Transcript Unit Seven: The Federalist Era

Unit Seven: The Federalist
Era
The “First”
Washington’s Inauguration
• On April 30, 1789 President-elect George
Washington was inaugurated (swore in)
into office at Federal Hall in New York City
as the first President of the United States.
• Washington took the first Oath of Office
(allegiance to country) on the Holy Bible.
– “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully
execute the Office of president of the United
States, and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect , and defend the
Constitution of the United States.”
The Experiment
• Washington knew that the new form of
government (a republican-constitutional democracy) was an experiment and would
change and develop from the examples set by
the first people in office.
• Washington was careful about every decision he
made because it would set a precedent (an
example) for all other presidents.
• Washington was careful to respect the
constitution and Congress by only executing the
laws and allowing Congress to make the laws.
Presidential Advisors
• John Adams was chosen by
the electors in the electoral college
as the first Vice President.
• Washington was in charge of the first
administration (term in office) as the executive
(carry out or enforce) of the laws of the
Constitution and Congress.
• To aid Washington in administering the laws
and running the country Congress created the
Presidential Cabinet ( a group of advisors
known as secretaries, who assist and give
advice to the President).
The Cabinet
•
The first Cabinet was as follows:
1. Department of State – Thomas Jefferson –
handle domestic issues and foreign affairs.
2. Department of Treasury – Alexander
Hamilton – collects taxes, tariffs, currency
and sets the economic plan for the country.
3. Department of War (now Defense) – Henry
Knox- maintained a small army and navy
4. Attorney General (Department of Justice) –
Edmund Randolph – legal advisor to
President and led attorney for the nation.
The Cabinet
Office
Date Established
State
Treasury
War
Attorney General
1789
1789
1789
1789
Navy
Postmaster General
Interior
Agriculture
Commerce and Labor
Commerce
Labor
Defense
Health, Education, and Welfare
Housing and Urban Development
Transportation
Energy
Health and Human Services
Education
Veterans Affairs
Homeland Security
1798
1829
1849
1889
1903
1913
1913
1947
1953
1965
1966
1977
1979
1979
1989
2002
Thomas
Jefferson
Henry Knox
Alexander
Hamilton
Edmund
Randolph
Major Tasks
• Coming into the Presidency Washington had
many issues that had to be dealt with:
1.) The Nation was weak in all aspects including
militarily (small army and only merchant
marines)
2.) How the new nation would deal with the
Indians.
3.) How to handle issues with colonial powers of
British (Canada) and Spain (West of Mississippi
and Florida)
4.) How to pay for the government (What type of
taxes)
5.) The passage of the Bill Rights
Bill of Rights
• One of the first acts of Congress and signed
by Washington was the passage of the first
ten amendments to the constitution known as
the Bill of Rights, as a protection for the
people from their new government.
• The Bill of rights protected people’s natural
rights or inalienable rights (rights we have
because we are humans)
• Natural rights are inalienable because they
can not be taken away like legal/civil rights
(rights granted to citizens by their
government).
Living Constitution
• The Constitution was given the ability to
grow and adapt to each new generation of
Americans through the Amendment
Process.
• The founding fathers knew the
Constitution would have to be a living
document if it was to succeed.
• The Constitution has only been amended
27 times in America's history .
The Judiciary Branch
• The Federal Judiciary Act of 1789 organized
the Federal Court System into a Supreme
court, circuit courts, and district courts.
• The first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court appointed by Washington and approved
by the Senate was John Jay.
• The first major case ruled on by the court was
Chisholm vs. Georgia which involved the ability
of a citizen from one state to sue another state.
(Jay ruled yes)
• This case was later over turned by the
eleventh amendment granting sovereign
immunity (a state can not be sued by a person
not a citizen of that state).
The U.S. Capital?
• One of the early decisions made by the
new government was to move the Capital
from New York to Philadelphia to separate
it from the growing economic center of
Wall Street and for better conditions.
• While in Philadelphia the Residence Act of
1790 was passed establishing a 10 square
mile parcel of land on the Potomac River
from land donated by Virginia and
Maryland to build the new capital city
called the District of Columbia.
District of Columbia
• The District of Columbia was to be separate
from all the states as the capital city of the new
nation. (this was to make sure one state was not
more powerful than the rest).
• The city was surveyed by Washington with the
aid of Benjamin Banneker.
• Pierre-Charles L’ Enfant (French man) was
chosen to design the capital to make it a
monumental marvel to rival all the European
capital cities.
District of Columbia
• In D.C. later called Washington D.C. after his
death the new Federal buildings were built to
house government.
• The Capitol building was built to house both
houses of Congress, the Senate and House of
Representatives.
• The President’s Mansion was also built which
became known as the White House.
• Later on throughout the years the city would
house a multitude of buildings and monuments.
D.C.
Capitol Building
White House
D.C.
Capitol Building
Jefferson
Memorial
Lincoln
Memorial
Washington
Monument
D.C.
Arlington Cemetery
Iwo Jima Memorial
World War II memorial
FDR Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
The Nation in 1790
• In 1790 the first census (population count taken
every ten years) was taken to establish how
many people lived in the nation mostly for tax
purposes and to allot for representation in the
House of Representatives.
• In 1790 there were a little over 4 million people
in America who mostly lived in rural agrarian
settings.
• There were only six cities with populations over
8,000 people: Philadelphia, New York, Boston,
Charleston, Baltimore, and Salem
National Growth
• During the 1790s the new nation did grow with
the addition of three new states: Vermont (1791),
Kentucky (1792), and Tennessee (1796).
• New territories were also established for formal
settlement: the Mississippi territory (which
included Alabama) in 1798, and the Indiana
Territory in 1800.
• Americans were pushing into the frontier lands
and expanding the settled boundaries of the new
nation.
The Nation 1790