Do You Want Essay Test on This Chapter Or Multiple Choice Or Both?

Do you want essay test on this chapter or multiple choice or both?

Chapter 10: “Launching the New Ship of State, 1789-1800”

Upcoming class work: we will read Varying Viewpoints, “The Constitution: Revolutionary or Counterrevolutionary?” pages 188-189. Your first foray into historiography

 Please be able to take a stand. Students: Have your points ready. We will have a short discussion regarding this section next time we meet. Please have notes ready.

Please read first & second paragraphs on page 190 & first paragraph on 191. Let’s be honest with what we know and what we don’t understand. Each student will read all paragraphs. Instructor (that’s me) will select groups to present to the class a certain paragraph. Remember—it’s all good; we learn by taking risks. This is a university level textbook. .

“ . . . Within twelve troubled years, the American people had risen up and thrown overboard both the British yoke and the Articles of Confederation. A decade of lawbreaking and constitution smashing was not the best training for government making. Americans had come to regard a central authority, replacing that of George III, as a necessary evil—something to be distrusted, watched and curbed.”

“The finances of the infant government were likewise precarious. The revenue had declined to a trickle, whereas the public debt, with interest heavily in arrears was mountainous. Worthless paper money, both state and national, was as plentiful as metallic money was scarce. Nonetheless, the Americans were brashly trying to erect a republic on an immense scale, something that no other people had attempted and that traditional political theory deemed impossible. The eyes of a skeptical world were on the upstart United States.”

“People of the western waters—in stump-studded clearings of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio—were particularly restive and dubiously loyal. The mouth of the Mississippi, their life-giving outlet, lay in the hands of unfriendly Spaniards. Slippery Spanish and British agents, jingling gold, moved freely among the settlers and held out seductive promises of independence. Many observers wondered whether the emerging United States would ever grow to maturity,” (Kennedy, 191)

1. Growing Pains:1790 census—growing population—cities—but still 90% rural a. Many people moving west of Appalachians. b. Easterners looked down upon crudeness and roughness of pioneers. c. Look at “west” on the map. d. Mouth of Mississippi in hands of Spain (Spaniards? Spanish?) Intrigue always about. (Burr and Wilkerson, early 1800s)

2. Washington for President a. Unanimous nominee—Electoral College b. Established a cabinet—no mention in Constitution c. Jefferson, Knox and Hamilton vvawas 3. The Bill of Rights a. Crucial Ninth and Tenth Amendments, other rights not mentioned “shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people” and that all rights not yet delegated belong “to the States respectively, or to the people.” b. Judiciary Act of 1789 set up the Supreme Court, 5 justices and a Chief Justice—John Jay, established office of attorney general

4. Hamilton Revives the Corpse of Public Credit a. Character questioned sometimes . . . b. Archrival Jefferson c. Fix the economic mess left after A. o. C. d. Shape fiscal policies to benefit the wealthy—in turn the wealthy would lend the government money (bonds) and everybody would be fat and happy. e. Wanted to bolster the nation’s credit—“fund” the national debt and pay back “at par” and assumption of state debts. f. Government bonds had depreciated to ten to fifteen cents on the dollars—Lack of belief in the new treasury, however, speculators held most and gained more. g. Case for “assumption.” Chain the wealthy creditors to the federal government and not state—link in his scheme to build federal government. h. Capital Deal. District of Columbia would be in Virginia—Washington’s back yard.

5. Custom Duties and Excise Taxes a. Hamilton “Father of the National Debt,” within limits, a national debt was a national blessing. The more people had a stake in the government the better. b. Where’s the money going to come from? 1. Custom duties—tariffs—foreign trade needed in order for this to work. 2. First tariff law—for revenue and protection—know these forever! Only 8% but raised slightly twice during Washington’s administration. Industrialists of course wanted it but agriculturalist still outnumbered the industrialist so tariffs not large enough.

3. Internal revenue—1791 got an excise tax on a few domestic items —whiskey. Backwoods farmers, roads and markets.

6. Hamilton Battles Jefferson for a Bank a. Bank of the United States 1. Need for stability 2. Need for currency—stable bank notes 3. Need for government money to be in circulation 4. Need to control the $ it lent out

b. Is the bank constitutional? 1. Jefferson, “No way! Nothing in the Constitution!” a. If it’s not in the Constitution it’s left for the states (10th Amendment) b. Strict construction—reading literally – Jeffersonians advocated strict construction mostly 2. Hamilton, “Of course it is! If it doesn’t say we can’t, we can!” b.a.“Necessary and proper” clause b.b. Broad, loose, elastic, loose construction Hamiltonians

7. North v South; Agrarian v Commercial argument—but Hamilton wins Bank becomes reality a. Created in 1791, chartered for 20 years b. $10 million capital, one-fifth of it owned by the federal govt. c. Stock open to public and sold quickly

8. Mutinous Moonshiners in Pennsylvania a. Whiskey Rebellion, Western Pennsylvania 1794 b. Challenged the new federal govt. c. Militia summoned from several states d. George W. led e. Tensions rose f. Finally small—3 dead, G.W. pardoned two g. Outcomes: g.a.1. showed the nation that the new federal govt. wasn’t going to be pushed around g.a.2. Ammunition for Republicans to use—“brutal display of force—for having used a sledgehammer to crush a gnat.”

XIII. The Emergence of Political Parties 1. Hamilton’s “fiscal feats” worked. Money now from the Netherlands. 2. Hamilton's policies had an unexpected side-effect—they created the two- political party system. Hamiltonians & Jeffersonians. 3. Earlier FF had factions, but those came over an issue, ran their course & faded. Permanent political parties were something new. 4. Think of Ellis—did having two parties help? “Loyal opposition” 5. Newspapers on both sides helped promote the spirit of faction 6. Look at chart on page 197—we will fill this out as we go—include more details.

XIV. The Impact of the French Revolution 1. Started reasonably—most Americans flattered—same vision— republicanism, enlightenment . . . Jeffersonians really happy  2. Ultra conservative Federalists (some) were cautious a. Fearing change—(remember, when you’re on top; change can be frightening) b. “leveling” and “despicable mobocracy” c. France claimed war on hostile Austria d. “Reign of Terror” phase—guillotine—attack on the church (why?) e. Federalist getting nervous as they looked toward the “Jeffersonian masses” f. Now some Americans were thinking of the French citizens as “blood-drinking cannibals” 3. Jeffersonian view: a. Regret but more ignorance b. Can’t get from “despotism to liberty in a feather bed.” c. A few aristocratic heads were a cheap price d. And the “Tree of liberty should be refreshed with a little bloodshed from time to time.” e. Britain gets involved—world war again—especially on the seas

X. Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation 1. Franco-American alliance of 1778 (what was that about?) a. Help the French defend the West Indies—surely England would go for these. Why? 2. Republican view: a. Francophiles

3. Washington (Hamilton’s) view: a. Avoid the war b. Not militarily ready c. No money—still wobbly d. Politically disunited e. Hold out until the babies (numerous) could help out. f. Washington issue the Neutrality Proclamation without consulting Congress 1. Republicans angry 2. Federalists happy g. Citizen Genet – come to call 1. Brazenly started to outfit American privateers 2. Jeffersonians wined and dined him—it went to his head 3. He was fed bad information—about the Neutrality Proclamation 4. Threatened to “go over Washington’s head” about it—who could he go to? Who was sovereign? 5. Alliance favored France—not the US. 6. Read Paine’s letter on page 200 to Washington

XI. Embroilments with Britain 1. Soldiers still in the Great Lakes region 2. Trading with natives—guns and liquor 3. What happened at The Battle of Fallen Timbers? 4. What was a result of this?—who is Mad Anthony Wayne? 5. British seizing American trading ships in West Indies 6. Impressments on the sea—biggest problem. 7. Reactions—patriotic fervor all over US. Anger towards British— especially Republicans. 8. Federalists needed England for trade and stability. Refused to take action against them.

XI. Jay’s Treaty & Washington’s Farewell 1. 1794 he sent John Jay to England to smooth things over. 2. Hamilton had undermined Jay's mission. Hamilton 3. "Jay's Treaty" was not the best for America… 4. The U.S. would have to pay off its debts to England from pre- Revolution days. 5. The British would leave the American frontier posts. (This was a hollow promise since they'd already given that promise 20 years prior, to John Jay none-the-less!). 6. England said they'd pay for damages during impressment. (But they said nothing about stopping future impressment. This was the number

7. Pinckney Treaty with Spain. a. Spain looked at the Jay's Treaty and thought the U.S. was "buddying up" to England. So, Spain wished to give a little good will to America to keep relations friendly. b. The Pinckney Treaty (1795) gave Americans (a) the right to travel down and out the Mississippi River and (b) the disputed area of Florida. c. Washington could've run for a third term, but instead he stepped down saying two terms was enough. He gave a Farewell Address and warned… d. America should avoid political parties (as he thought them to be divisive). e. America should avoid "permanent alliances" with other nations and simply make decisions independently and in America's own best interest.

XII. John Adams Becomes President 1. John Adams was nominated by the Federalists for president in 1796. 2. The Democratic-Republicans (who were now going by just "Republicans") nominated their leader, Thomas Jefferson. 3. Adams won the electoral vote 71 to 68. Jefferson came in as runner-up and thus became Vice-President (that was the system then). 4. So, Adams became president in an uncomfortable situation… 5. He was something of a "cold fish" New Englander—stuffy, stern, crusty, bookish, stubborn. 6. V.P. different party 7. Hamilton hated him. Hamilton headed up the "High Federalists" and sometimes plotted to undermine Adams. 8. Unofficial Fighting with France 9. France was still fuming mad over the Neutrality Proclamation and Jay's Treaty. 10. French warships began seizing some 300 American ships in the Caribbean 11. Americans pushed for war—“War Hawks” 12. Adams stayed cool. 13. Adams sent delegates to France to smooth things over. This became known as the XYZ Affair. 14. Their main goal: avoid war. The U.S. delegates were officially rejected by France. 15. Then undercover, Mr. "X", "Y", and "Z" made a secret offer. If the U.S. delegates issued an apology from Pres. Adams, gave France a loan, and gave the men a bribe, then the Americans would be allowed to speak with the French official Talleyrand. 16. The American delegates refused this lop-sided deal and just came home. 17. The American people cheered the delegates for not giving in (like John Jay) and called for war with more passion. 18. The unofficial war in the Caribbean kept on and stepped up. American ships captured over 80 French ships. American ships were also lost. It was really a free-for-all on the high seas where a ship did whatever it wished.

XIV. Adams Puts Patriotism Above Party—plus and minus? 1. France also let calmer minds prevail. Talleyrand knew France didn't need yet another enemy. So, he said that American delegates would be received with respect. 2. Adams sent new delegates to France to speak with Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon had other plans (take over Europe) and was eager to close the American mess. They made the Convention of 1800 that said… 3. The Franco-American Alliance was over. 4. Americans had to pay damages to French shippers. 5. Adams decision to go the peace-route was unpopular. It cost him re-election (Jefferson was elected in 1800). But, it was the best thing for America at the time and the right thing to do.

g.a.2.XV. The Federalist Witch Hunt 1. Federalists used the anti-French passion to pass a couple of tricky laws. The laws had two levels: (a) a surface level that was stated openly, and (b) an ulterior, sneaky motive by the Federalists. 6. The Alien acts made it tougher for immigrants to come to the U.S. and become citizens. They had the stated purpose of protecting Americans from foreigners who might come into the country and undermine the U.S. The theory was that the immigrant was more loyal to his home country than the U.S. 7. Raised the residency requirement from 5 to 14 years, supposedly so the immigrant would be fully assimilated before voting. This was a large change from America's welcoming tradition. 8. President was authorized to deport foreigners deemed troublemakers. 9. The ulterior and sneaky motive by the Federalists was to delay immigrant voting. Federalists knew the immigrants would most likely join the Republican Party and vote that way. So, Federalists bought themselves some time. As far as deporting troublemakers, that would be handy for anyone who criticized the government (Federalists). 10. The Sedition Act limited the speech and writings of critics of the government. "Sedition" is a strong word that implies stirring up discontent against the government with the intent of overthrowing it. 11. The Sedition Act: anyone criticizing the government in a manner that was deemed counter-productive could be fined or jailed. The stated purpose was to prevent foreigners (French Republicans) from stirring up trouble in the U.S. 12. The ulterior motive was to silence critics of the Federalists. Backfired! 13. The Sedition Act was a direct shot at the 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech and press. 14. Many newspaper editors criticized the law and were thrown in jail (under the Sedition Act's authority) for doing so. 15. The most noteworthy was Matthew "Spitting Lion" Lyon who'd criticized Pres. Adams in his writings. The criticisms were very mild and kind of humorous in a cute way by modern standards. 16. These pro-Federalist laws were (a) contrary to the welcoming spirit of America and (b) unconstitutional, but were passed by a Federalist Congress, signed by a Federalist president, and upheld by a Federalist-dominated court system. 17. Self-serving to the end, the Sedition Act was even designed to expire in 1801 so that it couldn't then be used against the Federalists if the Republicans took over. 18. Although the Republicans fussed, the average person responded well to the Federalists and their laws in the election booth. The Federalists did very well in the Congressional elections of 1798-99. This would be the Federalists' high-water mark, however. Republican Reactions: Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions 1. The Virginia (Madison) and Kentucky (Jefferson) Resolutions 2. Stirred by the Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson and the Republicans entered into a war of words and laws. 3. Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions—The resolutions said the federal government had overstepped the authority that the states had awarded when it passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. 4. The resolutions were built on the “compact theory” saying the 13 states had entered a compact (or contract) when they formed the federal government to abide by federal laws that the states approved. In other words, the states had made the federal government, the federal government then makes laws, but since the states made the federal government, the states reserved the right to nullify those federal laws. Notably, this theory goes by several names, all synonymous: the “compact theory,” “states’ rights theory,” or “nullification.” 5. The idea was that other states would follow suit and adopt similar resolutions and the Alien and Sedition Acts would be shot down. The other states did not follow, however. 6. Federalists countered the compact theory by arguing that the people actually, and not the states, had created the federal government, and therefore the states did not have the right to nullify federal laws. 7. At this point, these arguments are just a lesson in words, rhetoric, and logic. But, these exact arguments will be heard again in the 1830s regarding the tariff and then in the 1850s and 60s slavery when the Civil War breaks.

g.a.2.XVI. Federalists Versus Democratic- Republicans 1. Federalists were supported by the upper classes. Generally speaking… 2. They were led by Hamilton who envisioned an industrial America of big cities. 3. They were from the wealthy classes, such as merchants, bankers, manufacturers. They often lived along the eastern seaboard—the older regions that were close to the coast and trade. 4. They were pro-British (since that was good for trade). 5. They liked a strong federal government, run by the educated elite. They distrusted the common person as uneducated and unable to run a nation. They felt democracy was one step shy of "mobocracy." 6. The Democratic-Republicans (or just Republicans at this time) were supported by the poor and common classes. Generally speaking… 7. They were led by Jefferson who envisioned an agricultural America of small towns. 8. They felt that even an uneducated man can make common-sense decisions and thus run himself and his nation through voting. Republicans favored expanding the vote to more people (though it was still a very narrow group). 9. They were mostly farmers and lived in the interior areas and along the frontier. They felt farming was good for the soul—it kept the farmer humble and close to God. 10. They were pro-French (since France had helped the U.S. against England). 11. By the election of 1800, there were clearly two separate political camps in the U.S