I. Establishing and Organizing the national government
A. Judicial Branch
1. Judiciary Act of 1789
a. Congressional measure to organize and set up federal judicial branch
b. Established federal district courts at state level.
c. Allayed state fears of national domination by adopting state court procedures/traditions
d. Supreme Court has final jurisdiction
2. Bill of Rights
a. First ten amendments of Constitution, ratified Dec 1791
b. Protects citizens vis-à-vis the government and courts
3. Chisholm v. Georgia
a. Allowed non-residents to use federal courts to sue states
b. Overturned by 11th amendment
B. Executive Branch
1. Washington’s Presidency
a. Limited public statements to foreign policy and military affairs
b. Left most domestic matters up to congress
c. Attempted to bridge growing differences between North (Hamilton- treasury) and South (Jefferson- state department)
d. Only used veto power twice in eight years (two terms)
e. Asserted federal power by personally leading military force to quell Whiskey Rebellion
f. Established precedent of two terms in office
2. Four cabinet positions
a. Treasury (Hamilton
b. State (Jefferson)
c. War (Know)
d. Attorney General (Randolph)
II. Hamilton and the Modern American Economy
A. National Debt
1. Establish confidence and good credit
2. Assume state debts (controversial since some states no longer had any)
3. Pay off foreign debts first (to avoid conflict with Europeans)
4. Treasury bonds-permanent revolving debt (pay debt with more debt)
5. Provide investment opportunities for the wealthiest Americans
B. Bank of the United States
1. To regulate currency
2. Pay debt on treasury bonds
3. Make loans to the government
4. Safe place to deposit tax revenues
5. Funded by private investors (no cost to tax players)
C. Raising Revenue
1. Tariffs- customs duties on imports (protected national producers)
2. Excise tax on whiskey
3. Selling western land to citizens
D. Ramifications of Hamilton’s Policies
1. Strict constructionism (enforcing only what is stated in the Constitution- Jefferson at first) vs. Loose constructionism (utilizing elastic clause of Constitution to stretch government powers into areas that are ‘necessary and proper’- Hamilton, Jefferson as president)
2. Enriched bankers who had speculated in Confederation bonds
3. Favored the Northeast and it’s industry (south- mainly raw materials & rural/ north- industry & urban)
4. Split with Jefferson let to the creation of parties (Federalists and Republicans [[Become current Democrats]])
5. Bonds allowed the government to have steady access to funds through perpetual debt
6. Freed up money for building up the government with minimal tax burden (tax revenue came from tariffs and the whiskey tax)
7. Whiskey Rebellion-marks transition away from revolt and toward working within civil constitutional framework.
8. Aligned the interests of the wealthy with the new government
III. Foreign Relations in the New Republic
A. Spain
1. Spain in the West
a. Renewed success in Louisiana Territory and Southwest (particularly New Mexico and Texas)
b. Expansion into California (1769)- missions and presidios (military settlements: fortified towns)
c. Challenges in Northwest Pacific Coast from Russian Fur Traders
d. Challenges in Arizona from Hopi and Yuma Indians
2. Spain in the Ohio River Valley (Appalachians to Mississippi)
a. Spain encouraged American settlers from Kentucky and Tennessee to secede
b. Spain kept New Orleans closed to American commerce until 1789- thereafter with 15% duty tax
c. Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee quickly admitted to the Union (1791-1796) to prevent them from joining Canada and Spain, respectively.
3. Spain in the South
a. Spain encouraged Creek Indian allies in Florida to attack settlers from Georgia
b. Fierce fighting with Creek leader McGillivray
c. Treaty of New York (1790, between Creeks and US)- allowed white settlers in Georgian Piedmont area but also preserved Creek territory from further encroachment.
B. Caught between France and England
1. French Revolution (1789-1893)
a. France sought American military support
b. Southern slave owners were France’s biggest supporters
c. Northerners feared mobocracy and didn’t care for French Republic’s secular approach
d. Once Britain and Spain declared war on France, American support for France grew in South & West USA
e. Citizen Genet attempted to recruit an American army in the South
f. American privateers joined French effort and began to seize British ships, nearly setting off a war with England in 1794
2. Anglo-American Crisis
a. To counter American privateers during the French Revolution, British Navy began seizing American ships trading with French West Indies (1793)
b. Impressments of sailors from American ships
c. Also, British built Fort Miami in Ohio Territory and began encouraging Native Americans to attack American settlements
d. British challenges in the West were countered by American General “Mad Anthony” Wayne who ruthlessly defeated Indians, set up Ft. Defiance and compelled Native Americans to give up land in Ohio and Indiana through Treaty of Greenville. *Major treaty that took land from Indians
3. Quasi-war with France (1798-1799)
a. Prompted by Jefferson’s defeat (to John Adams) in 1796 elections & Jay’s Treaty.
b. France began seizing American ships trading with British ports
c. Executing American sailors found on British Ships
d. XYZ Affair- Talleyrand, France’s foreign minister demanded a bribe from American ambassador. This was met with outrage in the US.
e. US armed ships to protect commercial vessels and began seizing French ships.
f. British Navy also helped to protect American ships
g. Led Federalists in Congress to take strange stance against ‘foreign agents’- Alien and Sedition Acts
C. Treaties to resolve Tensions
1. Jay’s Treaty (with England, 1795)
a. Got British out of western territory
b. Opened British (West Indies) ports to American ships
c. Kept Americans from being able to trade with French West Indies during war
d. Failed to end impressments as well as compensation for loss of slaves during Revolutionary war.
2. Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain 1796
a. Got rid of Mississippi River/ New Orleans high taxes (duties)
b. Established 31st parallel as Florida’s northern boundary
c. Spain to discourage Indian attacks and dismantle forts north of parallel
D. Consequences of foreign tensions and their resolutions
1. French Revolution and the XYZ Affair reinforced growing party factions (Jefferson and other southerners supported France’s Republicans, but Federalists were supporting England)
2. Alien and Sedition Acts allowed Federalists to shut down public criticism by Republicans in the press. It also increased naturalization requirements (14 years total, 5 in one state) to keep immigrants from being able to vote Republican.
a. Jefferson was very angry- dictatorships
3. To counter the Alien and Seditions Acts, the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were written (by Madison and Jefferson) to uphold states’ rights to nullification
4. Federalists lost power and Jefferson was elected in 1800