US History Chapter 6The Origins of American Politics

Section 1: Liberty vs. Order in the 1790s

Section 2: The Election of 1800 Section 3: The Jefferson Administration Section 4: Native American Resistance Section 5: The War of 1812

Section 1: Liberty vs. Order Americans became sharply divided in

the 1790s over whether order of liberty was more important.

Essentially this was an argument between those called the Federalists & the Jeffersonian-Republicans over the role of the federal government in the new nation

Federalists Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the

Treasury: had responsibility of organizing the nation’s economic policy and figuring out a plan to pay off the new nation’s debts from the war

Hamilton was a keen supporter of a strong FEDERAL government

He proposed a complicated plan to help the economy and strengthen the national government

A Deal with the South 1790-Congress approves Hamilton’s

plan for the national government t to assume the debts acquired by the states during the Revolutionary War

The Southern states did not want to pay Northern debts but Hamilton struck up a deal to get them to go along by ensuring that the nation’s capital would be in the South

State Debts Hamilton’s plan put the federal

government $75 million dollars into debt The federal government holding the

debt made us stronger as a centralized country.

Our debts were to foreign lenders who wanted to get paid back. Therefore they had an interest in the nation as a whole not just individual states.

Hamilton’s Strategy Hamilton outlined regular payments to

creditors and a specific budget was created In 1789, Congress created a tariff (tax on

imported goods) By 1791, the Whiskey Tax was instituted The money from these went to pay

government officials and debts. Finances started to get complicated so

Congress created the Bank of the United States

Jeffersonian-Republicans Many did not like Hamilton’s plan, they

thought it gave the federal government too much power

Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson was strongly opposed to Hamilton’s plan

Jefferson supported a strict construction of the Constitution whereas Hamilton supported a loose interpretation

Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State after Washington sided with Hamilton on these issues

Foreign Policy Americans were divided over the French

Revolution Federalists opposed it Jeffersonian-Republicans were in favor of

it, they considered it to be an extension of the American Revolution

The Whiskey Rebellion People in western Pennsylvania began

refusing to the pay the tax on whiskey Whiskey was one of the ONLY products that

farmers could make out of corn that could transported to market without spoiling

Washington reacted strongly by assembling a large army to respond to the rebellion which dissolved quickly.

This outcome made it clear to the world that the young nation was committed to enforcing its laws.

Election of 1796 Washington chose not to run for a 3rd

term John Adams ran as the Federalist

candidate Thomas Jefferson ran on the Republican

side Adams won 71-68 Because Jefferson finished 2nd in the race,

he became Vice President under the rules of the Constitution at this time

Washington says Farewell Washington did not support political

parties and he supported a foreign policy of neutrality

“ a system of political parties agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, and stirs up riot and insurrection.”

George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

Section 2 The Election of 1800

Foreign relations w/ France XYZ Affair – American officials refused to

take a bribe to see the French foreign minister, common practice in Europe, Americans refused

Eventually, America and France were in an unofficial naval war

Alien and Sedition Acts Alien Act and the Alien Enemies Act gave

the President power to arrest & deport citizens of other countries living in the U.S.

Naturalization Act increased from 5 years to 14 years the time an applicant had to wait to become a citizen

Sedition Act – persons who wrote, published or said anything “false, scandalous, and malicious against the American government or its officials could be fined or jailed”

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions James Madison and Thomas Jefferson

responded to the Federalist-backed Alien & Sedition Acts with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

These were adopted by legislatures of those two states and argued that the states had the right to judge whether federal laws agreed with the Constitution

John Adams runs for President Adams lost Federalist support when

he made peace with France without aggression

Peace with France made the Jeffersonian-Republicans support of them less of a rallying point

The highly unpopular Alien and Sedition Acts seemed less justified now that the threat of war had faded

The Election of 1800 Jefferson won the popular vote but not

the electoral college vote Jefferson actually tied with his running

mate (Aaron Burr) with each receiving 73 electoral votes

Adams had 65 electoral votes Under Article II of the Constitution, if

two candidates tied, the House of Representatives chose the President

1800 Election continued… Each of the 16 States would get one

vote It was clear that the states would be

deadlocked once again until Alexander Hamilton gave his support to Thomas Jefferson

The House of Representatives finally voted for Thomas Jefferson as the 3rd President of the United States

Gabriel Prosser’s Rebellion African Americans were barred from

participation in the political system that was emerging

Enslaved African Americans were discussing liberty all around them and some planned a rebellion led by a blacksmith, Gabriel Prosser

They intended to take over Richmond, VA and win their freedom but failed

Prosser and his fellow rebels were executed Prosser’s Rebellion reminds us that the idea

of freedom was yet to be embraced by all

Section 3 The Jefferson Administration

Jefferson Main goal as President was to reduce

the power of the federal government To accomplish this he reversed many

federal programs He reduced the size of the Army and

government bureaucracy

Marbury v. Madison Involved the appointment of William Marbury as

justice of the peace for the District of Columbia Secretary of State James Madison (under orders

from Jefferson) did not deliver the papers giving Marbury his authority

Marbury sued Madison so that he could take his office (he wanted the Supreme Court to make the order)

The US Supreme Court ruled against Marbury stating that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to tell the Executive Branch what to do

Judicial Review Precedent started by Marbury v.

Madison This case established the Court’s right

to decide whether laws passed were Constitutional

It also allowed the Federal courts to review state laws and state court decisions to determine their keeping wth the US Constitution

Westward Expansion

Jefferson passed the Land Act of 1800 Huge supporter of westward expansion A process by which western territories

could now become states People were able to buy small parcels of

land on credit He also urged Congress to approve the

$15 million Louisiana Purchase

Napoleon & the French Farmers in West use the Mississippi

River to transport crops The French had control of these lands in

the West now & were extracting large sums of money from traders to use the river

Jefferson send Madison to France to buy the City of New Orleans ($10 million)

The Louisiana Purchase Napoleon wanted to sell the French claim in

America known as Louisiana Monroe, along with the American minister in

France offered $15 million for the entire claim

Jefferson had his doubts but because the Constitution did not address the purchase of foreign lands so he encouraged Congress to approve this deal

The Louisiana Purchase greatly increased the size of our national debt and the land size of the United States

Louisiana Purchase

Lewis & Clark The Lewis & Clark Expedition began in the

spring of 1804 Congress agreed to finance their

exploration of the Louisiana Purchase lands Sacajawea, a Shoshone Indian, served as a

guide for them as well as an interpreter Their journey lasted two years and four

months & provided much information about the lands of the West

Election of 1804 Jefferson’s policies were making him popular He succeeded in lowering taxes, acquiring

vast new territory & allowing the Alien & Sedition Acts to expire

He had also kept the nation at PEACE Federalists were ANTI-Louisiana Purchase Jefferson wins the Presidency by an electoral

vote of 162-14, beating Charles Pinckney by capturing all but two states

Hamilton and Burr Aaron Burr (who was now a Federalist) was

Jefferson’s 1st Vice President but did not run with him in 1804

Instead he attempted to run for the New York governorship until Alexander Hamilton urged his friends in NY not to support Burr and Burr did not receive the nomination from the Federalists

Burr was tied with Jefferson in 1800 and Hamilton supported Jefferson, this was the 2nd time in Burr’s opinion that Hamilton had prevented him from political office

The Duel Burr was so furious with Hamilton that

he challenged him to a duel set for July 11, 1804

Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, the leader of the Federalist party

Burr was charged w/ murder and fled to NY to avoid prosecution

Eventually Burr tried to invade Mexico & was tried for treason in 1807

Embargo of 1807 Very unpopular with Americans 1807 – Great Britain ignored the Jay’s Treaty

and the Leopard attacked the USS Chesapeake (21 people died)

In Retaliation, Jefferson chose an economic weapon to hurt Britain

The Act outlawed almost all trade with foreign countries

Britain’s trade was too big to be hurt by this and the French were largely unaffected as well

Therefore this Embargo ruined Jefferson’s 2nd term because it hurt our economy.

Jefferson ended his 2nd term and retired to his home, Monticello.

Section 4 Native American Resistance

Battle of Fallen Timbers Present day Ohio, new national army

known as the Legion was waging battles against Native American tribes

As a result of this battle, the Miami, Delaware, Shawnee , and other Native Americans were forced to accept the Treaty of Grenville (1795) Treaty relinquished Native American hold

on the southern two-thirds of Ohio

Native American Reactions Little Turtle, leader of the Miami people

adopted settlers customs in hopes of living in peace

Handsome Lake, of the Seneca tribe, called for the rebirth of Seneca culture that would blend Native American customs with those of white Americans Handsome Lake later was forced to live

on a reservation

Returning to Native American Traditions Tenskwatawa – also known as “the

Prophet” called for a return to traditional native American ways and established a community called “Prophetstown” in Indiana

He adopted an attitude that was warlike against the United States aided by his brother, Tecumseh

Battle of Tippecanoe Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa opposed treaties

that gave up Native American lands in Indiana to the white settlers

The brothers met with government officials and others to protest the tricks the government used to obtain these lands

The governor, William Henry Harrison agreed at first but then when Tecumseh was away in Mississippi recruiting other tribes, Harrison’s men marched North into Prophetstown.

Tenskwatawa sent warriors to attack Harrison and his men at the Battle of Tippecanoe

A four hour battle with no clear winner – it devastated the morale of the Native Americans

Days later, Prophetstown was burned to the ground

Section 5 The War of 1812

War Breaks Out Following the Battle of Tippecanoe, attacks

against the white settlers by Native Americans increased

Most Americans believe that the British are arming and financing the Native Americans in their fight

President Madison, in 1812, urged Congress to declare war against Great Britain

This becomes known was the War of 1812

The Land War America’s army and navy are much

smaller than Britain and the U.S. loses a lot of battles

Andrew Jackson sees victory against the British allies, the Creek Indians in Alabama

The Creek Indians sign a treaty and give U.S. lands that are now Alabama & southern Georgia

British are nowhere near ready to give up

The Naval War American victories at sea by the crews

of the Constitution (Old Ironsides), the Wasp and the United States raised the country’s morale

Americans lost battles at sea, too. The dying order of Captain James

Lawrence of the Chesapeake was “Don’t give up the ship!”

The Burning of Washington DC In 1814, the British Fleet was surprised by

the strength of the American forces that drove them back over the Canadian border

At the same time – the British invaded Washington, DC and the White House, the Capitol & the City were engulfed in flames

As the British moved towards Baltimore, Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner and the British were finally forced to turn back by the Americans

Star Spangled Banner“and the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air – Gave proof through the

night that our flag was still there. O say, does that Star-spangled Banner yet wave?

O’er the land of the free & the home of the brave?”

Francis Scott Key 1814

The War of 1812 Ends

British and Americans jointly decide that the war is not what they want

Treaty of Ghent (Belgium) is signed, ending war December 24, 1814 The United States had now established

itself as an independent nation in the eyes of European powers

The Battle of New Orleans Two weeks AFTER the Treaty of Ghent

was signed: the battle was over in one hour Most of the shooting was in 1st 20-minutes Americans ended unhappy war on a

positive and powerful note Patriotism was restored, the country was

unified and Andrew Jackson was a national hero

Missouri The 1787 Northwest Ordinance stated

that no state northwest of the Ohio River could be admitted as a slave state

Missouri was not covered by this law, but Congress debated about its being admitted as a slave state for fear of making the South stronger than the North Currently there are 11 Northern & 11

Southern states

The Missouri Compromise Signed into law by Congress in 1820 Two main points

(1) slavery not restricted in Missouri, Maine would be carved out of Massachusetts & admitted as a “free” state & Missouri as a “slave” state

(2)northern lands of the Louisiana Purchase would be closed to slavery