APUSH Unit 3 (+ AMSCO)

George Washington

• 1st president of the United States (1789-1797)

• Sets multiple precedents for future presidents

• A federalist; his leadership style emphasized moderation and unity

Precedents of George Washington

• Maintained state neutrality; the Americans wouldn’t involve themselves in foreign conflicts

• Served 2 terms (1 term = 4 years); before the 22nd Amendment, presidents didn’t even have to follow this rule

• Established executive departments (cabinet)

• Secretaries of state (Jefferson), war (Knox), and treasury (Hamilton)

Hamilton’s Financial Program

• 1790; aimed at improving the financial system of the newly formed United States

• Included federal assumption of state debts and the national government pay off U.S debt at face value, creation of a national bank which created a single currency, and the imposition of modest tariffs (on whiskey and goods)

• The South felt that this only benefited the wealthy North and were angered by whiskey taxes because they used it as a form of trade

• The Bank of the United States was privately owned

Loose Interpretation / Construction

• Northerners / Federalists

• A flexible approach to understanding the U.S. Constitution, allowing for broader powers of the federal government beyond what is explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Strict Interpretation / Construction

• Southerners / Democratic-Republicans

• A direct approach to the U.S Constitution; the belief that the government can only exercise powers explicitly stated in the text.

Federalists

• Largely based in the North (strongest in the Northeast), mostly wealthy population; leaders included Hamilton and Adams

• Believed in loose interpretation of the Constitution

• Revolved around growth of a strong, central government

• Supported peaceful relations with Britain and manufacturing industry

• Wanted a large army & navy

Democratic-Republicans

• Largely based in the South with the population being poor artisans or farmers; key people included Jefferson & Madison

• Supported healthy relations with France and an agricultural economy

• Opposed a national bank and tariffs

Whiskey Rebellion

• 1791-1794; Pennsylvanian group of farmers refused to pay tax on whiskey, immediately gets put down by a force of Washington’s militia

• Strengthened the new government by proving it could respond to threats (under the Constitution)

• Sparked debates over government encroachment on natural rights

French Revolution

• 1789-1799; most Americans supported the revolution

• Washington proclaimed neutrality (which set a precedent until WWI)

• Hamilton and Washington wanted to maintain trade with Britain (because their economy was new)

• Citizen Genet came to the United States, asking for their support; Washington exiles Genet because he challenged the authority of staying neutral

Proclamation of Neutrality

• 1793; Washington believed that the young United States wasn’t ready for war

• Aimed to protect the young nation from involving themselves in a conflict between France and Britain

• Set a precedent for American isolationism

• Issued a proclamation of neutrality in the conflict, Jefferson resigned right after

Jay Treaty

• 1794; Britain kept attacking American merchant ships and impressing seamen into the British navy

• Britain agreed to evacuate its posts in the U.S frontier but did nothing about impressment or seizure of American ships

Pinckney Treaty

• 1795; Spain was afraid that America was getting close to their longtime enemy Britain

• Spain agrees to open the Mississippi River and Port of New Orleans for trade

• Made the northern boundary of Florida the 31st Parallel

Concerns with Native Americans

• Native tribes formed the Northwest Confederacy under the Miami chief Little Turtle

• They initially won several bloody conflicts against the local militia

Battle of Fallen Timbers

• 1794; Natives defeated by U.S army led by General Anthony Wayne

• Ended the Northwest Indian War and weakened Native resistance towards American expansion

Treaty of Greenville

• 1795; the defeated tribes gave up claim to the Ohio territory, promising to open it up for settlement.

Washington’s Farewell Address

• Assisted by Alexander Hamilton, it was a farewell address to warn Americans to:

• Avoid sectionalism (division between North and South)

• Avoid political parties (Washington wasn’t aware that these had already formed)

• Avoid involvement in European affairs

John Adams

• 2nd president of the United States (1797-1801); was a Federalist

• Had Jefferson as Vice President; he was a Democratic-Republican

• Later, the 12th Amendment asserted that both the President and Vice President must be under the same political party

XYZ Affair

• 1798; American merchant ships were being attacked by French warships

• John Adams sent 3 delegates to the France to settle the dispute; they were asked for a bribe by the 3 French delegates (named X, Y, and Z by President Adams)

• American public was outraged; the United States and France engaged in a Quasi War (undeclared naval war)

• Adams wanted to avoid war with France because their navy was far too weak

Alien-Sedition Acts

• Naturalization Act - the amount of time needed to apply for citizenship increased from 5 to 14 years for immigrants

• Alien Act - authorized President deportation of aliens (foreigners) who were considered dangerous

• Sedition - made it a crime to criticize the President or Congress; mainly targeted Democratic-Republican newspapers

Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions

• Drafted by Madison and Jefferson

• Asserted that states had the right to nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional

• Compact Theory allowed states to determine the constitutionality of federal laws

• Grounded by the logic that the states had created the federal government, meaning they had the final say

Revolution of 1800

• Jefferson was elected as the third president of the United States, winning over Aaron Burr

• Hamilton had actually urged his followers to vote for Jefferson

• The peaceful transition of power from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans was called the Revolution of 1800

Thomas Jefferson

• 3rd President (1801-1809)

• Started the Virginia Dynasty (Jefferson, Madison, Monroe)

Midnight Judges

• Judiciary Act of 1801: expanded federal courts with more judicial seats

• Before Adams left office, he filled seats with Federalist governments; they wanted to keep their presence in government

Marbury v. Madison

• Before, Marbury didn’t receive his commission

• Deemed the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional

• Established Judicial Review; a power that provided a check on other two branches of government and allowed to declare laws unconstitutional

Jefferson’s Domestic Affairs

• Wanted to shrink the power of the government and increase power of the state

• Reduced size of army & navy to save money

• Repealed the whiskey tax

Louisiana Purchase

• 1801; Louisiana was purchased from France for $15 million (Napoleon wanted to fund the Napoleonic Wars)

• Territory doubled the size of the United States

• Constitutional Predicament: the Constitution didn’t explicitly state that a president can purchase land

• Jefferson set aside his ideals and used powers to make treaties to add land (became a loose interpreter)

• Wanted to secure the New Orleans port

Lewis & Clark’s Expedition

• Lewis and Clark went on an expedition across the newly purchased land to collect geographical and scientific evidence

• e.g: climate, trade routes, animals

Essex Junto

• 1804; New England radical Federalists plotted to secede from the Union

• Feared the Louisiana Purchase would take away their power

• Believed the new states would be agricultural and vote for Democratic-Republicans

• Aaron Burr was asked to lead if they did; he was considered radical and ostracized for killing Hamilton

Barbary War

• The Barbary governments would force a tax on ships that crossed the Mediterranean

• Jefferson ended payments to Barbary governments and ordered his Navy to retaliate

• 4 years later, Jefferson negotiated a settlement that would lower the tribute payments

Napoleonic Wars

• Mainly fought between Britain and France; wanted to prevent other European nations from trading with the United States and other neutral countries

Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

• The Leopard was a British ship; Chesapeake was an American ship

• The Leopard attacked the Chesapeake, killed 3 American sailors, and impressed the rest into the British Navy

Embargo Act of 1807

• Jefferson’s response; prohibited American ships from leaving ports to trade with other countries

• Designed to mainly financially hurt Britain and other European countries

• Backfired on the United States; sent them into an economic depression and mainly hurt New England

James Madison

• 4th President of the United States; 1809-1817

• Set policies of commercial warfare

Nonintercourse Act of 1809

• Opened trade with all countries except for Britain and France

Macon’s Bill No. 2

• Opened trade with Britain and France

• Promised to avoid trade with the foe of whichever nation respected America’s shipping rights

• Napoleon eventually stopped seizing American ships and the U.S opened trade with them (didn’t last long)

Tecumseh

• Attempted to unite native groups east of the Mississippi River

• Defeated by William Henry Harrison in the Battle of Tippecanoe; Harrison was regarded as a national hero

• Britain continued to support Native groups that rebelled against the Americans, heightening tensions

War Hawks

• Group of Republicans elected to Congress who wanted war with Britain

• Leaders: Henry Clay & John C. Calhoun

• Wanted to acquire Canada and Florida

Prelude to the War of 1812

• Madison demanded that Britain respect United States neutrality rights at sea and American sovereignty in the West

• Britain was slow to respond; Congress took it as a ‘no’

War of 1812 Causes

• Mainly Britain violated American neutrality rights overseas

• Troubles with British on the Western frontier; they kept supporting Native Americans

War of 1812

• Nation was divided; Federalists against the war, Democratic-Republicans for

• Failed U.S invasion of Canada through Michigan

• British burned down Washington D.C and attempted to capture Fort McHenry in Baltimore

• Francis Scott Key creates the Star Spangled Banner

• Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson defeats remaining British forces, increases his political presence

Treaty of Ghent

• The British were exhausted; fought Napoleon at the same time

• Madison knew America wasn’t able to win a decisive victory

• American peace commissioners traveled to Ghent, Belgium

• The war ended in a stalemate, with neither side gaining territory

Hartford Convention

• Some Federalists meet in Hartford and discuss their concerns after the war

• Radical Federalists suggest seceding from the nation

• Wanted to limit President to one term and have no successive presidents

• Wanted 2/3rds of Congress votes to declare war

• This resulted in the end of the Federalist party; seen as unpatriotic

War of 1812’s Legacy

• The United States became respected throughout the world

• British blockades spurred early industrialization efforts in America

• American nationalism spread throughout the country

• Arguments of secession and nullification set a precedent for the South later

• Andrew Jackson and William Harrison soon became political leaders

Marshall Court Rulings

• John Marshall was a Federalist; favored the federal government’s powers over the states

• Significantly increased the power of the federal government

Fletcher v. Peck (Marshall Court Rulings)

• Protect property rights & contract rights through loose interpretation of Constitution’s contract clause

Dartmouth v. Woodland (Marshall Court Rulings)

• Limited states powers to control corporations

McCulloh v. Maryland (Marshall Court Rulings)

• The states can’t control an agency of the federal government

• E.g.: Maryland trying to control the Bank of the United States

Gibbons v. Ogden

• Asserted that only Congress can regulate interstate commerce.

James Monroe

• 5th president of the United States (1817-1825)

• Had power during a period of only one political party

• Era of Democratic-Republicans only known as “Era of Good Feelings”

American System

• Instituted by Henry Clay; created protective tariffs, renewed the Bank of the United States, & introduced the development of canals and roads

Tariff of 1816 (American System)

• First protective tariff, passed to encourage domestic industry; the South didn’t like this because they benefitted from cheap imports

• Mainly benefitted the East

2nd Bank of the United States (American System)

• Designed to improve financial stability and provide credit

• The First Bank of the United States had expired already

• Its ability to regulate state banks stabilized tensions between those who opposed a central bank and those who didn’t

Internal Improvements (American System)

• Promoted growth in the West and the South

• Madison and Monroe constantly veto Congress proposals to build infrastructure, states are left to do so on their own

• Connects the North and the West but leaves the South; contributes to sectionalism 

Panic of 1819

• 2nd Bank of the United States tightened credit to control inflation

• Many state banks closed, value of money decreases, and unemployment increases

• Westerners began calling for land reform and expressing strong opposition to national bank & debtors’ prisons

Missouri Compromise

• Drafted by Henry Clay; to restore balance between free and slave states (Missouri petitioned to enter the Union as a slave state)

• It said that Missouri entered as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state; slavery prohibited above 36”30 line

Foreign Affairs

• U.S stabilized foreign affairs

• Important person: Secretary of State John Quincy Adams

Adams-Onis Treaty

• 1819; United States acquired Florida but gave up claims to Texas

• Considered a key moment in early American diplomacy, reflecting a shift toward assertive expansionist policies in the early 19th century.

Monroe Doctrine

• United States warned Europe to stay out of the Western Hemisphere; they agreed to stay out of European affairs

• Britain wanted to be included to prevent Spain from taking Latin America and wanted to have economic influence