I) Washington Administration (1789 - 1797) Vice-President: John Adams
Cabinet:
Sec. of State: T. Jefferson
Sec. of Treasury: A. Hamilton
Sec of War:
Attorney General:
A) Major Domestic Events:
1) Judiciary Act of 1789 - What did it do? What did it create?
2) Whiskey Rebellion - 1794: Cause - Reaction of Gov't - Reaction of
Jeff. Repub.
Location? Was Jefferson's reaction to be expected? Why?
3) Economic Problems
a)Domestic and Foreign Debt - Hamilton's view on honor and respect
for U.S. Must pay debts!
Payment of bonds and speculators (do you understand this issue)
Issue of Creation of a U.S. Bank
1) Strict vs. Loose interpretation of Constitution
Constitution allowed Congress the powers
collect taxes, borrow money, pay debt, and
regulate commerce. Therefore since a bank
is needed to do these things, through the
elastic clause, the Congress claims the
right to build a U.S. Bank. (Would Jefferson agree with this?)
B) Major Foreign Events:
1) Problem with Citizen
Genet:
a) What was the problem and how was it handled:
b) With regards to the French Revolution , what policy did Washington declare:
How did Genet violate the policy? How did Washington react:
2) Jay Treaty 1795
a) Background: English had not removed her troops from the Northwest
Territory as agreed in the Treaty of Paris. Also she, along with
Spain was encouraging the Indians to attack American settlements
The purpose was to prevent the westward movement of the U.S.
Also the English, ignoring the Proclamation of Neutrality by
Washington, were attacking our ships in the West Indies and our
sailors were being impressed into the English navy. Ships and
cargoes of Americans were being seized and other Americans were
being jailed.
b) Chief Justice John Jay was sent to negotiate with the British in 1794.
Washington hoped to avoid war with England, but recognized the need of
the United States to defend its sovereignty.
c) Talks resulted in a treaty today known as the Jay Treaty. Its provisions
are
as follows:
1) British would leave Northwest Territory by 1786.
2) American ships under 70 tons could trade with the British West Indies.
Cotton, molasses and sugar could not be traded.
3) It was agreed that issues such as the Maine-Canadian border, the
seizure of Am. ships and the debts to British merchants would have to
wait, but would be discussed at a later date.
d) PUBLIC
REACTION: Most Americans viewed the treaty as a "peace at any
price" treaty. The Senate approved the treaty by the
required two-thirds vote and the President enacted it.
********* Historians view Washington's decision as unpopular, but wise
and courageous. The U.S. could survive humiliation, but not
another war with England.
2) Pinckney Treaty with Spain 1795 (San Lorenzo Treaty)
a)Background:
The U.S. was concerned about its rights to navigate the
Mississippi River. Because of the Appalachian Mountains, the
western farmers had need of the Mississippi to send their farm
goods to the East coast and Europe.
b)This treaty granted
the United States the right to free navigation of the
Mississippi River. The 31st parallel was accepted as our southern boundary
line. The U.S. was given the right of deposit at New Orleans.
c) Public Reaction:
The people viewed this treaty as a success and were
pleased. It was an economic and political victory in foreign
policy.
3) Washington's Farewell Address
1) Need for
religion and morality in our society and government.
2) Good ends
do not justify evil means.
3) Warns against
sectionalism.
4) Avoid permanent
alliances with European nations.
5) Danger of
strife because of the formation of political parties.
II. John Adams Administration (1797 - 1801) Vice President: Thomas Jefferson
Anti Federalist
Political Party: Federalist
A) Major Events:
1) Election of 1796: Major
issue was the Jay Treaty. This election proved that the
method of selecting presidents and vice-presidents needed
changing. DO YOU KNOW WHY??????????
The 12th Amendment was passed to solve this situation and
preventing it from happening again.
2) X Y Z Affair: Charles
Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry and John Marshall were sent by
President Adams to discuss with the French minister Talleyrand the
issue of French seizure of American merchant ships. Adams was
hoping to avoid war with France and was following the precedent for
a foreign policy of neutrality and isolation established by Washington
in our relationship with England earlier. Three Frenchmen, later given
the title
Mr. X, Y, and Z who worked for Talleyrand demanded of the
Americans
a bribe of $240,000 before they would allow them to talk
Talleyrand.
Marshall refused to pay a bribe and two of the men
returned
to the U.S.
The public and
Congress were outraged and the Republican Party
lost a
great deal of support. The Americans were preparing for war:
Negotiations
continued with the French, however, a undeclared naval
war broke out
between the U.S. and the French and lasted for two
years before
things were settled.
3) During the Adams Administration, foreign
affairs such as England's seizure of our
ships, the French
Revolution and the undeclared naval war with France caused
concerns in our country.
The question of freedom of speech and press, as well as
the right of people
to protest against the policies of their government had to be
dealt with. Under
monarchies, if anyone challenged the authority of the
king or members of
government, they were jailed and often executed. The U.S.
had given its citizens
the right of freedom of speech and press, and that included
the right to criticize
the policies of the government. The question was---How far
was that freedom to
be allow to go??? Also the question of the allowing of
immigrants into our
country and how quickly they should be allowed to become
citizens and gain
voting rights was being debated in our country.
All this would result in
the passage of laws which many like Jefferson would
consider a violation of
the rights of the people.
a) Naturalization Act: Residency requirements for citizenship were extended
from 5 years to 14 years.
( BE sure you can explain why this law was passed for
political reasons by the Federalist)
b)
Alien Act: Gave the President the power to deport any alien he considered
dangerous to our peace and safety, or who might commit treason.
( Define Treason: What proof does the Constitution require???)
( Do you see any problem with giving the President this power
alone????? Hint: System of Checks and Balances
"Power corrupts, absolute power ....."
c)
Sedition Act: Allowed for the fining and imprisonment of anyone for
publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing about
the government, the Congress, or the President.
Also provided a fine and imprisonment for conspiring to oppose
any law or official of the government.
3) REACTION TO THE PASSAGE OF THESE LAWS:
a) Jefferson
and Madison were shocked by the passage of the above laws which
they considered as violations of the Constitution. They felt the loose
interpretation of the Constitution used by the Federalist was creating
a
government much too strong.
REACTING to the passage of these laws, Jefferson and Madison set
about writing what came to be known as the Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions. In these writings they maintained that the above laws were
unconstitutional. They claimed that only the states had the right to make
such laws. ?They also stressed that the Federal government had only
those powers given it by the states and could assume no others.
IMPORTANT******************************************
The statements made in these writings were later used by both the North
and the South
to justify the right of a state to nullify a federal law, and also to justify
the right of
a state to leave the Union.
The whole issue of STATES RIGHTS, which this came to be called, begins
here
and is later used to oppose involvement in the War of 1812, the Mexican
War and
the right of the federal government to collect tariffs.
THE FAILURE TO DEAL
WITH THIS ISSUE WOULD RESULT LATER IN
THE ARGUMENT BREAKING
OUT INTO A CIVIL WAR IN THE 1860'S
III. Thomas Jefferson Administration (1801 - 1809) Vice-President: Aaron
Burr
Political Party: Demo.-Republican
A) Major Issues:
1. Election of 1800: Major
issues that determined the outcome of this election were
such things as the Alien and Sedition Acts, problems with England and
France, issue of trade, the Jay Treaty.
Both Jefferson and Burr received the same number of votes and the
election went to the House of Representatives as indicated in the
Constitution.
With the help of Hamilton, Jefferson was elected President
after
thirty-six ballots.
2. A Peaceful Revolution: The power
to rule passed peacefully from the Federalist to the
Republicans
under Jefferson. This was a sign of the strength and the
success of the
American Revolution and the Constitution. The peaceful
exchange of
power was a concept not practiced in Europe and it marked
a movement in
American government towards the rule and power of the
common man.
3. Marlbury vs. Madison: This issue involved
the concept of separation of powers between the
executive and judicial
branch of government. The importance of this law
rest in the fact that
it established the power of judicial review as a power
of the Supreme Court.
This gave the Supreme Court the right to decide
the constitutionality
of any law passed by Congress and signed by the
President.
4. Louisiana Purchase: France having failed
to reestablish a French Empire in North America
because of the revolution
in Haiti and the threat of another European
war, offered to sell
to the United States all of the Louisiana Territory for
the sum of 15 million
dollars.
The United States,
fearing an English victory in the Napoleonic wars and a
resulting transfer
of the Louisiana Territory to England, purchased the
land. We had been
engaged in negotiations with Napoleon for the
purchase of the right
of deposit or the city of New Orleans after Louisiana
had changed hands
and was transferred from Spanish to French hands again.
The French had been
very cold towards such a purchase until conditions
in Europe changed
and Napoleon feared he might lose Louisiana. He hoped
that by selling it
to the Americans, he might be able to regain the land and
build his American
Empire.
Conflict: Jefferson favored
a "strict interpretation " of the Constitution and no where
in the Constitution was
there a power granting him the right to purchase land.
He believed that the
U.S. had a destiny (MANIFEST DESTINY) to gain all the
land from the Atlantic
to the Pacific and that by doing this the U.S. would
become a great and
powerful nation. Going against his conscience, Jefferson
went ahead with the
purchase and it was approved by the Senate as a
treaty.
5. Lewis and Clark Expedition: Louis and Clark
were sent on an expedition by Jefferson to
survey the newly purchased
land. They traveled as far as the Pacific and
by doing this lay
a U.S. claim to the Oregon area as well.
They reported that the area
we now call the Great Plains was a huge desert
referred to as the "Great
American Desert". This mistake based on limited
awareness and understanding of
the environment had some interesting consequences
in American history.
a) Influenced
the pattern of settlement of the U.S.
b) Led the WAR
HAWKS to favor conquering Canada as an area needed
for future farming needs. (since one cannot farm a desert)
6. Embargo Act: In order to avoid war with England and
France and in hopes of hurting the
economies of both of these nations,
Jefferson with the Congress had passed the
Embargo Act. This act closed down the
ports of the U.S. to all European trade by
Europeans and Americans. Only coastal
trade was allowed by the Americans.
The hope was that if American ships
were not in European waters then they would
not be seized by the French or the English,
nor would sailors be impressed into
service. Thus the U.S. would not be
forced to go to war to protect its sovereignty and
rights in international waters.
REACTION: The Northeast was hurt economically
by this act and talk of nullification
and secession began to spread. In general
the act did not hurt France or
England and therefore backfired. It was ignored
by many and a fair degree
of smuggling took place. It was finally abandoned
at the end of the Jefferson
administration and replaced by laws that also
proved to have little effect.
The U.S. was trying to follow Washington's
stand of neutrality between
England and France, however, neither country
seemed to respect the U.S.
enough to accept its neutrality or rights
of the seas to trade.
7. Jefferson decides not to run for a third term. Why??????
a) Foreign affairs and failure of Embargo
Act
b) Belief that Washington had set a
precedent of two terms and no more.
c) Constitutional beliefs about limitations
of power and democracy.
8. Before the Jefferson Administration ended, the Embargo Act
was removed and replaced by the
Non-Intercourse Act. This act allowed
trade with all European nations except England and France.
If either of these countries ended their laws
allowing their navy to seize American ships, then trade could
be restored with them.
James Madison Administration 1809 - 1812 Republican
A) Madison had inherited problems from Jefferson.
1. Problem with England and France -
refusal to respect our sovereignty and rights to
trade with belligerents.
2. Failure of Embargo Act (lapses at
end of Jefferson's term )
3. Economic losses of New England due
to Embargo Act.
4. Non-Intercourse Act - resumed trade
with all nations except England and France- failed
5. U.S. unprepared for war ( military
force of 3,300 in 1803)
B) How and why did the U.S. go to war with England in 1812?
Background: Both England and France had established
a policy permitting their navies to seize ships
attempting to trade with their enemy. This
was very loosely interpreted and led to most
shipping heading for Europe to be seized and
even captured.
The British document that allowed this is
called: Orders in Council
The French document that allowed this is called:
Berlin and Milan Decrees
Remember: The U.S. from the time of Washington
had been attempting to avoid war with either of these
countries, however, we were at the same time
trying to get them to respect our rights as a
nation. The signing of the Jay Treaty, the
undeclared war with France, the passage of the
Embargo Act, Non-Intercourse Act had all been attempts
to achieve the goal of being
respected and avoiding war.
What comes next in trying to achieve our goals?
1) Passage of the Macon Bill:
The Macon Bill
of 1810 ended the restrictions on trading with England and France that
were part of the
Non-Intercourse
Act. It also stated that if either nation stopped its attacks on our trade,
we would
reward them
by ending trade with the other nation.
Example: If
England ended the Orders in Council we would stop trade with France.
Why do this? We hoped
both would repeal their laws and our shipping would no longer be attacked.
If it worked, we would
achieve our goals and avoid war.
2) Reaction:
a) Napoleon
quickly renounced the Berlin and Milan Decrees.
b) The U.S.
responded by renewing its embargo against England.
c) England responded
in two ways: Attempted to remove Orders in Council and stepped up her attacks
on American ships and her impressment of sailors.
RESULT: On June 1, 1812 President Madison sent a war message to Congress
and on June 18th,
Congress declared war on England.
*****REMEMBER: Napoleon never really repealed
his decrees and France continued to harass our shipping.
C) War of 1812 (Second War of Independence)
1. Causes of the War:
a) Nationalism-
Americans were angry at the British and French for violations of our
sovereignty.
b)Manifest Destiny-
Many Americans, especially the War Hawks desired to follow Jefferson's
dream to
expand the nation. The War Hawks were led by such men as Henry Clay and
John Calhoun. They encouraged the U.S. to go to war against Britain because
they were angry over the trouble with the Indians (which they blamed on
Britain) and they desired to gain control over British Canada. They were
nationalistic and over confident of victory.
c) Impressment of American sailors and seizure of our ships by Britain
2. Under pressure from the War Hawks and several
incidents with the British as sea, Madison went before
Congress and requested a
declaration of war in June of 1812.
3. Major incidents and battles of the War:
a) The Constitution vs.
the Guerriere
b) Oliver Perry on Lake
Erie
c) Burning of Washington,
D.C. ( done in response to burning of York (Toronto)
d) Attack on Ft. McHenry
( battle for Baltimore
4. Battle of New Orleans:
This battle was the most
important American victory and made Andrew Jackson a
military hero. It was also
an unnecessary battle because it was fought two weeks after the Treaty
of Ghent was signed. (Poor
and slow communication)
6. Treaty of Ghent - 1814 - resulted in a "Peace
without Victory"
a) No exchange
of land, no indemnities, no victory for either side.
b) Issues such
as impressment, boundaries, Indian problems, rights of a neutral were not
settled.
c) A spirit
of Nationalism developed in the U.S. (Era of Good Feeling) as a result
of the false belief that
we had won the war. (Where did this come from?)
d) The U.S. could
take its place among the nations of the world.
e) In Europe it resulted
in the Congress of Vienna (Concert of Europe) which would call for a
"rewriting of the map of Europe" and a regaining of the lands lost by Spain
in America.
The U.S. would respond to this by attempting to protect itself by issuing
the Monroe Doctrine.
f) U.S. would pass
a protective tariff to protect "infant industries" established during the
war when
we were unable to import goods from Europe and decided to make our own.
7. Hartford Convention:
This meeting was held by the New
England Federalist who opposed the war because they were hurt
by the loss of trade. They had
favored the British over the French and did not want to go to war
against England. Amendments were
proposed to strengthen states rights in order to weaken the
national government. Plans to
nullify acts of the central government and to consider the secession of
New England from the United States
were discussed but not acted on because the war came to an end.
********RESULTS OF
THE WAR
1) Peace between England and the U.S.
2) A wave of pride and nationalism swept the country and was known as the
"Era of Good Feelings"
3) The fall of the Federalist Party - They were viewed as disloyal because
of the Hartford Convention
and their support of Britain.
4) A mood of support developed for Monroe and in 1816 he won the presidency
by a large majority.
************Irony of
the War: The war started after peace had been agreed to with Britain and
the
Orders in Council repealed by Parliament.
The American victory at New Orleans took place two weeks after the signing
of the
Treaty of Ghent.
