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Troubled Times For John Adams. Chapter 10 Section 4. Achievements:. Mass. Active patriot Ambassador to France, Netherlands and Great Britain Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris Vice president under George Washington. Feelings on Office of Vice President:.
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Troubled Times For John Adams Chapter 10 Section 4
Achievements: • Mass. Active patriot • Ambassador to France, Netherlands and Great Britain • Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris • Vice president under George Washington
Feelings on Office of Vice President: “The Most insignificant office that ever the Invention of man contrived…”
Problems with France: • The French were unhappy about the Jay Treaty (protected trade with Great Britain) • French ships seized the cargo of American ships in the Caribbean • Americans were angry that the French were interfering with trade and poloticts
Avoiding War: • Sent a 3 person peace commission to Paris • John Marshall • Charles Pinckney • Elbridge Gerry • The French offered a “treaty with a price” • America was angry about being asked for a bribe
X,Y, and Z affair: • The meeting with the French became known and Americans were outraged • Marshall, Pinckney, and Gerry became known only as X,Y, and Z • This Forced Adams to consider asking congress to declare war on France
Adams decides to wait: • He hoped that either • France would negotiate • American people would unite • Napoleon Bonaparte (new leader of France) was at war with Britain and did not want to fight America as well.
Greatest Achievement: • Many people consider avoiding war with France to be Adam’s greatest achievement • “Here lies John Adams who took upon himself the responsibility of the peace with France in the year 1800”
Fight for control: 1789
Alien and Sedition Acts • Passed as an attempt to stop the growth of the democratic-republican party
Alien acts: • Supposed to protect the country from aliens (people form other countries)
Naturalization Act: • Increased the time required to become a united states citizen • (Most new immigrants were joining the democratic-republican party)
Alien Act: • Gave the president the power to imprison or deport any foreigner • (Hoped to silence the French refugees that spoke out against the federalists party)
Alien Enemies Act: • Could arrest and deport all people who were citizens of foreign nations at war with the United States
Sedition act: • Made it a crime to speak or write critically about the president, members of congress, the federal government, or federal laws • (attempt to silence criticism)
Outcome: • 25 democratic-republican editors were arrested (10 convicted) • No aliens were ever deported • Angry response from Jefferson and other democratic-republicans
Jefferson and Madison • Looked at the acts as a violation of the Bill of Rights • Wrote 2 resolutions approved by the states of Kentucky and Virginia
KY and VA resolutions: • Claimed that the alien and sedition act could not be put into actions because they were a violation of the constitution • People had the right to nullify (cancel) a federal law within the state • Each state could determine if the federal government had gone beyond its constitutional powers • Began the States Rights Theory (states could decide whether or not to obey such laws)
Federalists Loose Power: • The sedition act and the way it was enforced made the Federalists and Adams look high handed and tyrannical. • By 1800 the federalists had lost the support of most people
Seeking re-election: • His stand on making peach with France had split the federalist party • People who did not agree with him refused to support him
Next presidency: • President- Thomas Jefferson • Vice president- Aaron Burr
Election of 1800: • Vicious and hard-fought • Each side felt the other would destroy the country • Jefferson and Burr tied for president • The deciding vote went to the house of representatives • Alexander Hamilton voted against Burr making Thomas Jefferson the president
12th Amendment: • Was put in place to avoid another tie • Calls for electors to vote on separate ballots for president and vice president