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23 Cards in this Set

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Alexander Hamilton
- was a political genius, New York lawyer, one-time military aide to Washington and the son of a Scottish merchant in the West Indies. He was unhappy with the Articles of Confederation and therefore called for a national convention to overhaul the entire document. He found and ally: James Madison of Virginia who persuaded Virginia to convene an interstate conference on commercial questions. Only 5 states sent delegates to the meeting in Annapolis, Maryland and the delegates approved a proposal of Hamilton (from New York) who said that Congress should call a convention of special delegates to meet next year in Philadelphia to “render the constitution of the Federal Govt. adequate to the exigencies of the union.” It was believed that in order to prevail, George Washington had to support. At first, he did not look interested and Jefferson believed that Shay’s Rebellion was a good thing. On the other hand, Washington decided to go to Philadelphia and support the meeting. ****** (Opposed national government’s assumption of state debts since most Southern states had paid their debts, Properly funded bonds would have a stable value and increase the supply of money in circulation, Protested repayment in full to national bondholders since many bonds had been resold at a fraction of their original worth, Create a standard for national currency, Favored a national bank modeled on the Bank of England, It would supply necessary capital for business ventures, Give rich investors a chance to make money and establish a tie with the new government, Favored the tax, Such a tax would make the West ant-administration in future elections,
Accepted the enact of a low tariff for revenue purposes, but opposed a high protective tariff, Favored a tax that would promote manufacturing and self-sufficiency,
Favored Britain and admired British culture and values, Bulk of money that went to pay off the national debt came from tariffs on imports from Britain, 90% of imports were from Britain and 75% of U.S. exports went to Britain, Economic ties were stronger with Britain than France)
The Founding Fathers
- 55 men are the so called “founding fathers” who attended a convention in the Philadelphia State House. Avg. age was 44 except for Franklin which was 81. They represented propertied interests and feared “turbulence and follies” and had Revolutionary suspicion of concentrated power. Washington was chosen to preside over its sessions and close the business to the public and press. Each state delegation would have only ONE VOTE. James Madison was sent from Virginia who had a plan for a “new national govt.”
The Virginia Plan
- Edmund Randolph of Virginia proposed “a national govt. consisting of a supreme Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary.” They approved because they wanted a fundamental reform. He introduced the details of Madison’s plan and this became known and The Virginia Plan. It called for a new national legislature consisting of two houses. In the lower house, states would represent based on population but in the upper house, the largest state (Virginia) would have 10 times more representatives than the smallest (Delaware).
The Great Compromise
- There were disagreements going on and the possibility for the convention to collapse. Benjamin Franklin urged to create a “grand committee” with a SINGLE delegate from each state (Great Compromise) ITS MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT WAS RESOLVING THE DIFFICULT PROBLEM OF REPRESENTATION. The proposal called that in the LOWER HOUSE population would e the key or representation counting the slaves as 3/5. For the UPPER HOUSE, it was proposed that the sates should be equally represented with two members apiece. ANOTHER AGRREMENT was that the new legislature would not be permitted to tax exports and that Congress was forbidden to tax more than $10 per head on imported slaves. They could not stop the slave trade for the next 20 years either, some only agreed because they thought that without it the Constitution would fail.
James Madison
- He was the most political thinker of his generation. The question of sovereignty was the friction between the colonies and Great Britain. Madison and his contemporaries decided that all power come from the people. It can be seen in the beginning of the Constitution: WE THE PEOPLE, meaning ALL. Madison also said that the Constitution was both National and Federal. A “supreme law” of the land was to be created were no state would have the authority to defy it. The federal govt. had the right to power to tax, regulate commerce, control the currency, and past acts that were “necessary”. On the other hand, Congress accepted the existence of separate states and left important powers in their hands.
Sovereignty
- having a supreme, independent authority over a geographic area (territory) it can rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided.
Separation of Powers
- What frightened leaders the most was creating a tyrannical government. Drawing ideas from the French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, most Americans believed that the only way to avoid tyranny was to keep a govt. close to the people. A republic only focused on one small area so it would create tyranny. Madison, ON THE OTHER HAND believed that a large republic would be better because there would be MANY factions that no single group would be able to DOMINATE. (Drew from Scottish Philosopher David Hume) Constitutions most distinctive feature was “separation of powers” within the government, its creation of “checks and balances” among the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Congress would have a Senate and a House of Representatives, in which both have to agree before a law could be passed. The president could veto acts of Congress and federal courts would have protection from executive and legislature because they would serve for life.
Federalists
- Supporters of the Constitution had the support of Franklin and Washington and they called themselves “Federalists” meaning that they are less committed to a “nationalist” government.
Anti Federalist
- They believed that the Constitution would betray the principles by establishing a strong, potentially tyrannical, center of power in the new national government. They claimed that the new govt. would increase taxes, obliterate the states, wiled dictatorial powers, favor the “well born” over the common people and put an end to individual liberty. Their BIGGEST concern was that there was no Bill of Rights: mistrust of human nature and of the capacity of human beings to wield power.
The Federalist Papers
- They had the support of Hamilton, Jay and Madison “Publius” and wrote a series of essays explaining the meaning and virtues of the constitution. They wanted to prove the anti-federalists, who opposed the constitution, wrong. They did not have protection and feared that some may repeal in states but it later got published in books and became known as “Federalist Papers.”
The Bill of Rights
- Without thinking it twice, George Washington became president due to the fact that he had presided at the Constitutional Convention. John Adams, a leading Federalist, became vice president. Congress’ responsibility was filling various gaps in the Constitution. Even Madison agreed that a Bill of Rights was necessary and 12 Amendments of the Constitution was approved in 1789. Then in 1791, 10 of them were ratified by the states. 9 of the 10 amendments placed limitation on Congress forbidden it: freedom or religion, speech, press, immunity from arbitrary arrest, trial by jury, and others. The Tenth Amendment reserved to the states all powers except those specifically withheld from them ore delegated to the federal govt
The Cabinet
- The Congress created three departments: state, treasury and war. The office of secretary of the treasury appointed by Washington was Alexander Hamilton of New York. For secretary of war it was General Henry Knox from Massachusetts. As attorney general he named Edmund Randolph of Virginia and as secretary of states he chose Thomas Jefferson from Virginia.
Bank of the United States
- Hamilton believed that the national bank would provide loans and currency to businesses, give the govt. a safe place to deposit federal funds, it would help collect taxes, disburse the government’s expenditures, it would keep up the price of govt. bonds, the bank would Be chartered by the federal govt., would have a monopoly of the govt. own banking business and would be controlled by directors. (1/5 appointed by the govt.) STABLE!
Whiskey Rebellion
- Farmers in western Pennsylvania raised a rebellion when they refused to pay a whiskey excise tax and began terrorizing the tax collectors. They did don’t leave like Shay’s Rebellion and Washington called out the militias of three states, raised an army of 15,000 PERSONALLY led the troops into Pennsylvania. The rebellion collapse due to the rebels intimidating them. The last of the 13 colonies joined the Union once the Bill of Rights had been appended to the Constitution
Citizen Genet
- France’s first diplomatic representative was Edmond Genet (Citizen Genet) and instead of landing at Philadelphia and presenting himself to the president at once, he went to Charleston. He made plans to Use American ports to outfit French warships, encouraged American ship-owners to serve for the French and encouraged George Rogers Clark to serve against the Spanish. He ignored Washington’s Neutrality Act and got him angry as well as the Federalists. He embarrassed many and Washington called for the French to recall him. It survived its first test.
Jay's Treaty
- Jefferson had resigned and Edmund Randolph was his successor but he was even MORE pro-French. Washington then put John Jay as commissioner. He was instructed to secure compensation for the recent British assaults on American shipping, to demand withdrawal of British forces from the frontier post and to negotiate a new commercial treaty. Jay’s Treaty: it failed to achieve some goals but it settled the conflict with Britain and helped prevent what seemed to become a war between two nations. It established American sovereignty and produced a reasonably satisfactory commercial relationship with Britain. When it became public, there were bitter denunciations. Opponents of the treaty (republicans) went to lengths to defeat it. James Monroe (France) and Edmund Randolph (Secretary of State) wanted to prevent ratification but it did not succeed.
Pinckney's Treaty
- The Spanish feared that British and America would join together against the Spanish. Thomas Pinckney arrived in Spain as a negotiator and gained many things the US wanted in a little bit of time. Under his treaty, Spain recognized the right of Americans to go to the Mississippi River and deposit goods for reloading on oceangoing ships, agreed to fix the northern boundary of Florida (31st parallel) and required Spanish authorities to prevent the Indians in Florida from launching raids across the border.
The Quasi War
- Adams told Congress to let them capture French ships on seas. A Department of the Navy (construction of new warships) was created and 85 French ships were captured. The US began cooperating and soon France decided to conciliate before it got any worse. Adams sent a commissioner to Paris (now led by Napoleon Bonaparte) and agreed on a treaty that canceled the old one of 1778. It ended peacefully.
The XYZ Affair
- Adams turned a report of the American commissioners over to Congress, after deleting the names of the 3 French agents and replacing them only as “Messrs. X, Y, and Z.” it was published and for nearly 2 years after the affair, it found itself engaged in an undeclared war with France.
Alien and Sedition Acts
- Alien Act: placed obstacles in the way of foreigners who wished to become American citizens and strengthen the president in dealing with aliens. Sedition Act: allowed govt. to prosecute those engage in “sedition” against the govt. The Republicans fought back. Adams signed these laws but did not deport any aliens and prevent the govt. from launching a crusade against the Republicans. But it had little effect because the Alien Act discouraged immigration and the Sedition Act arrested 10 men most of them Republicans just because they criticize the Federalists in the government.
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
- Jefferson adopted the Kentucky Resolution anonymously and Madison approved the Virginia legislature. They argue that the federal govt. had been created by a “compact” or contract among the states and had only certain delegate powers. If they exercised any undelegated powers, the Kentucky Resolution claimed that they had the right to “nullify” the laws. They did not gain support though. The Republicans did though elevate their disputes with the Federalists. Republican Matthew Lyon spitted in Federalist Roger Griswold’s eye and Griswold hit him with his cane. Lyon then fought back with a pair of fire tongs.
Aaron Burr
- Adams was up as a Federalists and Jefferson as a Republican. Both showed respect but the Federalists accused Jefferson of being a dangerous radical and his followers and wild men that would only bring reign of terror. The Republicans accused the Federalists of plotting to subvert human liberty and impose slavery on the people. During the campaign, Jefferson’s romantic involvement with a slave woman was announced AARON BURR mobilized the Tammany Society as a Republican and it was apparent that Jefferson was elected. THEN, the Constitution called for each elector to cast a vote for two persons in order to avoid a tie and intended for one elector to refrain from voting for Burr. In the end both had 73 so the HOR had to choose by each state delegating one vote. Federalists had to vote and Alexander Hamilton concluded that Burr was not trusty therefore; Jefferson became president with 36 votes.
The Judiciary Act of 1801
- The Judiciary branch was the only one left in the hands of the Federalists. It was passed by Congress and it reduced the # of Supreme Court justiceships by one but greatly increased the number of federal judgeships as a whole. John Adams stayed up until midnight signing the new judges’ commissions. They became known as the “midnight appointments.”