Chapter 08 - The United States of North America

Forming a New Government

Whiskey Rebellion and Shay's Rebellion were the first signs that the federal government needed more powers for the USA to survive

 

Nationalist Sentiment

Alexander Hamilton, strong coercive union having control over economic, civil and military issues

Nationalists were from the elite

Merchants wanted to establish the credit for the United States in Europe=can get loans

Continental Army officers who saw with the Continental Congress the need for a strong central government.

Conservatives who wanted to restrain the radical democracy in the states

The economic crises after the Revolutionary war gave the Nationalists an opportunity to organize

Commercial conference in Annapolis to discuss strong federal government

Only five states sent nationalist delegations

All states agreed that they needed more federal control over commerce

 

The Constitutional Convention

In Philadelphia

Everyone but Rhode Island attended

Agreed to vote by states

Madison wanted:

Wanted to scrap the articles of Confederation in favor of a "consolidated government" having the power to tax and enforce its laws directly rather than through the states

Representation in the bicameral national legislature would be based on population

House of Representatives would be elected by popular vote but senators would be chosen by state legislators to insulate them from democratic pressure.

A national judiciary would have the power to veto both national and state legislation

William Peterson of New Jersey opposed= the New Jersey plan

Thought that Madison's plan would allow small states to be swallowed up by big ones

Wanted only a single house congress that equally represented the states

The Great Compromise was the result of the two sides

Proportional representation by population in the house vs. representation by states in the Senate

Small states would have never joined without the senate

3/5th's rule- 5 slaves= 3 whites

Reason why South joined

Slaves only counted in representation not taxes!

Georgia and Louisiana demanded and got protection for the international slave trade

South also legitimized capturing escaped slaves in the north.

Madison wanted a strong judiciary that could declare acts of Congress unconstitutional

Edmund Randolph opposed a strong executive- thought that it was the beginning of a monarchy

Wanted executive to be elected so that it was independent of congress, but thought the people weren't educated enough to choose-electoral college

Ratifying the New Constitution

Needed nine states approval

Supporters of the constitution adopted the name Federalists

Opposition wasn't unified

Opposition were localists=many different interests

Opposition thought the constitution gave the "national government" to much power

Thought that the state government would represent the people better

Political thinkers thought that a republican government could only exist in small countries as a big country had to many factions

Madison thought that a big country had more factions= no one group could have all the power

Federalists were urban vs. farming opposition

 

Shaping of the Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the constitution

The First Amendment prohibits Congress from establishing an official religion

Other Amendments give the people the right to bear arms, limit the government's power to quarter troops in private homes, and restrain the government from unreasonable searches or seizures

The Bill of Rights is the most important legacy of the Anti-Federalists

 

The New Nation

Federal government was a first far away from the people but would soon change

 

The Washington Presidency

Washington's name calling represented another struggle- some wanted a strong executive while other wanted a strong congress

Set the norm-established a cabinet and didn't use veto unless congress had acted unconstitutionally

 

An Active Federal Judiciary

Congress provided that the Supreme Court would have six justices (later increased to nine) and established three circuit and thirteen district courts.

Federalists wanted an all powerful federal legal system vs. state systems

The Eleventh Amendment- declared that citizens from another state not sue another state.  (due to anti federalists)

 

Hamilton's Controversial Fiscal Program

Tariff of 1789- a compromise between people who wanted very high tariffs to make European goods to expensive= booming American industry or people who wanted tariffs to be a source of income

Hamilton proposed to tax whiskey to eliminate the federal debt

Brought confidence to investors by paying of the foreign debt

However this was brought to halt by the question of a capital

Southerners wanted the capital on the Potomac while northerners wanted Philadelphia

The capital would be on the Potomac in exchange for enough southern votes to pass Hamilton's fiscal plan

Hamilton also proposed the establishment of a Bank of the United States

Serve as a depository of government funds

Also wanted to use government money to invest in infant industries

Also circulated national money

 

The Beginnings of Foreign Policy

French Revolution divided the Americans

USA was a French ally but declared neutrality=trade $$$$$$$ from both sides

Jefferson supported France while Hamilton wanted to trade with Britain

Washington supported Hamilton= Jefferson leaves cabinet

 

The United States and the Indian Peoples

American attempts to treat FNP as defeated peoples resulted in violence

Washington declared they would be treated in good faith but this didn't work no one policed the west

The Indian Intercourse Act= treaties were the only way to get land from the FNP

However white's usually ignored this=small private armies invading FNP land

Little Turtle massacred General Arthur St. Clair's army

 

Spanish and British Hostility

King Carlos reformed the economy=boom in Mexico

Spain got French Louisiana and expanded into California

Spain controlled both sides of the Mississippi and blocked American trade

Supported immigration to Louisiana

In Canada Britain kept troops on both sides of the border

 

Domestic and International Crises

Washington faced unrest and threats to secede from in the West due his failure to get rid of Brits and Spanish, the Whiskey tax and failure to defeat the FNP

Whiskey Rebellion was met with federal militia= supremacy of national over local community

Also beat the FNP which in resulted in USA gaining Ohio, Indiana, Detroit and Chicago

 

Jay's and Pinckney's Treaties

Jay's Treaty- Brits wary of now strong American position agreed to remove troops from America, granted limited trade with British Indies and granted most favored nation status=victory for Hamilton

Pinckney's Treaty- Spain now was at war with Revolutionary France= wanted to mollify the Americans= Mississippi and New Orleans open to American trade

 

Washington's Farewell Address

Washington set basis in disinterest in European affairs

Urged unity

 

Federalists and Republicans

Framers of the constitution imagined a one party state in which factions would be muted by patriotism

Madison declared in the Federalist that parties would harm the republic yet he created an opposition to Washington-the Democratic Republican Party

 

The Rise of Political Parties

First arose over debate over Jay's treaty

Federalists supported the treaty while Democratic Republicans opposed it

Second election Adams vs. Jefferson (north vs. south)

Adams won, but back then runner up became vice-president= administration born divided

 

The Adams Presidency

Adam's sends over diplomats to try to calm the French who were angered over Jay's Treaty.  However they would only talk if given a bribe

Democratic Socialists demand to know whats happening and thus Adams publishes the dispatches replacing French names with XYZ= strong anti-French sentiment

 

The Alien and Sedition Acts

Congress with support from Adams pass four acts limiting freedom of speech and freedom of the press

The Alien Act allowed the president to imprison or deport suspected aliens during wartime

Sedition Act provided heavy fines or imprisonment for people convicted of writing or speaking against the government

Democratic Republicans considered the constitution nothing more than a pact between sovereign states therefore the states could go there own way Virginia and Kentucky Resolves.

 

The Revolution of 1800

Federalists were divided

France was beginning to cool off=offers peace which Adams was beginning to negotioate

Hamilton and other merchants still wanted war= Adams threatens to resign leaving Jefferson in power

Adams negotiate peace but gets scorned by Hamilton

Alien and Sedition Acts were overthrown by Democratic Republicans after the third election

Jefferson and Burr (Democratic Republicans) both were tied= who was the president?

12th Amendment would create separate ballots for president and VP

Competition between the parties resulted in the expansion of the franchise to all whie males

 

The Rising Glory of America

Beginnings of American art and culture

 

Art and Architecture

Artists were emerging

Washington DC was an epic architecturally project

 

The Liberty of the Press

More newspaper to the population than anywhere else= high literacy rate

Democratic Republicans were key to asserting the Freedom of the Press by repealing the Sedition Act

 

The Birth of American Literature

Most popular were political books such as Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Paine also wrote the Rights of Man defending the French Revolution

Webster's American Spelling Book which gave birth to American English