Presidents and Precedents George Washington American History I Mr. Hensley SRMHS
Our First President When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, George Washington was elected America s 1 st President: He was the unanimous choice for president Washington helped shape the new nation & created precedents for future Presidents
Washington As a Person Tried (and failed) to join the Bri$sh Army as a young man Married into a wealthy family inherited most of his wealth Sign of his character? David Reed (1786) He was adept at using people who thought they were using him
Washington as President During his 1 st term, Washington helped shape the new nanon: He approved the Judiciary Act of 1789 which created federal courts Congress created the Treasury, State and War Departments Created the 1 st cabinet (group of advisors who head departments) Focused on the U.S. economy
Henry Knox, Secretary of War Washington s Cabinet Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury George Washington, President Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State Edmund Randolph, Attorney General
Cabinet Offices Explained Each department has a secretary who is in charge except for Dept. of JusNce, where the boss is called the A4orney General State Dept. responsible for relanonships with all other countries Interior Dept. is responsible for NaNve Americans on US land and all other federal lands
Jefferson feared a strong nanonal government and wanted power le[ to the states in order to protect liberty: He saw America as a nanon of farmer-cinzens & feared rule by the wealthy elite As Sec of State, Jefferson favored close Nes with France, especially when the French RevoluNon began in 1789 Thomas Jefferson
Alexander Hamilton Hamilton thought a strong nanonal government was best for America: He wanted the U.S. to develop like England (trade & industry) He created a Financial Plan to grow U.S. industry, pay off nanonal debts, & expand the economy He took a loose interpretanon of the ConsNtuNon
Hamilton s Financial Plan Components of the Financial Plan: 1. The nanonal gov t should take all the state debts (assump&on) & pay them off at full value (funding) 2. Create a Bank of the U.S. to regulate American currency 3. Create a protec&ve tariff on BriNsh manufactured goods to get people to buy American goods
How Would a BUS Help? Every bank issues their own notes, redeemable in gold at that bank Notes from distant banks lose value the farther away you get A BUS would have branches in every state, solving the loss of value problem BUS would help merchants
Jefferson Opposes the Bank Jefferson opposed the BUS because it would give too much power to bankers and the Cons$tu$on did not give Congress the power to create a nanonal bank This is a strict interpretanon of the ConsNtuNon NaNonal bank would also be compe$$on for state banks
Whiskey Rebellion Washington faced a big challenge in 1794 with the Whiskey Rebellion 7,000 farmers marched on Piesburgh to protest a whiskey tax Washington led the U.S. army to put down the rebellion With the ConsNtuNon, the nanonal gov t was strong enough to end the threat
American Neutrality Washington faced another serious challenge when war broke out between England & France in 1793 Americans were divided: Hamilton supported Britain Jefferson supported France In 1793, Washington issued the ProclamaNon of Neutrality because the best way to protect American interests was to stay out of the fight
Washington's Farewell Address In 1796, Washington chose not to run for a 3 rd term; This created the two-term precedent for presidents Washington s Farewell Address: Warned against polincal parnes Warned against entangling alliances with foreign nanons (led to the precedent of non-intervennon in foreign affairs)
Summarizing Washington 1. Set the two-term precedent 2. Set the Cabinet mee$ngs precedent 3. Set the America First (stay neutral) precedent 4. Stayed out of Hamilton versus Jefferson fight