Virginia and US History Ch.4 || Early America

Conditions of Populations in America in 1790

• Predominantly rural society

• 80% households involved in ag production

• 750,000 African-Americans (20% population) - most living in the South

Why does Congress convene on March 4, 1789?

To vote for a president. This was the date the US constitution was put into operation.

How many electoral votes did Washington receive?

69

How many electoral votes did John Adams receive?

34

1791

The year the Bill of Rights is adopted into Congress and ratified by the states

Alexander Hamilton

Federalist & first Secretary of the Treasury in Washington’s cabinet

What did Alexander Hamilton believe regarding war debt?

• Said war debt was a national responsibility to be paid by all states, since all benefited

• Called for national assumption of states’ debts (debts incurred by the states was the responsibility of the federal government)

• Wanted a bank that would print a national currency and take care of war debt

• This also built a sense of American nationalism

What was the controversy of Hamilton’s debt plan?

Most debt was held by northerners; sharing it didn’t seem fair to the South

What were Hamilton’s arguments for the National Bank? (+national currency)

• The bank would take care of war debt

• The bank would be a source for expanding capital in a growing economy

• The bank is “necessary” and therefore falls under Article I of the Constitution

What were Jefferson’s arguments against the National Bank?

• The bank does not fall under Article I’s (Necessary and Proper) clause

• Madison and other anti-federalists said it wasn’t constitutional

Results for the vote on the National Bank

Northern reps: 33-1 for

Southern reps: 19-6 against

Which conflict led to the question of a strict or broad interpretation of the Constitution?

The National Bank, proposed by Hamilton

What did Washington think about the Federal Bank?

Accepted Hamilton’s argument

When the National Bank was created, how did it operate?

Overseen by federal gov’t but 80% financed by outside investors

Hamilton’s achievements

• Enhanced value of the dollar

• Secured the government’s credit

• Attracted foreign capital

• Prosperity began to flourish!

Hamilton’s weaknesses

• Never really understood the people of the farms and frontier

• Accused of being elitist

Jay’s Treaty

• John Jay sent to England to negotiate:

  • Stop seizing U.S. ships

  • Vacate forts on the frontier

  • Repayment for stolen crops and slaves

  • Treaty on commerce in the West Indies

Outcomes of Jay’s Treaty

• Jay returned from England with only 2 objectives met

• Treaty is met with outrage but Washington accepts it

The Whiskey Rebellion

• Hamilton’s 1791 excise tax on whiskey angered frontier farmers 

• Summer of 1794: revolts break
  out in western PA

• Washington calls on the
  army to suppress the
  rebellion

• Set an example of federal
  law, authority, and
  follow-through

Pinckney’s Treaty

• Established intentions of friendship between the US and Spain

• Defined America’s western boundaries & guarantees American right to the Mississippi River

What happened with the French during John Adams’ presidency?

The French were plundering American ships and had broken off diplomatic relations (XYZ Affair)

How does President Adams respond to the French conflict?

Restores relations with France, but runs into issues with the XYZ Affair

Quasi War

An undeclared naval war that resulted from the XYZ Affair 

During John Adams’ presidency, which 2 parties took part in an “ideological war”?

Federalists and Anti-Federalists (Republicans)

Alien Acts

empowered the President to deport “dangerous” aliens at his discretion

Sedition Acts

criminalized making false statements that were critical of the government

How did the Republicans view the Alien + Sedition Acts?

As a measure against freedom of speech

Opposition to the Alien + Sedition Acts

• Jefferson and Madison lead the outspoken anger against the Acts

• Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions - Declared the Acts as “alarming infractions” on constitutional rights

• Anger led to Jefferson’s
  defeat of Adams in 1800

Washington’s Treasury Department was headed by…

Alexander Hamilton

Washington’s Department of War was headed by…

Henry Knox

Washington’s Department of State was headed by…

Thomas Jefferson

Leaders of the Federalist Party

John Adams and Alexander Hamilton

Leaders of the Democratic-Republican Party

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

How did the Federalists view the Constitution?

Strong central government, loose view of constitution

How did the Democratic-Republicans view the Constitution?

Weak central government, strict view of Constitution

How did the Federalists view foreign policy?

They were pro-British

How did the Democratic-Republicans view foreign policy?

They were pro-French

How did the Federalists view domestic policy?

• National banks

• High tariffs

• Favor businesses

How did the Democratic-Republicans view domestic policy?

• No national banks

• Oppose tariffs

• Favor agriculture

How did the Federalists view military policy?

Large peacetime army

How did the Democratic-Republicans view military policy?

Small peacetime army

Who were the common supporters of the Federalists?

• Northern businessmen

• Bankers

Who were the common supporters of the Democratic-Republicans?

• Southern farmers

• Frontier settlers

The Election of 1800

• Jefferson defeats Adams

• Democratic-Republicans take power

• 1^st peaceful transition of parties

Jefferson’s Inaugural

• 1st President inaugurated in DC

• Outlines his essential principles of a more limited government

  • “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

Early accomplishments of Jefferson

• Lets the Alien & Sedition Acts expire

• Cuts all internal taxes

• Uses tariffs and sales of Western land to reduce the National Debt

The Barbary Wars

• Barbary pirates from North Africa attack US ships & demand tributes

• Jefferson sent the USS Constitution & orders a blockade

• The pirates sign a treaty which ends all tribute payments

Marbury vs. Madison

• Jefferson had James Madison refuse to give a commission
  to one of John Adams’
  “midnight judges”

• Issue goes to the
  Supreme Court

• Establishes the concept of “Judicial Review” 

• The Court may decide if a law is constitutional or not

The Louisiana Territory

• Owned by France (at war with England)

• New Orleans controls the entire Mississippi River

• Haitian Revolution makes the territory less valuable to France

The Louisiana Purchase

• Jefferson is not sure if it’s Constitutional

• Uses his treaty-making power

• $15 million to double
  the size of the US  

• Ratified by the Senate in 1803

Lewis and Clark Expedition

• Lewis & Clark hired to explore & find Northwest Passage

• Sacajawea brought on as guide

• Reach Pacific in Nov. 1805

• Open the way to settlement & claim on Oregon Territory

Embargo Act of 1807

• France & England’s war traps US in the middle

• US ships & sailors harassed by both

• Act blocks trade against both countries

• Only hurts US merchants

Who did Jefferson handpick as a successor (to become to next president)?

James Madison

Causes of the War of 1812

1. Impressment - British were stopping our ships and forcing Americans  Sailors into the Royal British Navy 

2. Britain seizing ships landing in France

3. Americans believed the British set up an attack by the Shawnee Native Americans

4. British limited our expansion westward by remaining in Ohio Valley forts

5. Pride

Supporters for the War of 1812

• “War Hawk” republicans — mostly from West and South

• Henry Clay of Kentucky — Speaker of the House of Representatives

• John Calhoun — Senator from South Carolina

What happens in June of 1812?

President James Madison asks Congress for a declaration of war

The Battle of York (War of 1812)

• US win victory in York (present day Toronto)

• Troops loot and burn the fort and town (the capital city)

The Burning of Washington, DC (War of 1812)

• British capture DC in August 1814

  • Set fire to presidential mansion and capital

  • Madison escaped to VA and Dolley Madison saves many valuables

The Battle of Fort McHenry

• British advance to Baltimore

  • They bombard Ft. McHenry in September 1814

• Francis Scott Key witnesses the attack, and his poem about it becomes our National Anthem

The Treaty of Ghent

• A treaty is negotiated in December 1814 to end battles across North America

• The War of 1812 ends in a stalemate with neither side gaining or losing territory

The Battle of New Orleans

• Word of the Treaty of Ghent has not yet reached New Orleans

• Jan. 1815: General Andrew Jackson decisively defeats the invading British

  • Makes Andrew Jackson a national hero

Effects of the War of 1812

• Surge in American nationalism

• Election of James Monroe

• The Era of Good Feelings: 1817-1825

• One political party, the Republicans, dominate politics

Which Chief Justice expressed Judicial Nationalism?

John Marshall

Marbury v. Madison

Case in which court establishes the power of the judicial review to check to the other two branches

McCulloch v. Maryland

Case that establishes the supremacy of the National Government

Whose economic system demonstrates Economic Nationalism? (to unite the country)

Henry Clay’s

3 Parts of Henry Clay’s American System

1. A Protectionist Tariff

2. 2nd national bank

3. internal improvements (roads, canals, railroads)

Which doctrine asserts US rule in the Western Hemisphere?

Monroe Doctrine

Adams-Onis Treaty

Treaty with the Spanish to bring Florida to the US

Major Themes + Events of the Era of Good Feelings

• Collapse of the Federalist Party

• Rise of national unity

• James Monroe’s presidency

Why was the Era of Good Feelings important?

The nation was left divided after the War of 1812

Federalists _____ the war.

opposed

What were the Federalist plans proposed at The Hartford Convention?

• Removing the 3/5’s Compromise

• Requiring a 2/3 majority in Congress for admission of new states

What discredited the Federalists ideas regarding the war?

The victory of the United States

How were the Federalists seen after the War of 1812?

As traitors

The Election of 1816

• Federalist Candidate: Rufus King

• Democratic Republican Candidate: James Monroe

• Monroe won overwhelmingly: 183-34 electoral votes 

• The Federalist Party held its last caucus in 1825, and disappeared entirely by the late 1820s

Monroe’s Goodwill Tour

• Series of visits to key places around the country in 1817 & 1819

• Goal: Spread the message of unity & harmony- “we’re all on the same team”

• Key locations  in New England, where Federalists had strong roots

• Monroe dressed in Revolutionary-era clothing

Effects of the Goodwill Tour

• Most of the nation considered themselves Republicans by the end of the 1819 tour

• “The Era of Good Feelings”  was coined by a Federalist journal  when Monroe visited Boston

• Monroe ran unopposed by another main party in 1820

Key Events of the Monroe Presidency

• Panic of 1819

• The Adams-Onis Treaty (1819)

• The Missouri Compromise (1820)

• The Monroe Doctrine (1823)

• Allows Indian removal in Georgia (1825)

• Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine & Missouri become states

The Panic of 1819

• America’s 1st widespread
  financial crisis

• Caused by post-war economic
  changes and unregulated
  banking

• Slowed westward expansion
  & hurt the economy

• Lasted until 1821

• Pushed the US towards an independent economy

The Adams-Onis Treaty

• Treaty between US & Spain

• Spain ceded Florida to the US & redefined the boundary

• Settled an ongoing border dispute 

• Benefited both nations

The Missouri Compromise

• Admitted Missouri as a slave state & Maine as a free state

• Prohibited slavery in the rest
  of the Louisiana Purchase 

• Very controversial,
  many worried the
  nation was too divided

The Monroe Doctrine (1823)

US foreign policy opposing European colonialism: 

1. Told Europeans Europeans to
   no longer interfere in the
   Western Hemisphere

2. If they did, the US would
   view this as a threat

3. The US promised to stay out
   of the affairs of existing colonies

Indian Removal in Georgia (1825-31)

• Georgians demand better farm land

• Monroe agrees in 1825

• Georgia passes laws to abolish Cherokee law & government, and distribute their territory to white farmers

• Paved the way for the Indian Removal Act (1830) & the Trail of Tears