AP US History Unit 4 Content Outline

• The Washington Presidency


1. • Dream Team Cabinet:
2. • Sec. of State Jefferson, Sec. of War Knox, Sec. of Treasury Hamilton
3. • Hamilton’s Financial Plan
4. • Assumption of all debts of states, Revolution, & Confederation
5. • Tie wealthy creditors & the states to the federal government
6. • Protective tariff
7. • Excise Tax on Whiskey
8. • Whiskey rebellion – put down by Washington and 13,000 troops
9. • National Bank
10. • Created with “elastic clause”
11. • Opposed by Jefferson (strict interpretation/construction)
12. •Foreign Policy = stay out of war (US is not strong enough to fight)
13. •Neutrality Proclamation
14. •French Revolution and French wars against Britain begin again
15. •Hamilton=pro-British, Jefferson=pro-French
16. • British begin taking American trade ships 
17. • Jay’s Treaty with British removes British forts and preserves free trade
18. •The Adams Administration (Federalist)
19. •Adams won electoral vote, Jefferson second so now Vice President
20. • France angry about Jay’s Treaty
21. •XYZ Affair – 3 US representatives to France asked to pay a bribe
22. • America ready for War, Adams pushes for peace
23. • Birth of Political Parties
24. • Alien Act targets foreigners who usually became Democratic-Republicans
25. • Sedition Act forbid freedom of press when writing about the government
26. • Jefferson, Madison secretly write VA and KY Resolutions
27. •Concept of Nullification
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• Election of 1800 (called by Jefferson the “Revolution of 1800”)

• Federalists split, clearing the way for the Democratic-Republicans

• Hamilton wanted war with France, but Adams refused

•  Jefferson and Burr tied (both Democratic-Republicans)

• House of Representatives selected Jefferson on Hamilton’s advice

•  Hamilton called Burr “a most unfit and dangerous man”

• Burr proved him right by killing him in a duel and then

    plotting to make Louisiana into its own country

• President Jefferson was stuck with a Vice President he didn’t want

• Fixed with the 12th Amendment in 1804:  President & Vice President run together

• Adams was so upset he left the capital before Jefferson took office

• He made a number of “midnight appointments” of jobs to Federalist friends

• Jefferson refused to honor those appointments

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•  Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans were moderates in office

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

• Repealed the Alien & Sedition Acts, and pardoned those put in jail

• Canceled the Excise Tax

• Secretary of Treasury Gallatin kept all the other parts of Hamilton’s financial plan

• Reduced government but even kept the Bank of the US which Jefferson  hated

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• Supreme Court rose in power under John Marshall (a hated Federalist cousin of Jefferson)

• Samuel Chase:  Federalist Justice impeached for political views but then acquitted

• Allowed separation of politics from court

• Marbury v. Madison – established judicial review

• McCulloch v. Maryland – confirmed the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution

• Gibbons v. Ogden – confirmed Fed. govt’s power to regulate interstate commerce 

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• Jefferson’s major accomplishment was the Louisiana Purchase 

• Spain gave Louisiana to France (Napoleon wanted an American Empire)

• France closed New Orleans to American ships

• Jefferson sent James Monroe to France to buy New Orleans for $10,000,000

• France (needing money to fight England) offered all of Louisiana for $15,000,000

• Eventually doubled the size of the USA for 3 cents an acre ($14.5 million)

• Went against Jefferson’s strict interpretation beliefs

• Lewis and Clark sent to explore and map territory

• Gone 3 years but very successful

•Jefferson’s foreign policy tried to keep the US out of war going on between England and France

• Cut back the army

• Actually sent naval forces to battle the Barbary Pirates at Tripoli early 1800’s

• after 4 years gained free passage past pirates in exchange for $60,000

• British ships began stopping American ships and impressing sailors, and requiring all 

   trade with France to pass through British ports

• France would then seize ships which the British had inspected

• Jefferson asked for the Embargo Act of 1807, ending all American trade

•  Disaster for the economy, and especially hated in New England

•  Replaced with a ban only on trade to England and France

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• James Madison (Democratic-Republican) elected in 1808

• War of 1812

•  Macon’s Bill #2 promised to resume trade with either England or France (but

      not the other) if one promised to stop interfering with our ships

•  France agreed, trade resumed, and British anger increased

• Many Americans (hawks) saw an opportunity to capture British Canada

•  Native Americans on the frontier were harassing settlers with British guns

•  General Harrison victorious over the Prophet at Tippecanoe 

• New England Federalists called the Hartford Convention to consider secession

• Essex Junto had asked Hamilton to lead secession earlier but he declined

•  War was declared, and mostly a tie

•  British burned DC, but lost at Baltimore; 

    US won on Great Lakes but lost in Canada

•  Treaty of Ghent agreed to end the war and keep things the same

•  __After__ it was signed General Jackson won a huge victory at New Orleans 

•  Result=increased Nationalism, industry

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• James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) elected in 1816

• End of the Federalists after Hartford = no political fighting = “Era of Good Feelings”

•Very bad depression & panic in 1819 weakened National Bank

• Secretary of State J. Q. Adams negotiated treaties to get land in Oregon, Florida

• Revolutions in Latin America = new nations

• Monroe Doctrine promised to protect them from European interference

•Rush-Bagot Treaty 1817

• Sets up longest undefended border in world (US/Canada, inc. Great Lakes)

• Slavery again an issue when Missouri wants to join union (11 pro slavery, 11 against)

• Missouri Compromise added Missouri as slave, Maine as free

• Set southern border of Missouri as boundary between free/slave states

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