, even
though he claimed he loved his adopted country more than his native country.
2.
He
urged the federal government to assume its debts ($54 million) and try to pay
them off at face value, PLUS interest, as well as assume the debts of the
states ($21.5 million).
a.
Massachusetts
had a huge debt, but Virginia didn’t, so there needed some haggling. This was because Virginia felt it unfair
that all debts were to be assumed, instead of just a set amount. Essentially, its rival states would be at
the same level as it even though they had obtained larger debts.
b.
Virginia
would have the District of Columbia built on its land (therefore gaining
prestige) in return for letting the government assume all the states’ debts.
3.
The
“Funding at Par” would gain the support of the rich to the federal government,
not the states.
V.
Customs
Duties and Excise Taxes.
1.
With
the national debt at a huge $75 million, Alexander Hamilton was strangely
unworried.
2.
He
used the debt as an asset: the more people the government owed money to, the
more people who would care about what would happen to the U.S.
3.
To
pay off some of the debt, Hamilton first proposed custom duties, and the first
one, imposing a low tariff of about 8% of the value of dutiable imports, was
passed in 1789.
a.
Hamilton
also wanted to protect America’s infant industries, though since the U.S. was
still dominated by agricultural programs, little was done for that.
4.
In
1791, Hamilton secured an excise tax on a few domestic items, notably whiskey
(7 cents per gallon).
VI.
Hamilton
Battles Jefferson for a Bank
1.
Hamilton
proposed for a national treasury, to be a private institution modeled after the
Bank of England, to have the federal government as a major stockholder, to
circulate cash to stimulate businesses, to store excess money, and to print
money that was worth something, and was opposed by Jefferson.
2.
Hamilton’s
Views:
a.
What
was not forbidden in the Constitution was permitted.
b.
A
bank was “necessary and proper” (from Constitution).
c.
He
evolved the Elastic Clause.
3.
Jefferson’s
Views:
a.
What
was not permitted was forbidden.
b.
A
bank should be a state controlled item (9th Amendment).
c.
The
Constitution should be interpreted literally and strictly.
4.
End
result: Hamilton won, and Washington reluctantly signed the bank measure into
law; the Bank of the Untied States was created by Congress in 1791,
and was chartered for 20 years.
a.
It
was located in Philadelphia and was to have a capital of $10 million.
b.
Stock
was thrown open to public sale, and surprisingly, a milling crowd
oversubscribed in two hours.
VII.
Mutinous
Moonshiners in Pennsylvania
1.
In
1794, in western Pennsylvania, the Whiskey Rebellion flared up
when fed up farmers revolted against Hamilton’s excise tax.
a.
Around
those parts, liquor and alcohol was often used as money.
2.
Washington
cautiously sent an army of about 13,000 troops from various states to the
revolt, but the soldiers found nothing upon arrival; the rebels had scattered.
3.
Washington’s
new presidency now commanded new respect, but antifederalists criticized the
government’s use of a giant to crush a gnat.
VIII.
The
Emergence of Political Parties
1.
Hamilton’s
policies (national bank, suppression of Whiskey Rebellion, excise tax) had
seemed to encroach on states’ rights.
2.
As
resentment grew, what was once a personal rivalry between Hamilton and Jefferson
gradually evolved into two political parties.
3.
The
Founding Fathers had not envisioned various political parties (Whigs and
Federalists and Tories, etc… had existed but they had been groups, not
parties).
4.
Since
1825, the two-party system has helped strengthen the U.S. government, helping
balance power and ensuring no huge deviation from the norm.
IX.
The
Impact of the French Revolution
1.
Near
the end of Washington’s first term, in 1793, two parties had evolved: the Jeffersonian
Democratic-Republicans and the Hamiltonian Federalists.
2.
However,
the French Revolution greatly affected America.
3.
At
first, people were overjoyed, since the first stages of the revolution were not
unlike America’s dethroning of Britain.
Only a few ultraconservative Federalists were upset at this “mobocracy”
and revolt.
4.
When
the French declared war on Austria, then threw back the Austrian armies and
then proclaimed itself a republic people sang “The Marseillaise” and other
French revolutionary songs, and renamed various streets and places.
5.
After
the revolution turned radical and bloody, the Federalists rapidly changed
opinions and looked nervously at the Jeffersonians, who felt that no revolution
could be carried out without a little bloodshed.
6.
Still,
neither group completely approved.
7.
America
was sucked into the revolution when France declared war on Great Britain and
the battle for North American land began…again.
X.
Washington’s
Neutrality Proclamation
1.
With
war came the call by the JDR’s (Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans) to enter
on the side of France, the recent friend, against Britain, the recent enemy.
2.
However,
Washington knew that war could mean disaster and disintegration, since the
nation in 1793 was militarily and economically weak and politically disunited.
3.
In
1793, he issued the Neutrality Proclamation, proclaiming the U.S.’s
official neutrality and warning Americans to stay out of the issue and be
impartial.
4.
JDR’s
were incensed, as this controversial statement irked both sides.
5.
Soon
afterwards, Citizen Edmond Genêt, landed at Charleston, South Carolina,
as representative to the U.S.
a.
On
his trip to Philadelphia, he had been cheered rousingly by Jeffersonian
Democratic-Republicans, who supported France, and he came to wrongly
believe that Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation didn’t truly reflect the
feelings of Americans.
b.
Also,
he equipped privateers to plunder British ships and to invade Spanish Florida
and British Canada.
c.
He
even went as far as to threaten to appeal over the head of Washington to the
sovereign voters, and afterwards, he was basically kicked out of the USA.
6.
Actually,
America’s neutrality helped France, since only in that way could France get
needed American foodstuffs.
7.
The
U.S. didn’t have to honor its alliance from the Treaty of 1778 because
France didn’t call on it to do so.
XI.
Embroilments
with Britain
1.
Britain
still had many posts in the frontier, and supplied the Indians with weapons.
2.
The
Treaty of Greenville, in 1795, had the Indians cede their vast tract in
the Ohio country to Americans after General “Mad Anthony” Wayne crushed
them at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794.
3.
Ignoring
America’s neutrality, British commanders of the Royal Navy seized about 300
American merchant ships and impressed scores of seamen into their army.
4.
Many
JDR’s cried for war with Britain, or at least an embargo, but Washington
refused, knowing that such drastic action would destroy the Hamilton financial
system.
XII.
Jay’s
Treaty and Washington’s Farewell
1.
In
a last-ditch attempt to avert war Washington sent John Jay to England to work
something out.
2.
However,
his negotiations were sabotaged by Hamilton, who secretly gave the Brits the
details of America’s bargaining strategy.
3.
The
results weren’t pretty:
a.
Britain
would repay the lost money from recent merchant ship seizures, but it said
nothing about future seizures, impressments, and Indians arms supplying.
b.
America
would have to pay off its pre-Revolutionary War debts to Britain.
4.
Result:
the JDR’s from the South were INCENSEND and pissed, as the southern farmers
would have to pay while the northern merchants would be paid.
5.
At
this time, the Pinckney Treaty of 1795 with Spain gave Americans free
navigation of the Mississippi and the large disputed territory north of
Florida.
6.
After
his second term, Washington stepped down, creating a strong two-term precedent
that wasn’t broken until FDR was prez.
7.
His
Farewell Address warned against binding, permanent alliances, and talked
about other stuff.
8.
Washington
had set the U.S. on its feet and had made it sturdy.
XIII.
“Bonny
Johnny” Adams Becomes President”
1.
Hamilton
was the logical choice to become the next president, but his financial plan had
made him very unpopular.
2.
John Adams, the ablest statesmen of his day, won, 71 to 68, against Thomas
Jefferson, who became vice president.
3.
Adams
had a hated rival and opponent in Hamilton, who plotted with Adams’ cabinet
against the president, and a political rival in his vice president.
4.
He
also had a volatile situation with France that could explode into war.
XIV.
Unofficial
Fighting with France
1.
France
was incensed by Jay’s Treaty, calling it a flagrant violation of the
1778 Franco-American treaty, and began seizing defenseless American merchant
ships.
2.
In
the XYZ Affair, John Adams sent three envoys (including John Marshall)
to France, where they were approached by three agents, “X,” “Y,” and “Z,” who
demanded a load of 32 million florins and a $250,000 bribe just for talking to Talleyrand.
a.
Even
though bribes were routine in diplomacy, such a large sum for simply talking
weren’t worth it, and there was no guarantee of an agreement.
b.
The
envoys returned to America, cheered by incensed Americans as having done the
right thing for America.
3.
Irate
Americans called for war with France, but Adams, knowing just as Washington did
that war could spell disaster, remained neutral.
4.
Thus,
an undeclared war mostly confined to the seas raged for two and a half years,
where American ships captured over 80 armed French ships.
XV.
Adams
Puts Patriotism Above Party
1.
Talleyrand,
knowing that war with the U.S. would add another enemy to France, declared that
if another envoy was sent to France, that it would be received with respect.
2.
In
1800, the three American envoys were met by Napoleon, who was eager to
work with the U.S.
3.
The
treaty in 1800 signed in Paris ended the 1778 alliance in return for the
American paying of the claims of its shippers as alimony.
4.
In
keeping the U.S. at peace, John Adams plunged his popularity and lost his
chance at a possible second term, but he did the right thing, keeping the U.S.
neutral while it was still weak.
XVI.
The
Federalist Witch Hunt
1.
The
Federalists scorned the poor people, who in turn were welcomed by the JDR’s.
2.
Federalists
therefore raised the residence requirements for aliens who wanted to become
citizens from five to fourteen years, a law that violated the traditional
American policy of open-door hospitality and speedy assimilation.
3.
Another
law let the President deport dangerous aliens during peacetime and jail them
during times of war.
4.
The
Sedition Act provided that anyone who impeded the policies of the
government or falsely defamed its officials, including the president, would be
liable to a heavy fine and imprisonment; it was aimed at newspaper editors and
the JDR’s.
a.
While
obviously unconstitutional, this act was passed by the Federalist majority in
Congress and upheld in the court because of the majority of Federalists there
too.
b.
It
was conveniently written to expire in 1801 to prevent use of it against them.
c.
Matthew
Lyon was one of those imprisoned when he was sentenced to four months in jail
for writing ill things about President John Adams
5.
Furthermore,
in the elections of 1798-99, the Federalists won the most sweeping victory of
their history.
XVII.
The
Virginia (Madison) and Kentucky (Jefferson) Resolutions
1.
Resentful
Jeffersonians would not take this down, and Jefferson feared that the
Federalists, having wiped out freedom of speech and of the press, might wipe
out more.
2.
He
wrote a series of legislation that Kentucky approved in 1798-99, and friend
James Madison wrote another series of legislation (less extreme) that Virginia
approved.
a.
They
stressed the compact theory, which meant that the 13 states, in creating the
federal government, had entered into a contract regarding its jurisdiction, and
the individual states were the final judges of the laws passed in Congress.
b.
Their
legislation nullified the Sedition and Alien Laws.
3.
Only
those two states did so.
4.
Federalists,
though, argued that the people, not the states, had made the contract, and it
was up to the Supreme Court to nullify legislation, a procedure that it adopted
in 1803.
5.
While
neither Madison nor Jefferson wanted secession, they did want an end to
Federalist abuses.
XVIII. Federalists versus
Democratic-Republicans
1.
The Federalists
a.
Most
were federalists from before the Constitution.
b.
They
wanted a strong government ruled by the educated aristocrats, the “best
people.”
c.
Most
were the merchants, manufacturers, and shippers along the Atlantic seaboard.
d.
They
were mostly pro-British and recognized that foreign trade was key in the U.S.
2.
The Democratic-Republicans
a.
Led
by Thomas Jefferson, a bad speaker but a great leader and appealer to the
common people, they desired rule by informed classes and a weaker central
government that would preserve the sovereignty of the states, and were mostly
pro-French.
b.
Jefferson
was rich and even owned slaves, but he sympathized for the common people.
c.
The
national debt had to be paid off.
d.
They
were mostly agrarians, and insisted no special privileges for the upper class.
e.
Farming
was ennobling: it kept people away from wicked cities, in the sun, and close to
God.
f.
He
advocated rule of the people, but not all the people, just those who weren’t
ignorant.
g.
Slavery
could help avoid a class of landless voters by providing the necessary labor.
h.
He
championed for free speech, but he was foully abused by editorial pens.
3.
Thus,
as 1800 rolled around, the disunity of America was making its existence very
fragile.
