Mr. Kersey.org - Mr. Kersey's Lecture Notes

Launching the Nation

(Lecture Notes from Mr. Kersey's 8th Grade U.S. History Class)

Washington was not eager to become President. He really just wanted to go home.
But the people wanted him, because of his character.
Even though the people wanted him, it was the electoral college that decided.
The electoral college actually elects the President, just in case the people are all idiots.
Despite his reservations he felt it was his duty to accept.

Because America had never had a President before, everything Washington and the new government did became a precedent.
A precedent is an action or decision that later serves as an example.
Washington had to organize the executive branch.
Washington appointed several people to head the new executive departments created by Congress.
Alexander Hamilton was named Sec. Of Treasury, for example.
Washington began having regular meeting with his cabinet.

The Constitution did not specify how to create a Judicial Branch, only that one was needed.
So in September of 1789 Congress passed the Judiciary Act, which created a federal court system.
The federal court system had 3 levels

One problem facing the new country was the war debt, as well as other money matters.
Alexander Hamilton was the one who needed to solve many of these issues.
Hamilton’s plan to deal with the debt included three major parts.

Hamilton argued that these steps would keep the faith of the American people and other governments.

One idea Hamilton had was to have national bank as a place where the US could keep its money, and serve as a good source of loans for government and businesses.
Jefferson, Hamilton's long-time political opponent, did not agree.
Jefferson thought the national bank was a bad idea, and that the government didn't even have the right to create a national bank.
Jefferson was afraid the bank would be too powerful.
In the end, Congress created the Bank of the United States in 1791.

Part of the reason Hamilton and Jefferson disagreed so often was how they interpreted the Constitution.
Jefferson believed in a strict construction of the Constitution, which means he thought the gov't could do only what the Constitution specifically said it could do.
Hamilton believed in a loose construction of the Constitution, which means he thought the federal government could take reasonable actions not specifically forbidden by the Constitution.
Today our government uses a loose construction of the Constitution.

Inspired, in part, by the success of the American people, the French people rose up against the king of France on July 14, 1789, and stormed the Bastille. This day is now known as (big surprise) Bastille Day.
In 1793, King Louis XVI was beheaded, and the people of France has their Republic. The French constitution was very similar to the US's.
When the new French Republic declared war on Great Britain, though, Americans were divided on whether to support the French or not.
Washington's cabinet was similarly divided. Jefferson thought we should support the French, while Hamilton argued for the British.
In the end, Washington issued the Neutrality Proclamation. This said the US would remain neutral toward all nations at war in Europe.
In December of 1793 Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State because he was so upset over the US policy toward France. Hamilton wasn't all that upset to see him go.

While all this was going on, those pesky Indians kept trying to keep their land in the Northwest Territory.
As many settlers continued to move into the territory, many Indians were forced out, causing conflict.
After ignoring several treaty offers from the Indians, and getting our butts kicked at the Battle of Little Turtle, Washington replaced the US commander with a new one: General "Mad Anthony" Wayne.
Wayne defeated the Indians, drove them out of most of the Northwest Territory, and burned their villages and fields.

In 1796, Washington decided not to run for a third term. He was tired, and his health was weakening. He also wanted to remind people that they were in charge.
In his farewell address, Washington gave the country some advice:

John Adams won the election of 1796 over Thomas Jefferson.
This was the first time the American people actually had more then one candidate to choose from.
This was also the first time political parties played a role in the Presidential election, which is exactly what Washington had warned against.
Adams ran under the Federalist party, and Jefferson ran for the Democratic-Republican party.
Adams was a bit awkward socially, but was very well respected among political leaders of the day.
The big challenges for the Adams administration were the XYZ affair and the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Adams lost to Jefferson in the election of 1800.