The US and The World, 1787-1810

The First Party System, 1792-c.1816

  • federalists:
    • strong central government
    • government promoted economic development
    • suspicion of democracy
    • alliance with britain
    • Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Jay
  • democratic-republicans:
    • weak central government
    • agrarian economy
    • alliance with France
    • Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe

The Election of 1800

  • Washington left office 1796, died following year
  • John Adams (federalist) narrowly won 1796 election
  • particularly nasty 1800 presidential election
    • electoral tie between Jefferson and burr (both democratic-republicans)
    • Jefferson won in house tie-breaking vote
  • democratic-republicans dominated US federal government for the next 15 years

Jefferson Republicanism, 1800-c.1825

  • shrinking the power and cost of the federal government
  • expanding access to land ownership (and thus voting)
    • 1803 Louisiana purchase
    • 7 new states entered under Jefferson and his 2 successors
  • the “empire of liberty”

The US and the World

  • a world dominated by France and Britain
  • 1794 Jay Treaty with Britain
    • stronger relations
    • democratic republicans outraged
  • French “reign of terror” and Haitian Revolution led to widespread fear in US
    • “age of revolutions” was spinning out of control
    • especially Haiti
    • a slave rebellion that became a war of independence
    • established a black-led republic former slaves next door to the US
    • white southerners worst nightmare
  • some, especially, Jefferson, remained pro-France
  • France revolutionary government authorized attacks on US merchant ships which led to the “Quasi War” 1798-1800
    • under the Adams administration
  • in 1798, federalists in Congress pass the Alien and Sedition Acts (4 separate laws)
    • increased residency requests for US citizenship
    • empowered president to:
    • arrest, imprison, or deport foreign nationals living in the US during wartime
    • prosecute “false, scandalous, and malicious writing” against the US government
    • democratic republicans led huge backlash against these policies
  • Jefferson administration tried a new strategy: the embargo act, 1807
    • closed US ports to all foreign trade
    • attempt to coerce Britain and France to respect US neutrality
    • disaster because US exports fell from $108 M to $22 M in one year