P3 | APUSH | Wiley | Washington & Adams: Note Guide, D___
Name:
The Washington Administration (1789-1797)
Washington’s “Experiment”
 No desire to be president, but unanimously elected; 2x!
 Infant nation = a “wilderness” with no map; U.S. vulnerability was keenly felt by
Washington
 Contributed to the “_______________________________”
o 2-term president, Cabinet, executive departments
Hamilton’s Fiscal Plan
 Goal = get the nation’s economy on firm footing after the rocky years of the
Revolution and _________________________________
 3 key tenets:
o __________________________ economic policy
o Assumption of state debts
o National bank
 Signed into law by Congress and Washington
Hamilton’s Fiscal Plan—Protectionist Economic Policy
 Goal = raise revenue for gov. and/or help develop U.S. businesses
 Called for a _______________________, which is a tax placed on any imports
coming into the country
o Raised revenue for gov. if demand for imports stayed high (could use to pay off debts + ensure good credit)
o If protectionist tariff decreased demand for imports, would help develop U.S business to catch up to Britain
Hamilton’s Fiscal Plan—Assumption of State Debts
 Goal = make America fiscally responsible  seen as legitimate to ______________________ within and outside the country
 Called for assumption of all state debts leftover from the Revolutionary years
 Problem: some states, especially those in the South, had already paid there’s off; this plan was unfair from their perspective
 __________________________: Southern states would agree to assumption of state debts and capital would be moved to the
South
Hamilton’s Fiscal Plan—National Bank
 Goal = make the economy stable and appealing to investors within and outside the country
 Sparked debate between strict (________________________) and loose constructionists (__________________________),
which would eventually lead to the first parties (Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans)
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Jefferson on the unconstitutionality of the bank
If it’s not enumerated OR completely necessary
to carry out the enumerated powers  can’t do
it
Bank NOT necessary to carry out
________________________________________
Liberal use of the general welfare clause =
dangerous
Reliance on ________ Amendment
Convenience is different from necessity
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Hamilton on the constitutionality of the bank
Government can do what it wants so long as the Constitution
doesn’t explicitly _________________ it AND it promotes the
general welfare
Implied powers = just as __________________________ as
expressed
As long as there’s a natural relationship between the implied and
expressed, it’s constitutional
Bank = related to collecting taxes, regulating trade, etc., thus, it’s
constitutional
__________________________ use of the elastic clause to promote
the general welfare
Results of Hamilton’s Fiscal Plan
 Results  restored financial health of the U.S., increased foreign investment, established a stable currency, brought revenue to
government, helped develop industries…but at what cost?
 Jefferson felt it established a dangerous ___________________________
Review + Hypothetical
 The U.S. Congress has decided that they want to make community college available for free in every state, though at no
additional expense to Americans; they will pay for it with the funds gained from a decrease in foreign aid.
 Can they do this? How could Congress justify it?
o Consider their expressed and implied powers (the elastic clause), the general welfare clauses of the Constitution, and
the 10th Amendment. What house would this bill have to originate in? Review your notes from the previous lectures to
answer these questions.
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What would Jefferson and Hamilton say (based on their 1791 bank perspective)? Review their letters if necessary.
The French Revolution, 1789-1804ish
 Some ________________________________ with the revolutionary cause early on; some—in the U.S. and in France— felt that
the U.S. had an ________________________ to help France in return for their help during the Revolution
 Franco-American alliance (1778) committed the U.S. to help France if under attack (which it was in ’92  Austria), but they had
declared war, plus, the U.S. signed the treaty with the monarchy, which was abolished in the ‘92 constitution
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Some felt like it was more important and practical to stay out of the conflict and preserve a good relationship with
_________________, the country’s most important _________________ partner
Once the Revolution devolved into a bloodbath, Washington issued the 1793 __________________________
But Washington didn’t always choose neutrality: he aided the white population of Haiti in the midst of their black rebellion,
which began in 1793
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Washington and the West
 Treaty of Paris (17____) gave huge swaths of Indian land to the U.S., who was divided on what to do with natives:
o “Cut up every Indian Cornfield and burn every Indian town” (Rep. Drayton of SC); others favored assimilation
 Under Wash., the U.S. government signed a number of ____________________ to gain land, using
__________________________________; force was used on a few occasions
o Backcountry was expanding with a flood of settlers from the North and South, creating a more mixed frontier identity
in the region
Problems with Britain
 Britain refused to evacuate western lands until the U.S. repaid debts owed to the British Empire and allowed loyalists to recover
property confiscated during the war
 The U.S. continued trading with both France and Britain during the French Revolution
 Britain began _______________________ American ships
 ______________________ planters wanted reimbursement from the British for slaves that had fled during the Revolution
 ______________________ were upset by continued presence of British, who continued to arm natives with weapons
Jay’s Treaty, 1795
 Washington sent John Jay to Britain to resolve these issues  Jay’s Treaty  ___________________________________:
o Br. would pull out of the West by 1796 but wouldn’t compensate U.S. shippers for lost cargo nor U.S. planters for lost
slaves
o U.S. planters would be forced to repay colonial debts
o Ensured good trade relationship between the two nations
 Jefferson and followers saw the treaty as evidence of pro-British sympathies
The Whiskey Rebellion, 1794
 Farmers in western PA refused to pay an excise (sin) tax on whiskey, took up arms, and threatened to secede!
 Tens of thousands of militiamen, accompanied by Washington and Hamilton, put down the rebellion
 Reflected tension between federal and regional interests, ___________________________________, and the executive’s ability
to ____________________ the law
Rise of Political Parties, 1790s
 Framers _________________________________ for political parties
 They envisioned a republic of virtue, patriotism, and harmony
 Madison had written in Federalist No. 10 that factions would be controlled in a large republic
 Yet, by 1795 the nation was entrenched in a two-party system; the “first party system,” replete with
_________________________________________
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Federalists
Concentrate power in federal government
Fear of _____________________
Envisioned a republic run by a wise elite
Loose interpretation of the Constitution
“Anglophiles”
Supporters: those from the Atlantic seaboard,
merchants, manufacturers, landowners,
investors, lawyers; _____________________
Formerly called the nationalists, or federalist
_______________________ (back when the
Constitution was being debated)
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Democratic-Republicans
Favored _____________________
Limit federal government
Create a democratic society of independent farmers
_____________________ interpretation of Constitution
Democratic system based on broader popular participation
“Francophiles”
Supporters: those from the frontier, farmers, tradespeople
Some former Federalists from the 1787-’89 disputes (like
Jefferson) but lots of former Antifederalists as well
Note: Also called simply Republicans, or Jeffersonians
Washington on Political Parties, 1790s
 Washington was concerned about this development, though he consistently sided with the Federalists throughout his two
terms, expressing that parties were a danger to _______________________
 “It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with illfounded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another; foments [incites] occasionally riot and
insurrection.” – _______________________, 1797
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Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796
 Key tenets:
o National unity/identity
o Obedience to the law
o Dangers of parties
o Isolation
Washington Steps Down
 Relinquished power, due to:
o Age
o ________________________ at political parties
o Felt it was important to ensure a ____________________________________________
 King George III on Washington’s retirement:
“[it] place[s] him in a light the most distinguished of any man living. . . . [He has] the greatest character of the age.”
The Adams Administration (1797-1801 | A One-Term President)
Election of 1796
 Winner: Federalist candidate, John Adams; support from North
 2nd place, and thus, VP: Democratic-Republican candidate, Thomas Jefferson; support
from South
 How would a Fed. and Dem.-Rep. effectively run the country?
o Founders hadn’t foreseen this problem; rise of parties was unexpected
French Crisis, 1797-‘99
 French regarded Jay’s Treaty as violation of the ________ alliance and began
__________________ American ships
 Adams sent a commission to Paris to negotiate
 3 low-level officials (“X, Y, Z”) met the Americans and demanded a bribe and loan before
negotiations could get underway
o Regarded as an insult and provoked a wave of anti-French feeling at home
o Known as the “XYZ __________________”
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Congress created a __________________ department and authorized American ships to seize French ships
o For two years, an undeclared naval war raged (known as the “Quasi-War”)
o Adams lost __________________ support because he wouldn’t wage full-scale war
Through diplomacy, the countries eventually smoothed over their differences
Strongly antislavery and no friend of France, Adams aided the black Haitian rebels during their Revolution
Alien and Sedition Acts, 1798
 To protect(?) the nation in light of impending war and to counter the growing
threat of Republican dissent, Federalists pushed through Congress a series of acts
(see Sources on the 2nd Administration)
o Raised residence requirement for citizenship
o Allowed president to deport or jail anyone considered suspect
o Set fines/jail terms for anyone expressing opinions considered damaging
 Republicans deemed the acts a violation of the _____________________
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VA and KY Resolutions, 1798-‘99
 Jefferson and Madison organized opposition to the acts by appealing to the states
 VA and KY resolutions asserted the principle of nullification—that states had the right to nullify, or consider void, an act of
Congress that they deemed _____________________ (see Sources on the 2nd Administration)
 Washington was horrified by the resolutions
 Resolutions were rejected (or ignored) by all other states
 Would later be used to justify Southern positions leading to the outbreak of the Civil War
Election of 1800
 Adams vs. Jefferson (again); things got really nasty:
o Jefferson describing Adams: “A tool of the rich who wanted to turn the executive branch into a monarchy.”
o Adams describing Jefferson: “A dangerous supporter of revolutionary France and an atheist bent on destroying
religion.”
 Jefferson and running mate (Burr), received the same Electoral College votes, sending vote to the_____________________, who
decided on Jefferson
o Democratic-Republicans had tried to organize the electoral votes so that Burr would get just one less than Jefferson,
ensuring they would be the President and Vice President, but the plan went awry and both men ended with the same
amount of votes
o Congress and the _____________________ quickly passed the 12th Amendment, creating separate ballots for President
and VP
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This election was referred to by Jefferson as the “_____________________ of 1800”
o Jefferson argued that he was going to set the United States back on its “rightful” course, away from the changes the
Federalists had implemented and go back to the “revolutionary _____________________”
o The election was—to some extent—revolutionary, in that the government changed hands from one political party to
another without bloodshed
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The election proved that power could peacefully transfer from one party (the Federalists) to another (the
_____________________), and however ungracefully the Federalists may have let go of the office, they did let go, and they did
so peacefully
The swapping of political parties marked a turning point in American politics; proved that parties would not
_____________________ a democratic system; instead, they served as a vehicle for energetic discussion and change, without
war
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