Washington & Adams

Washington’s Character

  • virtuous

    • sick and tired, still attended Constitutional Convention

  • federalist! (strong federal government)

  • very respected

  • after Constitution was ratified; Washington wanted to remain retired, but was elected president

    • unanimously voted in

Republicanism

  • stems form a form of government where people are sovereign citizens

    • must exercise self control for common good

  • republican citizens should not seek office for economic gain

  • citizens must be prepared to eliminate corruption

  • citizens must protect liberty → citizens are equal

  • sacrifice for common good

Washington as President

  • cautious politician

  • stood apart from party divisions

  • most important recommendation was Cabinet

  • cabinet = a group of federal leaders who head major departments of the executive branch and advise the president

    • president can choose whoever he wants

    • helps president

    • Secretary of State = Thomas Jefferson

    • Secretary of the Treasury = Alexander Hamilton

    • Secretary of War = Henry Knox

Washington’s Financial Plan

  • Assumption → national government assumed all debts, national government paid all debts (like war debts), established system of taxation

  • National Bank → congress was to create a national bank, wanted to solidify partnership between government and business class (who would benefit it), strengthened national government

  • Excise Tax → government raised revenue by taxing whiskey

  • Protective Tariff → shield U.S. products from foreign competiton

Struggles with Cabinet

  • Jefferson and Hamilton clashed on money issues

    • Jefferson was anti-federalist, Hamilton was federalist

  • Jefferson wanted relationship with France, Hamilton wanted relationship with Britian

  • Both always tried to resign, Washington would never let them

  • Washington mostly agreed with Hamilton due to similar fedralist beliefs

  • Bank of America → supported by Hamilton, not supported by Jefferson

  • Jefferson resigned in 1793 → left on good terms with Washington

Impact of French Revolution

  • political divison in U.S. occured due to French Revolution

    • Washington and Hamilton didn’t like this

  • war broke out between Britian and France

    • this rivalry shaped American politics

The Jay Treaty

  • John Jay sent to Britain to negotiate

    • goal: ease tensions and establish a base for a strong American economy

  • created controversy by cancelling alliance between France and America

  • agreed to…

    • favored treatment of British goods

    • Britain agreed to leave Northwest Territory

  • sharpened political division in U.S.

Political Parties

  • Two Parties

    • Federalists → party for well-off elites

    • Democratic-Republican → led by Jefferson and Madison, sympathetic to France, believe popular self-government is direction U.S. should take

Whiskey Rebellion

  • 1794 → western PA farmers refused to pay tax on whiskey

    • July 1794 → 500 armed men attacked and burned home of regional tax inspector

  • following month, Washington called out 13,000 state militias to put down rebellion

    • showed that national authority was strong

Washington’s Vision for U.S.

  • independent and neutral

  • worked hard at securing national identity

  • sought to strengthen power of national government

  • during French Revolution, disregarded alliance with France

  • U.S. pursued a course of strict neutrality

Foreign Policy

  • 1789-1815, French Revolution and other European wars put a lot of pressure on Washington

  • Washington tried to protect nation from these conflicts

    • Jay’s Treaty

    • with Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793 and Farewell Address in 1796, Washington set tone for U.S. Foreign Policy

  • warned about dangers of having alliances

  • urged nation to take independent action

Washington’s Farewell Address

  1. praised benefits of federal government

  2. warns against party system

  3. stresses the importance of religion and morality

  4. on stable public credit

  5. warns against permanent foreign allies

  6. warns on an over-powerful military establishment

Washington Leaves Office

  • Washington rejected a third term after serving eight years

  • established traditon not broken until FDR took third and fourth terms

    • led to 22nd amendment

Expansion of Democracy

  • public sphere expanded to include more americans who attend public meetings

  • supporters of French Revolution and critics of Washington admin created Democratic-Republican societies, discussing democracy and equality for people (liberalism)

  • Federalists blamed these societies for formenting rebellions such as Whiskey Rebellion

    • these societies promoted democracy for all people

  • requirements to participate in government lessend (less qualifactions)

  • Republican Motherhood and gradual abolition fo slavery in the North

Liberalism

  • individual liberty is most important goal

  • individual rights and equality of oppotunity

  • individual is main focus!!

America’s Second President: John Adams

  • first VP (under Washington) and second president

  • stubborn and pompous → opposite of Washington

  • Federalist

  • Quasi-War with France

    • other Federalists wanted to fight France, but Adams continued with Washington’s idea of neutrality

XYZ Affair

  • Adams understood importance of staying out of war

  • Adams sends peace delegates to France to avoid war

  • Adams ordered delegates home, set up naval army to fight with France

  • actions divided Federalist party; cost him second term

Alien & Sedition Acts

  • meant to silence critics of Federalist party

  • acts permitted government to deport foreign-born residents sympathetic to France (Alien)

  • indict newspaper editors who wrote anything bad about U.S. (Sedition)

    • Sedition Act was one of Adams’ worst political blunders

  • Madison and Jefferson in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions declared these acts dangerous to civil liberties and representative government

    • popular revulsion against the Alien and Sedition Acts contributed to Jefferson’s election in 1800

Rights & Role of Women in the Republic

  • 1792 → Mary Wollstonecraft wrote The Virdicaton of the Rights of Women

    • argued rights should not be confined to male line

  • short-lived women’s rights magazine in NYC in 1795

  • Hannah Adams of MA was a self-supporting author of religious history and history of MA

  • Judith Sargent Murray → wrote about women having same rights and should have same opportunites as men

  • Discussions of women’s rights helped popluraize language of rights in new republic