Chapter 8: A New Republic 1789-1800 - Rose State College

Washington elected Nov. 1788Scheduled to be sworn in March, GW does not arrive in NewYork City until April 1789.He would serve two terms,establishing the precedent.• Washington’s primary job is to setprecedents for future executives.• He invents the “Cabinet.”• He chooses “Mr. President.”– Tired and infirm, he chooses dignity overapproachability.• He backs controversial AlexanderHamilton as first Treasury Secretary.• He establishes federal departments andappoints the first judges to federaldistrict and the Supreme court.• He proposes new rules for revenue andinternational trade.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 2

Washington’s s United StatesThe 1789 United States• 3,929,214 (1790 census)• New England (Federalist).– Religious, Pro-British-uniformand peaceful.• Mid-Atlantic (mixed)– Pluralistic, cosmopolitan.• Slave South (Jeffersonian)– Pro French. Utterly dominatedby wealthy backcountry“Slavocrats.”• Far West (Jeffersonian)– Anti-French, anti-British, anti-Spanish, anti-Indian. Fastestgrowing and most restless.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 5

2nd Federalist AdministrationJohn Adams PresidentPresident 1797• Foreign problems faced by the young US:• 1796. Pirate threats in the Mediterranean Searesult in Congress re-starting the Navy andauthorizing six new frigates.• 1794 -1799 Revolutionary France– 1794. Genêt Affair (Washington).– 1797. XYZ Affair (Adams-next slide).– 1798-99 Quasi-War in Caribbean.• 1798. Attack N. Africa Barbary Pirates.– Alien & Sedition laws issued.• 1799. Jefferson’s own political crisis.• 1800. Federalist power ends with the electionof Thomas Jefferson.1797-18011801John Adams1735-1826Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 7

XYZ Affair1797-17981798Foreign Minister CharlesMaurice de Talleyrand1754-1838During the Revolutionary War the U.S.signed an alliance with France thatpromised full trade and unlimitedmilitary support.– 1794. The French rebellion destroyedLouis XVI’s government and resulted ina war with Britain. The Rebel Frenchofficials demanded the US attack Britishships per the 1783 Treaty of Paris.– 1795. John Jay's Trade Agreement withEngland aroused French Foreign MinisterTalleyrand’s anger and he demanded a bribejust to meet US ministers.• 1796. Pres. Washington refused, citingthe U.S. had no navy to fight.• 1797. Pres. Adams refused saying theParis accord was invalid because theFrench government that signed theagreement no longer existedCh 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 8

1797. In Paris, Talleyrand had demanded abribe just to meet with the American diplomats.Charles Cotesworth PinckneyFounding Father 1746-1825• Talleyrand demanded $250,000 to bepaid to three middlemen (X, Y, Z) tomeet with the American diplomats.• Charles C. Pinckney (Sc), JohnMarshall (Va) and Elbridge Gerry (Nj)refused Talleyrand’s demand andwere expelled from France.– This created a great uproar whenreported in the U.S. newspapers.• 1798. Without notice, the Frenchgovernment instituted a Quasi Waragainst the US- attacking Americanships along the southern U.S. coastand in the Caribbean Sea.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 9

U.S. Navy “Super” Frigates andAdams and Congress authorized these ships to fight the Barbary pirates pbut found them very effective against the French and the British.The new super-frigates wereimmensely more powerful thanRevolutionary War ships.• The first three:• USS United States, 44 guns,launched July 10 1797 Philadelphia,Capt. John Barry• USS Constellation, 36 guns,launched 7 Sept 1797 Baltimore,Capt. Thomas Truxtun.• USS Constitution, 44 guns. launchedJuly 2, 1798 Boston Naval Yard,Capt. Samuel Nicholson.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 10

The Quasi-Warwith FranceMarch 27 1798–17991799 “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.”USS Constitution1798-20061798, Feb. A French warshipattacked and captured twoAmerican merchant ships nearCharleston, Sc.1798, March. Outraged,Congress ordered three of thenew frigates, Constellation,Constitution and United Statesto sail immediately to protectthe American merchant fleet.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 11

End of theQuasi WarNapoleon Bonaparte1769-1821• 1798. Along the East Coast and in theCaribbean Sea, dozens of Americanmerchant ships are seized by theFrench navy.• US frigates attacked and captured 70French warships and several forts.• Adams and Talleyrand both avoid anofficial declaration of war.• 1799. Adams, to the intense disgustof Federalist leader Hamilton,peacefully ends the conflict.– Sept 1800, Treaty of Mortefontainea.k.a. “Convention of 1800,” bringspeace and greatly improvedcommercial relations between the U.S.and France which is now firmlycontrolled by Napoleon Bonaparte.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 12

Nov. 1800: The First Partisan ElectionThomas Jefferson1743-1826• Federalists want strongdefense, strong centralgovernment (Washington,Adams, Hamilton).• Jeffersonian “DemocraticRepublicans” advocate a weakcentral government, low taxes,strong state governments(Jefferson, Madison, Monroe).• 1800. Jefferson wins the lastold- style election in which therunner up, Aaron Burr becomesthe Vice President.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 13

Trouble: Indians and theEmergence of Political Parties• Effect of French Revolution on the US.– Adams and the Federalists are appalledby the bloody executions of the Frenchmonarchy by the French republicans.– At the same time, Jefferson and theDR’s are elated at the overthrow ofking Louis XVI and the nobility.• 1800. Nov. The First partisan Presidentialelection: Jefferson defeats Adams but isimmediately distracted by Tecumseh who attacksthe Ohio Frontier. News comes that Barbary Pirateshave captured the Philadelphia, a powerful newAmerican warship.Tecumseh1768-1813• Jefferson’s 1 st problem: how to secure theAmerican frontier- two factions emerge.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 14

Vice President Aaron Burr1800-18041804• Brilliant, ruthless, abrasive, aRevolutionary War army officer; heknew Benedict Arnold as a friend.• 1804 July 11. Burr challenged his rivalAlexander Hamilton to a duel atWeehawken, NJ, mortally woundingthe Federalist champion.• 1807 Feb. 20. President James Madisonorders Burr arrested at Richmond forTreason.• 1807 June 24. Indicted by Chief JusticeJohn Marshall, on Sept. 1 Burr isacquitted but permanently disgraced.Aaron Burr 1756-1836Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 15

Securing theFrontier War drumsalong the Ohio RiverPontiac 1720-1769• 1763. Background. The Ottawas aredismayed by the French withdrawal. Ledby Pontiac they capture Ft Detroit, Ohio.• 1764. Pontiac’s force is increased by theMunsees, Wyandottes, Senecas,Delawares and Shawnees. These OhioValley Native Americans wage a yearlongwar on all British outposts andmany American settlements.• Pontiac signed a treaty in 1766 and wasmurdered in 1769 – his legacy of tribesuniting against the Americans lived on.• The leadership role is assumed byTecumseh and his brother the Prophet.• 1800-13. Tecumseh organizes aconfederation that fights the Americansafter the British pull back in 1783.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 16

Burr under Jefferson’s s Saddle• 1770. Graduated New Jersey College(Princeton), orphan son of distinguishedscholars and politicians. Outstandingintellect but self- absorbed and devious.• Raised in Philadelphia by the Toryfamily of Benedict Arnold’s wife.• A conspirator against Washington,collaborator of Benedict Arnold andGen. James Wilkinson.• 1807. Indicted for traitorous acts againstthe United States, acquitted-disgraced• 1812. Daughter Theodosa vanishes at sea.• 1836, Sep. 14. His 3 rd Wife wins herdivorce on the day he dies.Aaron Burr ‘s daughter Theodosa by his first wifevanished on the Patriot near Cape Hatteras in 1812.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 17

Other Traitorsand ScandalsJames Wilkinson1757-1825• During the Revolution, James Wilkinsonserved under Benedict Arnold in Bostonand at Montreal during the Invasion ofCanada.• 1797. Appointed by Adams, he was firstCIC of the US army after Washington.• 1801. Sent to New Orleans by Jefferson,he became a paid spy for the Spanish.• 1803. Bribed by Burr he was part of aSpanish scheme to form a privaterepublic in Old Southwest vs the U.S.• 1806 Jefferson learned of Wilkinson’streachery but permitted him to continueas CIC to avoid scandal.• 1811. President Madison courtmartialedWilkinsonfor corruption inLouisiana• 1814 he is kicked out of the army forincompetence in the war of 1812.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 18

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith(A handbook “How To” on American Capitalism)• A Scottish economist, Smith is themost influential proponent ofcapitalist economics even though hepublished his work in 1776 during theearliest phases of the British industrialrevolution.• Smith is still cited as in support ofarguments for an unregulatedeconomy--the less governmentinterferes with business, the moreprosperous a nation will be-this is histheory.Ch 8 New Rep 1789-1800 (19) 19