Washington S Presidency

Chapter 9-1 Washington’s Presidency

Section Objectives  To explain how the nation’s court system was established  To describe the first cabinet  To analyze Hamilton’s financial plan  To identify interpretations of the Constitution and explain how they influenced attitudes toward the national bank

Washington Takes Office/Setting Up the Courts

1. What does the phrase “Washington would set a precedent” mean?

An example that would become standard practice

2. What decisions about the nation’s court system did the Constitution leave to Congress to decide?

 To decide the number of Justices  How much power the Supreme Court would have

3. What was the purpose of the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789?

 Gave the courts 1 chief justice, 5 associates  Set up lower, less powerful federal courts

Washington’s Cabinet/Economic Problems

4. How did the cabinet help the president govern the nation?

 Assists the president with many issues and problems

5. What financial problems did the nation face? How did Hamilton propose to solve them?

 $52 million in debt  Came up with a financial plan that would reflect his belief in a strong government 6. What beliefs influenced Hamilton’s financial plans for the nation?

 Believed in a strong, central, government  Believed government should encourage business and industry

Hamilton’s Financial Plan

7. What were the three steps in Hamilton’s financial plan?

1. Paying off war debts 2. Raising government revenue 3. Creating a national bank

8. Why did many Southern states object to helping the country pay off its war debts?

 They had already paid off their debts and did not want to help the Northern states

9. Why did Hamilton favor imposing high tariffs on foreign goods and creating a national bank?

 Tariffs ensured a steady flow of money to the national government  National bank was a safe place to keep money, could make loans, and issue bank notes

Interpreting the Constitution

10. What are the two major ways of interpreting the Constitution and how do they differ?

 Strict – Government only has powers that are written in Constitution  Loose – Allows a flexible interpretation of the Constitution, citing the Elastic Clause, allowing the government to act on what is deemed “necessary and proper”.

11. Why did Madison and Jefferson oppose the creation of the national bank?

 They said the Constitution did not give the government the power to create a national bank.

12. How was the argument over the bank settled?  Hamilton won and the Bank of the US was set up in 1791