Federalist era

Judiciary Act of 1789

• Established the federal court system: Supreme Court, circuit courts, district courts.

• Anti-Federalists feared federal courts could lead to tyranny.

• Supreme Court handled state disputes & federal cases.

• President appoints judges, confirmed by Senate.

Bill of Rights

• Anti-Federalists pushed for a Bill of Rights to safeguard individual freedoms from federal overreach.

• James Madison: Primary author of the Bill of Rights.

Ratification

• 12 amendments proposed by Congress.

• 1791: 10 amendments ratified, becoming the Bill of Rights.

🔹 Purpose

• Limits government power.

• Protects individual rights (e.g., free speech, religion, due process).

who was on Washington’s cabinet

• Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson

• Secretary of Treasury: Alexander Hamilton

• Secretary of War: Henry Knox

• Attorney General: Edmund Randolph

Hamilton’s Economic Program

wanted a strong central government to strengthen the economy.

Focused on boosting exports and limiting imports

pay off debts

James Madison opposed it, fearing too much power for the federal government

Hamilton suggested a national bank to manage government funds and create a stable currency.

Jeffersons views for America

• Jefferson wanted people to live on farms and grow what they needed instead of working in big noisy factories. He thought factories might make some people too powerful and others too poor.

• Supported a weaker federal government with more local control.

• Opposed the national bank, fearing it would cause economic inequality and corruption.

• Preferred local banks

• Supported France

Hamilton’s Federalist Party

• Strong federal government, manufacturing, mercantilism, pro-Britain.

• Loose interpretation of the Constitution.

• Supported by merchants & bankers in urban areas.

Washington’s Stance

• Opposed political parties as divisive but favored Federalist policies.

The Northwest Indian War

• Indigenous nations, backed by Britain, resisted U.S. expansion in the Northwest Territories.

• Washington expanded the army via the Militia Act, increasing federal control over state militias.

Treaty of Greenville (1795)

• Indigenous nations gave up land in Ohio to the U.S.

• Marked the beginning of forced removals

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

Background

• France & Britain went to war; the U.S. was torn between its French alliance and British trade interests.

• Hamilton: Favored neutrality and trade with Britain.

• Jefferson: Wanted to honor the treaty with France.

🔹 Controversy

• French ambassador Genet recruited Americans to attack Britain without U.S. approval, leading to his recall.

🔹 Proclamation & Debate

• Washington declared U.S. neutrality, leading to Jefferson’s resignation.

• Hamilton: Argued the president must maintain peace until Congress declares war.

• Madison: Criticized this as an unconstitutional expansion of executive power.

The Jay Treaty (1794-1795)

In the 1790s, Britain was at war with France, and they didn’t like that the U.S. was trading with France. So, they:

• Seized U.S. ships that were doing business with France, they kidnapped them and forced them to work on British ships. Kept military forts in the Great Lakes region (even though they were supposed to leave) and supplied Indigenous groups with weapons to resist U.S. expansion.

To avoid war, the U.S. made a deal with Britain (Jay’s Treaty in 1795):

• Britain agreed to leave the forts by 1796

  The U.S. still wasn’t allowed to trade freely in the Caribbean, which hurt American merchants.

• Britain didn’t promise to stop kidnapping U.S. sailors or interfering with trade.

The Whiskey Rebellion (1791-1794)

• The U.S. government taxed whiskey to pay off war debt, angering farmers who relied on whiskey sales.

• Rebellion: Farmers in Pennsylvania protested, sometimes violently, refusing to pay the tax.

• Government Response: President Washington sent troops to enforce the law, showing the government's strength.

• Outcome: The rebellion ended without major violence, proving the new U.S. government could handle unrest.

The Election of 1796

Washington’s Farewell

• Warned against foreign alliances and political parties.

Election Outcome

• John Adams (Federalist) → President

• Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) → Vice President

• Pre-12th Amendment: Runner-up became VP.

Campaign Conflicts

• Federalists: Linked Democratic-Republicans to French Revolution violence.

• Republicans: Accused Federalists of monarchism.

Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions (1798-1799)

• The federal government passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which limited free speech and targeted immigrants.

  Virginia and Kentucky declared these laws unconstitutional

  Introduced the concept of states' rights and nullification (states rejecting federal laws).

Treatment of Foreign Nationals (1798)

Federalists worried that French and Irish immigrants supported their rivals, the Democratic-Republicans.

• Laws Targeting Immigrants:

  • Naturalization Act: Made immigrants wait 14 years (instead of 5) for U.S. citizenship.

  • Alien Enemies Act: Allowed the government to deport foreigners during wartime.

  • Alien Friends Act: Let the president deport "dangerous" immigrants in peacetime.

• Backlash: Many, especially immigrants in Pennsylvania, opposed these laws, weakening Federalist support.

The Election of 1800

Federalists stabilized the nation & boosted the economy under Hamilton, benefiting wealthy urbanites.

Backlash against expanded federal power (e.g., Sedition Act).

Democratic-Republicans won:

• Thomas Jefferson became president.

• Aaron Burr became vice president after an electoral tie.

Jefferson & Madison’s Democratic-Republican Party

• Believed states should have more power than the federal government.

  Supported farming as the backbone of the economy.

  Favored small, local government over a strong national one.

  Sided with France in foreign affairs.

  Thought the government should follow the Constitution exactly as written.