Transcript Democracy in Distress: The Violence of Party Politics 1788

Democracy in Distress:
The Violence of Party Politics 17881800
Chapter 10
Launching the New Ship of State
 George Washington – The First President
 Unanimously voted in by the electoral college
 For many Americans, Washington was a symbol of the new
republic.
 Considered his role to personally demonstrate the existence of
a strong republic.
 According to the first census in 1790, the population in
the U.S. was about 3.9 million.
Creating the Court System
 The constitution called for three, separate but equal
branches of government, but only officially established
the executive and legislative branches.
 The Judiciary Act of 1789
 Officially created the federal court system in the United
States.
Other Important Government
Officials
 Washington’s Cabinet
1. Thomas Jefferson – Secretary of State (foreign and domestic
affairs)
2. Alexander Hamilton – Secretary of Treasury (economic
affairs)
3. Henry Knox – Secretary of War (military affairs)
 John Adams - Vice President.
 John Jay – first Supreme Court Chief Justice
Hamilton’s Economic Theory
1. The government should support industrial and commercial
development (build American businesses)
2. For the new government to survive, it had to have the
support of the wealthiest citizens

If the wealthiest Americans had a vested interest in the
Government, they would work hard to see it succeed.
3. A National bank was necessary for the country’s economic
health.
4. The development of cities was key to the nation’s success
5. Reestablish trade with Britain – the largest economy in the
world.
The Financial Crisis
 The financial crisis in American was the greatest
challenge during Washington’s presidency.
 It was Hamilton’s job to try to overcome the crisis.
 Hamilton wrote A Report on Public Credit where he
outlined what the country needed to do to escape
financial ruin.
1.
Federal gov’t would assume state debts in full (assumption)
2.
A tariff (tax on imported goods)
3.
An excise tax on whiskey
4.
Form a National Bank
Assumption
 Under Hamilton’s plan, the federal government would
assume, or pay off, all state debt that was accrued during
the Revolution.
 The government would take loans from the wealthy to pay off
state debt.
 Creating a larger public debt in which the wealthiest
Americans were the big investors, would ensure that those
people would work hard towards the success of the republic.
 This plan was vehemently opposed by Jefferson and Madison
because they thought it favored only a select few.
Criticism of the Assumption Policy
 States that had massive Revolutionary War debt, and had yet
to pay their debt off, loved the plan.
 Massachusetts and many of the Northern states
 States that had paid their debts following the war, hated the
plan and felt like they were being punished for doing the right
thing.
 Virginia and many of the Southern state
 To appease the Virginians into accepting the assumption
policy, Hamilton negotiated that the new Federal Capitol
would be placed within the northern border of Virginia – The
District of Columbia.
Tariffs and Excise Taxes
 The Report on Manufacturers by Alexander Hamilton
 Suggested implementing protective tariffs
1. Establish a safety hedge for American manufacturing to
protect from cheaper European goods flooding the market and
driving prices down.
2. To provide a source of income for the Federal Government.
 Hamilton was not able to secure the passage of the
protective tariff that he designed.
The National Bank
 The Bank of the United States
 A private organization (unlike today’s Federal Reserve)
 Purposes:
 To provide stability to the United States economy
 To serve as a depository for the Federal Governments revenue
 To provide credit to American businesses
 Again, Jefferson and Madison fiercely opposed the formation
of a strong centralized bank
 Argued that centralized financial institutions in Britain led to
widespread corruption.
Jefferson vs. Hamilton
 By the end of Washington’s first term in office, the
political squabbling between Hamilton and Jefferson
threatened to divide the government.
 Hamilton and Jefferson developed a bitter rivalry with
each other.
 The two party system was created because of the
Jefferson-Hamilton feud.
 Jefferson disagreed with Hamilton and the Federalist party so
much that he formed his own party called the DemocraticRepublicans.
Washington’s Second Term
 During Washington's second term in office, foreign
affairs replaced the financial crisis as the most pressing
issue for the administration.
 War broke out in Europe between France and Britain:
1. Britain tried to economically coerce America into
supporting them
2. France thought we would support them because of our
Revolutionary War alliance.
Decisions for the Administration
 Thomas Jefferson – wanted Washington to pledge
support to the French for diplomatic reasons.
 Alexander Hamilton – wanted Washington to pledge
support to Britain for economic reasons.
 Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation of 1793
 Stated that America would not join the war on either side.
Embroilments With Britain
 The British still held forts in the U.S. (A violation of the Peace
Treaty of 1783)
 The British

wanted to remain in the great-lake region fur trade
 They also begin to sell firearms to a group of Indians that were
killing Americans (Miami Confederacy)
 Were seizing American merchant ships in the Atlantic and
forcing Americans to serve in the Royal Navy.
 Jefferson wanted another war with Britain
 Hamilton did not want to because Britain could prove to be a
huge economic ally in the future.
John Jay and Britain
 1794
 Washington was attempting to avoid war with Britain.
 John Jay
 Sent to London by George Washington negotiate
 (Washington’s decision opposed by the Jeffersonian
Democratic-Republicans)
Jay’s Treaty
 Jay’s Treaty
 The British promise:
1. to evacuate their posts in North America
2. Pay for the money-loss from seized American ships
 The British DO NOT promise
1. To stop future seizures of American ships
2. To stop selling arms to the Indians
 The U.S. has to pay off all pre-Revolution debt owed to the British.
 Jeffersonian Democrats were outraged and viewed the treaty as
a surrender to the British
Spain Scared
 Spain mistook Jay’s treaty for and Anglo-American
alliance
 Spain offers America a deal to keep then from allying with
Britain.
 Pinckney’s Treaty of 1795
 Settled between Spain and the U.S.
1. Gave the U.S. navigation rights of the Mississippi River
2. Gave the U.S. the territory of North Florida
The Whiskey Rebellion
“The Whiskey Rebellion” 1794
 Led by whiskey distillers in Pennsylvania who opposed the
1791 excise tax on Whiskey that was imposed through
Hamilton’s financial plan.
 Similar in size and power to Shays’ Rebellion
 Washington viewed the rebellion as a direct threat to the
Nation, and sent in 13,000 Federal troops to thwart it.
 Important because it displayed the power of the federal
government.
Washington’s Farewell Address
 1796
 George Washington
 Exhausted from the political battles between Hamilton and
Jefferson, decides to leaves office after 8 years of service as
the president
 Sets a Presidential tradition of only serving 2 terms
 Farewell Address
1.
He urges America to not form any permanent military
alliances
2.
Tells the people to eliminate political parties
John Adams Elected President
 1797
 John Adams beat Thomas Jefferson and became the 2nd
President
 At the same time:
 Hamilton becomes the official leader of the Federalists
party
France’s Retaliation
 As a result of Jay’s Treaty, France begins to retaliate
against America
 They start to seize American merchant ships
 1797
 John Marshall
 Sent by John Adams to negotiate with French leaders
 Intended on meeting with French Foreign Prime Minister
Charles Talleyrand
“The X,Y,Z Affair”
 When John Marshall got to France, his envoy was
intercepted before reaching Foreign Minister Talleyrand
 Three men (Later referred to as X,Y,Z) stop the Americans and
demand $250,000 just to speak with Minister Talleyrand
 Marshall was furious about the French proposition and
returned to the U.S.
Preparing for War
 Angered over the “XYZ Affair” the Federalists begin to
expand the military in preparation for war
1. The U.S. Navy is established
2. The U.S. Marine Corps is re-established
 When France learns about how the Americans perceived
the “XYZ Affair”:
 They tell the U.S. to send another negotiator
 Guarantees this time he will be treated with upmost respect
The “Alien Law”
 The Naturalization Act
 Passed by John Adams and the Federalists because the
majority of new immigrants supported Jefferson’s
Democratic Republicans
1. Raised the residence requirements for foreigners who desired
to become citizens of the U.S. (From 5 years to 14 years)
2. The President could jail or deport any foreigners at any time
for any reason
The Sedition Act
 Sedition Acts (Also passed by Adams and Federalists)
 Fines and/or imprisonment for anyone who
1. who questioned the policies of the U.S.
2. Spoke negatively, or falsely against a government official
 The Sedition Act distressed many Americans because they
felt it threatened their political and natural rights.
 The Federalist also supported a military buildup to
suppress internal political dissent.
The Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions
 Jefferson’s Kentucky Resolution
 Madison’s Virginia Resolution
1. Both presented the theory of nullification
 The right of the states to nullify laws created by the federal
government if they were unconstitutional.
2. Strong states’ rights arguments.
The Election of 1800
 The election of 1800 (A rematch of the 1796 election)
 Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr (Democratic Republicans)
 John Adams and Charles Pinckney (Federalists)
 The Election of 1800 turned ugly.
 The Federalists started a “whispering campaign” against
Jefferson in an attempt to ruin his reputation with the
American people.
Election Results
The outcome:
 Because of a flaw in the electoral college system, Jefferson tied
with his Vice Presidential running mate, Aaron Burr.
 In the event of an electoral tie, the House of Representatives gets to
choose the President.
 After 36 votes, the House finally chose Jefferson as the President of the
United States.
 After the election of 1800
1.
2.
3.
The 12th Amendment to the Constitution was added to make sure
that didn’t happen again.
The Federalist party was hopelessly split at this point.
John Adams refused to attend Jefferson’s inauguration.
The Revolution of 1800
 Jefferson called his election, “The Revolution of 1800”
 There was a shift in political power from one party to the
next, but instead of bullets, ballots were used to facilitate
the change.
 He claimed he wanted to restore the ideals behind the
American Revolution.