Bell Ringer

What were challenges to

Adam’s presidency?

Exit Ticket

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?

What was the arguments for and against them?

Bell Ringer

What was your favorite Super Bowl

commercial?

John Adams Presidency

Adams Takes Office• 1796 – 1st political election

w/political parties• Federalist = John Adams

VS.• Dem. Rep. = Thomas

Jefferson• Pinckney and Burr were also

candidates in the election, but Adams beat Jefferson by 3 votes.

Problems With France• Britain and France still at

war• France seizing U.S. ships

– no trade w/ Britain• Adams sent

representatives to France

• France didn’t want to talk

Problems With France• XYZ Affair– France wanted $10 million

in loans– $250,000 to French

minister Talleyrand, just to talk with the U.S. representatives

• U.S. Congress repealed all treaties with France

• U.S. ships started to seize French ships and fight an undeclared naval war.

Alien and Sedition Acts• Increased the waiting

period for becoming a U.S. citizen from 5 to 14 years.

• Gave the President power to arrest disloyal aliens

• Outlawed sedition (slander on U.S. gov.)

• Very controversial• Used to silence Dem-Rep• Adams believed that people

wanted this• Legacy of Adams presidency

States’ Rights

• Jefferson and Madison looked for a loophole

• States’ Rights: – states had the right to

judge if government passed an unconstitutional law.

• Can be compared to the Patriot Act

Election of 1800• Sedition Act and federal taxes very

unpopular• Adams ran for president but people

disliked him• Tie between Thomas Jefferson and his

running mate Aaron Burr (both demo-reps)

• Vote went to the House of Representatives.

• Hamilton used his influence in support of Jefferson.

• This enraged Burr. His hatred of Hamilton increased until it led to the famous duel in 1804 in which Hamilton dies.

Why did the XYZ Affair anger Adams?

What did U.S. citizens want Adams to do?

Why was Adams not reelected? Do you

think his presidency was a success or a

failure?

What do you think was Hamilton’s greatest

legacy? Why?

•What were the dangers of Adams

keeping Washington’s cabinet?

What were the three main ideas Washington

warned the Government not to do

in his Farewell Address?

Why was signing the Alien and Sedition Act

and then crossing Hamilton a bad idea

for Adams?

Why did the XYZ Affair lead us closer to war

with the French?

•What did Aaron Burr do to avenge the betrayal of

Hamilton?