Shaping the National Government

1
Shaping the National Government
2
A National Bank?

• Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton used his
  position in government to develop plans that
  would secure his Federalist agenda.
• One such plan was the proposal of a National Bank
  to handle the national government's finances.
• Most Republicans opposed the plan because they
  believed the national government lacked the
  formal power to establish such a bank.

3
The Republican Position

• The creation of a National Bank was strongly
  opposed by Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans.
• According to the Republicans, a National Bank
  gave the federal government too much power and
  seemed monarchic in nature.

4
The Jay Treaty

• Foreign policy begin to emerge as an issue of
  contention between Federalists and Republicans.
• George Washington sent John Jay to England to
  negotiate a treaty to ease growing tensions.
• The Federalists strongly supported commerce,
  commercial and diplomatic harmony with Britain
  and a strong central government, and were thus
  supportive of the Jay Treaty.
• The Republicans, led largely by Jefferson and
  Madison supported agriculture, harmony with
  France and state's rights.
• The Jay Treaty was a polarizing agent in the
  schism between the Federalists and the
  Republicans.

5
George Washington

• Washington served as the president of the
  Constitutional Convention as well as the first
  president of the United States.
• In 1796, George Washington defied the
  expectations of many by declining to seek a third
  term as president.
• Washington warned of the dangers of factions and
  the growing political parties

6
Alien and Sedition Acts

• The Alien and Sedition Acts dealt largely with
  foreigners and rebels.
• The main supporters of these laws were members of
  the Federalist Party, who controlled Congress.
• They gave the President power to deport any
  foreigner perceived as a threat to the nation.
• Fines and imprisonment could also be handed down
  to anyone who criticized the government.
• Heavy influxes of immigration from France and
  Ireland served to threaten the Federalist cause,
  as these immigrants typically aligned themselves
  with Republican causes.
• The Kentucky and Virginia state legislatures
  issued resolutions declaring the acts
  unconstitutional.
• These were distributed to other states promoting
  the Republican cause.

7
Election of 1800

• President John Adams, a fierce Federalist, ran
  against Republican Thomas Jefferson.
• Jefferson was the first presidential candidate to
  be nominated by a political party.
• The nomination of a candidate by a political
  party ushered in a new method of presidential
  campaigning.
• Jefferson, while a strong supporter of the ideas
  of his party, was not a strong supporter of the
  party system
• Jefferson's Republican Party was the foundation
  for today's Democratic Party.
• Jefferson was elected.

8
Revolution of 1800

• The Federalist Party had controlled the
  presidency and Congress from the inception of the
  nation until the election of 1800.
• Jefferson's victory in 1800 was essentially a
  Republican victory and was seen as a revolution
  of ideas and personnel.
• The Federalist Party would never again gain
  control of the national government and ceases to
  be an organized party by 1816.

9
Hartford Convention

• Federalist Party members met at the Hartford
  Convention from December 15, 1814 to January 5,
  1815.
• The purpose of the Convention was to express
  grievances against policies of the Republicans
  and its conduct in the War of 1812.
• A major source of contention was certain policies
  that had the effect of reducing the far-reaching
  influence of the New England states.
• During the Convention, the Federalists proposed
  seven constitutional amendments to mitigate these
  perceived problems.

10
Media Citations

• Slide 2 http//www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/ham
  ilton7.jpg
• Slide 3 http//www.visitingdc.com/images/thomas-j
  efferson-picture.jpg
• Slide 4 http//www4.alief.isd.tenet.edu/saboltin/
  FoundingFathers/Founding20Fathers/john.htm
• Slide 5 http//artfiles.art.com/images/-/Gilbert-
  Stuart/George-Washington-Print-C10032257.jpeg
• Slide 7 http//teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/th
  umbnail95.html
• Slide 9 http//content.answers.com/main/content/w
  p/en/3/3f/TheHartfordConventionOrLeapNoLeap.jpg