The Presidency of John Adams

Transcription

1 Make Haste to Wage War "We must make haste to wage war, or we shall be lost.... Something energetic and decisive must be done soon. Congress fiddles while our Rome is burning. America... can interdict [prohibit] France the ocean." -Fisher Ames, urging war with France, 1798 French ship attacking an American ship The Presidency of John Adams Discuss the reasons for tension between the United States and France. John Adams succeeded Washington as President. He struggled to reduce the country's divisions and to steer a neutral course in foreign policy. Describe the main provisions of the Alien and Sedition acts. intensify the split between Explain how controversy arose over states' rights. Troubles With France Objectives \!) Why It Matters Reading Skill Identify Analogies In an analogy, two pairs of items are connected with the same sort of comparison. For example, both pairs might compare synonyms, or words with similar meanings. You must understand the comparison between the first pair in order to complete the comparison between the second pair. Some common types of analogies are cause-effect, antonyms, and synonyms. Key Terms alien sedition 298 nullify states' rights Chapter 8 Launching a New Nation Section Focus Question: How did problems with France the Federalists and Republicans? Adams immediately faced a crisis over relations with France. The French were angered by US. neutrality in the war between France and Britain. France had hoped for US. support. Had not French assistance been the key to success in the American Revolution? Why didn't Americans show their gratitude by helping the French now? The Jay Treaty only increased tensions with France. As the French saw it, the treaty put the United States on Britain's side. France reacted late in 1796by snubbing a US. diplomat. Moreover, the French continued to attack American merchant ships. The XYZ Affair In 1797,Adams sent a new three-person mission to France. Agents of the French government demanded that the United States pay a bribe of $250,000. The agents also wanted the United States to lend France several million dollars. The Americans said they would pay "not a sixpence [a coin worth six pennies]." Later, that statement led to the slogan, "Millions for defense, but not one sixpence for tribute [a forced payment]." The bribe attempt was a sensation when it became public. Because the names of the French agents were kept secret, they were called X, Y, and Z. The incident became known as the XYZAffair.

2 War Fever The XYZ Affair caused an outbreak of war fever in the United States. Many Federalists demanded that Adams ask Congress to declare war on France. With war fever rising, Adams asked Congress to increase the size of the army and rebuild the navy. It did both, thus enhancing the power of the central government. Adams also convinced Congress to create a separate department of the navy. Between 1798and 1800,the United States fought an undeclared naval war with France. Nonetheless, the President and many other Americans opposed a full-scale war. To avoid war, Adams sent a new mission to France. Napoleon Bonaparte, France's dictator, was busy dealing with war in Europe. In 1800,he agreed to stop seizing American ships. President Adams had avoided war. But the agreement angered leaders of his own Federalist Party, especially the pro-british Hamilton. This disapproval weakened Adams politically. Still, Adams was satisfied. He told a friend that he wanted his tombstone to read: "Here lies John Adams, who took upon himself the responsibility of peace with France in the year 1800." Checkpoint How did Adams settle differences /V Identify Analogies The phrase war fever is an '''9S''-' analogy. Think about what having a fever does to a person's body. How is that similar to what the desire for war might do to the country? with France? The Alien and Sedition Acts J The war fever deepened the split between Federalists and Republicans. Federalists' fear of revolutionary France spilled over into a mistrust of immigrants. Federalists suspected them of bringing in dangerous ideas and feared that they would back the Republicans. The five-headed monster represents the French government. The three American representatives declare, "Cease bawling, Monster! We will not give you sixpence.", Skills Activity / (a) Explain What does the five-headed creature want? The XYZ Affair stirred anti-french feeling in (b) Detect Points of View What opinion the United States. This 1798 cartoon shows a do you think the cartoonist has of the five-headed creature demanding a bribe French government? What evidence from the three American representatives supports your view? (at left). r Section 4 The Presidency of John Adams 299

3 -- New Life for a Debate Passage of the Alien and Sedition acts renewed the debate over federal versus state power. Jefferson and Madison wrote the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions in defense of states' rights. Critical Thinking: Detect Points of View According to defenders of states' rights in 1798, what could states do if they disliked a federal law? Arguments for States' Rights The federal government derives its power from rights given to it by the states. Because the states created the United States, individual states have the power to nullify a federal law. Arguments for Federal Power The federal government derives its power from rights given to it by the American people. States have no power to nullify federal laws. States cannot revoke federal powers set forth in the Constitution. Trouble on the Horizon Within 25 years of the Alien and Sedition acts, people in New England and South Carolina would threaten to leave the Union because they either disagreed with American foreign policy or opposed laws passed by Congress. Vocabulary Builder duration (doo RAY shun) n. length of time Federalist leaders decided that to restore order at home they must destroy their political opponents. Congress passed an act in 1798 aimed at immigrants. Another 1798law targeted Republicans. The act directed at immigrants was the Alien Act. An alien is an outsider or someone from another country. The Alien Act increased the duration from 5 to 14 years that a person had to live in the United States to become a citizen. The President gained the power to deport or imprison any alien he considered dangerous. The act targeting Republicans was the Sedition Act. Sedition is activity designed to overthrow a government. The Sedition Act probably was the harshest law limiting free speech ever passed in the United States.It made it a crime for anyone to write or say anything insulting or anything false about the President, Congress, or the government in general. During 1798and 1799,ten people were convicted under the act. Most were Republican editors and printers. Checkpoint What did the Alien and Sedition acts do? States' Rights The Republicans denounced the Alien and Sedition acts. They charged that the Sedition Act violated the Constitution, especially the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. However, the Republicans faced a problem opposing the law. At the time, it was not clearly established that the Supreme Court had the power to strike down a law as unconstitutional. Because of this, the Republicans expressed their opposition through the state legislatures. 300 Chapter 8 Launching a New Nation

4 Republicans James Madison and Thomas Jefferson,both Virginians, led the campaign. Madison wrote a resolution attacking the Alien and Sedition acts. It was passed by the Virginia legislature. Jeffersonwrote a similar resolution that was passed by the Kentucky legislature. Together, the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions stated that the Alien and Sedition acts were unconstitutional. They declared that states had the right to declare laws passed by Congress to be unconstitutional. No other states supported Virginia and Kentucky, so the two resolutions had little immediate impact. As for the Alien and Sedition acts, they were not in force for long. The law that gave the President the power to imprison or deport dangerous aliens expired after two years. The Sedition Act expired in 1801.The waiting period for immigrants to become citizens was restored to five years in However, over the long term the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions were far more important than the laws that provoked them. The resolutions claimed that states could nullify-deprive of legal force-a law passed by Congress. The resolutions also boosted the idea of states' rights. This is the idea that the union binding "these United States" is an agreement between the states and that they therefore can overrule federal law. In decades to come, a number of states would refuse to obey certain federal laws. States' rights would become the rallying cry for southern defenders of slavery. t'icheckpoint 1\. JamesMadison Vocabulary Builder provoke (prah VOHK) v. to cause to anger; to excite; to causean action Why did the issue of states' rights arise at this time? Looking Back and Ahead You have read how the United States got up and running under its first two Presidents. The next chapter deals with the next two Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and the challenges they faced. _ :;;, ":. ;J : Yo.'., '''; -"''''. n..j 'eto:,--'_ - _e> "-YC ltt:,:.' _:Progress Monitoring nline For: Self-test with instant help Visit: PHSchool.com Web Code: Reading 1. (a) Recall What problem did President Adams face abroad? (b) Explain Problems How did Adams resolve this problem? '< 1 :ti0frf.yr'.eliqg.iii Comprehension and Critical Thinking I. 2. (a) Summarize Why did the Federalist Congresspassthe Alien and Sedition acts? (b) Analyze Cause and Effect Explain the following statement: State reaction to the Alien and Sedition acts caused further tension between the political parties. Skill 3. Identify Analogies Explain the analogy in this sentence: As the call for war heated up, John Adams tried to be the nation's firefighter. 6. Why did Republicans want to nullify the Alien and Sedition acts? 7. How can states' rights be used to oppose federal laws? Writing Key Terms Answer the following questions in complete sentences that show your understanding of the key terms. 4. Why did Federalists mistrust aliens? 5. Why did newspaper editors accused of sedition tend to be Republicans? 8. Use Internet or library resources to research the life of John Adams. List the principal events in his life. Then, describe the personality traits he displayed as President of the United States. Write a thesis statement that could be used to introduce a biographical essayabout Adams. r r Section 4 The Presidencyof John Adams

5 It is important to be able to tell the difference between facts and opinions when you read historical stories and narratives. A fact is something that can be proved to be true or can be observed. An opinion is a statement that reflects a person's feelings, judgments, or beliefs about a subject. This diary entry, which is historical fiction, was written by a merchant living in colonial Philadelphia in the February 28 Afterdinner tonight I finished reading today's edition of the Gazette af the United States. The publisher of the newspaper is John Fenno, In my opinion, he is right to. favor the Federalist leader, Alexander Hamiltan. Of course, I am a merchant and I agree with Hamilton's suppart of tradeand manufacturing. To. me it is a mare warthwhile palicy than Mr. Jefferson's support af the farmers. 'I believe that I have Hamilton alone to thank far the Natianal Bank. This Bank, established' bycangress in has the power to. make laans to. businesses, such as my dry gaads stare. Of course, the federal Bank is appased by that friend of the states, Thomas Jefferson, who. isn't thinking of our country's future. I only hope that Mr. Hamilton's party wins the next electian. -Isaac Smith Learn the Skill Practice the Skill Use these steps to. identify Answer the fallawing entry an this page. o facts and apinians. Decide which statements are facts. Facts are statements that are based an direct evidence and can be proved to. be true. Facts tell what really happened. Yau can look up a statement in a research saurce to. prave it is a fact. o Decide which statements are opinions. An opinian is a persanal interpretatian of an event, an idea, ar a persan. Wards such as "I think," "I believe," ar "I feel" are aften used in a statement of apinian. Look far these words when yau read. o Recognize how writers or speakers mix facts and opinions. Sametimes writers use facts to. suppart their persanal apinian. Or, writers use facts and apinians to. persuade the reader to. support their paint of view. 302 Chapter 8 Launching a New Nation questians abaut the jaurnal o Decide which statements o o are facts. (a) Find two. facts in this jaurnal entry. (b) How can yau prave that each statement is a fact? Decide which statements are opinions. (a) Find two. statements of opinion in this journal entry. (b) How can yau tell that each is an opinion? Recognize how writers or speakers mix facts and opinions. (a) Find an example of a statement that mixes fact and opinion, What is the fact? What is the opinion? (b) Why do.yau think the writer mixed fact and apinian in this selectian? Apply the Skill See the Review and Assessment at the end af this chapter.

6 How did Americans respond to internal and external challenges? Section 1 Washington Takes Office Section 3 Troubles at Home and Abroad George Washington was inaugurated as the first President i April of Washington and Congress organized the executive and judiciary branches. Alexander Hamilton developed a financial plan to repay the country's large war debt. Federal forces put down the Whiskey Rebellion in Section 1 The Birth of Political Parties Deepening differences between factions led to the first political parties. Republicans wanted a limited national government, while Federalists favored a strong federal government. John Adams, a Federalist, won the presidency in Thomas Jefferson, a Republican, won the vice presidency. Washington responded forcefully to conflict in the Northwest Territory between settlers and Native Americans. The United States remained neutral when France and Britain went to war. In his Farewell Address, George Washington warned the nation against disunity and against becoming involved in foreign wars. Section 4 The Presidency of John Adams John Adams was elected President of the United States in The United States and France avoided fullscale war under Adams but fought an undeclared naval war. The Federalist-sponsored Alien and Sedition acts provoked a strong reaction by Republicans in favor of states' rights. J. (i) Exploring the Essential Question Use the online study guide to explore the essential question. Section 1 How did President Washington set the course for the new nation? Chapter 8 Essential Question How did Americans respond to internal and external challenges? Section 2 How did two political parties emerge? r Section 4 How did problems with France intensify the split between the Federalists and the Republicans? Section 3 How did the actions of Britain and France affect the United States? Quick Study Guide 303

7 Key Terms Fill in the blanks with the correct key terms. 1. Many of the customs that Washington started set a for how other Presidents were to act in the future. 2. Jefferson said the national bank was because it was not written in the Constitution that Congress had authority to establish one. 3. Neither France nor Britain agreed that the United States could be a nation and trade with both sides during their war. 4. The Act violated the First Amendment the Constitution. Comprehension of and Critical Thinking 5. (a) Recall What was the purpose of George Washington's Cabinet? (b) Link Past and Present Why do you think current Presidents have more advisers than the number required in Washington's day? 6. (a) Describe What were two internal problems and their resolutions during Washington's second term as President? (b) Explain Problems What does the picture below indicate about Washington's view of the Whiskey Rebellion? 8. (a) Recall Why were the Alien and Sedition acts unpopular with many people? (b) Apply Information Would you defend or oppose the government's right to silence people who criticize it? Explain. \!) History Reading Skill 9. Analyze Comparisons George Washington is often referred to as the Father of Our Country. What is the meaning of this metaphor? Do you think this is a valid comparison? Explain. Writing 10. Write a paragraph about either George Washington or John Adams. Include major events and describe your subject's personality. Your paragraph should: begin with a thesis statement; expand on that main idea with facts, examples, and other information; conclude by stating what you think was your subject's most important contribution to the new nation. 11. Write a Narrative: Study the pictures and text in Section 1 about the Whiskey Rebellion. Write a two-paragraph narrative describing the rebellion. Write from the point of view of either a farmer or a soldier. Skills for Life Distinguish Facts From Opinions Usethe fictional journal entry below to answer the questions that follow. 7. (a) Recall In Washington's Farewell Address, he talked about neutrality toward European nations. Why did Washington believe that the United States needed to be neutral in the war between France and Britain? (b) Draw Conclusions In Washington's Farewell Address, he also talked about national unity. Why was building unity an important goal for Washington? 304 Chapter 8 Launching a New Nation "I am grateful that at least our Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, is a Republican. I believe that his policies are the only hope for farmers, such as myself and my neighbors. In my opinion, our political leaders don't have to be rich or welleducated. The people can lead as well as follow. Of course, the Federalist Mr. Hamilton, with his fine clothes, favors the wealthy merchants." 12. (a) Identify one fact in the journal entry. (b) How can you prove the statement is a fact? 13. (a) What is an example of an opinion? (b) How can you tell the statement is an opinion? 14. Find a statement that mixes fact and opinion. What is the fact? What is the opinion?

8 Progress Monitoring _ nline For: Self-test with instant help Visit: PHSchool.com Web Code:mya-3046 Test Yourself Which of the following led to tension between France and the United States during Adams's presidency? Refer to the chart below to answer Question 3. A Treaty of Greenville B Jay Treaty,.-., C Treaty of Paris D Declaration of Independence Refer to the quotation Question 2. i' I I below to answer "It is in my judgment necessary under the circumstances of the case to take measures for calling forth the militia in order to... cause the laws to be duly executed."! i 2. What event is the subject of the quotation? A French Revolution Favored strong central government F-avoredstate government Emphasized manufacturing, shipping, and trade Emphasized agriculture supported loose interpretation of the Constitution Supported strict interpretation of the Constitution Favored national bank Opposed national bank 3. Which statement describes a fundamental dif- ference between the two parties? A Federalists believed in a strong central government, and Republicans did not. B Federalists believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution, and Republicans did not. \ B XYZ Affair \) l C Battle of Fallen Timbers, D Whiskey Rebellion }-. Task: Look at Documents 1 and 2, and answer their accompanying questions. Then, use the documents and your knowledge of history to complete this writing assignment: Write a newspaper editorial supporting or attacking President Adams's decision to avoid war with France. C Republicans believed in a strong central government, and Federalists did not. D Republicans believed in a loose interpretation of the Constitution, and Federalists did not. Document 2: After the XYZ Affair, newspapers published cartoons such as the one shown below. It depicts the United States as a young woman surrounded by members of the French government. What is the cartoonist's view of the XYZ Affair? Document 1: In 1797, France began seizing American ships. Enraged Americans called for war, but President John Adams urged a policy of peace. What action does Adams say he will take toward France? "It is my sincere desire... to preserve peace and friendship with all nations; and believing that neither the honor nor the interest of the United States absolutely forbid the repetition of advances for securing these desirable objects with France, I shall institute a fresh attempt at negotiation, and shall not fail to promote and accelerate an accommodation on terms compatible with the rights, duties, interests, and honor of the nation." Chapter Review and Assessment 305