George Washington 1st President 1789-1797

Washington for President Unanimously elected as president by the Electoral College in 1789 Took the oath of office on April 30, 1789 Established a diverse cabinet – not necessarily Constitutional Sec. of State – Thomas Jefferson Sec. of Treasury – Alexander Hamilton Sec. of War – Henry Knox

Hamilton’s Financial Plan Pay off national debt National as well as state Protect American Industries Custom duties & excise taxes 1791- excise tax on domestic goods (whiskey) Create a National Bank

Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a Bank Hamilton proposed a national treasury Opposed by Jefferson as being unconstitutional Hamilton’s views: What was not forbidden by the Constitution was permitted A bank was “necessary and proper” He evoked the Elastic Clause

Jefferson’s views: What was not permitted was forbidden A bank should be state controlled Strict interpretation of the Constitution End Result: Hamilton won the dispute, and Washington reluctantly signed the bank measure into law. The Bank of the United States was created by Congress in 1791, and was chartered for 20 years Located in Philadelphia Stock was open to public sale

Mutinous Moonshiners in Pennsylvania 1794 – Whiskey rebellion – farmers revolted against Hamilton’s excise tax Washington sent an army of 13,000 but found nothing upon arrival Washington’s new presidency now commanded new respect Lesson of the Whiskey Rebellion – this government was strong, unlike the Articles

The Emergence of Political Parties Hamilton’s policies seemed to encroach on states’ rights As resentment grew, what was once a personal rivalry between Hamilton and Jefferson gradually evolved into two political parties Federalists (Hamilton) Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson) See page 116 in your book Since 1825, the two-party system has helped strengthen the US

Foreign Affairs The French Revolution (1793) Washington issues Neutrality Proclamation Jay’s Treaty (1794) John Jay sent to negotiate with Great Britain to stop the seizure of US merchant ships & seamen Pinckney’s Treaty (1795) US receives navigation rights to the Mississippi River from Spain

Domestic Issues Treaty of Greenville (1795) had the Indians cede their land in the Ohio country to the Americans

Washington’s Farewell After his second term, Washington stepped down His farewell address warned: Against political parties Against building alliances with foreign nations Hamilton was the logical choice to become the next president, but his financial plan made him unpopular John Adams won (71 to 68) against Thomas Jefferson

John Adams 2nd President 1797-1801

Unofficial Fighting with France France was furious about Jay’s Treaty US merchant ships were being seized by the French XYZ Affair John Adams sent three representatives to France French foreign ministers (X, Y, & Z) demand a bribe – US refuses Many Americans called for war with France – Adams remained neutral An undeclared war with France raged over the seas for 2 ½ years

Adams Puts Patriotism Above Party 1800 - three American representatives were met by Napoleon to work out a treaty with France Peace negotiations were not popular with Americans Adams loses popularity and chance for a second term

The Federalist Witch Hunt Naturalization Act raised requirements for aliens who wanted to become citizens from 5 to 14 years, a law that violated traditional American policy of open-door hospitality Alien Act let the president deport dangerous aliens during peacetime and jail them during times of war Sedition Act provided that anyone who impeded the policies of the government or falsely defamed its officials would be liable to a heavy fine or imprisonment

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions Jeffersonians did not like the Alien and Sedition Acts Jefferson wrote a series of legislation that Kentucky approved in 1798-99, and friend James Madison wrote another series that Virginia approved: This legislation set out to kill the Alien & Sedition Acts Only those two states adopted the laws Federalists believed the Supreme Court had the only power to nullify legislation