Constitution and Federalist Era

Milboer

demographics of America 1790 

• The South had a large enslaved population, which was central to the agricultural economy, particularly in tobacco, rice, and indigo production.

• Federalists were in big cities like NYC

• Anti Federalists were in rural areas like small farmers/ hillbillies

National Power

strong federal government (washington & adams)

Washington's cabinet

• Secretary of Treasury - Alexander Hamilton

• Secretary of War - Henry Knox

• Secretary of State - Thomas Jefferson

• Attorney General - Edmund Randolph

Hamilton's plan for debt

• Bank of the U.S.- not an enumerated power

• Excise taxes- taxing is an enumerated power

• Funding at par (paying back the debt of the revolution at its full value)

• Assumption of state debts

• Tariffs

BE FAT

Judiciary Act

• Set up the court system for U.S

• Supreme court, 3 circuit courts, thirteen district courts

• John Jay named first chief justice of supreme court

• Us attorney and US marshall created to serve as prosecutor and police

• Deferral judges had final say over constitution

foreign policy

• the nation's foreign policy was shaped by its weak central government and limited authority.

guarantees in the Bill of Rights

• Protect individual rights; freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc.

Alexander Hamilton

• Federalist

• Secretary of Treasury

assumption program

• US national govt. should pay all debt, state and national

• Wanted assumption of state debts to tighten link between state and National govt.

• Some states had already paid debt and opposed assumption

• Virginia agrees as long as capitol put on potomac river (between maryland and va)

• Hamilton only concerned with building national credit

• Payed a portion of war bond price back to the buyer

Bank of the United States

• Hamilton wanted a national bank to be jointly owned with private stock holders (Hamilton acting like Britain)

• Jefferson and Madison opposed bank 

• Taxes occurred (including excise tax on whiskey)

• Hamilton wanted tariffs to raise revenue and to allow growth of american industry

• Farmers opposed because tariff makes prices higher, Tariff never passed

Whiskey Rebellion

• National government put a tax on whiskey, farmers in SW Pennsylvania revolted against tax

• Protested using similar techniques as sons of liberty in 1765 and shaysites in 1786

• “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

• Rebellion was stopped with a militia, proved national government was strong

political parties

• There were the Federalists that believed in a strong central government. Led by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and in the beginning there was James Madison 

• There were anti federalists that changed to the Democratic Republicans and believed more power to the individual and states because they feared a monarchy forming. Led by Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry,

neutrality proclamation

• Said that the US will not be involved in any European conflicts because the young nation does not have the military power or the funds

Jay's Treaty

• Chief justice john jay sent to london in 1794 to make treaty to talk Britain out of its practice of searching and seizing American ships

• Solved no problems; bad treaty

• Came back with nothing

Mississippi River

• Control of the Mississippi River was vital for American trade, particularly for farmers in the west. Washington’s foreign policy aimed to secure American access to the river, which was addressed in Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain in 1795.

Federalists and democratic-republicans

John Adams presidency

• Second president, lead to the rise of the different political parties (Federalists & Democratic-Rupublicans)

• He dealt with the XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France. He also signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were highly controversial and seen as an attack on political dissent.

election of 1796

• John Adams elected as president, Jefferson elected as VP because he came 2nd

  • 49-51 percent

• Adams assumes it is his turn to be president but he is wrong; his best friend ran against him

• Adams was federalist candidate, Jefferson was Democratic-Republican

Alien Acts

• Increased residency requirements from 5-14 yrs

• President given power to deport foreigners in peace or wartime

• Immigrants come and practice subsistence farming

• No voting for 14 years- 3 votings

• Done because the Federalists thought that the immigrants would vote for the Democratic republicans and this was threatening as the vote was very close

Sedition Acts

• Made it illegal to criticize the government 

• Went against 1st amendment rights

compact theory of government

• U.S. Constitution was a compact between the states and the federal government. If the federal government violated the compact, the states had the right to nullify federal laws or even secede.

treaty with France

After the Quasi-War, Adams negotiated a peace treaty with France (the Convention of 1800), which ended the hostilities and allowed the U.S. to focus on domestic issues.

9th Amendment

• This amendment is meant to ensure that the listing of specific rights in the Constitution (like those in the Bill of Rights) does not mean that other unlisted rights are not also protected

10th Amendment

• stating that any power that is not specifically granted to the federal government, or prohibited to the states, is reserved for the states or the people. It’s a way of reinforcing the idea that the federal government has limited, enumerated powers and that the states and the people retain all other powers.

Constitution (SAQ)

• A list of enumerated powers, powers that the government has 

• First 10 things are the bill of rights that the Anti federalists wanted, it is a list of things that the government can’t limit, “list of no”

separation of powers (SAQ) 

Federalism (SAQ)

• Supported a strong national government, weaker state governments, government led by the elite, indirect election of officials, longer terms, few violation of individual liberties