Launching a New Nation:Launching a New Nation:

1789 - 18161789 - 1816

New Gov’t Takes Shape

• Washington elected 1st President unanimously.

• Constitution a guideline but didn’t cover everything

• “We are in a wilderness without a single footstep to guide us.” -- James Madison

The Judiciary Act of 1789The Judiciary Act of 1789• The Constitution had authorized Congress to set up

a federal court system, but it failed to spell out the details.

Congress passed >>Judiciary Act of 1789• Supreme Court• 3 circuit courts, 13 district court (we still use this

today)• **** state court decision can be appealed to

Supreme Court• But guarantees Federal law is “the supreme law of

the land”

Washington Shapes Executive BranchWashington Shapes Executive Branch

• Congress created 3 executive departments:

• 1) Department of State,- T. Jefferson Sec of State

• 2) Department of War, - Henry Knox Sec of War

• 3) Department of Treasury-Alexander Hamilton sec of treasury

• These Departments became known as????

• Major differences in how much power the govt. should have lead to development of first political parties

• Political parties formed from well educated, wealthy men of nation

• Did not form around ideas but around 2 main people and their ideas about govt.

• Hamilton believed in a strong central gov’t led by a prosperous, educated elite of upper-class citizens.

• Jefferson distrusted a strong central gov’t and the rich. He favored strong state and local gov’t run by the common man.

Jefferson- Democratic-Republican

Hamilton- Federalists

Born into wealth or poverty

Career path

Beliefs about who should run the govt?

Beliefs about interpretation of the Constitution should it be strict or loose? Belief about National Bank

Economy should be based on

Belief about Federal govt. Size and power

Supported by

• In exchange for southern support for assumption, Hamilton compromised with Jefferson and Madison to move the national capital from New York to Philadelphia for 10 years, then to a permanent spot on the Potomac

River.

Plan for a National BankPlan for a National Bank• Hamilton also proposed a national bank

to issue paper money and handle tax receipts and other gov’t funds.

• Jefferson saw the bank as unconstitutional, because the Constitution did not give the federal gov’t the power to operate a bank (strict construction vs. broad construction

The First The First Political Political PartiesParties

•2 parties formed around one of the key issues in American history -- the power and size of the

federal gov’t in relation to the state and local

governments.

• Those who shared Hamilton’s vision called themselves Federalists.

• Those who supported Jefferson’s vision of strong state governments called themselves Republicans (No relation to today’s Republican Party. Later called Democratic Republicans, Jefferson’s party is the ancestor of today’s Democratic Party).

• The Whiskey Rebellion• Congress passed an excise tax -- a tax

on a product’s manufacture, sale, or distribution -- to be levied on whiskey.

• When federal agents came to collect the tax, the farmers chased them off.

• Washington didn’t want another Shays’ Rebellion, so he mobilized 13,000 state militia to put down the “insurrection”.

• No casualties, only a few arrests of ringleaders (many farmers fled to Kentucky)

• Washington had demonstrated the power of the federal gov’t to enforce laws.

Foreign Foreign Affairs Affairs

Trouble the Trouble the NationNation

US Reaction to French RevolutionUS Reaction to French Revolution

• Some Americans supported the French Revolution because it was inspired by the ideal of republican rule and because France and the US were allies.

• Some disagreed with the Revolution due to the excess of the revolutionary regime (The Reign of Terror)

• During the French Revolution, France declared war on Great Britain and expected American help.

• Washington issued a declaration of neutrality, a statement that the US would support neither side.

Treaty With SpainTreaty With Spain• US ambassador Thomas Pinckney negotiated

treaty with Spain in 1795.• Spain gave up all land claims east of the Miss.

River (except Florida) and allowed American traders to use the port of New Orleans.

• Pinckney’s Treaty helped pave the way for US expansion west of the Appalachians.

• British still in the USA after the revolution

• British still maintained forts in the Northwest Territory (a direct violation of the treaty).

• Native American’s still a constant threat

• The federal gov’t sent the army (into Ohio) to secure the land for the white settlers.

Jay’s TreatyJay’s Treaty• John Jay negotiated a treaty with

Britain in which the British agreed to evacuate their posts in the Northwest Territory.

• Jay’s Treaty allowed British-Canadians to continue their fur trade on the US side of the border. This angered many western settlers.

• Even though the US remained neutral in the war between France and Great Britain, the British had begun to seize US ships and confiscate their crews and cargoes. Many were furious that Jay’s Treaty did not resolve this problem.

Adams Provokes CriticismAdams Provokes Criticism• The election of 1796 was the first

contest between candidates from opposing parties.

• The Federalist ticket was John Adams and Thomas Pinckney.

• The Republican ticket was Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.

• Adams received 71 electoral votes, almost all from northern states.

• Jefferson received 68 electoral votes, almost all from southern states.

• As runner-up, Jefferson became the Vice President.

• The Framers had not anticipated this problem because they had not expected the formation of political parties.

• The election highlighted the growing danger of sectionalism -- placing the interests of one region over those of the nation as a whole.

• In 1798, Congress authorized the creation of a navy and began seizing French ships.

• For 2 years an undeclared naval war raged between France and America.

• Many Federalists wanted full-scale war, but Adams refused. This damaged his standing with the Federalists.

The Alien The Alien and Sedition and Sedition

ActsActs

• Many new immigrants to the US were Republicans and openly criticized Adams and the Federalists.

• Sensing a danger to the gov’t, the Federalists in Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which:

1) Changed the citizenship

requirement from 5 to 14 years.

2) Authorized the president to deport or

jail any alien considered “dangerous to the

peace and safety of the United States”

3) Set fines and prison sentence for anyone

expressing “false, scandalous, and malicious statements” against the

gov’t.

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

• Outraged Republicans called the Alien and Sedition Act a violation of freedom of speech.

• Madison and Jefferson organized opposition to the acts.

Election of 1800Election of 1800• No one person receives the majority of electoral

votes who decides?• The House of Representatives is called upon to

choose• Jefferson wins

• The Federalists controlled the House.• 35 ballots were cast over 6 days and the

House was still deadlocked.• Finally, Hamilton convinced enough

representatives to cast blank ballots for Jefferson to win.

• As a result of the deadlock, Congress passed the 12th Amendment which called for electors to cast separate ballots for President and VP.

Simplifying the PresidencySimplifying the Presidency• “That gov’t which is best is that which governs

the least” -- Thomas Jefferson.• Jefferson tried to shrink the gov’t and cut

costs wherever possible.• He rolled back Hamilton’s economic program

by eliminating all internal taxes and reducing the influence of the national bank.

Southern Dominance of PoliticsSouthern Dominance of Politics

• Jefferson was the 1st president to take office in the new federal capital, Washington, D.C.

• Southern capital reflected the growing importance of the south in politics.

• Jefferson and next 2 presidents all from Virginia.

• New England and the Federalists were declining in power.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)Marbury v. Madison (1803)• While Adams was President, he passed the

Judiciary Act of 1801, increasing the number of federal judges by 16.

• Adams feared what Jefferson would do to the country, so he appointed as many Federalists to the new positions as possible (midnight judges), in order for the Federalists to control the federal judiciary for years to come.

• Adams also appointed his current Secretary of State John Marshall, a staunch Federalist, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

• Some of the appointments failed to be delivered before the end of Adams term.

• As a result, Jefferson declared the appointments invalid and his secretary of state James Madison refused to deliver the commissions.

• One of the midnight judges took his case to the Supreme Court.

• In the famous ruling, Marshall said that Congress’ Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional.

• This decision affirmed the principle of judicial review, the ability of the Supreme Court to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional.

Hamilton Duels With Burr

• Hamilton backed Burr’s opponent in 1800 (Jefferson) and his opponent in the 1804 New York Governor’s race (Burr lost both and blamed Hamilton).

• Burr responded to challenging Hamilton to a duel.

• In the duel, Burr shot and killed Hamilton, who deliberately fired in the air.

• Burr moved to Florida after indicted for murder in New York and New Jersey (he later returned to preside over the Senate).

• It later became known that while in Florida, Burr worked on a scheme to organize a secession of the Louisiana Territory into an independent republic.

• Jefferson had him arrested and tried for treason.

• Not enough evidence, he was acquitted.

The US The US Expands Expands

WestWest

The Louisiana PurchaseThe Louisiana Purchase• Jefferson sent James Monroe to offer to buy New Orleans

and western Florida from the French.• Before Monroe arrived, Napoleon offered to sell the

ENTIRE Louisiana Territory for $15 million

• But why is this a major problem for Jefferson?• As a strict constructionist, Jefferson was unsure as to

whether or not the federal gov’t had the authority to purchase new lands.

• After a delay, Jefferson submitted the treaty and the Senate ratified it.

• With the Louisiana Purchase, the size of the nation more than doubled.

Lewis and ClarkLewis and Clark• lead an expedition from St. Louis to the

Pacific coast.• The purpose of the expedition was to

carry out scientific studies along the way and to document the native cultures they found.

• The expedition began with about 50 men, and later took on an Indian women named Sacajawea who acted as interpreter and guide.

• Expedition took 2 years and 4 months (May 1804-Sept. 1806) and covered 7,689 miles.

• The Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition contributed to the success of Jefferson’s first term in office,

but trouble with Britain loomed on the horizon.

The War of The War of 1812 1812

EruptsErupts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Hh8W69cos

The War Hawks Demand War

• Jefferson won reelection in 1804.• Renewed fighting between Britain and France

threatened American shipping.

• By 1807, Britain had seized over 1,000 American ships, and France had seized about half that number.

• Americans focused their anger on the British because of its policy of impressment, the practice of seizing Americans at sea and drafting them into the British navy.

• In one incident, the commander of the American ship Chesapeake refused to let the British board his ship and search for deserters. The British opened fire, killing 3 and wounding 18.

• Jefferson convinced Congress to declare an embargo, a ban on all trade with other countries.

• Jefferson believed the Embargo Act of 1807 would hurt Britain and other European powers and force them to honor US neutrality.

• Unfortunately, the embargo stifled US business, and Congress eventually lifted the order in 1809.

• A group of young congressmen from the South and the West, known as the war hawks, continued to push for war.

• The leaders of this group were John C. Calhoun (SC) and Henry Clay (KY), the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

• About this time (1809) a confederacy of Indian tribes led by Shawnee chief Tecumseh began organizing to fight for their homeland in the Indiana Territory.

• The Indians attacked the US Army in Indiana in 1811 but were defeated by General William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe. After the battle, it was discovered that the Indians had been supplied by the British.

British Burn the White HouseBritish Burn the White House

• By 1814, the British were raiding and burning towns all along the Atlantic coast.

• In August, the redcoats burned the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings.

The Final BattleThe Final Battle• General Andrew Jackson gathered 4,000

troops to defend New Orleans.• The British advanced with 10,000 men.• In just over an hour of fighting, the British

suffered 2,036 casualties; the Americans, 21.

• Jackson became an instant hero.

• Ironically the Battle of New Orleans occurred 2 weeks after the US and Britain had signed the Treaty of Ghent, officially ending the War of 1812.

• By 1815, the US and Great Britain were once again trading together. They agreed upon borders for Louisiana, and agreed to jointly occupy the Oregon Territory for 10 years.

Results of the War of 1812• Increase in nationalism.• Strengthening of isolationism.• Increase of westward migration.• Encouragement of US Industry.• Death of the Federalist Party.