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He was the unanimous choice for president George Washington John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe John Q. Adams Andrew Jackson When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, George Washington was elected America’s 1st president: He was the unanimous choice for president Washington helped shape the new nation & created precedents for future presidents & leadersTRANSCRIPT
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What is a precedent?
1. George Washington
2. John Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. James Madison
5. James Monroe
6. John Q. Adams
7. Andrew Jackson
When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, George Washington was elected America’s 1st president:–He was the unanimous
choice for president–Washington helped
shape the new nation & created precedents for future presidents & leaders
Washington’s 1st Term: 1789-1793
Washington as President During his 1st term, Washington
helped shape the new nation:–He approved the Judiciary Act of Judiciary Act of
17891789 which created federal courts–Congress created the Treasury,
State, War, Justice Departments–Created the 1st cabinet (group of
advisors who head departments)–Focused on the U.S. economy
Washington’s Cabinet Henry Knox, Secretary of War
Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury
Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State
George Washington, President
Edmund Randolph, Attorney General
Hamilton & Jefferson were the most influential of the cabinet members but they had different views on the role of gov’t for the new nation
Comparing the Ideals ofComparing the Ideals of Hamilton & JeffersonHamilton & Jefferson
Activity
Hamilton vs. Jefferson:The Nature of Human Beings
HamiltonHamilton People are
motivated by self-interests
Only the “elite” should govern
JeffersonJefferson The “common”
man can make good decisions
Corruption occurs when power is in the hands of the “elite”
Hamilton vs. Jefferson:The Best Type of Government
HamiltonHamilton Powerful national
government Articles of
Confederation was too weak
JeffersonJefferson Power should
remain with state governments
Keep the national gov’t small
Hamilton vs. Jefferson:Political Party & Its Ideas
HamiltonHamilton FederalistStrong national
government & fewer states rights
JeffersonJefferson Republican
(Democratic-Republican)
Limited national government & more states rights
Hamilton vs. Jefferson:Ideal Economy
HamiltonHamilton Economy based
on industry
JeffersonJefferson Economy based
on small, independent farmers
Hamilton vs. Jefferson:View on the Constitution
HamiltonHamilton Supported the
ConstitutionConstitution can
be “loosely” interpreted with the “necessary & proper” clause
JeffersonJefferson Supported the
Constitution because of the Bill of Rights
Constitution should be strictly interpreted
Powers not given to the national gov’t are reserved for state gov’ts
Hamilton’s Financial PlanComponents of the Financial Plan:
1.The national gov’t should take all the state debts (assumption) & pay them off at full value (funding)
2.Create a “Bank of the U.S.” to regulate American currency
3.Create a “protective tariff” on British manufactured goods to get people to buy American goods
Funding & assumption passed, but only after a deal was made
with Southern states to move the national capital to Virginia
(Washington D.C.)
Jefferson opposed the “BUS” because it would give too much power to bankers &
the Constitution did not give Congress the power to create a national bank
It passed when Hamilton used the “Elastic Clause” (Article 1, Section 8) to argue that
the bank was “necessary & proper”
This was the only part of Hamilton’s financial plan that was not approved
Disagreements between Hamilton & Jefferson led to the 1st American political parties
Washington’s 2nd Term: 1793-1797
Whiskey RebellionWashington faced a big challenge
in 1794 with the Whiskey RebellionWhiskey Rebellion:–7,000 farmers marched on
Pittsburgh to protest a whiskey tax–Washington viewed the protest as
a threat to safety & led the U.S. army to put down the rebellion
–With the Constitution, the national gov’t was strong enough to end the threat (the gov’t of the Articles couldn’t end Shays’ Rebellion)
The presence of Washington & 13,000 soldiers was enough to
end the Whiskey Rebellion
American Neutrality Washington faced another serious
challenge when war broke out between England & France in 1793
Americans were divided:–Hamilton supported Britain–Jefferson supported France
In 1793, Washington issued the Proclamation of NeutralityProclamation of Neutrality because the best way to protect American interests was to stay out of the fight
Why would some Americans want to support France?
Why would some Americans want to support Britain?
The French Revolution led to war between England & France
Washington's Farewell AddressIn 1796, Washington chose not to
run for a 3rd term; This created the two-term precedenttwo-term precedent for presidents
Washington’s Farewell AddressFarewell Address:–Warned against political parties–Warned against “entangling
alliances” with foreign nations (led to the precedent of non-intervention in foreign affairs)
The Adams Presidency1797-1801
1. George Washington
2.2. John John AdamsAdams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. James Madison
5. James Monroe
6. John Q. Adams
7. Andrew Jackson
Former vice-president John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1796
Former VP John Adams (Federalist)Thomas Jefferson
(Republican)
The Adams Presidency The war between England &
France caused Adams problems:–France was mad that we did not
ally with them to fight England & started to seize merchant ships
–Adams sent diplomats to France but 3 unnamed French officials (“X”, “Y”, “Z” ) demand bribes
–Many thought the XYZ AffairXYZ Affair was reason to go to war with France, but Adams kept his cool
“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”
The Alien and Sedition ActsAdams’ handling of the conflict
with France led to criticisms from the Democratic-Republicans
The Federalists in Congress passed the Alien & Sedition ActsAlien & Sedition Acts:–Made it a crime to criticize the
president or gov’t leaders–This attack on free speech
backfired & badly damaged the Federalist Party & Adams
Virginia & Kentucky ResolvesJefferson & James Madison were
outraged & wrote the Virginia & Virginia & Kentucky ResolvesKentucky Resolves in 1798-99:–Presented a “states’ rights”
argument suggesting that states could ignore (nullify) national laws that they viewed as unfair
–The “states’ rights” & “nullification” arguments will be used by the South to secede from the USA during the Civil War in 1860-61
The “Revolution of 1800”By 1800, President Adams & the
Federalist Party were wounded:–Jefferson defeated Adams for
the presidency beginning nearly 30 years of dominance by the Democratic-Republicans
–This election marked the first time power was transferred from one party to another