Download - Completing the Revolution

Period 3 - Part II

Completing the Revolution & Building a Government

Establishing the Republican Ideology

• (Can you believe the Senate actually debated on what to call the president?! They finally settled on Mr. President)

• After Revolution, it was believed that voters should be “politically independent” = not coerced by others• also economically independent = should own

property• (own property no one can have a hold on you)• So – those w/o property are dependent on

others and should be excluded

First Congress

• Led by James Madison

• Passed tariff – Gov’s main income

• (ratified Bill of Rights)

• Created Depts. of War, Treasury, State• (heads appointed by

President)

Ah, Hamilton

• (for 12 years Federalists controlled the government)

• GW believed in keeping Presidency out of Congress’s deliberations left this to his Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton

• Government needed the wealthy to succeed

“Hamiltonian” Economics

• Debt was in 3 categories1. Foreign Debt (what we owed France for their

help in Rev War)

2. National Debt

3. State debt

Hamiltonian economics

• State debt = big problem

• National debt = big problem

• Suggested combining state debt w/national debt• Issue securities to debtors & pay 4% interest• National debt would establish a strong national

state

How to fix it?

OMG –There’s more about hamiltonian economics

• A National Bank• Hamilton wanted a

national bank to:1. Give loans to

businesses

2. Gov safe place to deposit funds

3. Keep up price of government bonds fair sales

• Funded by new tax on wines, coffee, tea, spirits (grain alcohol)

Enacting the Federalist Agenda

• Most in Congress supported Hamilton’s plan for paying off national debt (through tariffs and taxation)

• Idea for assuming states’ debts ≠ as popular• Believed to lead to high state taxes• Got VA to support this policy by promising to

establish the nation’s capitol in the South (modern-day Washington DC between Maryland and Virginia)

Enacting Federalist Agenda

• Bank Bill = big debate• Feared it gave Congress power not outlined in

the Constitution• Eventually passed (opened in 1791)

• Got the tax approved

• This program worked for the wealthy, influential portion of the public BUT NOT THE FARMERS

New Republic smack down –Hamilton Versus Jefferson

• Did not like the establishment of a federal bank• Felt Hamilton was changing the

Constitution

• Felt the men who owned shares in the bank and were also members of Congress were corrupt

• Each side drew in a number of supporters

The Rise of the Republicans

• Framers believed political parties were dangerous and should be avoided• (Remember Federalist #10 – “The public good is

disregarded in the conflict of rival parties”?)

• (Uh-Oh) many believed that Hamilton & others were now focused on a majority…

Beginnings of a two party system

• Federalists used power to appoint allies into positions of authority

• Establishment of Republican Party• Felt they had no choice (after seeing power of

Federalists)• Created local groups and worked across state

lines to influence elections

• (Neither admitted they were actually a party - but they really were)

Division over the French Revolution

• Republicans supported the rebellion against the monarchy in France

• Federalists believed the treaty that allied the US w/ France became void when the monarch was executed

The Western Frontier

• Northwest Ordinance 1787 - the land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi would be settled & would eventually become part of the U.S.

• However, the western settlements were not tied into the nat’l gov’t

(Yee, HAW!)

• Farmers were angry at the new whiskey excise tax

• (so they rebelled)

• (Hamilton urged) Washington to send in an army.

• Led them himself• The rebellion

quickly collapsed

Whiskey Rebellion

• Fed gov’t won support of whiskey distillers by intimidating them

• Won support of other frontier areas by accepting them into the Union• North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont,

Kentucky, Tennessee

Native Americans & New Nation

• (Big Question = Who was in control of the West – United States or Indian Nations?)

• Constitution did not completely address the place of theses Indian Nations in the new gov’t


• Constitution did little to even mention Indian Nations• Article 1 – Indians are not to be taxed and are

excluded from being counted as part of the population (in regards to determining the number of representatives in the house)

• Article 6 –new gov’t had to respect treaties made with Confederation (but did little to define legal standing of the native Americans)


• Soooo – (in a nutshell) the Constitution recognized the existence of the tribes as legal entities, but were no citizens of the US and it DID NOT address the issue of LAND

And they All Fall Down (the Federalists)

• After 1796 the Federalists never won another election

• Federalists as a group failed – but their movement (faith and respect for the Federal Gov’t) survived

Election 1796

• (GW did not run for a 3rd term)

• (Hammy couldn’t run for President – why?)

• 1796 = John Adams [Federalist] versus Thomas Jefferson [Republican]

Wait, What?

• Election of 1796• Adams wins Presidency and Jefferson wins the

Vice Presidency

• (Any ideas on how this happened?)

The XYZ Affair

• (No XYZ has nothing to do with Examine your zipper)

• Background• French ships were seizing American ships &

imprisoned the crews• Adams formed a committee to negotiate with France

• French Agents demanded a loan for France and a bribe for French officials before negotiations would start• (led to huge outrage against France and 3 yrs later

US is in a little war with France)

Alien and Sedition Acts

• New restrictions on immigrants

• Made it easier for the Fed Gov’t to stifle (get rid of) opposition

Virginia & Kentucky resolutions

• Jefferson wrote a resolution (to the Alien & Sedition Acts) that was adopted by KY legislature

• Madison wrote another resolution that was adopted by Virginia Legislature

• (Used ideas of Locke)

The Throw-down of 1800

• Election btwn Jefferson and Adams again• (they were polite to each other but

their supporters were brutal)

• Federalists accused Jefferson of having an affair with one of his slaves (shhh it was true they had 4 kids together)

• Republicans accused Adams of being a tyrrany & wanting to become King

Election of 1800

• What happened??

War of 1812