Early Republic

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Early Republic
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George Washington1st Pres, 1789-1797

• Unanimously elected John Adams got the next
  highest number of votes, becomes VP
• Refused His Majesty, eventually decided on Mr.
  President as a title
• Sets up Cabinet, sets precedent even though not
  in Constitution
• Serves two terms, steps down after two, chooses
  not to run again, sets two-term precedent
• Two main figures during presidency Alexander
  Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson

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Alexander Hamilton Secretary of Treasury

• Believed in strong central government, loose
  interpretation of Constitution If the
  Constitution doesnt address it directly, the
  government can interpret how to do it
• Established national debt, assumed state debt,
  created National Bank and created Whiskey Tax
• Did not get along with Thomas Jefferson
• Supporters known as Hamiltonians, eventually
  become Federalists

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Hamiltonian Economics

• Report on Public Credit Believed debt was good
  for nation, proved we planned on sticking around
  so absorbed state debts and agreed to pay war
  debt at face value
• Established National Bank Under implied powers,
  elasticity clause, interpreted Constitution to
  mean that a bank was needed to handle national
  funds, run by a group of appointed people
• Whiskey Tax must be paid BEFORE whiskey made,
  hard on farmers, very controversial Whiskey
  Rebellion

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Thomas Jefferson

• Believed in strict interpretation of
  Constitution if the Constitution didnt
  specifically say it, feds could not do it.
• Ultimately wanted an agrarian nation of wealthy
  farmers
• Very against National Bank, Whiskey Tax etc.
  Felt government was overstretching its bounds
• Supporters become known as Jeffersonians or
  Anti-Federalists, soon known as
  Democratic-Republicans

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George Washingtons Farewell Address

• Warns against two things
• No political factions
• Already a split occuring between Hamiltonians and
  Jeffersonians
• No entangling alliances
• Concerned about issues starting up between
  England and France again, did not believe we
  should get involved in other countries business
  needed to concentrate on domestic issues

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John Adams 2nd President 1797-1801

• First one-term president, Federalist but not
  emphasized because of Washingtons Farewell
  Address
• Very unpopular
• Foreign Policy Jay Treaty, XYZ affair,
  Quasi-War, unpopular with French
• Domestic Policy Alien and Sedition Acts,
  continued to build large standing army

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Revolution of 1800

• First peaceful transition of power from one
  belief system to another in history
• Switch from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans
  in election, very heated election
• Causes final split in friendship between Adams
  and Jefferson
• Ends in midnight appointments by Adams

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Supreme Court battles

• Afraid that Jefferson would change policy when in
  office, Adams created and appointed lots of
  federal judges at the last minute, before he left
  office, so they would enforce the policies he put
  into place
• John Marshall appointed Chief Justice and helped
  Adams send out appointments. Some sent,
  literally, the night before Adams left office and
  didnt arrive before Jefferson in charge
• Jefferson revokes appointments, suits begin

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Marshall Court Known for setting precedents
within Supreme Court that are used even today

• Marbury v Madison (1803) battle over midnight
  appts, establishes precedent of judicial review
• Fletcher v Peck (1810)
• McCulloch v Maryland (1819)
• Dartmouth v Woodward (1819)
• Gibbons v Ogden (1824)
• Worcester v Georgia (1832) -