Washington + Adams 1789 - 1800

Question 1

The First Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789. What did the Act accomplish?

Answer 1

The only court mentioned in the Constitution was the Supreme Court.

As such, the Judiciary Act of 1789 did the following:

• placed five associate justices and one Chief Justice on the Supreme Court
• established 13 District Courts – one for each state
• organized three Courts of Appeals as a layer between the District and Supreme Courts

Question 2

What was Alexander Hamilton’s plan for fixing the economy during Washington’s first term as President?

Answer 2

As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton made three proposals:

1. A National Bank
2. The federal government would pay the debts of states from the Revolutionary War using the national bank
3. A high tariff on imported goods, to protect the newly created factories in the North from British competition

Question 3

Hamilton’s economic plan received strong support in the Northern states. Why?

Answer 3

Hamilton’s plan called for tariffs.

These tariffs would make products produced in British factories more expensive when those products were sold in the United States, which greatly benefitted American factory owners and businesses.

Pro tip: A manufactured product is a product that is produced in a factory. Protective tariffs, like the ones proposed by Hamilton, were intended to protect American manufacturing.

Question 4

Many Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, opposed Hamilton’s plan to create a strong central government. Why?

Answer 4

Jefferson and his supporters had two main objections to Hamilton’s plan:

1. They were concerned that as the federal government gained power, the states would lose it.
2. They felt that it would benefit the rich and hurt poor farmers.

Question 5

What was Hamilton’s view of Congress’ power under the Constitution?

Answer 5

Hamilton, who favored a strong central government, felt that the Constitution’s “necessary and proper” clause endowed Congress with the power to do whatever was necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

Question 6

Jefferson opposed Hamilton’s view of the Constitution. What was Jefferson’s view?

Answer 6

Jefferson felt that a strong central government would be detrimental to the rights of the states. Jefferson argued that Congress’ powers were specifically limited to those which were enumerated in the Constitution.

Question 7

How did Washington react to the outbreak of war between the French and the British following the French Revolution?

Answer 7

Washington was concerned that the United States was too weak to become entangled in European affairs; and in 1793 he declared that the United States would stay strictly neutral. As such, the United States would support neither Britain nor France.

Question 8

Did the vast majority of Americans oppose or support the French Revolution?

Answer 8

Support for the French Revolution was strong in the United States, although there was concern about the intense violence and mob attacks which accompanied it.

Thomas Jefferson and his allies proved to be the French Revolution’s strongest supporters.

Question 9

Complete the sentence:

The French government’s Ambassador to the United States, ______ _____ , violated diplomatic protocols by directly requesting that the American people support the French Revolution, despite Washington’s declaration of neutrality.

Answer 9

Citizen Genêt

Genêt’s conduct was a scandal and deeply offensive to the American government, and Washington asked the French to recall Genêt.

Question 10

Complete the sentence:

A loose alliance of Indian tribes in the Great Lakes region, allied to resist American expansion, was known as the ______ ______.

Answer 10

Western Confederacy

The allied group of Native Americans scored several victories over minor American forces in 1790 and 1791, prompting George Washington to dispatch a strong force under General Anthony Wayne to the Ohio Territory.

Question 11

In 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Western Confederacy, a loose alliance of Indian tribes, at which battle?

Answer 11

The Battle of Fallen Timbers

After the battle, the Western Confederacy signed the Treaty of Greenville, whereby the Native Americans agreed to give up much of present-day Ohio to the United States, and opened the land for white settlement.

Question 12

Explain what happened during the Whiskey Rebellion.

Answer 12

To raise funds for the new federal government Alexander Hamilton had wanted to establish a high tariff, but Congress established a lower tariff and raised the rest by taxing various domestic products, including whiskey.

Farmers in Western Pennsylvania didn’t want to pay the tax on the whiskey, so they attacked the tax collectors.

In response, Washington raised 15,000 men, led by Alexander Hamilton, and sent them to Western Pennsylvania to squash the rebellion. By the time the army arrived, the rebellion had dispersed.

Question 13

How did many western citizens view Washington’s dispatch of a 15,000-man army under Alexander Hamilton to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion?

Answer 13

With the Revolutionary War still a fresh memory (it was fought over taxes after all), Washington’s decision provoked outcry throughout the west. As the chief critic of the federal government, Thomas Jefferson became an outspoken supporter of the western farmer.

Question 14

Explain the difference between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton’s ideas about where the country’s strength was.

Answer 14

Thomas Jefferson believed that farmers were central to American success. Alexander Hamilton, on the other hand, believed that the nation could best be strengthened through manufacturing and trade.

Question 15

By Washington’s second term, two political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, had arisen. What did the Federalist Party believe?

Answer 15

Under leaders such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, the Federalist Party:

• Believed in a strong central government
• Favored business
• Supported high tariffs
• Advocated for a national bank.

The Federalist Party was pro-British, and found support among wealthy landowners and Northern businessmen.

Question 16

The Democratic-Republican Party was mixed with Federalists and Anti-Federalists and arose during Washington’s second term as President. What did the Democratic-Republican Party believe?

Answer 16

The Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, desired a weak central government with limited powers as clearly written in the Constitution.

The Democratic-Republicans favored western farmers and agriculture. In contrast to the Federalists, the D-R’s wanted lower protective tariffs and supported the French Revolution.

Question 17

John Jay signed a treaty with Great Britain, which was narrowly approved by the Senate. The Jay Treaty provoked an outcry. Why?

Answer 17

John Jay had been sent to negotiate a treaty regarding the British policy of impressment, which was the practice of British sailors kidnapping American sailors whom the British claimed weren’t really American.

When John Jay returned to the USA, his treaty said nothing about impressment.

Instead, it was an agreement by the British to abandon their forts on the western frontier, which the British had already agreed to do at the end of the Revolutionary War.

In addition, Washington’s willingness to negotiate with the British irritated pro-French Democratic-Republicans.

Question 18

What did Pinckney’s treaty establish?

Answer 18

Spain (which controlled New Orleans at the time), agreed that Americans could transfer cargo at New Orleans, without paying taxes to the Spanish government.

This change significantly increased transportation along the Mississippi River by Americans, which led to the growth of New Orleans as a large shipping port.

Question 19

In 1796, Washington announced that he would retire after two terms, setting a precedent for future American Presidents.

Q: What did Washington warn against in his Farewell Address?

Answer 19

First, Washington warned Americans against forming political parties, a process that was already well underway. More importantly, Washington warned against involvement in European affairs and “permanent alliances” with European powers.

It’s not that Washington didn’t have a problem with Asian or African powers, it’s just that during this time, they rarely, if ever, interacted with the United States. If anything was going to drag America into a conflict, Washington believed, it was going to be the drama of Europe.

Question 20

What was the XYZ Affair?

Answer 20

Like the British, French naval ships were impressing American sailors and searching American ships. President Adams sent American diplomats to negotiate with France.

Three French ministers, whose names were never revealed and were known only as X, Y, and Z, requested bribes before the negotiations could begin. Insulted, the American diplomats returned home.

Question 21

How did most of the American public respond to news of the XYZ Affair?

Answer 21

Most Americans were outraged at the insult, and although popular support for war against Britain had been strong for a few months, now most Americans advocated for war against France.

Although national sentiment, voiced in the expression “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute,” argued strongly for war against France, Adams did not ask Congress to declare war, concerned that the U.S. Army and Navy was still too weak to fight a European power.

Question 22

In 1798, the Federalists won a majority of seats in the Senate and House due to anti-French sentiments after the XYZ affair. What three laws did they pass?

Answer 22

With their new majorities, the Federalists attempted to silence the Democratic-Republicans and passed:

1. the Alien Act
2. the Sedition Act
3. the Naturalization Act

Question 23

What powers did Congress give the President in the Alien Act of 1798?

Answer 23

The Alien Act gave the President the power to deport foreigners he deemed dangerous, and to detain foreigners in times of war. The Act was fiercely opposed by the Democratic-Republicans, who saw in it a dangerous expansion of federal power.

Question 24

How did the 1798 Sedition Act violate principles of free speech?

Answer 24

The Sedition Act allowed for fines against newspaper editors who criticized the President or Congress.

Question 25

Why did the Federalists pass the Naturalization Act in 1798?

Answer 25

The Naturalization Act made new immigrants wait an extra 9 years before they were allowed to become a citizen. This had lengthened it from 5 years to 14 years.

The Federalists passed it because most new citizens tended to vote with the Democratic-Republican Party.

Question 26

What were the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?

Answer 26

The state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky passed laws that stated that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the Constitution.

Question 27

Beginning shortly after the Revolutionary War, American architects drew inspiration from the buildings of the ancient world. What was this architectural movement called?

Answer 27

Greek Revival

American architects began featuring Greek columns, porticos, and marble in a style known as Greek Revival.

The White House, with its Greek columns and porticoed entrance, is an example of Greek Revival architecture and was constructed during the Presidency of John Adams.

Question 28

Define:

Republican Motherhood

Answer 28

Republican Motherhood stressed educating women with American democratic principles, so that those principles could be passed on to the next generation of Americans.

Question 29

What was the cult of domesticity?

Answer 29

The cult of domesticity, prominent throughout much of the 19th century, held that women were the moral leaders of the home, and that it was a woman’s role to ensure children were raised to follow democratic principles and to provide a quiet and relaxing environment for their husbands, separate from the sphere of industry.