1. Political Parties and Slavery
Station C:
Political Parties and Slavery

2. The first job of the President and Congress was to put a working government in place.
Congress passed laws to set up four departments for the executive branch:
Treasury 2) State ) War 4) Justice

3. The heads (people in charge) of these departments made up the President’s Cabinet. In 1789, George Washington appointed (chose):
Thomas Jefferson – Secretary of State
Alexander Hamilton – Secretary of Treasury
Henry Knox – Secretary of War
Edmund Randolph – Attorney General

4. What do you already know about this man?
Alexander Hamilton was the first man in charge of the economy:
What do you already know about this man?

5. His face is featured on the ten-dollar bill and he was also the principle author of the Federalist papers (i.e. He liked the U.S. Constitution).

6. Hamilton’s Plan: Pay off debt Create a national bank
I know it sounds crazy, but the nation was already in debt when the cabinet met for the first time. Why? The federal government borrowed money from state governments to pay for the American Revolution (the war against Great Britain to win independence) Hamilton, however, had a plan.
Hamilton’s Plan:
Pay off debt
Create a national bank
Institute (put into effect) a protective tariff

7. Thomas Jefferson (Secretary of State) did not like Alexander Hamilton’s economic plan.

8. Differences between these two men led to the first political parties!
Political Parties Emerge (grow or begin)
Thomas
Jefferson
vs.
Alexander
Hamilton
Minimal government intervention
“Laissez-faire” (let-alone)
Emphasis on agriculture
Economic views
Maximum Government Involvement
Emphasis on manufacturing and trade
Differences between these two men led to the first political parties!

9. First Political System:
At first, Hamilton and Jefferson clashed in private.
However, when Congress (legislative branch) began to pass many of Hamilton’s programs, Jefferson decided to organize public support for his views.
Soon leaders in several states began organizing to support either Hamilton or Jefferson.
First Political System:
Jefferson’s supporters – Democratic-Republican Political Party
Hamilton’s supporters – Federalists (for a strong federal government)

10. Effects of Political Parties on Creating and Passing Laws:
Remember, all legislative powers (the power to make laws) are vested in a Congress of the United States, which consists of a Senate and House of Representatives.
The number of representatives per state is based on the state population and there are two senators per state regardless of the state’s population.

11. Effects of Political Parties on Creating and Passing Laws:
I’m a Hamilton supporter! I believe in maximum govt. involvement.
I’m a Jefferson supporter! I believe in minimal govt. involvement!
These senators and representatives can, and often do, attach themselves to a particular political party. Each political party has its own set of beliefs. When a senator or representative votes to create or pass a law, he or she will most likely vote according to their party’s beliefs.

12. Congress After the 2016 Election
Let’s take a look at what this may mean today:
Majority vs. Minority
The Party with the most members in the chamber is the Majority Party.
The other Party is in the Minority.
Congress After the 2016 Election
Senate
House of Representatives
Republicans are the Majority Party in both houses!

13. Let’s take a look at what this may mean today:
What a Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives may mean:
Control of the Senate will be key to the early successes of a Trump administration. In theory, controlling Congress and the White House will let the Republicans swiftly pass legislation that may reverse many of Obama's policies.

14. It does not say anything!
What does the Constitution say about political parties and the president’s cabinet?
It does not say anything!
And yet, since George Washington, the president has always had a cabinet and there have always been political parties.
This is why political parties and the president’s cabinet are considered examples of the unwritten Constitution – aspects of our government that have always been present but are not actually written in the Constitution.