APUSH Periods 3–4: Early Republic, Political Parties, and Foreign Policy

What was the purpose of George Washington's presidential cabinet?

To serve as a trusted advisory body that helped him govern the new nation and manage complex domestic and foreign crises.

What was the purpose of the National Bank that Alexander Hamilton proposed?

To stabilize the young nation's economy, manage government funds, and establish credit after the Revolutionary War.

What were the criticisms against Hamilton's bank?

Favoritism toward elite northern merchants and the risk of centralized financial corruption.

How did Alexander Hamilton defend the creation of the national bank?

By using a loose interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and arguing that the institution was 'necessary and proper' to carry out the federal government's enumerated economic powers.

According to George Washington, why didn't the United States come to France's aid?

Because the young nation was too militarily and economically fragile to survive another major European war.

Who was Edmond Genet, and what impact did he have on the United States?

He was a French diplomat sent to the United States in 1793 during the French Revolution, who forced the young U.S. government to defend its policy of neutrality in European wars.

What problems was the British causing to American ships?

Seizing U.S. merchant ships, confiscating their cargo, and enforcing the forced kidnapping (impressments) of American sailors into the Royal Navy.

What was the outcome and impact of Jay's Treaty?

It averted war with Britain, secured the evacuation of British forts in the Northwest Territory, and accelerated the formal rise of America's first political parties.

How did Spain react to what seemed to be an alliance between the United States and France?

By aggressively leveraging it for their own imperial gains while deliberately avoiding a direct alliance with the United States.

What was the outcome of Pinckney's treaty?

Successfully resolved territorial disputes between the U.S. and Spain, heavily boosting American western commerce and expansion.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Fallen Timbers?

A decisive military victory for the U.S. Army led by General Anthony Wayne over the Northwestern Confederacy of Native American tribes.

How was the Whiskey Rebellion different from Shay's Rebellion?

Shay's Rebellion exposed the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation, while the Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated the strengths and enforcement power of the new federal government under the U.S. Constitution.

What were the similarities between the Whiskey Rebellion and Shay's Rebellion?

Both protests were by disgruntled backcountry farmers against burdensome taxes and economic hardship.

Who were the Federalist political party and what were they in favor of?

America's first political party, representing an elitist, urban-based faction that championed a powerful central government to guide the young nation's economic and political development.

Who were the Democratic-Republican party and what were they in favor of?

An early American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in opposition to Alexander Hamilton's political party.

What were some of the main points of George Washington's farewell address?

He warned against the dangers of political parties and regional factionalism, and advised a foreign policy of neutrality and temporary alliances.

Which political party did President John Adams belong to and what foreign problem occurred once he became president?

The Federalist party; his presidency was immediately dominated by an escalating conflict and undeclared naval war with France (known as the Quasi-war), triggered by the fallout from Jay's Treaty and the XYZ affair.

Explain the controversy behind the XYZ Affair.

It involved secret French demands for bribes and a large loan before they would negotiate with American diplomats.

What was the main purpose behind the Alien and Sedition Acts?

To protect national security during the Quasi-war with France while politically weakening their rivals, the Democratic-Republicans.

What did the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions state?

That the federal government was bound by a 'compact' of states and that individual states had the right to declare unconstitutional federal laws—specifically the Alien and Sedition Acts—void and without legal force.

Due to the controversy behind the Alien and Sedition Acts, what happened to President John Adams?

He lost his 1800 reelection campaign to Thomas Jefferson and suffered a major blow to his political legacy because of public outrage over the Alien and Sedition Acts.

What happened to the Whiskey Tax under President Jefferson?

He fulfilled his campaign promises by reducing the Federal Whiskey excise taxes in 1802.

How did the Louisiana Purchase contradict President Jefferson's political philosophies?

It contradicted Thomas Jefferson's strict constructionism by expanding presidential power beyond what the Constitution specifically allowed.

What was the ruling of Marbury v. Madison and what precedent did it establish?

It ruled that William Marbury had a right to his judicial commission, but that the section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 giving the Supreme Court the authority to order its delivery was unconstitutional.

What was the ruling of McCulloch v. Maryland and what precedent did it establish?

The Supreme Court ruled that Congress has the implied power to create a national bank under the necessary and proper clause, and that states cannot tax federal institutions under the Supremacy Clause.

What were the British impressment of American sailors and British support for Native American resistance on the western frontier?

British impressment involved forcibly seizing sailors from American merchant ships, including American citizens, and compelling them to military service.

Who were the War Hawks?

A group of young nationalistic Democratic-Republican congressmen who pressured President James Madison to declare war on Great Britain in 1812.

What was the outcome of the Hartford Convention and how did it impact the Federalist party?

The Hartford Convention resulted in a set of proposed constitutional amendments limiting federal power, but its terrible timing coincided with the end of the War of 1812, permanently destroying the credibility of the Federalist party.

What was the agreement between Great Britain and the United States in the Treaty of Ghent?

Restoring pre-war conditions (status quo) with no changes to territory or borders.

In 1823, why did Secretary of State John Quincy Adams write the Monroe Doctrine and what was its goal?

To protect U.S. security interests and prevent European powers from re-colonizing newly independent nations in the Western Hemisphere.

How did General Andrew Jackson's violation of orders affect the United States relationship with Spain?

It initially provoked a severe diplomatic crisis with Spain, but ultimately forced Spain to cede Florida to the United States.

What was the outcome of the Adams-Onis treaty?

The United States acquired Florida and established a clear western boundary stretching to the Pacific Ocean.