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• Repealed the Alien & Sedition Acts, and pardoned those put in jail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