1. George Washington
The 1st President

2. Why is Washington’s Presidency Important?
Washington was the first president
He knew his actions would help to shape the new federal government
His actions set a precedent for future presidents to follow

3. Washington’s Presidency was dominated by three major issues:
Defining Federalism – the scope and power of the national government vs. that of state governments.
Foreign Policy – The United States’ relationship with European powers.
Westward Expansion – Protecting Americans as they moved west and maintaining access to vital transportation routes controlled by European powers.

4. Article II of the United States Constitution
The Executive Power shall be vested in a President…
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States…he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices…he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States…He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law.

5. That is A LOT for one person to be responsible for every day!

6. The Cabinet

7. The Cabinet
Washington asked Congress to create four Executive Departments to assist him in his responsibilities.
Those Departments were…
The Department of State
The Department of the Treasury
The Department of War
The Justice Department

8. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
Author of Declaration of Independence
U.S. Ambassador to France
Responsible for carrying out Foreign Policy

9. Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton Banker from New York
Served under General Washington in Revolutionary War
Responsible for collecting government revenue (taxes) and paying government debts and obligations
Developed plan for paying off U.S. debts

10. Secretary of War Henry Knox
Served as Washington’s artillery commander during Revolutionary War
Responsible for coordinating U.S. Army and Naval forces
National Defense

11. Attorney General Edmund Randolph Head of Justice Department
In charge of law enforcement and the nations chief lawyer

12. The Cabinet Today

13. The Cabinet Today Over the years the size of the cabinet has expanded
National crises like 9/11 have led to the addition of new executive departments
Cabinet Secretaries are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate
The cabinet does not really advise the President today, they carry out his policies

14. Judiciary Act of 1789
Article III of the Constitution did not spell out the details of the Judicial Branch
Congress passed and Washington signed a law that created federal district and circuit (appellate) courts and set the number of Supreme Court Justices (1 Chief Justice and 5 Associate Justices)

15. Whiskey Rebellion
As part of Alexander Hamilton’s economic plan to pay off the nation’s debt from the Revolution an excise tax was imposed on whiskey.
Whiskey production brought in a lot of cash for farmers in western Pennsylvania (it was sometimes even used as currency)
These farmers felt victimized by the tax and refused to pay it.
When federal agents showed up to collect the tax the farmers refused to pay and even physically attacked some of the agents.

16. Whiskey Rebellion
Farmers organized themselves into a militia of close to 7000 men.
George Washington had two options: ignore the uprising or enforce federal law.

17. Whiskey Rebellion
Washington chose enforcement; he and Hamilton led an army of 15,000 troops into Western Pennsylvania and put down the rebellion.
This established the new federal governments authority to enforce its laws within the states, even if the states disagreed with the law.

18. Jay’s Treaty Negotiated by John Jay
At issue was which nation, the U.S. or Great Britain, would control the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains (Ohio River Valley or Northwest Territory)
The treaty gave control to the U.S. but allowed British fur trappers to continue their fur trade in the region
This treaty angered many settlers in the western U.S.

19. Pinckney’s Treaty
Spain controlled the port of New Orleans and thus the Mississippi River.
U.S. farmers living west of the Appalachian Mtns. needed access to the Mississippi to transport their crops to markets in the east.
This treaty between the U.S. and Spain was negotiated by Thomas Pinckney and gave the U.S. the right to use the port of New Orleans and thus the Mississippi River.