Transcript Chapter 6

Chapter 6
The origins of American Politics
Section 1
Liberty Versus Order in the 1790s
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Hamilton’s Program
• Secretary of the treasury Hamilton was a supporter of
strong national power. The government had to expand
its role and actively direct the development of the
American economy.
• The economic situation was chaotic. America owed
money to foreign nations, principally France and the
Netherlands, and there was massive domestic debt.
• In 1790, Congress approved Hamilton’s plan for the
national government to take on the debts acquired by the
states during the Revolution. Southern states did not
want to be responsible for northern debts, because the
Southern states had mostly paid their debts. He made a
deal with the states; if southern states would back
Hamilton’s debt plan, Hamilton would gain northern
support for a plan to locate the nation’s capital on the
banks of the Potomac River.
Hamilton’s Strategy
• Most of the state and national debt was owed to
European banks and to American merchants and
speculators. Hamilton knows that these creditors (or
lenders) did not want any government that owed them
money to collapse. Hamilton outlined a specific budget
and set up a regular payment plan.
• In 1789, Congress imposed a tax on whiskey and
created a “tariff” – a tax on imported goods. Most of the
money raised by taxes went to pay the expenses of the
government, such as the salaries of officials. Hamilton,
however, also put some of it into a special fund used to
pay creditors a little money every year. Paid them
“interest” – an extra sum of money that borrowers pay
creditors in return for the loan.
National Bank 1791
• He proposed that the U.S. create a new bank. The
federal government would put in $2 million (1/5th
ownership) of the banks $10 million capital and appoint
1/5th's of the banks directors. Private investors would
supply the rest of the capital and elect the other
directors. Far more than just another commercial bank,
this bank would serve as the government's financial
agent: collecting taxes, providing a safe place to deposit
the governments cash and lending the government
money when needed. The bank could also provide a
much needed paper currency. Based on its capital, the
bank would issue bank notes to supplement specie (gold
or silver coin).
Hamilton’s Opponents
• Objected to the interference of the federal
government in local and state matters.
• Disliked the taxes
Jefferson – Secretary of State
• Jefferson favored a “strict construction”. That is,
he believed that the government should not do
anything, such as start a nation bank, that the
Constitution did not specifically say it could do.
• Hamilton preferred a “loose construction”. He
thought the Constitution was only a loose
framework of laws on which the government
could build the nation as it saw fit.
• Jefferson had more faith in the people than in
their government.
Political Parties
• Jefferson favored the Democratic-Republicans,
which would be later shortened to Republicans.
These first Republicans generally favored a
democratic, agrarian society in which individual
freedoms were elevated over strong, centralized
government.
• Hamilton favored the Federalist party, favoring a
strong central government, promoting
commercial and industrial interests and
supported by the elite and powerful in the nation.
The French Revolution 1789
• Reign of terror - during this time the revolutionary
government executed thousands of people, including
King Louis 16th and Queen Marie Antoinette. The
French revolution sharply divided Americans.
• Federalists viewed it as a democratic revolution gone
wrong.
• Jeffersonian republicans viewed it as an extension of the
revolution.
• Then the outbreak of a war between Britain and France
created more immediate practical problems.
• In 1793, after having been reelected for a second term
as President, Washington issued a Proclamation of
Neutrality.
Whiskey Rebellion
• In western Pennsylvania and other frontier areas, many
people refused to pay the tax on whiskey. It was a major
factor of the frontier’s economy.
• In 1794 opposition to the whiskey tax was so strong that
people in Pennsylvania rebelled against the authority of
the federal government. The rebels closed courts and
attacked tax collectors.
• President Washington saw the rebellion as an
opportunity to demonstrate the power of the United
States government. In the summer of 1794, Washington
gathered an army under General “Light Horse Harry”
Lee. The rebellion soon dissolved. Washington’s tough
response had demonstrated to American citizens and the
world that the young American government was
committed to enforcing its laws.
Jay’s Treaty
• Washington and Hamilton believed that the long term
interest of the United States would be served better by
siding with Britain rather than with France. Washington
sent Chief Justice John Jay to London to negotiate an
agreement with the British. In the treaty, Britain agreed
to leave the forts it occupied in the Northwest Territory.
Other provisions aimed at expanding trade between the
two nations.
• Jay was unable, however, to convince the British to end
their practice of stopping American ships on the high
seas and searching them for British subjects.
• Critics complained that the treaty contained no protection
for American shipping. More broadly, many Americans
saw the treaty as a betrayal of revolutionary ideals, a
sellout to the hated British. Congress ratified treaty in
1795.
Jeffersonian Republicans
• Republicans or Democratic Republicans
• Wanted more democratic republic
Washington’s Departure
• President Washington chose not to run for
a third term.
• John Adams became the next President
beating Thomas Jefferson, who then
became the V.P.
Section 2
The Government Takes a New
Course
John Adams as President
• The United States began to drift toward
war with France. The French were angry
about Jay’s Treaty with the British, and
they began seizing American ships in
French harbors. Adams sent officials to
Paris to negotiate with the revolutionary
government.
XYZ Affair
• These agents were later identified only as X, Y,
and Z. The French agents demanded a bribe of
250,000 and a loan to the French of $10 million
before the Americans would even be allowed to
see the French Foreign Minister.
• Refusing to pay the bribe, the American
diplomats quickly returned home. There were
public cries of patriotism, war, and defiance
against the French.
• In 1798, France and the United States were
involved in what amounted to an undeclared
war. Both sides fired on and seized each other’s
ships.
Alien & Sedition Acts - 1789
• Under the Alien Act, the President gained the
right to imprison or deport citizens of other
countries residing in the United States.
• Under the Sedition Act, persons who wrote,
published, or said anything of a false,
scandalous, and malicious nature against the
American government or its officials could be
fined or jailed.
• Used as a tool to quiet the Republicans.
Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions
• Jefferson, James Madison, and other
Republicans believed that the Sedition Act
violated the constitutional protection of freedom
of speech.
• These resolutions, adopted by the legislatures of
Virginia and Kentucky, argued that the states
had the right to judge whether federal laws
agreed with the Constitution. If a state decided
that a law was unconstitutional, it could declare
that law “null and void” within the state. This
principle of nullification remained unresolved.
Neither Virginia nor Kentucky tried to enforce the
resolutions.
Gabriel Prosser’s Rebellion
• In the area around Richmond, Virginia, a
blacksmith named Gabriel Prosser and
several other slaves planned a rebellion.
The leaders intended to take over
Richmond and win freedom. Prosser’s
small-scale rebellion failed.
• Prosser and others were tried, convicted
and executed.
Election of 1800
• Jefferson and Burr were both on the DemocraticRepublican ticket.
• Adams led the Federalist ticket with Charles C. Pinckney
as the party’s number two choice.
• Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 votes each. President
and Vice President were not separated on the ballot.
• Hamilton only backed Jefferson, because he hated Burr
more.
• Jefferson privately assured the Federalists that he would
maintain much of the status quo and the House elected
him on February 17, 1801.
• The twelfth amendment in 1804 provides for separate
balloting for the President and Vice President.
Peaceful transfer of power
• The Federalists stepped down and let the
Jeffersonian Republicans take over.
Section 3
The Jefferson Administration
Reducing Government
• Jefferson reduced the amount of taxes paid by
the American people and severely cut the size of
the federal bureaucracy – (the departments and
workers that make up the federal government).
Jefferson also slashed the size of the army.
• In 1804, he easily won reelection. With
Jefferson’s popularity, the Federalists opposition
was all but dead, except for a small group of
Federalists known as “Essex Junto”.
Hamilton & Burr
• The long-standing hatred between Burr and Alexander
Hamilton resurfaced as Hamilton used all his influence to
defeat Burr in the New York Governor’s race. (Burr no
longer V.P.) Hamilton campaigned that Burr was a
dangerous man and one who should not be trusted with
the reins of government. Hamilton’s political destruction
of Burr was successful.
• On July 11, 1804, Burr killed Hamilton in a duel on the
cliffs above the Hudson in New Jersey. It is believed that
Hamilton fired his pistol but deliberately missed.
Hamilton was mortally wounded and suffered thirty hours
before dying. With one shot, Burr removed the leader of
the Federalists and wrecked his own political future.
Judiciary Acts
• Judiciary Act of 1789 - created a national court system
with three circuit courts and thirteen district courts, all
headed by the Supreme Court. The act also stated that
the Supreme Court would settle differences between
state and federal laws.
• Judiciary Act of 1801- decreased number of Supreme
Court justices and increased the number of federal
judges.
• Adams quickly filled the new judicial posts just before
leaving office. These last-minute appointments, known
as the midnight judges angered Jefferson who believed
that he had the right to appoint judges from his own
party.
Marbury v. Madison
• President Adams had appointed William Marbury as
justice of the peace for the District of Columbia. But
Secretary of State James Madison, under orders from
President Jefferson never delivered the official papers
giving Marbury his authority. Marbury sued Madison,
demanding that the Supreme Court order the Secretary
of State to let him take his office. According to the
Judiciary Act, the Courts had the power to give such an
order. Jurisdiction in question.
• Chief Justice John Marshall ruled against Marbury,
declaring that it was against the Constitution for the
Supreme court to give this order to the executive branch.
Marshall declared part of the Judiciary Act
unconstitutional.
Result
• Established Judicial review – determine
Constitutionality of a law or act of
Congress.
• Maintained Balance of Power
Land Act of 1800
• Americans able to buy land in small
parcels and on credit
• Easier to transfer land from government to
citizens
Louisiana Purchase
• Napoleon controlled the mouth of the Mississippi
River, which increased the cost of trade.
Jefferson in 1803, sent James Monroe to Paris
to offer to buy the city of New Orleans.
Napoleon offered instead to sell all of the French
claims known as Louisiana. Monroe and
Livingston offered Napoleon $15 million for the
Louisiana purchase.
• Doubled the size of the U.S.
Lewis & Clark Expedition
• Jefferson arranged for an expedition to explore the area
included in the Louisiana purchase. Jefferson chose his
private secretary, Meriwether Lewis to lead the
expedition. Lewis chose William Clark as his companion
officer, whom he had served with in the military years
before.
• Goals – search for river routes to the western ocean,
make contact with Native Americans living in the territory,
and gather information about the regions natural
resources.
• Began in the spring of 1804. The expedition reached the
Pacific Ocean late in 1805, and returned east by
September 1806. Maps, animal specimens, navigated
rivers, and met with Native Americans.
actual compass used
• School house Rock - Elbow Room.flv –
YouTube
Jefferson’s Foreign Policy
• Both the French and British harassed American
trading ships. The British also kidnapped
American sailors to serve in their navy. In 1807
a British ship, the Leopard, attacked the U.S.S.
Chesapeake, inflicted twenty-one casualties,
and boarded it to search for deserters from His
Majesty’s navy. Jefferson was outraged, but
was not ready to go to war. Instead he chose an
economic weapon against the British and
French.
Embargo Act 1807
• Congress passed the Embargo Act of 1807, which
outlawed almost all trade with foreign countries. Britain’s
trade, however, had grown too strong to be severely
injured by the embargo. The French, too, were largely
unaffected.
• Many Americans, on the other hand, hated the embargo
– particularly New Englanders who made their living
through trade and smuggled goods. Many did not feel
the government should interfere in the economy.
Jefferson had no alternative but to use his small navy
and federal agents to enforce the law. Because of this
Jefferson became unpopular and he only served 2
terms.
Section 4
Native American Resistance
War in the Old Northwest
• 1790- many tribes came together to fight
American expansion. They also had the
help of the British.
• Soon the Native Americans would have a
few victories. Fought successfully against
American expansion.
• But then the British no longer offered help,
and they had to fight the newly formed
army (Legion of the United States).
• In 1794 General Mad Anthony led a victory
at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (Ohio).
• Resulted in the signing of the Treaty of
Greenville in which the Miami, Delaware,
and the Shawnee lost the southern 2/3’s of
Ohio. Also the Ohio River no longer a
permanent boundary.
• This defeat weakened their resistance to
American expansion.
Native American Reactions
• In the early 1800’s, several Native
American leaders proposed different ways
to deal with the United States. The
options they suggested included four
broad strategies: accepting white culture,
blending Indian and American cultures,
returning to Indian religious traditions, and
taking military actions.
• One to accept while
culture was Little Turtle,
leader of the Miami
people, who after trying to
fight Americans, lived the
rest of his life in Indiana.
Adopted parts of
American culture. He
accepted Americans’
customs and tried to live
peacefully with settlers.
• Handsome Lake led the
Seneca’s of Western NY
in a movement to return
to ancient beliefs and
ritual while adopting
European ideas about
land, agriculture and
family life. Was one to
blend cultures of Seneca
and European cultures.
• Not wanting to live on a
Reservation.
Tenskwatawa
• Also known as The Prophet, called for a return
to traditional Native American ways and a total
rejection of European values. He strongly
opposed assimilation, the process by which
people of one culture merge into and become
Completely reject European culture.
• part of another culture. 1808 established
Prophetstown.
• He also adopted an increasingly warlike attitude
toward the United States. Established
Prophetstown on the Wabash River. In this he
was aided by his older brother Tecumseh.
Taking Military Action
• Tecumseh earned a reputation as a talented war
chief.
• Believed only hope of resisting American
expansion was to united by overcoming local
and group differences.
• Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa did not accept
treaties made with the U.S. government,
specifically the Treaty of Fort Wayne. Trick part
that said land could be transferred and Native
Americans did not believe anyone could own
land. Thus tricked into giving up land.
• August 1810 Tecumseh met with Governor
Harrison to warn about the practice of
government buying land. Feared there
would be fighting among the tribes.
• Harrison’s reaction was to fight and
Tenskwatawa responded. On Nov. 7,
1811, he sent warriors to attack Harrison.
Battle of Tippecanoe
• The Battle of Tippecanoe lasted about two
hours.
• Neither side won, but the battle shattered
Native American moral and eroded
confidence in Tenskwatawa’s leadership.
Section 5
The War of 1812
Call to War
• In June 1812, President Madison sent a
message urging Congress to declare war
against the British. Madison argued that the
British had not only encouraged the Indians to
attack American settlers, but had also interfered
with United States shipping.
• Impressment is the act of forcing people into
military service. British ships regularly stopped
American ships at sea and removed men.
Congress approved Madison’s call for war.
Problems
• The Nation would have to deal not only
with the powerful British, but with Native
Americans to the north and south who
were angered by western expansion.
• America was not ready to fight. A regular
army of 12,000 were scattered and led by
political appointees rather than
experienced commanders.
• Small navy
• England fought a reluctant war.
• English commercial interests saw America
as an important market and supplier, so
their support for war was halfhearted.
• America didn’t lose this war, nor did it
really win.
Land War
• Summer of 1812, while trying to capture
Canada, American troops were beaten.
Naval War
• British outnumber our ships 2 to 1.
• Important naval victory took place in the
summer of 1813. Master Commandant
Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a small
British fleet on Lake Erie, enabling the
U.S. to control the lake and protect a vital
stretch of its northern border.
Burning of Washington D.C.
• About 4000 British troops descended on
Washington DC, meeting little opposition.
• President James Madison and his wife,
Dolly Madison were warned of the
approach of the British and fled.
• Toward evening, the British entered the
capital and started fires that consumed the
city.
Fort McHenry
• The British then moved toward Baltimore. An
all-night bombardment of Fort McHenry, at the
entrance to Baltimore harbor, was witnessed by
lawyer Francis Scott Key.
• Key wrote a testimony to the American’s
determination to stand strong against an
overwhelming enemy.
• Wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” as he saw the
flag continue to wave over the fort.
Actual Flag - Smithsonian
First Printed Song 1814
Treaty of Ghent
• Both the British and the Americans
realized that no one wanted war, and the
British realized they could not win.
• In December 1814, representatives of two
nations met in Belgium and signed the
Treaty of Ghent, ending the war. All the
old boundaries between the United States
and British territory in North America were
restored.
Battle of New Orleans
• The greatest victory for the United States came two
weeks after the treaty was signed. Result of the slow
communications.
• On December 23, 1814, a British force of 5000 men tried
to take New Orleans from the south. General Andrew
Jackson and 5000 soldiers and volunteers from all over
the Mississippi Valley, including two battalions of free
African Americans defended the city.
• The battle was finished in just over an hour. The British
suffered 2036 casualties, the Americans 21. The Battle
of New Orleans was a remarkable victory and America
was able to end the war on a powerful, positive note.
Post War Boom & Panic
• In 1815, the United States entered a period of growth
and prosperity. Congress in an attempt to deal with
financial problems resulting from the war, created the
Second Bank on the United States in 1816. Americans
began moving westward at an incredible rate and
borrowing money at the same time.
• In 1819, the United States experienced the first great
depression or severe economic downturn in its history.
The Panic of 1819 began across the Atlantic when
London banks demanded that banks in the United States
pay money owed to them. In turn, U.S. banks called in
loans from individuals. Many of the Americans who had
borrowed too much in the days of easy loans after 1815
were financially ruined.
Missouri Compromise – Question
of Slavery
• In 1819, Congress began debating the admission of the
state of Missouri to the United States.
• They were not simply concerned about the liberty of
African Americans; they worried that another slave state
would increase the power of the southern states in the
senate.
• The slave trade had been outlawed in 1808, but an illicit
trade of slaves continued. It is important to realize that
while strong abolitionist movements were beginning to
gather force in America, the slavery debate was
essentially about politics and economics rather than
morality. Wage-paying northerners were forced to
compete against slave labor in the South. Slave-holding
southerners needed more land to grown more cotton to
sell to the textile mills.
• This issue would continue as more
territories apply for statehood.
• It was not an issue that the government
wanted to confront.
• Also, many states believed that it was not
in the power of the federal government to
decide. The decision should be made by
each state.
Result
• Missouri compromise was signed into law in
1820. It had two main points. (1) Slavery would
be permitted in Missouri, at the same time,
Maine was carved out of what had been
northern Massachusetts and admitted to the
Union as a free or non-slave state. This
arrangement kept the balance in the Senate
between slave and free states. (2) Congress
agreed that as the United States expanded
westward, states north of 36 30 N latitude would
be free states.