Federalist Era
1. Establishment of the New Government (1789-1797)
Inauguration of George Washington (1789)
First president under the U.S. Constitution.
Set precedents for future presidents.
Judiciary Act of 1789
Established the federal court system.
Created the Supreme Court, 13 district courts, and 3 circuit courts.
Defined the Supreme Court's jurisdiction.
2. Hamilton's Financial Plan
Assumption of State Debts
Federal government assumed state debts from the Revolutionary War.
Aimed to bind states to the national government and establish creditworthiness.
Creation of a National Bank (Bank of the United States)
Proposed by Alexander Hamilton to stabilize the economy.
Issued a national currency, collected taxes, and made loans.
Faced opposition from Thomas Jefferson, who argued it was unconstitutional (strict vs. loose interpretation).
Tariffs and Excise Taxes
Tariffs: Taxes on imported goods to protect nascent American industries and generate revenue.
Excise Tax: Tax on domestic goods, most notably whiskey.
3. Early Challenges and Foreign Policy
Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
Pennsylvania farmers protested the excise tax on whiskey.
Washington led federal troops to suppress the rebellion, demonstrating the strength and authority of the new federal government under the Constitution.
French Revolution and Neutrality Proclamation (1793)
The U.S. declared neutrality in the conflict between France and Great Britain.
Reflected Washington's desire to avoid entanglement in European wars.
Jay's Treaty (1794)
Negotiated with Great Britain to resolve issues from the Revolutionary War (e.g., British troops still in western forts, impressment of American sailors).
Contentious but avoided war with Britain.
Pinckney's Treaty (1795)
Negotiated with Spain.
Granted the U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and the right to deposit goods at New Orleans.
Settled boundary disputes between the U.S. and Spanish Florida.
4. Rise of Political Parties
Federalists
Leaders: Alexander Hamilton, John Adams.
Beliefs: Strong central government, industrial economy, loose interpretation of the Constitution, pro-British foreign policy.
Supporters: Merchants, manufacturers, urban dwellers, wealthy landowners.
Democratic-Republicans (Jeffersonian Republicans)
Leaders: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison.
Beliefs: Limited federal government, agrarian economy, strict interpretation of the Constitution, pro-French foreign policy.
Supporters: Farmers, artisans, frontier settlers, southern planters.
5. John Adams's Presidency (1797-1801)
XYZ Affair (1797-1798)
French agents (X, Y, Z) demanded a bribe from American envoys to begin negotiations.
Led to increased anti-French sentiment and an undeclared naval war (Quasi-War) with France.
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
Passed by Federalists to silence opposition and strengthen national security during the Quasi-War.
Alien Act: Raised residency requirements for citizenship and allowed the president to deport desirable immigrants (aimed at French and Irish immigrants).
Sedition Act: Made it a crime to publish or utter false or malicious statements against the U.S. government or officials.
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798-1799)
Authored by James Madison (Virginia) and Thomas Jefferson (Kentucky) in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Argued that states had the right to nullify (declare void) federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.
Introduced the concept of nullification and states' rights.
6. Election of 1800
"Revolution of 1800"
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) defeated John Adams (Federalist).
Marked the first peaceful transfer of power between opposing political parties in U.S. history.
Signified the decline of the Federalist Party and the ascendancy of the Democratic-Republicans.
7. Jefferson's Presidency and Judicial Review (1801-1809)
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
U.S. purchased over square miles from France for million.
Doubled the size of the United States.
Jefferson faced a constitutional dilemma, as the Constitution did not explicitly grant the president power to acquire new territory.
Secured control of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Landmark Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review.
Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Supreme Court had the power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
Stemmed from a "midnight appointment" by John Adams that Thomas Jefferson's administration refused to deliver.
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
Commissioned by President Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.
Goals: map the territory, find a practical water route to the Pacific, establish American presence, and study the area's geography, wildlife, and Native American tribes.
Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
8. Era of Good Feelings and National Expansion (Early 19th Century)
Henry Clay
A prominent statesman known as the "Great Compromiser."
Advocated for the "American System" which included:
Tariffs to protect American industry.
A national bank to foster commerce.
Federal subsidies for internal improvements (e.g., roads, canals).
Played a key role in negotiating major legislative compromises such as the Missouri Compromise.
Missouri Compromise (1820)
Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between slave and free states in Congress.
Prohibited slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase territory north of the parallel.
Aimed to ease sectional tensions over the expansion of slavery.
Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Policy declared by President James Monroe.
Stated that the Western Hemisphere was closed to further European colonization or intervention.
Warned European nations that attempts to extend their political systems to any portion of the Americas would be seen as a threat to U.S. peace and safety.
In return, the U.S. pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of European nations or existing colonies.