Washington and Adams Administrations

George Washington's Presidency

  • Unanimously elected as the first president of the United States.
  • Established executive departments:
    • Treasury Department
    • War Department
    • State Department
    • Justice Department
    • Each headed by a secretary, forming Washington's cabinet to advise him.

Alexander Hamilton and the National Bank

  • Hamilton served as Washington's Secretary of the Treasury.
  • Proposed the establishment of a national bank to:
    • Unify the states.
    • Improve the credit of the United States.
  • Proposed absorbing state debts from the Revolutionary War into a national debt to enable the U.S. to borrow money and increase state dependence on the federal government.
  • The policy faced opposition, especially from states with little or no debt.
  • Opponents argued the Constitution did not explicitly allow for a national bank.
  • Hamilton invoked the Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause) to justify the bank.
    • The Necessary and Proper Clause states: "The Congress shall have power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution in the government of the United States or in any department or officer thereof."
  • The national bank successfully stabilized the national economy.

The French Revolution and Neutrality

  • The French Revolution broke out during Washington's presidency.
  • The issue was whether the U.S. should aid France in its wars with European nations, particularly Britain.
  • Washington, against Jefferson's advice, issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793, citing the U.S.'s fragile state.
  • French Minister Edmond Genet objected and appealed directly to the American people.
  • Washington appealed to France to recall Genet, but Genet ended up becoming an American citizen.

Jay's Treaty

  • The British continued seizing American ships and impressing American sailors bound for France.
  • Washington sent Chief Justice John Jay to negotiate with the British.
  • Jay's Treaty did not address the seizure of American ships but secured British agreement to abandon posts on the western frontier of American territory.

Pinckney's Treaty

  • Spain, concerned about the U.S. getting too close to Britain, sought to consolidate its western holdings.
  • American Minister to Spain, Thomas Pinckney, negotiated Pinckney's Treaty in 1795.
  • Provisions:
    • Spain allowed Americans to use the port at New Orleans for trade along the Mississippi River.
    • The southern border of the U.S. was set at the 31st Parallel.

Conflicts in the West

  • Conflicts arose between land-hungry Americans moving west and American Indian tribes in the Ohio River Valley.
  • Rumors circulated that the British were supplying arms to the Indians.
  • In 1794, the Battle of Fallen Timbers resulted in the U.S. Army defeating a confederacy of American Indian tribes.
  • The Indians surrendered lands in the Ohio Valley, opening them for American settlement.

Whiskey Rebellion

  • Hamilton persuaded Congress to pass a tax on whiskey.
  • Western farmers, who relied on whiskey production, rebelled against federal tax collectors.
  • Washington responded by sending the U.S. Army to put down the Whiskey Rebellion.
  • This demonstrated the new Constitution's effectiveness in maintaining order.
  • The action was criticized by figures like Thomas Jefferson.

Emergence of the Two-Party System

  • Political rivalries over issues like the national bank, the French Revolution, and the Whiskey Rebellion led to the emergence of a two-party system.
  • Federalists:
    • Led by Alexander Hamilton.
    • Advocated for a strong central government.
    • Favored urban and elite interests.
  • Democratic-Republicans:
    • Led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
    • Championed state rights.
    • Favored rural and agricultural interests.

Washington's Farewell Address

  • After two terms, Washington did not seek reelection.
  • In his Farewell Address, he warned against:
    • The dangers of factions and political parties.
    • Entangling alliances with European nations.

John Adams's Presidency

  • John Adams, Washington's vice president, succeeded him.
  • Adams was a Federalist and pro-British.

XYZ Affair

  • War broke out between Britain and France shortly after Adams became president.
  • The French began seizing American trade ships bound for Britain.
  • Adams sent a delegation to France to negotiate, but French diplomats (referred to as X, Y, and Z) demanded a bribe before negotiations could begin.
  • This event, known as the XYZ Affair, caused outrage in the U.S.

Alien and Sedition Acts

  • Adams encouraged Congress to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts.
    • Alien Acts: Allowed the government to imprison or deport non-citizens.
    • Sedition Act: Made it illegal to criticize the government publicly.
  • These acts were aimed at Irish and Scottish immigrants and were seen as a violation of rights by the Democratic-Republicans.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

  • The Democratic-Republicans responded with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
  • These resolutions asserted that states had the right to nullify federal laws that exceeded the powers granted by the Constitution.

Election of 1800

  • Due to his rocky presidency, Adams was not elected to a second term.
  • Thomas Jefferson won the election of 1800 and became president. That concluded Unit 3 Topic 10.