Chapter 6

1. Chapter 6 Launching the New Nation 1789-1816

2. Section 1 Washington Heads the New Government

3. The New Government Takes Shape • The first president of the country under the new government was George Washington. • Although the Constitution laid a very strong foundation, there was no precedent, or prior example, of how to make this new government work. • One of the first steps that Washington & Congress took was to create a judicial system. • The Judiciary Act of 1789 established a national court system. • This law allowed state court decisions to be appealed to a federal court when constitutional issues were raised.

4. Continued • Washington & Congress also created three executive departments: • Department of State – deals with foreign affairs • Department of War – deals with military affairs • Department of Treasury – deals with financial affairs • Washington chose strong leaders to head these departments. • He chose Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. • He chose Henry Knox as Secretary of War. • He chose Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury. • These department heads soon became the presidents Cabinet, or chief advisors.

5. Hamilton and Jefferson Debate • Hamilton wanted a strong central government and called for an economy that helped trade and industry. • Jefferson wanted a weak central government and an economy that favored farmers. • The industrial North backed Hamilton. • The largely agricultural South backed Jefferson. • Hamilton wanted to set up the Bank of the United States. This bank would be funded by the federal government and wealthy investors. The bank would issue paper money. • Hamilton convinced Congress to pass his plan a national bank, and won support from the Southern lawmakers by agreeing to build the nation’s new capital in Washington, D.C.

6. First Political Parties and Rebellion • Hamilton and supporters of a strong central government were called Federalists. • Jefferson and those who believed that state governments should be stronger than the federal governments were called Republicans. They later referred to themselves as Democratic-Republicans. (this party was the ancestor of today’s Democratic party) • These groups served as the basis for the nation’s two-party system. Under this system, the two main political parties compete for power.

7. Continued • Congress passed two important taxes: • Protective tariff-placed a tax on goods imported from Europe • Excise tax- sales tax on whiskey (farmers became angry about the tax and attacked tax collectors, Whiskey Rebellion)

9. Section 2 Foreign Affairs Trouble the Nation

10. U.S. Response to Events in Europe • 1789 the French overthrew their monarchy. • Democratic-Republicans wanted to honor the treaty and support France. • Federalists wanted to back the British. • Washington decided on neutrality-support neither side. • In April 1793, the French sent a diplomat, Edmond Genêt to the United States to win American support.

11. Continued • Ambassador Thomas Pinckney negotiated a treaty with Spain. • Under the agreement, known as Pinckney’s Treaty, Spain gave up its claims to the land east of the Mississippi River. • Spain also agreed to open the Mississippi River to American traffic. • This treaty paved the way for American expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains.

12. Native Americans Resist White Settlers • One region many Americans streamed into was the Northwest Territory. This area included Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. • Conflicts eventually broke out between the Native Americans and the white settlers. One notable clash occurred in 1790. • Under the leadership of Little Turtle, a chieftain of the Miami Tribe, Native Americans defeated American troops as they fought for control of what would become Ohio. • 1794 the American general defeated Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. This defeat ended Native American resistance in Ohio.

13. Continued • That same year, U.S. diplomat John Jay negotiated a treaty with Britain. • Under the Jay Treaty, the British agreed to give up their forts in the Northwest Territory.

14. Adams Provokes Criticism • George Washington retired from the presidency after two terms. • John Adams was elected president in 1796. • The election highlighted the dangers of sectionalism-placing interests of one region over those of the nation as a whole. • France had begun to interfere with American shipping. • During negotiations to resolve the matter, three French officials demanded bribes from the Americans in order to help them.

15. Continued • The incident became known as the XYZ Affair. • Acting on their fears, the Federalists pushed through Congress the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. • These acts made it harder for immigrants to become American citizens. • Kentucky and Virginia passed resolutions refusing to obey the acts. • They claimed to be acting on the principle of nullification- states could refuse to obey federal laws that they thought were unconstitutional.

16. Section 3 Jefferson Alters the Nation’s Course

17. Jefferson Wins Presidential Election of 1800 • Jefferson defeated Adams by eight electoral votes. However, Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, received the same number of electoral votes. • The House of Representatives had to decide the winner. • The controversy revealed a problem with the election system. • The nation solved this by passing the Twelfth Amendment. The amendment called for electors to vote separately for president and vice president.

18. The Jefferson Presidency • Jefferson’s inauguration signaled the first time in the new nation’s history that power was transferred from one political party to another. • Jefferson believed that the people should have greater control of the government. • He also believed that government should be simple and small. • Adams appointed John Marshall, a Federalists, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

19. Continued • Just before he left office, President Adams pushed a law through Congress called the Judiciary Act of 1801. • This law increased the number of justices on the Supreme Court to sixteen. • Adams quickly filled the positions with Federalists. • The judges were called midnight judges because Adams signed their appointments late on the last day of his presidency. • Adams’ packing of the courts with Federalists angered Jefferson and Democratic-Republicans.

20. Continued • This debate led to one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of all time. • In Marbury v. Madison the Supreme Court ruled that the Judiciary Act was unconstitutional. • The decision established the principle of judicial review-this allows the Supreme Court to declare a law unconstitutional.

22. The United States Expands West • 1803 Jefferson purchased a large amount of western land from France. • It was called the Louisiana Purchase. It stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. • With the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. doubled in size. • Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the new land. • Lewis and Clark led a team of soldiers and adventurers. • This group included Sacajawea, a Native American woman who was a guide and interpreter. • The team traveled more than two years from St. Louis to present-day Oregon.

23. Section 4 The War of 1812

24. Why did Americans want war with Britain? • 1806 France began refusing to allow British goods to come into Europe. • In turn, Britain decided to blockade Europe-or prevent ships from entering or leaving ports. • 1807 both Britain and France had seized more than 1,000 American ships. • The British also practiced impressment. This was a practice in which British forced seized American sailors and forced them to serve in the British navy. • 1807 Jefferson asked Congress to declare an embargo- a ban on exporting goods to other countries. • The embargo hurt American business.

25. Continued • General William Henry Harrison, the governor of the Indiana Territory, persuaded several Native American chiefs to sign away millions of acres of tribal land to the U.S. government. • Tecumseh, a Native American leader, organized a confederacy of Native Americans to fight for these lands. • American troops defeated the confederacy in 1811. • Some American leaders demanded war against Britain. The were known as war hawks. • They were led by legislators John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay.

26. The War Brings Mixed Results. • James Madison became president in 1808. • 1812, relations with Europe were more strained that ever. That year, Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain. • Congress approved the war declaration. • The advantage swung to the Americans in 1815, when U.S. General Andrew Jackson scored a victory in the Battle of New Orleans. • This victory came after British and American diplomats had agreed on a peace treaty. • The Treaty of Ghent, 1814, declared an armistice-end to the fighting. • The War of 1812 showed that the U.S. was truly independent.