1. Launching a Nation

2. The U.S. Constitution has been ratified and the United States of America now has a brand new government. George Washington is chosen to become our first president. Why do you think he was chosen?

3. Washington Leads a New Nation
-George Washington was chosen as our first president in the year of His inauguration was held in New York City. -In January 1789 he was elected president by a group of delegates from the 11 states called the Electoral College. -The Electoral College is a body of electors who represent the people’s vote in choosing the president. -He was chosen because he was thought of as an honest leader, a hero of the revolution, and people felt he was best fitted for this job.

4. VP John Adams
George Washington

5. Do we have an electoral college today?
Yes! Each state has members on the electoral college. It’s members equal the amount of senators & representatives that state has in Congress.
They are chosen by each party at the state conventions.
When you vote for a candidate, you also vote for his/her party’s electors.

6. Organizing the Government -The new federal government had to create policies and procedures that would determine the future of the country. -President Washington wrote in a letter to James Madison, “The first of everything in our situation will serve to establish a precedent”. -John Adams was chosen to be the country’s first Vice President.

7. An action or a decision that later serves as an example.
Precedent:
An action or a decision that later serves as an example.

8. The President’s Cabinet
-The head of each of the departments plus the Attorney General made up the Cabinet, advisors to the president. -Washington chose his cabinet carefully and made sure to balance the liberals and conservatives.
Three Executive Departments
Department of State
Department of the Treasury
Department of the War

9. Think-Pair-Share What are the differences between liberals and conservatives?
Believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.
Believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

10. Secretary of the Treasury:
Alexander Hamilton (Conservative)
Secretary of War:
Henry Knox (Conservative)
Attorney General:
Edmund Randolph (Liberal)
Secretary of State:
Thomas Jefferson (Liberal)

12. Supreme Court Courts of Appeal District Courts
The Federal Court System -To set up the federal court system, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of This act created three levels of federal courts and defined their powers and relationship to the state courts.
Supreme Court
Courts of Appeal
District Courts

13. Hamilton and National Finances
-As secretary of treasury, Hamilton’s biggest challenge was paying off the national debt. It was money owed by the United States.
The U.S. owed foreign countries about $11.7 million and $40.4 million to U.S. citizens.
- Because debt was the biggest problem after the American Revolution, it had had a negative impact on the economy.

14. The total amount of money owed by a country to its lenders.
National debt:
The total amount of money owed by a country to its lenders.

15. Economy:
the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought in a country or region.

16. The National Debt -During the American Revolution, the government raised money with bonds. - Bonds are certificates of debt that carry a promise to buy back the bonds at a higher price.

17. Bonds:
A certificate that represents money the government has borrowed from private citizens.

18. Speculators:
An investor who buys an item at low prices in hope that their values will rise.

19. -Bondholders who needed money sold their bonds to speculators
-Bondholders who needed money sold their bonds to speculators. -They were people who buy items at low prices in hope that the value will rise. (and they can sell at a profit) Hamilton’s Plan -Hamilton planned for them to repay the total value of all bonds. -Thomas Jefferson disagreed. He thought the idea cheated bondholders who had sold their bonds at low prices.

20. -Hamilton’s plan was approved because more politicians agreed with him
-Hamilton’s plan was approved because more politicians agreed with him. -In 1790, the government exchanged old bonds for new, more reliable ones that were guaranteed. -Hamilton also wanted the Federal government to pay the states war debts. -Northern states- most of the war fought in the North=more war debt. -The Southern states did not agree because they had little to no debt from the war. -Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison made a compromise between the northern and southern states regarding the war debt. -They decided to move the nation’s capital to Philadelphia for 10 years. The permanent location would be along the Potomac River and known as Washington, D.C.

21. 1. New York City
2. Philadelphia, PA
3. Washington, D.C

22. Hamilton vs. Jefferson -Hamilton and Jefferson began to argue about how to define the authority of the central government. -Hamilton believed in a strong central government. -Jefferson wanted to protect the powers of the states. Hamilton’s National Bank -Hamilton wanted a safe place for the government to deposit its money. The bank could also make loans to the government and businesses. To protect the states and people he suggested it have a 20-year charter (contract) that could be extended later.

23. -Jefferson and Madison believed Hamilton’s plan gave too much power to the federal government. -They also argued that the U.S. Constitution did not give Congress power to create a bank. They favored strict construction.

24. Strict construction:
A way of interpreting the Constitution in which the government can only do use the powers outlined in the Constitution.

25. -Hamilton believed in a loose construction of the constitution
-Hamilton believed in a loose construction of the constitution. This meant that the federal government can take reasonable actions that the Constitution does not specifically forbid.
-Hamilton argued that the elastic clause allowed Congress to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper.”

26. Loose construction:
A way of interpreting the Constitution that allows the government to take actions the Constitution does not specifically forbid

27. Class Discussion: - Why would those who supported the Constitution favor the Elastic Clause and Anti Federalists not be too happy about it?

28. -In February 1791 Congress enacted the charter for the Bank of the United States – the country’s first national bank.

29. Bank of the United States
A national bank
chartered (an official document that gives a person the right to establish a colony, bank, college, company, etc.) by Congress in 1791 to provide security for the United States economy

30. Challenges for the New Nation
-The new nation was already facing economic problems and internal divisions. Now, more challenges will come from conflicts in Europe. Fighting between France and Great Britain will pull the U.S. in. -The French Revolution was a rebellion of the French people against their king in 1789.

31. -France and Great Britain went to war a few years later
-France and Great Britain went to war a few years later. Some Americans sided with France (Thomas Jefferson) and some with Great Britain (Alexander Hamilton). Some wanted to be neutral.
-George Washington issued the Neutrality Proclamation in response to the war that broke out between Great Britain and France.
Great Britain seized hundreds of American merchant ships & helped the Native Americans fight the settlers.
Washington, trying to prevent war with Great Britain, sent a delegate to work out a compromise.

32. Neutral:
Unbiased, not favoring either side of a conflict

33. American Foreign Affairs
-Jay’s Treaty settled disputes (fights) that had risen between the United States and Great Britain in the early 1790’s.
-The British would pay damages on seized American ships.
-The British would abandon forts on the Northwestern frontier
-The U.S. would pay debts owed to the British.
-Pinckney’s Treaty settled border and trade disputes with Spain. Spain’s southern border became 31 N˚ latitude. They reopened the port at New Orleans for American ships.

34. Think-Pair-Share
If you were an American citizen in 1794, would you be satisfied with Jay’s Treaty? Why or why not?

36. -With British weapons, Native Americans attacked settlers on the frontier. After a few battles and no longer having British support, they lost. -The Treaty of Greenville was signed with Native American leaders giving the U.S. claim to most Indian lands in the Northwest Territory. In exchange, the Native Americans got $20,000 worth of goods.

37. The Whiskey Rebellion
-Congress passed a tax on American made whiskey to pay the national debt. It was usually made by farmers from their corn crops.
-The farmers of western Pennsylvania protested against this tax saying it was aimed specifically at them. Protests led to G. Washington issuing a proclamation that said people had to obey the law.
-In 1794, fighting broke out and it was called the Whiskey Rebellion.
-President George Washington led 13,000 troops to western Pennsylvania to stop the fighting. This was the only time a president led troops into battle while in office.
- The rebels fled and the rebellion ended without a battle.

38. Washington’s Farewell
-He decided not to run for a 3rd term.
-In his farewell address, he warned about the dangers of foreign ties, the importance of political unity, and having too much public debt.

39. The Election of 1796
-The election of 1796 started a new era for politics in America. For the first time more than one candidate ran for president. -Political parties, groups that help elect people and shape policies, had begun to form.

40. Political parties:
A group of people who organize to help elect government officials and influence government policies.

41. -Alexander Hamilton helped form the Federalist Party
-Alexander Hamilton helped form the Federalist Party. They wanted a strong national government and supported industry and trade. -The Federalist Party chose John Adams and Thomas Pinckney as candidates.
John Adams
Thomas Pinckney

42. Thomas Jefferson Aaron Burr
-Thomas Jefferson and James Madison founded the Democratic – Republican Party. Its members, called Republicans, wanted to limit the federal government’s power.
-They chose Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr as their candidates
Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr

43. -Party differences were based on where you lived and how you lived.
-Business people in cities tended to support the Federalists.
-Farmers tended to support the Democratic – Republicans.
The Results
-In the end, Adams defeated Jefferson.
-At this time in history the vice president was the man that came in second -Thomas Jefferson - was John Adams V.P.

45. John Adams’ Presidency -One of Adam’s first goals as president was to improve the relationship between the U.S. and France. -Adams sent U.S. diplomats to Paris to smooth over any conflict and protect U.S. shipping. However, French foreign minister Talleyrand refused to speak with them. -Instead, they had a surprise, secret meeting with three French agents. Talleyrand would discuss a treaty only in exchange for a bribe and a loan of $12 million. The diplomats refused. XYZ Affair -The XYZ affair was an incident in which 3 French agents attempted to get a bribe and loans from U.S. diplomats in exchange for an agreement that French privateers would no longer attack American ships.

46. -Adams asked Congress to expand the navy to a fleet of more than 30 ships and to create a peacetime army. -He did NOT ask for a declaration of war! He knew of the costs involved and wanted to settle things peacefully. -Federalists wanted to go to war with France. -President Adams settled things with peace talks.

47. Alien and Sedition Acts
Adams persuaded Congress to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts to try to silence those whose opposed him.
These acts forbid anyone from publishing or voicing criticism of the Federal Government effectively canceling the freedom speech and the freedom of the press.
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison saw this as a misuse of the governments power and at the state level, pressured Congress to repeal the Acts. They did not, but allowed them to expire.

48. John Adams Review video