Washington and Adams Administrations 1788 – 1800

1. Washington and Adams Administrations 1788 – 1800 Hamilton’s Financial Plan: Report on the Public Credit. Pay all debts in full at face value (“Assumption of Debts”}; create a Bank of the U.S. (BUS) – this was the big issue of the day! Opposition: Madison, Jefferson and Randolph. Gave national government too much power; Virginia paid all of its debts Bank issue: did Constitution allow for its creation? Strict Constructionist: NO. Elastic Clause only permits laws that are necessary. The Bank is not necessary. Loose Constructionist: It’s necessary and proper. If the Constitution doesn’t deny the National Government, then it can.

2. Whiskey Rebellion: caused by excise tax (to pay for Assumption of Debts). Sinister plot by Jeffersonians to overthrow new government or innocent rebellion by unhappy farmers? Or was it a sinister plot by the Federalists to create a national army to put down future rebellions? Main lesson: Washington would not tolerate resistance to federal law. Development of Political Parties Jefferson and Madison believe Hamilton is subverting the Revolution’s ideals; Hamilton believes opposition is an illegal faction plotting to overthrow government: Hamilton’s followers: Federalists. Jefferson’s followers: Democratic-Republicans (D-R) or just Jeffersonians.

3. Foreign Affairs D-R: Supported the French Rev.; favored American assistance (remember: 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France and the whole shared ideals of republicanism) Feds:US depended on British imports [and the tariffs from them] for money; we have more in common with England (language, customs, government) 1793: France declares war on England, Holland and Spain. What should US do? Citizen Genet: Frenchman comes to US to recruit Americans to fight British and Spanish. Supported by D- R “clubs” Washington’s Policy: Neutrality; sends John Jay to London

4. Jay’s Treaty England still occupied trading posts (forts?) in Northwest; Interfering with American shipping: search and impressed “British” AWOL sailors Rejected our claim of “neutral rights” Never returned (or paid for) slaves taken during Revolution Owed us “compensation” for ships seized Hamilton “sabotaged” talks by secretly informing British that US would not insist on all of its “demands” [a “tip off”] In treaty: British agree to get rid of the forts and some trade restrictions. In return England could have tariffs on American goods, English exports got most favored status in the US and the US agreed to compensate England for pre-revolutionary debts. Impressment would continue D-R outraged by treaty; despite that, it was ratified by Senate.

5. Pinckney’s Treaty Extremely Pro-American treaty with Spain Spain mistakenly believed that the Jay Treaty was a new Anglo-American Alliance that could threaten Spain Gave Americans the right to navigate freely on Mississippi River

6. Election of 1796 The Jay’s Treaty controversy made the lines between the Feds and D-Rs even clearer: Feds put little emphasis on involving ordinary people in politics, favored a strong central gov’t, preferred commercial interests, were pro-British, and were pessimistic about the future. DRs disliked a strong central gov’t, focused on westward expansion, preferred agrarian interests, and were more optimistic about the future. - During the 1790s the majority slowly switched to the D-Rs. Washington retired; gave the famous Farewell Address, which mainly called for commercial but not political links to other countries [no permanent alliances], stressed the need for unilateralism, and called for unity.

7. John Adams and Thomas Pinckney ran from the Federalist side and Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr represented the D-Rs. - Since the electors were only told to vote for their two favorites [the Constitution didn’t provide for parties], it ended up that Adams was President and Jefferson was Vice President. Oh no…

8. The Adams Administration • Adams agreed with Washington [ Presidents should be above politics and not support any factions] He let others take the lead. • - Because of the Jay Treaty (which the French did not like) the French started seizing American ships carrying British goods. Adams sent 3 men over in 1798 to negotiate a settlement, but Talleyrand demanded a bribe before negotiations could begin. Adams told Congress it wasn’t working; Congress insisted he release the reports. • Adams ended up withholding only the names of the French agents, which led to the name of the XYZ Affair. This generated enormous anti-French sentiment – Congress abrogated the 1778 Treaty, and a Quasi-War began in the Caribbean.

9. - The DRs continued to support France, and Adams wasn’t sure whether or not to call them traitors. Other Federalists, however, saw the whole thing as a great opportunity to prove once and for all that the D-Rs were subversive foreign agents. So in 1798 the Federalist Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts.

10. The Acts were meant for recent immigrants [who were generally DRs]: the Naturalization Act lengthened the residency requirement and had all resident aliens register, and it allowed for the detention of enemy aliens during wartime and allowed the President to deport dangerous aliens. But the Sedition Act applied to citizens as well and tried to control speech against the gov’t. In response, Jefferson and Madison drafted the Virginia (Madison) and Kentucky (Jefferson) Resolutions, which outlined the whole states’ rights argument for the first time. [very important]

11. - Adams once again sent an envoy to Paris, this time seeking compensation for seized ships and abrogation of the 1778 treaty. The Convention of 1800 ended the Quasi-War but only provided for the abrogation of the treaty. - Unluckily for Adams the results of the negotiations weren’t known until after the election of 1800 [his decision to start them alienated everybody and prob. cost him the victory by dividing the Feds].

12. The “Revolution of 1800” • The DRs won, even though they almost got really messed up b/c Jefferson and Burr got the same # of votes This “tie” had to be settled by the House. [Burr should have told everyone to vote for TJ but didn’t!] • it took Hamilton’s behind-the-scenes maneuverings to get Jefferson to be President. • Consequently, in 1804 the Twelfth Amendment changed voting to a party ticket. • Will things be different? The Feds are out. The Jeffersonians are in.

13. *Race Relations at the End of the Century* - Indians now came under US influence [Treaty of Greenville after the Battle of Fallen Timbers] In 1789,. The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act (1793) promised that the gov’t would supply Indians w/animals, tools, and instruction in farming. - This plan ignored traditional Indian customs of communal landowning and women farming/men hunting.

14. African Americans began forming their own Baptist/Methodist congregations. • These were sometimes used to plan revolts, such as • Gabriel’s Revolt (1800) and Sancho’s Conspiracy (1802). • Neither plan worked [they were found out] and they only resulted in increasingly severe laws against slaves.

15. Bill of Rights 1791 .Freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly .Right to keep and bear arms .No quartering without consent .Against search and seizure .Not subjected to same offense twice, be deprived of life, liberty, or property .Right to speedy trial .Guaranteed trial by jury .No excessive bail, fines or cruel and unusual punishment .Rights are not confined to what is written .Powers not delegated to U.S. are reserved to states