Topics 3.8+3.9: Shaping a New Republic & The Bill of Rights in Practice

What was the main theme of Unit 3 Topics 8 & 9?

Politics and Power.

What were the learning objectives for Topics 8 and 9?

To explain how the first U.S. political system was created and tested through early government actions, and to describe how debates over the Constitution and its interpretation shaped the new nation’s political culture.

What period did these topics primarily cover?

The 1790s through the early 1800s.

Who was the first president of the United States under the new Constitution?

George Washington.

When did Washington take office?

1789.

What was the overall challenge facing Washington’s presidency?

To establish precedents for the new federal government and balance competing regional and political interests.

What precedent did Washington set regarding the presidency?

That the office should be limited, dignified, and not monarchical — he rejected titles like “His Majesty.”

What did Washington create to help him manage the executive branch?

The presidential cabinet.

Who were Washington’s first major cabinet members?

Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph as Attorney General.

What two cabinet members became central figures in the nation’s first political divisions?

Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

Why did early political divisions emerge?

Because of opposing visions of how the new republic should develop economically and politically.

What was the main goal of Hamilton’s financial program?

To stabilize the new nation’s economy and establish public credit.

What were the three main components of Hamilton’s plan?

(1) Assumption of state debts by the federal government, (2) creation of a national bank, and (3) support for manufacturing and a protective tariff.

Why did Hamilton want the federal government to assume state debts?

It would establish the nation’s credit and strengthen the federal government’s authority.

What compromise allowed Hamilton’s assumption plan to pass?

The Compromise of 1790 — Southern states agreed to federal assumption of debts in exchange for locating the national capital along the Potomac River (Washington, D.C.).

What was the purpose of the national bank?

To provide a stable national currency, manage government funds, and encourage investment.

Why did Jefferson oppose the national bank?

He believed it was unconstitutional because the Constitution did not explicitly grant Congress that power.

What constitutional principle did Jefferson use to argue against the bank?

Strict interpretation of the Constitution.

What principle did Hamilton use to defend the bank?

Loose interpretation — citing the “necessary and proper” clause.

What did Hamilton’s plan to support manufacturing involve?

Protective tariffs to encourage domestic industry and government support for infrastructure.

Which region generally supported Hamilton’s program?

The North, especially merchants and financiers.

Which region generally opposed it?

The South, where agrarian interests feared government favoritism toward the wealthy.

What effect did Hamilton’s program have on the nation?

It strengthened the national economy, but also deepened political divisions.

What were the first two political parties in the United States?

The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

Who led the Federalists?

Alexander Hamilton.

Who led the Democratic-Republicans?

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

What did the Federalists believe in?

A strong central government, loose interpretation of the Constitution, and close ties to Britain.

What did the Democratic-Republicans believe in?

Limited government, strict constitutional interpretation, and sympathy for France.

What type of economy did Federalists favor?

Commerce, manufacturing, and trade.

What type of economy did Democratic-Republicans favor?

Agriculture and rural independence.

Where was Federalist support strongest?

In the Northeast and among merchants, creditors, and elites.

Where was Democratic-Republican support strongest?

In the South and West among farmers and common people.

What major domestic issue revealed these growing party divisions?

The Whiskey Rebellion.

What caused the Whiskey Rebellion?

Western farmers protested a federal excise tax on whiskey, which they saw as unfair to small producers.

Where did the Whiskey Rebellion occur?

In western Pennsylvania.

How did the federal government respond to the rebellion?

Washington personally led federal troops to suppress the uprising.

What was the result of the Whiskey Rebellion?

The rebellion collapsed without major violence, demonstrating the power of the new federal government to enforce laws.

How did Federalists view the government’s response?

As proof of the government’s strength and legitimacy.

How did Democratic-Republicans view the response?

As evidence of government overreach and tyranny.

What major foreign event divided American opinion in the 1790s?

The French Revolution.

How did Federalists view the French Revolution?

They feared it as violent and destabilizing, preferring neutrality and stronger ties with Britain.

How did Democratic-Republicans view it?

They sympathized with the revolutionaries as fellow opponents of monarchy.

What foreign crisis tested U.S. neutrality under Washington?

The Citizen Genêt Affair.

Who was Citizen Genêt?

A French ambassador who tried to recruit American privateers to support France’s war against Britain, violating U.S. neutrality.

How did Washington respond to the Citizen Genêt Affair?

He demanded Genêt’s recall and reaffirmed neutrality.

What proclamation officially declared American neutrality in European conflicts?

The Neutrality Proclamation of 1793.

What major treaty settled unresolved tensions with Britain?

Jay’s Treaty of 1794.

Who negotiated Jay’s Treaty?

John Jay.

What did Jay’s Treaty accomplish?

It secured British withdrawal from forts in the Northwest Territory but failed to stop British interference with U.S. shipping.

How did Americans react to Jay’s Treaty?

It was deeply unpopular among Democratic-Republicans, who viewed it as too pro-British.

What treaty resolved border disputes with Spain?

Pinckney’s Treaty of 1795.

What did Pinckney’s Treaty grant the U.S.?

Free navigation of the Mississippi River and the right to use the port of New Orleans.

When did George Washington leave office?

1797, after serving two terms.

What precedent did Washington set by retiring after two terms?

It established the tradition of presidential term limits later codified in the 22nd Amendment.

What key themes did Washington warn about in his Farewell Address?

(1) Avoid political parties, (2) beware of permanent foreign alliances, and (3) preserve national unity.

Why did Washington oppose political parties?

He believed they fostered division and placed factional interests above the common good.

Why did he warn against foreign alliances?

He wanted the U.S. to remain neutral and avoid entanglement in European wars.

Who succeeded George Washington as president?

John Adams.

When was Adams elected?

1796.

Who became vice president under Adams?

Thomas Jefferson.

Why was Jefferson’s position as vice president unique?

He belonged to the opposing political party, the Democratic-Republicans.

What international crisis dominated Adams’s presidency?

The XYZ Affair.

What was the XYZ Affair?

A diplomatic incident in which French officials demanded bribes from U.S. envoys before negotiations could begin.

How did the XYZ Affair affect American politics?

It inflamed anti-French sentiment and strengthened Federalist calls for military buildup.

What undeclared war followed the XYZ Affair?

The Quasi-War (1798–1800) with France.

How was the Quasi-War fought?

Through naval skirmishes in the Caribbean.

What controversial domestic laws did the Federalists pass during Adams’s presidency?

The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798).

What did the Alien Acts do?

They increased residency requirements for citizenship and allowed the president to deport foreigners deemed dangerous.

What did the Sedition Act do?

It made it a crime to criticize the president or Congress, targeting Democratic-Republican newspapers.

Why were the Alien and Sedition Acts controversial?

They violated the First Amendment’s protection of free speech and press.

How did Jefferson and Madison respond to these laws?

They drafted the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.

What principle did the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions assert?

That states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

What was the broader significance of these resolutions?

They introduced the idea of states’ rights and set a precedent for later sectional conflict.

Who were the main candidates in the Election of 1800?

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

Why was the Election of 1800 significant?

It marked the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties in U.S. history.

Who won the election?

Thomas Jefferson.

What nickname did Jefferson give this transition of power?

The “Revolution of 1800.”

Why was it called a “Revolution”?

Because it proved that political power could change hands peacefully under the Constitution.

What did Jefferson’s victory represent?

A triumph for democratic and republican ideals over elitist Federalism.