Early American Democracy in Action

1. Early American Democracy in Action Objective:SWBAT analyze the Bill of Rights and the early issues of the Presidency.

3. George Washington:1st President The new government, in New York and then Philadelphia, put to the test… • Whiskey Rebellion: first major challenge for GW;

4. George Washington:1st President • Whiskey Rebellion: showed new govt. was effective; willing to use force to suppress Rebellion. • Now a new problem confronted Washington—political parties. The origin of political parties was based on a dispute over the role of government

5. George Washington:1st President • Federal Bank: argument helped cause parties. • Washington elected unanimously; no political parties. • Alexander Hamilton wanted to create a Federal bank; thought Federal govt. had that power • He also wanted a protective tariff to develop an industrial economy • Thomas Jefferson  didnt want the bank and didn’t think the Constitution gave the government that power; he wanted a weak federal government.

6. Hamilton and the Bank… • “The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing powers…” • Loose construction (Hamilton) vs. Strict Construction (Jefferson)…

7. George Washington:1st President • First Political Parties: Federalists v. Democratic-Republicans. Soon, political parties began to emerge as these leaders split up their followers. 1. What issues do you predict were the most divisive?

8. George Washington:1st President • Washington’s Farewell: warned about the dangers of political parties. • After two terms (8 years) Washington set the important precedent of retiring after two terms. • 1) Why do you think this was an important precedent to set? • Avoid tyrannical control

9. George Washington:1st President • Washington issues tow stern warnings in his farewell address a) “The name of American, which belongs to you…must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any…local discriminations.” b) “It occurs as matter of serious concern that any ground should have been furnished for characterizing political parties by geographical discriminations.”.”

10. John Adams • Adams: won election of 1796.

11. The First Administration; everything is always more difficult when you are the first

12. The Washington Presidency • George Washington preferred that his title be a simple “Mr. President” and dressed in plain republican broadcloth. • Congress established the Departments of States, Treasury, War, and Justice, the heads of which coalesced into the Cabinet. Washington gave specific roles to his cabinet which were never spelled out in The Constitution

13. The Beginnings of Foreign Policy • Foreign affairs further strained the Federalist coalition. • Americans initially welcomed the French Revolution, but when the Revolution turned violent and war broke out with Britain, public opinion divided. • Though both sides advocated neutrality, Hamilton favored closer ties with Britain while Jefferson feared them. • The “Citizen Genet” incident led Washington to issue a neutrality proclamation that outraged Jefferson’s supporters.

14. The United States and the Indian Peoples • A pressing “foreign” problem concerned Indians who refused to accept United States sovereignty over them. • The Indian Intercourse Act (ok, go on, giggle) made treaties the only legal way to obtain Indian lands.

15. Spanish Florida and British Canada Surrounded us • Spanish and British hostility threatened the status of the United States in the West. • The Spanish closed the Mississippi River to American shipping, promoted immigration, and forged alliances with Indian tribes to resist American expansion. • Britain granted greater autonomy to its North American colonies, strengthened Indian allies, and constructed a defensive buffer against Americans. Just because we were at peace did not mean we were not at war

16. Jay's and Pinckney's Treaties • The Jay Treaty resolved several key disputes between the United States and Britain. Opponents held up the treaty in the House until Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain granted them sovereignty in the West. • The political battles over the Jay Treaty brought President Washington off his nonpartisan pedestal. Sometimes you just have to choose sides.

17. Washington’s Farewell Address • In his farewell address, Washington summed up American foreign policy goals as: • peace; • commercial relations; • friendship with all nations; and • no entangling alliances.

18. Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans, Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians

19. The Rise of Political Parties • During the debate over Jay’s Treaty, shifting coalitions began to polarize into political factions • Hamilton’s supporters claimed the title “Federalist.” while Thomas Jefferson’s supporters called themselves “Republicans.” • These coalitions shaped the election of 1796, which John Adams narrowly won. • Jefferson, the opposition’s candidate, became Vice President.

20. The Adams Presidency • Relations with France deteriorated after Jay’s Treaty. • When France began seizing American shipping, the nation was on the brink of war. The X, Y, Z Affair made Adams’s popularity soar.

21. The Alien and Sedition Acts • The Federalists pushed through the Alien and Sedition Acts that: • severely limited freedoms of speech and of the press; and • threatened the liberty of foreigners. • Republicans organized as an opposition party. • Federalists saw opposition to the administration as opposition to the state and prosecuted leading Republican newspaper editors. • Jefferson and Madison drafted the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves that threatened to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts.

22. The Revolution of 1800 • Adams bid for re-election was weakened by: • Hamilton’s dispute with Adams; and • the Federalists becoming identified with oppressive war-mongering. • In the election of 1800, the Federalists waged a defensive struggle calling for strong central government and good order. • By controlling the South and the West, Jefferson won the election.

23. Democratic Political Culture • The rise of partisan politics greatly increased popular participation. • American politics became more competitive and democratic. • Popular celebrations became common and suffrage increased.

24. "The Rising Glory of America”

25. American Artists • The Revolutionary generation began to create a national culture. • American artists depicted national heroes and national triumphs.

26. MAP 8.1 The Ratification of the Constitution, 1787–90 The distribution of the vote for the ratification of the Constitution demonstrated its wide support in sections of the country linked to the commercial economy, and its disapproval in more remote and backcountry sections. (Note that Maine remained a part of Massachusetts until admitted as a separate state in 1820.)

27. MAP 8.2 Spread of Settlement: The Backcountry Expands 1770–90 From 1770 to 1790, American settlement moved across the Appalachians for the first time. The Ohio Valley became the focus of bitter warfare between Indians and settlers.

28. MAP 8.3 Spanish Claims to American Territory, 1783–95 Before 1795, the Spanish claimed the American territory of the Old Southwest and barred Americans from access to the port of New Orleans, effectively closing the Mississippi River. This dispute was settled by Pinckney’s Treaty in 1795.

29. MAP 8.4 The Election of 1800 In the presidential election of 1800, Democratic Republican victories in New York and the divided vote in Pennsylvania threw the election to Jefferson. The combination of the South and these crucial Middle States would keep the Democratic Republicans in control of the federal government for the next generation.