Federalists and Republicans

1789-1820

Chapter 4

Creating a New Government

• In 1789 Congress created the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of War, and the Office of the Attorney General.

• President George Washington chose Thomas Jefferson for Secretary of State.

• He chose Alexander Hamilton for Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton was responsible for creating the financial system for the U.S.

• General Henry Knox served as Secretary of War.

• Edmund Randolph became the first Attorney General.

• This group of department heads who advised the president became known as the cabinet.

• Courts, as well as the first federal judges, were established with the Judiciary Act of 1789.

• John Jay became the first chief justice of the United States.

• In 1791 ten amendments to the Constitution went into effect.

• These amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, offered safeguards for individual rights against actions of the federal government.

Amendment II - Right to bear arms

Amendment III - Troops may not be arbitrarily quartered in people’s homes.

Amendment IV - Unreasonable search and seizures are forbidden.

Amendment V - The individual is guaranteed certain rights when on

trial; they also have the right to

life, liberty, and property.

In accordance with the5th Amendment, I reserve the right not to incriminate myself.

Amendment VI - Right to a fair and speedy trial in criminal cases

Amendment VII - Right to a trial in civil cases (lawsuits against other citizens).

Amendment VIII - Excessive fines and cruel and unusual

punishments are forbidden.

Amendment IX - The people retain rights not enumerated in the Constitution.

Amendment X - Powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states and the people.

Hamilton Jefferson

The Constitution says whatit means and means whatit says! The United Statesgovernment has absolutelyno authority to create a National Bank!!!

Excuse me, my dear man.The Constitution does notsay we can’t. Besides, it’snecessary and proper thatwe do so!

Thomas Jefferson Alexander HamiltonStrict Constructionist Loose Constructionist Elastic clause - also known as Congress’s

Implied Powers.

Jefferson Hamilton

• The Supreme Court was a very minor body until the 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison.

• The ruling strengthened the Supreme Court because it asserted the Court’s right of judicial review – the power to decide whether laws passed by Congress were constitutional and to strike down laws that were not.

The United States Expands West

• Jefferson supported the idea of expanding the country farther west.

• Westward expansion of the U.S.’s borders had begun during Washington’s presidency.

Napoleon had convinced Spain to give Louisiana back to France.

Short on funds, Napoleon agreed to sell the Louisiana Territory as well as New Orleans to the United States.

• In 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana from France for $15 million.

• The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States.

What a deal!!!!!!!!

• Jefferson secretly sent an exploration expedition into the Louisiana Territory led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

• Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, was their guide and interpreter.

• Trip increased knowledge of the Louisiana Territory and gave the U.S. a claim to the Oregon territory.

• In 1805 Zebulon Pike explored much of the upper Mississippi River, the Rio Grande, and Colorado.

• The trip provided Americans with detailed information of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains.

Rising International Tensions

• Jefferson wanted to keep the United States out of the war between Britain and France.

• Americans were caught in the middle, when both Britain and France declared that neutral countries could not trade with the enemy.

• Ships going to Europe became subject to search and seizure by one side or the other.

• British ships stopped and searched American ships for contraband (illegal goods).

• Impressment, a legalized form of kidnapping, was the solution Britain came up with to stop sailors from deserting and escaping on American ships.

• To avoid war, Jefferson asked Congress to pass the Embargo Act of 1807.

• An embargo is a law which bans trade with another country.

• The embargo ended up hurting Americans more than the British.

• The embargo was repealed in 1809.

• In 1812 Britain finally ended all restrictions on American trade.

• By then, however, the United States Congress had declared war on Great Britain.

• Most members of Congress who voted for war were from the South and West.

• They were nicknamed War Hawks by their opponents.

• Americans in the South and West favored war because British trade restrictions had hurt Southern planters and Western farmers.

• They also felt the British were to blame for the clashes with Native Americans.

The War of 1812

• In June 1812, Madison asked Congress to declare war.

• The vote split, with the South and West generally voting for war while the Northeast was against the war.

vs.

• Conquering Canada was the primary objective at the start of the war.

• All three American attacks against Canada failed.

vs

• With the collapse of Napoleon’s empire in 1814 and the end of the war against France, the Brits sent troops to deal with the U.S.

• In 1814 a British fleet landed troops near Washington, D.C.

• The capital was seized, and Madison and other officials fled.

• The White House and the Capitol were both set on fire!!!!!!!!!

• The next British attack was on Baltimore.

• Militia troops and soldiers defended the city, and the British abandoned their attack.

After witnessing the battle at Baltimore, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the “Star Spangled Banner.”

• In 1815 a British fleet landed near New Orleans.

• American General Andrew Jackson had troops use cotton bales to absorb British bullets.

• The result was an American victory.

• The Battle of New Orleans made Andrew Jackson a hero.

• Nationalism, the feeling of strong patriotism, was running high in the United States.

• On December 24, 1814, negotiators signed the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812.

• The treaty restored prewar boundaries, and no territory changed hands. But……….

• The War of 1812 increased American prestige overseas and created a new feeling of patriotism and national unity.

The signing of the Treaty of Ghent

Political Unity

• After the War of 1812, Americans had a sense of national pride (nationalism).

• Americans felt loyalty toward the United States, rather than toward their state or region.

• The Monroe presidency is described by the phrase “Era of Good Feelings.”

• Only one major political party – the Republicans – had any power.

• Congress passed the Tariff of 1816 to protect manufacturers from foreign competition.

• The Tariff of 1816 was a protective tariff that helped American manufacturers by taxing imports to drive up their prices.

• How does this work?………………

American factory owners in the North scream, “Help! We’re going out of business! Everyone is buying British textiles!” So….

Congress passes a tariff on British cloth.

Result: Americans pay more for cloth, but Northern factory owners are happy; Americans now buy their cloth.

UNCLE SAM

TEXAS

OHIO

VERMONT

NEW YORK

UTAH

OREGON

IOWA

IDAHO

Nationalist Diplomacy

• Nationalism in the United States influenced the nation to expand its borders and assert itself in world affairs.

• Many of Spain’s colonies on the American mainland were declaring independence.

• Some European monarchies proposed helping Spain regain control of its overseas colonies.

• In response, President Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine.

• This policy declared that the United States would prevent other countries from interfering in Latin American political affairs.

THE BIG PICTURE

During the years immediately following the birth of our Republic:

• Political parties were formed.

• We proved that we could peacefully transfer power from one party to another.

• We had to learn international diplomacy…. how to deal with other countries.

• We formed the basis of our economic and monetary system.

• We doubled the size of our country through the Louisiana Purchase.

• We began to build our transportation system.