1. 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 & leaders

2. Washington’s 1st Term: 1789-1793

3. Washington as President
During his 1st term, Washington helped shape the new nation:
He approved the Judiciary Act of 1789 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

4. Washington’s Cabinet Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury
Henry Knox, Secretary of War
George Washington, President
Edmund Randolph, Attorney General
Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State

5. 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

6. Comparing the Ideals of Hamilton & Jefferson Activity
History Alive! Activity 4.1

7. Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Nature of Human Beings
People are motivated by self-interests
Only the “elite” should govern
Jefferson
The “common” man can make good decisions
Corruption occurs when power is in the hands of the “elite”

8. Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Best Type of Government
Powerful national government
Articles of Confederation was too weak
Jefferson
Power should remain with state governments
Keep the national gov’t small

9. Hamilton vs. Jefferson: Political Party & Its Ideas
Federalist
Strong national government & fewer states rights
Jefferson
Republican (Democratic-Republican)
Limited national government & more states rights

10. Hamilton vs. Jefferson: Ideal Economy
Economy based on industry
Jefferson
Economy based on small, independent farmers

11. Hamilton vs. Jefferson: View on the Constitution
Supported the Constitution
Constitution can be “loosely” interpreted with the “necessary & proper” clause
Jefferson
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

12. Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson feared a strong national gov’t & wanted power left to the states in order to protect liberty:
He saw America as a nation of farmer-citizens & feared rule by the “wealthy elite”
As Sec of State, Jefferson favored close ties with France, especially when the French Revolution began in 1789 5 5

13. Alexander Hamilton
Hamilton thought a strong national gov’t was best for America:
Hamilton wanted leaders to come from the “educated elite”
He wanted the U.S. to develop like England (trade & industry)
As Sec of Treasury, he created a Financial Plan to grow U.S. industry, pay off national debts, & expand the economy 4 4

15. Hamilton’s Financial Plan
Components of the Financial Plan:
The national gov’t should take all the state debts (assumption) & pay them off at full value (funding)
Create a “Bank of the U.S.” to regulate American currency
Create a “protective tariff” on British manufactured goods to get people to buy American goods
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
This was the only part of Hamilton’s financial plan that was not approved
Funding & assumption passed, but only after a deal was made with Southern states to move the national capital to Virginia (Washington D.C.)
It passed when Hamilton used the “Elastic Clause” (Article 1, Section 8) to argue that the bank was “necessary & proper” 7 7

16. Disagreements between Hamilton & Jefferson led to the 1st American political parties

17. Washington’s 2nd Term: 1793-1797
Show Washington video here

18. Whiskey Rebellion
Washington faced a big challenge in 1794 with the Whiskey 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)
Political polarization was further intensified by the outbreak of popular protests in western Pennsylvania against Hamilton's financial program. To help pay off the nation's debt, Congress passed a tax on whiskey. On the frontier, the only practical way to transport and sell surplus corn was to distill it into whiskey. Frontier farmers regarded a tax on whiskey in the same way as American colonists had regarded Britain's stamp tax.
By 1794, western Pennsylvanians had had enough. Some 7000 frontiersmen marched on Pittsburgh to stop collection of the tax. Determined to set a precedent for the federal government's authority, Washington gathered an army of 15,000 militamen to disperse the rebels. In the face of this overwhelming force, the uprising collapsed. The new government had proved that it would enforce laws enacted by Congress.
Thomas Jefferson took a very different view of the "Whiskey Rebellion." He believed that the government had used the army to stifle legitimate opposition to unfair government policies. 17 17

19. The presence of Washington & 13,000 soldiers was enough to end the Whiskey Rebellion

20. 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 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? 10 10

21. The French Revolution led to war between England & France

22. Washington's Farewell Address
In 1796, Washington chose not to run for a 3rd term; This created the two-term precedent for presidents
Washington’s Farewell Address:
Warned against political parties
Warned against “entangling alliances” with foreign nations (led to the precedent of non-intervention in foreign affairs) 18 18

23. The Adams Presidency

24. George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Q. Adams
Andrew Jackson
Former vice-president John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1796
Show Adams video here
Former VP John Adams (Federalist)
Thomas Jefferson (Republican)

25. “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”
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 Affair was reason to go to war with France, but Adams kept his cool
“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”
Adams prepared for war & created the Dept of Navy, but his continued negotiations with the French paved the way for Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803

26. The Alien and Sedition Acts
Adams’ handling of the conflict with France led to criticisms from the Democratic-Republicans
The Federalists in Congress passed the Alien & 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 22 22

27. Virginia & Kentucky Resolves
Jefferson & James Madison were outraged & wrote the Virginia & Kentucky Resolves in :
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 23 23

28. 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 25 25