Ch 4 Lecture Notes

American History

4-1

1789- 1^st Pres- Washington

- cabinet- created to advise Pres on specific matters

- Sec of State- Jefferson- foreign affairs

- Sec of War- Henry Knox- military

- Sec of Treasury- Alexander Hamilton- $

- Attorney General- Edmund Randolph- legal matters

Finance- lots of debt owed to citizens, countries

- bonds- notes agreeing to pay later

- Hamilton- wants Fed gov’t to pay for debts of states

- Madison/Jefferson- opposed to this, southerners had paid most of their debts, northern states owed the most, southern states would wind up paying norths debt

- Deal- southerners would help pay for debts of all, US capital will be in south

Bank of the US- issue loans, print $, manage debts- Hamilton supports

- Madison- no bank- 1. northerners only ones who can afford to be share holders

· 2. Constitution says nothing about creating a bank

Not in Enumerated Powers- specifically mentioned in Constitution

- Hamilton- bank is OK b/c “necessary and proper” clause in Const give gov’t Implied Powers- can do more than just what Const says

§ Wins, bank is created

Whiskey Rebellion- Hamilton gets excise tax- paid by manufacturer, passed on to comsumer, in this case placed on whiskey

- tax hit western farmers had b/c whiskey used as $, refused to pay tax

- Washingon sent in troops-

o result- Fed gov’t dealt w/ probs, can enforce laws (unlike Shay’s Rebellion)

Political Parties- Federalists- Hamilton, Adams, Washington

- wants strong gov’t, loose interpretation of Const gives gov’t more power and that is fine

- supports manufacturers and merchants

Democratic-Republicans- Jefferson, Madison

- wants weaker govt, individual/states’ rights protected (Anti-Federalists)

- more agricultural

Foreign policy- French Revolution- French citizens rebel against King/nobles

- Federalists, support monarchy, they helped us beat Eng

- Dem/Reps- support rebels, its exactly what we did against Eng

- Rebels win, war spreads to involve Eng v. French, what do we do?

o A treaty with France says we will help the French v. Eng, but that was with the old gov’t

- result- we remain neutral, Washington fears war with England

neutrality- we want to trade with both sides, make $ off of the war

- Eng seizes US ships headed to France

- Gets the Indians fired up in the west, still in forts supposed to leave after Rev. War

- Brings us to brink of war vs. Eng

Leads to Jay’s treaty - Brits leave forts in the West

- agree to hear grievances filed by merchants who had boats seized

- most favored nation status granted to Eng- becomes a preferred trading partner

- some view this as a sell out move, but it keeps up out of war

Washington leaves office-

- warns against regionalism (north v. south)

- warns against strong alliances

- warns against political parties

Adams as President-

- has to deal with France stopping US ships b/c of Jay’s Treaty (verge of war)

- French officials want bribe to begin negotiations to end stopping ships (XYZ affair

o Causes “Quasi-War” undeclared war, US stopping French ships, trade halted, ends OK w/o a full fledged war

- Alien and Sedition Acts- Attempt to strop Repubs from criticizing the Pres too loudly

o Alien Act- gave Pres power to deport aliens dangerous to us

· Immigrants must wait 14 year to become citizens

- Sedition Act- illegal to print anything “false, scandalous or malicious” against gov’t or federal official

- Ky/Va Resolutions- criticized the A and S acts

- said gov’t is an agreement w/ the states and states can judge if a law is unconstitutional

- states can declare a law invalid if they feel it is unConstitutional

- idea of “states rights” states need to be protected from Fed gov’t, more power to the states

- state sovereignty- states are superior to the federal gov’t

4-2

Jefferson- wants to trim the gov’t

- cuts spending, taxes

-westward expansion

-NW territory growing rapidly

- LA Purchase- area west of MS river, owned by France

- Napoleon needed $ for wars

- Jefferson agrees to do it, but it contradicts his strict constitutional views

- Lewis and Clark sent to explore the new territory

US v. England

- Brits still fighting France, stop US shipping in Atlantic

- Brits impressing (kidnapping) US sailors

- Brits still inciting Indians

- Embargo- US halts trade with England, winds up hurting US merchants worse

- Non-intercouse Act/Macon’s Bill- US will trade w/ which country lifts restrictions on US 1^st, but not the other one (France takes the bait)

War of 1812-

War Hawks- West/South, Eng is hurting their ability to sell crops overseas

NE- opposed to war b/c it will hurt trade

1^st- US invades Canada, not too bad

later- Eng done with France, can focus on US entirely

- US invaded, Wash DC burned

- Ft. McHenry- holds off invasion of Baltimore, Star Spangled Banner written

- Treaty of Ghent- War is over, no one wins

- B. of New Orleans, after the treaty, US defeats British (whips ‘em good)

Result of war- US gains respect in the world, b/c at least they didn’t lose

4-3

Attitudes- nationalism- pride in country, here it surpasses pride in state, region

Protective tariff- raises prices on foreign goods, people in US are encouraged to buy US goods

Revenue tariff- goal is to raise $ for the gov’t

$ needed for- internal imporovements- roads, bridges primarily in west, south

Florida- Indians raid from Spanish Florida, slaves escape there from US

- Jackson invades, Spain eventually cedes it to US

Monroe Doctrine- Some Euro countries losing their grip on colonies in Americas, want to ensure they don’t come back

- the Americas are closed to colonization, Europe stay out