Testing the New Government

Hamilton-Burr Duel WebQuest

The Beginning

The First Elections

George Washington was the first President to be elected after the Constitution had been ratified.

The First Executive

Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State and Alexander Hamilton Secretary of the Treasury in the new government.
The Presidential Cabinet is exclusively part of the executive branch of government; however, the Senate (legislative branch) approves all Cabinet officers chosen by the President, similar to the Senate approving federal judges (judicial branch) chosen by the President.
Washington usually met with the Cabinet members individually. Only later did Presidents begin to meet with their Cabinet members as a group.
The office of Postmaster General was also created by Congress and was considered part of the Cabinet. Washington appointed Samuel Osgood as the first Postmaster General.

A Strong Court System

The Supreme Court was the highest court created by the Constitution.
The Supreme Court, as organized by the Judiciary Act of 1789, had one Chief Justice and five Associates. The act also set up 13 District Courts and three Circuit Courts.

The Economy

Hamilton's Economic Plan

War Debt: Alexander Hamilton insisted on paying foreign debt and domestic debts so the United States would establish future credit.
Federal assumption of state war debts led foreign countries to look to the national government for authority rather than the state governments, an important sign of growing strength for the new nation.
A National Bank: The purpose of the Bank of the United States was a place to deposit government money, to lend money to government and private citizens, and to provide a sound currency.
The Bank of the U.S. was resented by southern and western farmers for its tight credit policies and by smaller banks for its competition. Loan policies favored eastern business interests.
A Tariff Proposal: The tariff issue is important throughout American history. As tariffs protect American business, they raise the cost of imported goods to consumers. This has caused many political battles.
The main purpose of a protective tariff is to encourage industries in the United States.
A Whiskey Tax: Farmers in Pennsylvania refused to pay taxes because they thought the taxes were unfair.

Opposition to Hamilton's Plan

Political parties that developed over differences in interpreting the Constitution were Federalist and Democratic-Republican.
The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, favored a strong national government, interpreted the Constitution broadly (loose construction), believed that people of wealth and education should hold office, and that the economy should be based on industry and trade as well as agriculture.
The Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, favored the rights of states and interpreted the Constitution strictly (strict construction), they believed the average people should lead the country, and that the economy should be based on agriculture, with industry and trade less important.

Foreign Affairs

Staying Neutral

War in Europe threatened United States neutrality because the war was between France and Great Britain.
The European war affected American trade as the United States tried to continue trade with both Great Britain and France, but the British seized American ships.

The Jay Treaty and the Pinckney Treaty

John Jay and Thomas Pinckney negotiated treaties with Great Britain and Spain.
What the U.S. gained through Jay's treaty was the British agreed to abandon frontier forts. Pinckney's treaty set the southern boundary of the U.S., guaranteed navigation rights on the Mississippi River, and gained the right of deposit in New Orleans.
The right to use the Mississippi and the port of New Orleans was important to Americans because it was cheaper to move goods long distances by water than land.

Washington's Farewell

Advice Washington gave in his Farewell Address was to avoid permanent foreign alliances.
The ideas expressed in the Farewell Address became the cornerstone of American foreign policy, especially toward Europe, until World War II.

The Adams Presidency

The Election of 1796

John Adams , a Federalist, became President after George Washington.

The XYZ Affair

The United States was involved with France in the XYZ Affair
The relationship between France and the U.S. became worse in Washington's second term. The French did more damage to American shipping than the British did. President Adams sent a peace commission to France to work something out. Three American commissioners were met by three people from the French government. The French demanded a loan for France and a bribe before allowing official talks with the French government to begin. The commissioners refused and returned to the U.S. When news of the affair became known, many Americans were angered. Congress increased money for the military, and it seemed only a matter of time before war would break out.

The Convention of 1800

The relationship between France and the United States was improved when Napoleon came to power. At this convention commissioners from the U.S. negotiated a treaty and an alliance between the two countries and prevented war.

The Alien and Sedition Acts

The purpose of the Alien and Sedition Acts was to stop the Democratic-Republicans from gaining too much power.
The acts authorized imprisonment or expulsion of "dangerous" foreigners and the fining and jailing of anyone who wrote, said , or printed anything false, scandalous, or malicious about the government.

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

The resolutions protested the Alien and Sedition Acts and stated they were unconstitutional. Written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, they believed in state's rights and the right of states to declare laws null and void.

Election of 1800

Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, won the presidential election of 1800.

Jefferson in Office

The "Revolution of 1800"

The biggest change in government made by Thomas Jefferson as President was government costs were cut.

Marbury vs. Madison

Marbury v. Madison was the case in which the Supreme Court first declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
The case of Marbury v. Madison established the policy of judicial review.

The Louisiana Purchase and Exploring Louisiana

Louisiana was purchased from France.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led an expedition into Louisiana after its purchase in 1803.
The Louisiana area purchased from France in 1803 extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.
The physical size of the United States doubled through the Louisiana Purchase.
Some New England Federalists criticized the Louisiana Purchase because they believed the land had cost too much and the West would gain in political power at the expense of New England.

The Decline of the Federalists

A Northern Confederacy Plan: A group of Federalists plotted to withdraw from the Union and set up a Northern Confederacy. Alexander Hamilton, the leading Federalist, rejected this idea. The plan eventually failed due to Alexander Hamilton's active campaigning against Aaron Burr's run for the governorship of New York. Burr, a former Democratic-Republican, had recently changed to the Federalist party and promised to support the Northern Confederacy.
Burr-Hamilton Duel (Duel WebQuest): Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel in response to Hamilton's insults during the political campaign. Hamilton was shot and died the next day.
The Election of 1804: Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, won a second term as President of the United States. The Federalist party lost control of Congress and most of their earlier support.

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