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

Alexander Hamilton

Henry KnoxEdmund 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

Washington Monument

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

D.C.

Arlington Cemetery World War II memorial Vietnam Memorial

Iwo Jima Memorial FDR 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