The 1st Party System
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Transcript The 1st Party System
The
st
1
Party System
• 1. Between 1783 and 1800, the new government of the
United States faced the same political, economic , and
constitutional issues that troubled the British
government’s relations with the colonies prior to the
Revolution. Assess the validity of this generalization.
(80)
• 2. “ Our prevailing passions are ambition and interest;
and it will be the duty of a wise government to avail
itself of those passions, in order to make them
subservient to the public good.” -Alexander Hamilton,
1787
– How was this viewpoint manifested in Hamilton’s financial
program as Secretary of the Treasury?
( 71)
• 3. Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and
foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the
1790’s. (94)
I. Washington and the 18th Century
View of Party
• April 14, 1789: GW
receives word of
(unanimous) election
processions and parades
followed trip to NYC
(capital) public
expressions of unity
• GW symbol of nation and unity above political
party
• Parties = faction = discord and confusion
• Parties reflect and foment disunity
• No concept of legitimate political opposition:
parties tool of tyranny
– Doc C
• Const. intended to diminish/abolish factions;
Ams painfully accept parties as necessary
II. Hamilton and the Emerging
Republican Opposition
A. An Energetic Government
• AH believed “energy” of Fed
required to transform US from
rural + agrarian urban +
industrial
• Reverse “excesses” of democracy
through strong central gov
B. Hamilton’s Reports
• 1790 +1: 3 position papers laying out program
• 1) Public CreditI (1790) Establish secure credit +
pay off debt (yes)
• 2) 2nd Public Credit: Create Bank of the United
States (yes)
• 3) Manufactures (1791): Stimulate manufacturing
through protective tariffs, bounties, encourage
immigration, internal improvements (no; but
eventually)
• Hamiltonian policies (esp. #3) push
TJ and JM to active opposition
– Doc E
• Increasingly saw AH and Feds as
aristocratic + monocrats attempting
to recreate England in Am
– Came to see GW as senile pawn of
younger AH (aide de camp in Rev)
• To cleanse Fed threat mobilize
organized opposition despite hatred
of parties: temp. coalition to stop
AH menace that would dissolve
after success
– Doc F and G
• JM took point in House, TJ behind scenes in
Cabinet (Sec’y State)
• GW limited polarization: most unwilling to
believe his administration could be evil with the
great hero at its head
• But, increasingly GW was an AH partisan +
divisions about how US should look grew
– Doc H
III. Anglomen and Gallomen
•
•
•
•
A. The French Revolution
F Rev (was FR heir to AR?) and renewed B-F war
ignited divide
GW declares neutrality
1793: TJ resigns bc GW too pro-Brit
Anglomen and Gallomen fight over meaning AR
– Doc D
• Neutrality easy to declare, diff maintain: B+ F willing
step on young, weak US
B. Genet
• Citizen Edmond Genet (1793) sent to US: acts
as if US F satellite + staging ground for attacks
on B and S appoints George Rogers Clark
commander of army attempting to raise;
demands GW call special session Congress to
resolve Am policy toward F; threatens to go
over GW’s head to Am people
– Some success in raising money + troops, esp. among
those who want to take more land
C. British Provocation and Jay’s
Treaty
• B extend embargo to Carib, seize 250 Am ships,
claim right to stop all AM ships on high seas to
search for deserters (grab all sorts people)
John Jay sent to negotiate
• Jay has no cards to play basically gives up Am
rights to high seas + allows B same power to
regulate Am trade as under Navigation Acts (but
gets withdrawal Western forts)
• Jay burned in effigy
• GW throws weight behind Treaty, narrowly
passes (evidence sectionalism and partisanship)
• GW attack as partisan + corrupt
• Va DR toast: call for speedy death
• Still powerful enough guarantee JA election
• Relations w/F disintegrate: revocation F-Am
pact, negotiators sent to F XYZ Affair calls
for war; even greater pol’l division (parties and
society)
IV. Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
• Increasingly paranoid style of politics: not just
opponents but enemies of nation (traitors)
– Doc S
• War imminent, worst enemies w/in: Gallic devotees,
supposed F armies in West, and immigrants sent by F
to start a rev (esp. Catholic Irish)
• Naturalized Irish voting DR Alien Act
• Lengthened residency req from 5 to 14 yrs, empowered
Pres to imprison or deport “enemy aliens” in case of
war
Sedition Act
• Speak or print or write scandalous or malicious
criticism of gov’t (even if true) heavy fine or prison
– Used as weapon against DR papers
• Mathew Lyon (Spitting Lyon): July ’98: libel vs.
Adams pleads unconstitutionality: imprisoned, kept
writing, elected to House (from jail), and in 1800 cast
deciding vote for TJ
• Enforcement of sedition loose (only 10 of 25
convicted), and # DR papers doubles
V. Revolution of 1800
• Election of 1800 broke hold of Feds (except Judiciary)
and rise of DRs
• Successful, nonviolent transition of power from one
party to another during period intense partisan rancor
• Produced legitimacy of political opp. + opp. entitled to
gain reins of power if established a strong following
(although F and DR still hate + fear each other)
• How? Deep belief and faith in Const. (and otherwise)
checks on excessive power
– Party now an additional check on power of gov: necessary
evil