The Origins of American Politics t789—182O 66 MY. i’11IJG PBOSPF;fls CHAPTEH FOCUS I VI[WING HISTORY his chapter describes the period following i/ic ratification of the constitutio,,, diiri,ic This 1803 painting reflects T which A,nerica,is continued to debate how tune/i pot’L’1 thtefeuicral overiii1ieiit Americans s/iou/ti pride in the liu,ve. Despite (Ins ongoing internal debate, tile’ young nation otice again dejeated die nation’s growing prosperity. British uiiiul continued to expand west. Government How did the debate over the role of The Why Study History? page at the % end of tills chapter explores (lie’ role’ of poll!— the federal government ical parties in the life of the country today. lead to the rise of political parties? 174 1791 1796 Bank of the 1792 1794 1795 John Adams United States Washington Whiskey Jay’s Treaty elected established reelected President Rebellion ratified President Liberty Versus Order in the 1790s SECTION PREVIEW Objectives Main Idea I Describe Alexander Hamilton’s program for Americans became sharply divided in the 1 790s over dealing with national and state debt. whether order or liberty was more important. z Explain how the French Revolution divided Americans. Fleading Strategy Describe the causes and effects of the Reinforcing Main Ideas As you read, list some of the Whiskey Rebellion. specific actions of the federal government that 4 Summarize the debate over Jay’s Treaty and angered Jefferson and many Americans. the resulting rise of political parties. S Key Terms Define: tariff; interest; strict con struction; loose construction; neutral; Whiskey Rebellion; Jay’s Treaty; political party. n the 1790s Americans had a new Congress’s vote was a controversial I Constitution and a new government, but one. Southern states did not want the debate over the proper role of government to be responsible for northern had by no means ended. Most Americans, debts. Yet Hamilton managed to Federalists and Antifederalists alike, hoped win the support of the southern that this debate would not lead to the estab states through a deal: If south lishment of rival political groups. Struggles erii states would back between such groups elsewhere in the world Hamilton’s debt plan, Hamilton had often led to civil war. would gain northern Support for a plan to locate the nation’s capital in the South. Thus in 1790 Congress approved both the debt Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton was a keen plan and a plan to locate the capital on supporter of strong national power. He had the banks of the Potomac River. Alexander little faith in the people. The Constitution, he Hamilton’s debt plan was controversial Hamilton par believed, was not enough in itself to preserve for another reason. As critics pointed out, the ticipated in the new nation. In his view, the government federal government already had a huge debt of framing the had to expand its role and actively direct the about $50 million. Why would the govern Constitution development of the American economy. ment want to add to this burden? and favored a To this end, Hamilton proposed a compli strong central cated plan. In 1790, after months of debate, Hamilton’s Strategy The answer is simpler government. Congress approved Hamilton’s plan for the than one might think. Most of the state and national government to take on the debts national debt was owed to European banks acquired by the states during the Revolution. and to American merchants and speculators, Chapter 6 • Section 1 175 _______ or people who take a financial risk in the hope Washington usually sided with Hamilton, aIi-th desolated of future profit. Hamilton knew that these Jefferson I increasingly found himself ench Revolutio creditors (or lenders) did not want any gov minority opinion in the President’s Cabin4 ernment that owed them money to collapse. If At the end of 1793, Jefferson resigned loosing Sides the states owed creditors money, Hamilton Secretary of State. ench Revoluti reasoned, creditors would care about the One way to contrast Jefferson a4ween Britain states. But if the United States owed creditors Hamilton is in terms of their construction, imediate pract the money, they would be less interested in the view of, the Constitution. Jefferson favoredould the individual states United and more concerned with the strict construction. That is, he believed t th1 afford to off future of the United States as a whole. the government should not do the o Why would creditors go along with this as start a national bank—that the Constitutiknted to abando plan? To satisfy their concerns, Hamilton out did not specifically say it could do. Hamilterjcans during lined a specific budget and set up a regular pay preferred a loose construction. He thoug The most ser ment plan. Two measures would help to raise the Constitution was only a loose framewutr, or not t money to pay off the debts. In 1789, Congress of laws on which the government could buer having been had created a tariff—a tax on imported goods. the nation as it saw fit. The government, esident, Washin In 1791, Congress placed a tax on whiskey. other words, could do anything that teutraljty. The Most of the money raised by these two Constitution 1 did not say it could not do. les in the strugg taxes went to pay the expenses of the The differences between the two men we iiiain Idea government, such as the salaries of offi deeper than this, however. Jefferson believ cials. Hamilton, however, also put that Hamilton and his Federalist allies w tie vVhIS some of it into a special fund used to betraying the American Revolution. They Old Hamilton’s pro We!eanwhjle, resist pay creditors a little money every year. he told Thomas gram aim more at Paine in 1792, “a sect preacogram grew. He did not intend to pay them off right Ii achieving liberty or ing up and pouting after an English constither frontier an away; if he did, they would have no rea tion of king, order? lords, & commons.” Jefferson hy the tax on wh son to care what happened to the more faith in the people than in their goveriportance to the United States. Instead, the government ment. He took pride in not being one of thç a traditional paid them interest—an extra sum of money men who preferred “the calm of despotily products tha that borrowers pay creditors in return for the [tyranny] to the boisterous sea of liberty.” rn that could loan. To handle these complicated financial bc ft spoiling. Whi matters, Congress established the Bank of the currency, like United States in 1791. The French Revolution rginia. In 1794 Hamilton thus transformed the debts of That “boisterous sea” threw a tidal wave so strong the state governments into what amounted to a France in 1789, when the people of Fraripeared to be in long-term investment in the United States gov started the French Revolution, According thority of the ernment. The country’s creditors now held fe an their public declaration, the revolution ‘ The Whiskey interest in the stable functioning of the committed to “liberty, fraternity, and 0 equaj of the Stan government. ty.” By the early 1 790s, disagreement over h(e rebels closed to make these ideals reality led not to fratentors But Pr Hamilton’s Opponents Many Americans did ty, or brotherhood, but to a prolonged pericretary Hamilt not like Hamilton’s plan. They objected to the of violence called the Reign of Terror. Dune rebellion. Th interference of the federal government in local this time the revolutionary government eportunity to & and state affairs. They also disliked Hamilton’s cuted thousands of people, including 1ited Ki States go’i new taxes. Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. dared that a go Opponents of the Washington administra established unti tion regarded Hamilton’s policy of taxation American Reactions The French Revolutig its military for and regulation similar to the one the British sharply divided Americans. Federalists tend In the summe had proposed in the 1760s. Combined with the to oppose it, seeing it as an example of a dernd an army of elegant style of Washington’s presidency, the cratic revolution gone wrong. Jefferson’s sUght Horse Ha Federalist program suggested to opponents a porters, on the other hand, generally viewed texander Hami] return to aristocracy and monarchy. Many French Revolution as an extension of ttsburgh area. T people saw this as an all-out assault on the American Revolution. Though upset by its vshington’s toug hard-won liberty of the American people. lence, they applauded its rejection of gover American citiz Secretary of State Jefferson was particu ment by kings and its acceptance of republicung American larly opposed to Hamilton’s plans. President government. Even during the Reign of Terrenforcing its lay Jefferson said that he “would have seen half t 176 Chapter 6 • Section 1 earth desolated [ruinedi rather than see the Jay’s 7reati French Revolution fail.” In 1794 the debate over whether the Choosing Sides While Americans debated the United States should be neutral in French Revolution, the outbreak of a war the war between Great Britain between Britain and France created more and France rose to a fever immediate practical problems. Whose side pitch. Washington and Ham should the United States take? The nation could ilton believed that the long- not afford to offend the British, whose navy term interests of the United dominated the oceans. Few people, however, States would be served better wanted to abandon the French, who had helped by siding with Britain rather Americans during the War for Independence.