the federalist era 1789-1801. how will this new gov’t last? it was a commonly held view that...

The Federalist Era 1789-1801

How Will This New Gov’t Last?

It was a commonly held view that factionalism would eventually destroy a republican gov’t extended over such a large territory.

What prevents this possible gov’t destruction?


G. Washington - central symbol of republican gov’t and virtue

• Heroism

• Integrity

• Nonpartisanship

• Reluctance to

hold power

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/George_Washington_Museum_statue.jpg/450px-George_Washington_Museum_statue.jpg


America 1790• Rural - 90%• Very few large towns• Finances precarious

– Public debt enormous– Worthless paper money, both state and nat’l, in

heavy circulation

• Foreign challenges by Britain and Spain threaten unity



G. Washington’s precedent:• Cabinet members

– Sec. of State - Jefferson– Sec. of Treasury - Hamilton– Sec. of War- Henry Knox– (later) Attorney General - Edmund Randolph

Cabinet characterized by feud b/w Hamilton and Jefferson



Bill of Rights (took 2/3 vote of both Houses of Congress and ratification by 3/4 of the states)

I. Freedom of speech, religion, press, petition, & assembly (RAPPS)II. Right to bear armsIII. Troops can’t be arbitrarily quartered on the peopleIV. Unreasonable search and seizure forbiddenV. The individual is guaranteed certain rights when on trial and the

right to life, liberty, and propertyVI. Right to a fair and speedy trial in criminal casesVII. Right to a trial in civil casesVIII. Excessive fines and unusual punishments are forbiddenIX. The people retain rights not enumerated in the ConstitutionX. Powers not delegated to the federal gov’t are reserved to the states

and the people.



Judiciary Act 1789 - organized Supreme Court w/ chief justice

John Jay (the Federalist papers) and 5 associates

- Organized federal and circuit courts- Estb. office of attorney general- *fatal provision: law stated Supreme Court

could force presidential appointments of judges. This law would be overturned in 1803 by Marbury v Madison.


Hamilton’s Economic Plan

1. Report on Public Credit

• Fiscal favor wealthy

• Trickle down1. Report on

Manufacturers• Factory sys.• Tariff component


http://www.biblehelp.org/images/stacks%20of%20money.jpg

Hamilton’s Economic Plan5 Components

1. Bank of the US (Nat’l Bank) - strict construction vs. loose construction

2. Excise tax - whiskey - frontier protests mean little - they are anti-federalists

3. Funding at par - bolsters nat’l credit4. Assumption of states’ debts - obligates states

to federal gov’t; N/S tension, log rolling5. Tariffs - Revenue Act of 1789 was 8% on

imports - goal $ and protect infant industries


BE

FAT

The Whiskey Rebellion

Whiskey Boys pose a threat

Washington’s army 13,000 strong; led by Gen. Hamilton

Significance________Jeffersonian

response________

http://www.spcarts.org/HistorythroughArt/w-buckley.jpg

Birth of Political PartiesParties in a modern sense?If you asked Alexander Hamilton, “are you

a federalist?” He would not have said, “yes, I am a

federalist” He would have said, “yes, I am one of the

federal men - I believe in a strong nat’l gov’t”

Birth of Political PartiesHamilton: nation belongs to the, “wise, rich, and

well born.” Fear the mobocracy

Jefferson: BE FATS encroaches sharply on states’ rights

What changed? This was a nation of nat’l unity…. No one wanted to be a “party man.”

Birth of Political PartiesHamilton• Genius financier• Gov’t by the upper class (John Jay

“those who own the country ought to gov’ern it”)

• Distrust common people (mobocracy)• Nat’l debt: Wants to hasten the country

to world trade position (sectional differences)

• Hyper gov’t. strong central gov’t• Fed. Gov’t should protect business not

interfere• Pro- British• Broad/loose constructionist• Founder of West Point Academy• War is a way for Americans to take their

place in the world

Jefferson• Rule by the people; gov’t for the people• Freedom of speech to expose tyranny• Appeal to middle class and

underprivelaged• Best gov’t is one that gov’ns least• Nat’l debt is nat’l disgrace b/c taxes

children w/out their consent• Pro-French - democratic revolution• Strict/narrow constructionist• Founder of UVA• War is barbarous• Agrarian: Man happiest when farming;

other nation’s spoke of this but America had a chance to be a pastoral nation. 6 million self-sufficient farmers

IMPORTANT!

Be careful not to confuse the Federalists of the 1790s with the “Federalists” who supported the Constitution in the late 1780s. They are not necessarily the same! For example, in the late 1780s Madison wrote part of the Constitution and Jefferson supported it yet they were not Federalists in the 1790s.

• Federalists in the 1787-88 were a faction that supported the Constitution

• Federalists in the 1790s became a political party that embodied Hamilton’s financial plan and Washington’s presidency

Evolution of Political Parties

Federalist Democratic-Republicans

JEFFERSONIANSHAMILTONIANS

1792

1816

1825

1820

1834

1854

Death of Federalists

Republicans

One Party: Era of Good Feelings

National Republicans

Whigs

Republicans

To Present

Democrats

Democratic-Republicans(Jacksonian Democrats)

To Present

Domestic Disturbances• 1783 Treaty of Paris

never mentioned the Native Americans

• The Native Americans want their tribal lands

• British still in forts along the rich Ohio Valley

• Americans want to move west into those rich farmlands past the Appalachian Mountains

Federalist EraForeign Policy

• Impact of French Revolution• *Single most important issue separating

Federalist and Republicans• Reign of Terror - bloodshed. Jefferson - regrettable but

necessary. Federalist - mobocracyLouis XVI Marie Antionette

The French Revolution becomes a World War

Federalist EraForeign Policy

Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation of 1793

1. Announced U.S. neutrality in war b/w Britain and France

2. Warned citizens to be impartial

* Major prop of American isolationist policy

U.S. Neutrality

Benefits America

• Neutrality means it can deliver food stuff to West Indies

• France did not officially ask the U.S. to honor the Franco-American treaty

• If U.S. entered the war, British navy would blockade U.S. coasts and cut off supplies the French relied upon

Jay’s TreatyTemporarily eased tension with Britain*Significance - most important immediate cause for formation of the Democratic-Republican party.

• Background: British continue to harass American frontier settlers and U.S. ships on ocean

• Impressment of American sailors

•John Jay sent by Washington to negotiate

• Hamilton cheats/reveals• Washington is hated by Jeffersonians

For God’ssake, don’t anger the British!We need the income.

Jay’s TreatyJay’s Treaty1. British again pledges to remove their posts from

U.S. soil2. British will pa damages for seizure of American

ships3. British refused to guarantee against future seizures or impressments or stirring up trouble out west4. U.S. forced to pay pre-Revolution debts owed to

British merchantsSee, I told you not to trust federalists!Only North get $ on this oneWe Southerners have to pay taxes to payThose pre-Revolutionary debts!

No one appreciatesI saved this new country from another war w/ Britain! I hate politics!

Pinckney’s Treaty

•U.S. wants to claim those lands west of the Appalachian Mts and gain shipping rights to the Mississippi River

•Need an agreement with Spain which holds those rights in vast area of Louisiana Territory and Florida

•Spain was ally to France and feared if they signed over the land the British would retaliate. Maybe the U.S. and Britain would team up on Spain?

•* Significance: Granted free navigation of the Mississippi River to the U.S. including right of deposit at the port city of New Orleans• Yielded large area of northern Florida which had been in dispute for years

Washington’s Farewell Address

• served 2 terms by unanimous election but lost nonpartisan standing when he went Federalist

• Warned against

1. Evils of political parties

2. Evils of permanent alliances (like the treaty with France)

3. Isolationism is where it is at! (will become US foreign policy for next 100 years)

1796 Election Results1796 Election Results

John Adams• Patriot, Unsure President,

Naive Politician• Quasi War with France - to them

the Jay treaty was British US alliance! Violates the Fr- Am treaty! They seize 300 U.S. merchant ships. (Federalists love this about Adams)

• XYZ Affair “Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute”

• War Hysteria sweeps the nation

http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/p4/p4_5med.jpg

John Adams• Navy dep’t created• Marine Corps esbl• Army of 10,000 men

authorized• Suspend trade w/ Fr• 2 1/2 yrs hostilities (West

Indies)

http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/p4/p4_5med.jpg

http://www.uscg.mil/History/webcutters/Pickering_1798.jpg

Alien and Sedition Acts 1798 (Patriot Acts)

We can not have thoseJeffersonians preaching This anti-war stuff!We must kill the press!

1. Naturalization Act2. The Aliens (Friends) Act3. The Alien (Enemies) Act4. The Sedition Act - speaking,

writing, or publishing criticism of the gov’t were possibly treasonous

I warned you!This is violation ofthe 1st amendment

*Significance: It ran a lot of political support to the other side - the Democratic Republicans

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

What can we do? There is no court…where do we turn?

Democratic Republicans felt Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutionalProcess of deciding constitutionality of laws not yet defined


The federal gov’t was created by the states

There are instances when conflicts arise between the rights and laws of the states and the authority of

the federal gov’t

When such conflicts arise, the interests of the states take precedence over the laws and actions of the

federal gov’t

Therefore, a state has the right to declare national laws null and void


Significance: States had right to nullify unconstitutional laws passed by Congress•Aim not to break up union but to preserve it by protecting civil liberties

COMPACT THEORY13 sovereign states created the federal gov’t & had entered a “compact”Thus nat’l gov’t was an agent or creation of the statesNullification: Individual states were the final judges of whether a federal law was constitutionalSignificance: later used by southerners to support nullification and ultimately secession prior to the Civil War

the federalist era 1789-1801. how will this new gov’t last? it was a commonly held view that...

Documents

new govt

federal govt

jefferson http

power http

unity http

possible govt destruction

tariff component http

hamiltons economic plan