THE AMERICAN JOURNEY A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES Brief Sixth Edition Chapter 8 A New Republic and the Rise of Parties 1789-1800
A New Republic and the Rise of Parties 1789-1800 Washington s America Forging a New Government The Emergence of Parties The Last Federalist Administration Conclusion
This engraving shows respectful crowds greeting Washington as he passes through Trenton on the way to New York City for his inauguration as president.
Learning Objectives What explains the differing role of slavery in the country s regional economies? What forces shaped the development of party politics in America? Why was Adams defeated in the election of 1800?
Washington s America
The Uniformity of New England Political values and a harsh environment combined to make New England the most religiously and ethnically uniform region in the United States. Most New Englanders were descended from 17th century English immigrants and followed the Congregationalist faith.
The Uniformity of New England (cont'd) Slavery had always been marginal and while women outnumbered men, they remained in a dependent state. The Puritan past influenced political and social life.
FIGURE 8 1 Ethnic Breakdown of the United States in 1790, by Region
The Pluralism of the Mid-Atlantic Region New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the nation. Diversity arose in part because the middle colonies had offered religious freedom and greater economic opportunities than New England.
The Pluralism of the Mid-Atlantic Region (cont'd) The region was the nation s first breadbasket and slavery was never a major labor system. The region s diversity created a complex political environment. Pietists - Protestants who stress a religion of the heart and the spirit of Christian living.
Idealized classical images of women white, chaste, and pure
The Slave South and Its Backcountry Climate and soil conditions favored the production staple crops in the South and slavery was a major labor system. Forty percent of the southerners were slaves. Economic conditions spanned a spectrum from wealthy low country plantations to the raw poverty of the Piedmont backcountry.
The Slave South and Its Backcountry (cont'd) Tidewater planters were largely of English descent and Anglican. Piedmont farmers were generally Scots-Irish Presbyterian and Baptists.
Hung above the gallery in this interior view of a Lutheran church in York are paintings of the twelve apostles and of figures drawn from the Old Testament.
The Growing West The most rapidly growing region was between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Native Americans strongly resisted white claims on their lands and often blocked white settlement.
The Growing West (cont'd) In Kentucky and Tennessee, most white migrants were the young, rural poor from the southern slave states. But many planters speculated in western lands. Life in the West was harsh and isolated. Westerners desired the freedom to control their own affairs and their allegiance to the United States was uncertain.
Forging a New Government
Mr. President and the Bill of Rights Not wanting a monarchical title, Washington chose to be addressed as Mr. President. He also laid down strict rules of etiquette to increase respect for the office of president. Congress passed the Bill of Rights and they were quickly ratified by the states, broadening the popular support for the new government.
Mr. President and the Bill of Rights Bill of Rights (cont d) - A written summary of inalienable rights and liberties.
Departments and Courts The Constitution authorized the first executive departments and they were closely bound to the president, eventually evolving into the cabinet. The Judiciary Act of 1789 set up the national court system.
Departments and Courts (cont'd) Judiciary Act of 1789 - Act of Congress that implemented the judiciary clause of the Constitution by establishing the Supreme Court and a system of lower federal courts.
Revenue and Trade Revenue was the government s most pressing need. The Tariff Act of 1789 raised revenue and protected some industries considered vital to the nation s economic health.
Revenue and Trade The Tonnage Act of 1789 treated all foreign ships equally. Tariff Act of 1789 - Apart from a few selected industries, this first tariff passed by Congress was intended primarily to raise revenue and not protect American manufacturers from foreign competition.
Waterborne commerce was the key in the early emergence of New York City as a trading center. Shown here is the Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Ferry in 1790.
Hamilton and the Public Credit The Treasury was the largest and most important new department. Alexander Hamilton proposed addressing the debt issue by having the federal government fund the national debt at full face value by exchanging it for new government bonds. He also proposed the federal assume the remaining war debts of the states.
Forging a New Government (cont'd) Hamilton proposed an excise tax on whiskey distilled in the nation to raise revenue. He also called for the chartering of a national Bank of the United States and the diversification of the national economy to promote manufacturing.
Shown here in 1799, the neoclassical design of the First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia
Reaction and Opposition Opposition to Hamilton s debt proposal reflected sectional differences. The southern states except South Carolina had paid most of their debts and opposed the plan but it eventually passed.
Reaction and Opposition (cont'd) Opinion on the Bank bill also followed sectional lines and opened the issue of strict versus broad construction of the Constitution. Washington supported Hamilton and the Bank bill passed. While Congress passed a large excise tax and tariff duties were raised, no funds were made available to accelerate industrial development.
The Emergence of Parties
The Emergence of Parties By the end of Washington s first term, Americans were dividing into two camps: Federalists and Republicans. A series of crises in Washington s second term deepened and broadened the party divisions. Federalist - A supporter of the Constitution who favored its ratification.
The Emergence of Parties (cont'd) Republican Party (Jeffersonian) - Party that emerged in the 1850s in the aftermath of the bitter controversy over the Kansas- Nebraska Act, consisting of former Whigs, some northern Democrats, and many Know-Nothings.
This contemporary cartoon shows Republican Matthew Lyon, in the center with the fire tongs, fighting against Roger Griswold, a Connecticut Federalist.
The French Revolution Most Americans supported the early phase of the French Revolution but when it turned radical and violent, Federalists backed off but Republicans remained supporters.
The French Revolution (cont d) French ambassador, Citizen Genet unsuccessfully tried to involve the United States in France s war with Britain. Pro- French sentiment was shown by the growth of Democratic-Republican societies.
Securing the Frontier Indian resistance initially blocked white entry into the Northwest territory north of the Ohio River. American troops suffered two defeats leading western settlers to feel abandoned by the government. They supported the French cause and free and open navigation of the Mississippi River.
Securing the Frontier (cont'd) Following a reorganization of the War Department in 1794, an American army defeated the Indians leading to the Treaty of Greenville and the cession of most of the present state of Ohio to the United States.
Securing the Frontier (cont'd) The Ohio country was open for white settlement. Treaty of Greenville - Treaty of 1795 in which Native Americans in the Old Northwest were forced to cede most of the present state of Ohio to the United States.
MAP 8 1 Indian Land Cessions, 1784 1800
Federalist Party versus Republican Party
The Whiskey Rebellion Western Pennsylvania farmers and other western settlers openly resisted Hamilton s excise tax on whiskey. Washington called on the governors of the mid-atlantic states to dispatch a militia to put down the Whiskey Rebellion but it met no resistance.
The Whiskey Rebellion (cont d) Whiskey Rebellion - Armed uprising in 1794 by farmers in western Pennsylvania who attempted to prevent the collection of the excise tax on whiskey.
Treaties with Britain and Spain Western unrest stemmed largely from the menacing presence of Britain and Spain on the nation s borders. Jay s Treaty settled some of the issues with Britain but caused an uproar in the United States because of its economic implications.
Treaties with Britain and Spain (cont'd) The Treaty of San Lorenzo with Spain established the northern boundary of Spanish Florida and opened the port of New Orleans to Americans. Jay s Treaty - Treaty with Britain negotiated in 1794 in which the United States made major concessions to avert a war over the British seizure of American ships.
The First Partisan Election Political partisanship increased in the 1790s and led to the establishment of the Federalist and Republican parties. The election of 1796 pitted Federalist candidate John Adams against Republican standard-bearer Thomas Jefferson.
The First Partisan Election (cont'd) Adams won but the election showed the sectional support of each party. Except for Pennsylvania, Adams received all the northern electoral votes and Jefferson won the South.
This suburban estate outside Philadelphia was converted to a hospital for the victims of the city s yellow fever epidemic in 1793.
The Last Federalist Administration
The French Crisis and the XYZ Affair After Jefferson lost the election, the French government enacted hostile measures against the United States, including the seizure of American ships carrying goods to the British.
The French Crisis and the XYZ Affair(cont'd) Adams sent three commissioners to France in an attempt to avoid war and through intermediaries, the French foreign minister demanded a large bribe to begin talks. Publication of the XYZ Affair aroused public outrage and led to a Quasi-War against France in the Caribbean
The French Crisis and the XYZ Affair(cont'd) Congress voted to vastly expand the army. XYZ Affair - Diplomatic incident in 1798 in which Americans were outraged by the demand of the French for a bribe as a condition for negotiating with American diplomats. Quasi-War - Undeclared naval war of 1797 to 1800 between the United States and France.
Crisis at Home In 1798, the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. Three of the acts were directed at immigrants, especially those who supported the republicans. The Sedition Act harshly curbed criticism of the government.
Crisis at Home (cont'd) Jefferson and Madison opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts drafting resolutions for Kentucky and Virginia state legislatures that challenged government actions by appealing to states rights. The Kentucky resolution also introduced the idea of nullification.
Crisis at Home (cont'd) The Direct tax of 1798 aroused widespread opposition to the Federalists. Alien Friends Act - Law passed by Congress in 1798 authorizing the president during peacetime to expel aliens suspected of subversive activities; one of the Alien and Sedition Acts. States rights - Favoring the rights of individual states over rights claimed by the national government.
Crisis at Home (cont'd) Nullification - A constitutional doctrine holding that a state has a legal right to declare a national law null and void within its borders.
U.S. soldiers were needed for the pacification of Iraqi cities.
General Anthony Wayne wins a decisive victory over the Miami Confederation at the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
The End of the Federalists The Federalist faction led by Hamilton pushed for war against France but Adams resisted declaring war and opened negotiations that eventually led to the Franco-American Accord of 1800 that defused the tense situation.
The End of the Federalists (cont'd) The Republicans developed strong party organizations that mobilized voters. Voter turnout in 1800 doubled that of the early 1790s and most new voters were Republicans.
The End of the Federalists (cont'd) Thomas Jefferson won the election of 1800. Franco-American Accord of 1800 - Settlement reached with France that brought an end to the Quasi-War and released the United States from its 1778 alliance with France. Deism - Religious orientation that rejects divine revelation and holds that the workings of nature alone reveal God s design for the universe.
MAP 8 2 The Election of 1800
By associating their Federalist opponents with the hated Tories of the American Revolution, the Republicans appealed to the voters as the true defenders of American liberation.
Conclusion
Conclusion In 1789, the United States was basically an experiment in self-government. The election of 1800 marked the first time in modern political history that a party in power peacefully turned over the government to its opposition.