Federalists Ascendant: John Adams

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Federalists Ascendant John Adams Presidency

• US History Libertyville HS

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Development of Political Parties

• Washington above politics, but a federalist
• Federalist party emerges
• John Adams, Hamilton, etc
• Characteristics
• Pro industrial development
• Pro British
• Pro strong central government
• Looser interpretation of Constitution

Prominent Federalists
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Development of Political Parties

• Democratic-Republicans (D-Rs)
• Thomas Jefferson, Madison, etc
• Characteristics
• Pro agriculture
• Pro revolutionary France
• Pro common man
• Pro States rights (vs. strong central government)
• Strict interpretation of Constitution

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Election of 1796

• First post-Washington election
• John Adams (F) 71 EV
• Thomas Jefferson (D-R) 68 EV
• Thomas Pinckney (F) 59 EV
• Aaron Burr (D-R) 30 EV

President John Adams (F) VP Thomas Jefferson
(D-R)
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President, VP From Different Parties

• Constitution
• President to be person with most EVs
• VP to be person with second most EVs
• No concept of ticket or pres, VP running
  together
• Founders did not anticipate rise of political
  parties
• Became big problem in Adams Admin.

VP Jefferson
Pres. Adams
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John Adams

• Born in Massachusetts
• Raised a puritan-lite
• Became a lawyer
• Second cousins to Samuel Adams
• Joined patriot cause after Stamp Act
• Popularized argument no taxation without
  representation

Birthplace of John Adams
Young Adams
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John Adams

• During Rev. War, served in Continental Congress
• Served on Committee of 5
• Looked to for advice on forming governments /
  writing constitutions

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Adams in Europe

• 1777 Adams sent to France as diplomat
• Sent back to Europe to negotiate peace treaty,
  1779-80
• Continued to serve as ambassador to Holland
  (1780-82), England (1785-88)

Portrait of Treaty of Paris negotiators (British
refused to pose portrait never Finished)
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Vice President Adams

• Came in second in election of 1788, 1792 (second
  of revolutionary generation, only after
  Washington)
• Washington rarely asked Adams opinion
• Adams main job president of Senate
• His opinion on the Vice-presidency

"My country has in its wisdom contrived for me
the most insignificant office that ever the
invention of man contrived or his imagination
conceived."
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President Adams Foreign Policy

• Continued neutrality
• Adams wanted to stay out of war between Britain,
  France
• Problem Jays Treaty angered French, so they
  began attacking American shipping
• Adams sent diplomats to negotiate with French
  (Pinckney, Gerry, Marshall)

French (in distance) bearing down on damaged
American ship
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John Adams XYZ Affair

• Three French agents demanded 250k bribe, 12
  million loan to help French fight wars and public
  apology just to let Americans see French foreign
  minister
• Americans went home, instead

Americans (at left) facing French revolutionary
demands, in US newspaper cartoon
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John Adams XYZ Affair

• Jefferson demanded to see reports from diplomats
  (Why?)
• Released to public, changing French agents names
  to X, Y and Z
• Huge public outcry Millions for defense, but
  not one cent for tribute!

Token handed out during XYZ Affair
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John Adams Quasi-War

• Quasi-War No declaration, but French, American
  warships attacked each other and merchant ships
• American negotiators offered French same terms as
  Jays Treaty, but French refused
• 1800 Adams renegotiated treaty
• US drops claim for damaged merchant ships
• France released US from alliance of 1778
• Weakened US affection for French

USS Constellation active during Quasi War
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John Adams Domestic Affairs

• Alien-Sedition Acts (1798)
• Alien Friends Act
• Authorized the president to deport any resident
  alien considered "dangerous to the peace and
  safety of the United States.
• Aimed at French sympathizers
• Alien Enemies Act (still in effect)
• authorized the president to apprehend and deport
  resident aliens if their home countries were at
  war with the United States
• Naturalization Act
• Extended the duration of residence required for
  aliens to become citizens to 14 years
• Sedition Act
• made it a crime to publish "false, scandalous,
  and malicious writing" against the government or
  its officials

Fight in Congress during debate over Sedition
Act, 1798
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John Adams Domestic Affairs

• Reaction to Sedition Act
• Jefferson Unconstitutional!!
• First Amendment
• Tenth Amendment
• No Judicial Review yet (M v M in 1803) thus,
  exercise of undelegated powers by Feds
• TJ, James Madison introduce KY and VA Resolutions
• Called on states to nullify laws
• Compact theory US made up of voluntary union of
  states giving some power to central govt but
  states do not give away their sovereignty
• If states sovereignty violated, then state had
  right to nullify Federal act or secede from union

Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the Press . . .
The powers not delegated to the United States
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people.
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John Adams Domestic Affairs

• Alien-Sedition Acts in Action
• No aliens deported (many fled)
• 25 people, mainly D-R newspaper editors, arrested
  under Sedition Act (incl. 1 congressman!)
• 11 tried, 10 convicted
• Led to end of Federalist Party
• Federalists tossed out of office
• After his election, President Jefferson pardoned
  all those convicted under Sedition Act

The power of the press . . .
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The 1800 Election

• One of the nastiest elections ever (slander,
  personal attacks)
• Jefferson v. Adams
• Campaign destroyed friendship, for years
• Jefferson, Burr tie election goes to Federalist
  House
• On 35 ballots, deadlocked 8 states to 8 states
• On 36th ballot, Hamilton convinced other
  Federalists to change vote to Jefferson (Burr was
  personal enemy)

Jefferson (D-R) 73 Burr
(D-R) 73 J. Adams (F) 65 Pinckney
(F) 64
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1800 Election Aftermath

• 12th Amendment
• President, VP run as a ticket
• Each elector casts 1 vote for a president, 1
  vote for a VP
• President, VP must win absolute majority of EC
  votes
• Deadlocks go to House, where each state gets one
  vote for any of top 3 tickets
• Federalists lose control of legislature, Fed
  bureaucracy
• Adams Midnight appointments to judiciary
  (eventually leads to Marbury v. Madison)

Boston Sentinel, 1801