Period 3 - 1754-1800

Period 3  1754-1800 Topic 3.10  Shaping a New Republic AP Learning Objective K: Explain how and why competition intensified conflicts among peoples and nations from 1754 to 1800. AP Learning Objective L: Explain how and why political ideas, institutions, and party systems developed and changed in the new republic. 1. Foreign Policy a. Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) i. In February 1793, France declared war against Great Britain, Spain, and Holland in the wake of the French Revolution. ii. Since France had aided the U.S. in achieving its independence, and since it had now become a republic, there was considerable sympathy toward France on behalf of many Americans. On the other hand, New England merchants and shoppers found the British a better market for American products and therefore sought to establish a deeper friendship with the former mother country. iii. Though the U.S. was still allied to France under the Treaty of 1778, when war broke out, George Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality on April 22nd, 1793, in which he declared the nation would remain at peace with both nations iv. This set a standard that remained in place for generations: steer clear of involvement in European affairs. b. Jay’s Treaty (1794) i. Meanwhile, the situation in foreign affairs worsened when the British issued a series of Orders-inCouncil in 1793 in which U.S. vessels were seized and American seamen were impressed into service in the British navy. ii. Moreover, the British retained military posts in the U.S. in direct violation of the 1783 Treaty of Paris. iii. In an effort to avoid war, Washington dispatched John Jay, the chief justice of the U.S., to Britain as a special envoy to negotiate U.S. grievances. iv. What resulted was the Jay Treaty signed on November 29, 1794, with terms humiliating to the U.S: 1. It provided for undisputed American sovereignty in the NW but… 2. Favored British interests across the board 3. Said nothing about impressment 4. Required the abandonment of U.S. trade in staples like cotton, sugar, and molasses v. Public protests were sparked and Jay himself was ridiculed. Still, Washington accepted the treaty and submitted it to the Senate for ratification. The Senate just barely ratified with a two-thirds vote, for fear of war. c. Pinckney’s Treaty (1795) i. Jay’s Treaty paved the way for a settlement of important American disputes with Spain. ii. Pinckney’s Treaty was negotiated by Thomas Pickney and signed in 1795: 1. Spain recognized the right of Americans to navigate the Mississippi to its mouth to deposit goods at New Orleans for reloading on oceangoing ships 2. The northern boundary of Florida was fixed along the 31st parallel 3. The Spanish agreed to command its authorities to prevent Native Americans in Florida from launching raids north of that border 2. Securing the West a. Whiskey Rebellion i. Despite the Northwest Ordinance, the old Congress had largely failed to tie the outlying western areas of the country firmly to the national government. ii. In 1794, farmers in western Pennsylvania raised a major challenge to federal authority when they refused to pay the new whiskey excise tax and began terrorizing tax collectors in the region. iii. At Hamilton’s urging, Washington called out the militias of three states and assembled an army of 15,0000 to put down this Whiskey Rebellion, even personally leading the troops himself. By the time the militia had reached Pittsburgh, the rebels had dispersed and could not be found. Two men were found guilty of treason in their involvement but were pardoned by President Washington. b. Native Americans’ Ambiguous Status i. The Land Ordinances of 1784-1787 produced border conflicts with native tribes, and these continued under the Constitution virtually uninterrupted for a decade. These clashes revealed another issue the Constitution failed to resolve: the place of Native Americans within the new federal structure. ii. The Constitution bound the new government to respect treaties negotiated under the Confederation, most of which had been with Native American tribes, but it did not clarify the precise legal standing of Indians within the United States, giving Native Americans no direct representation in the new government and not addressing the major issue of land. iii. This would persist for centuries. 3. Political Disagreements a. Washington’s Cabinet i. President Washington chose the following men to head various executive departments in his cabinet (as a part of the unwritten constitution) 1. Thomas Jefferson: Secretary of State (State Department) 2. Alexander Hamilton: Secretary of Treasury (Department of Treasury) 3. Henry Knox: Secretary of War (War Department) b. The Debate over the National Bank i. The first sign of trouble developed when Hamilton issued a series of reports on the public credit, identifying the national debt at $54.1 million. Hamilton’s Financial Plan called for (1) The assumption of state debts by the federal government, (2) The creation of a National Bank (quasiprivate/private), (3) The passage of an excise tax on distilled liquor. ii. James Madison and particularly Thomas Jefferson railed against these proposals, arguing they were unconstitutional and set a dangerous precedent of federal power (loose vs. strict constructionist). iii. Ultimately, every aspect of Hamilton’s plan went into effect because a deal was struck to transfer the capital from New York to a 10-mile square along the Potomac River in Maryland, to be called Washington. iv. These disputes led to… 4. The First Party System a. The Roots i. The growing disagreement between those who favored Hamilton and Jefferson initiated the slow evolution of a two-party system in the United States. ii. These differences brought about the development of… 1. The Hamiltonian or Federalist Party which believed in a strong national government, one that would protect property and support the national and commercial interests. 2. The Democratic-Republic Party (Jeffersonians) who believed in local autonomy and individual rights, worrying about the concentration of power in a central government b. Maturation i. Under John Adams’ presidency, in 1797, the XYZ Affair exploded between the two political parties. Seeking to halt French seizures of American vessels, Adams sent a delegation to France to negotiate. Before they even could, however, three French agents (identified only as X, Y, and Z) demanded bribes just for the opportunity to speak. ii. Federalists, including Hamilton, called for immediate military action, and an undeclared naval war (“quasi-war”) ensued leading the Federalists to win big in the 1798 congressional midterms iii. Adams and the Federalists then used their increased power to pass laws that have remained notorious: 1. Naturalization Act: Made immigrants wait 14 years to become citizens 2. Sedition Act: Allowed the jailing of anyone who criticized the president or Congress 3. Alien Act: Allowed the deportation of foreigners 5. Farewell Address a. At the end of his second term, Washington wrote his “Farewell Address,” first published in the American Daily Advertiser on September 19th, 1796, about 10 weeks before presidential electors cast their votes in the 1796 election. In the document, Washington provides two core pieces of advice: i. Beware of disunity ii. Avoid foreign entanglements 6. Key Takeaways a. George Washington’s Farewell Address encouraged national unity, as he cautioned against political factions and warned about the danger of permanent foreign alliances. b. During the presidential administrations of George Washington and John Adams, political leaders created institutions and precedents that put the principles of the Constitution into practice. c. Political leaders in the 1790s took a variety of positions on issues such as the relationship between the national government and the states, economic policy, foreign policy, and the balance between liberty and order. This led to the formation of political parties— most significantly the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Democratic Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Key Vocabulary [highlighted throughout PowerPoint and Lecture] Pink: fundamentally important [1] Foreign Policy Proclamation of Neutrality Jay Treaty Pinckney’s Treaty [2] Securing the West Whiskey Rebellion Green: Very important [3] Political Disagreement Hamilton’s Financial Plan cabinet Yellow: Somewhat important (“nice to know”) [4] First Party [5] Farewell System Address Two-party system Washington’s Federalist Party Farewell Address DemocraticRepublican Party Sedition Act Alien Act XYZ Affair