Chapter 6
Launching the Nation
chapter 6 section 1 washington leads a new nation.pptxChapter 6 Section 1: Washington Leads a New Nation
George Washington is elected President of the United States and must organize the government of the new Republic under the Constitution. In the process he sets a number of precedents for future leaders of the nation to follow.
chapter 6 section 2 hamilton and national finances.pptxChapter 6 Section 2: Hamilton and National Finances
Alexander Hamilton, serving as George Washington's Secretary of the Treasury, is given the task of paying off the debt of the United States left over from the Revolutionary War, and the government of the Articles of Confederation. His plan leads to conflict with Anti-Federalists, and results in the creation of the first political parties.
chapter 6 section 3 challenges for the new nation.pptxChapter 6 Section 3: Challenges for the Nation
President Washington was faced with numerous challenges from the moment he swore the oath of office. Revolution in France, and then a new war between France and Great Britain threatened to drag America into a European conflict it was not prepared to fight, while Native American tribes in the Northwest Territory, supported by the British, made war upon the United States. The greatest threat to the national government came in the form of the Whiskey Rebellion. Finally Washington decides to step aside as president in 1796, leaving the country with advice on how he hoped the government and people would conduct themselves.
Chapter 6 Section 4: John Adams Presidency
When Adams entered office, the ongoing war between France and Great Britain was causing great difficulties for American merchants on the high seas and arousing intense partisanship among contending political factions nationwide. Attempts to negotiate with the French led to the XYZ Affair, in which French officials demanded bribes before they would assent to the beginning of negotiations. The XYZ Affair outraged the American public, and the United States and France engaged in an undeclared naval conflict known as the Quasi-War, which dominated the remainder of Adams's presidency. Adams presided over an expansion of the army and the navy, and the navy won several successes in the Quasi-War. Adams insistence on following Washington's neutrality policy, the taxation made necessary by the expansion of the Army and Navy in order to defend the country against the British and the French, and the passage of the Alien and Sedition acts made Adams an unpopular president in his own time, and he served only one term, losing the election of 1800 to his Vice-President and old friend, Thomas Jefferson.
chap.6.washington.adams (1).pptWashington's Farewell Address:
In the 32-page handwritten address, Washington urged Americans to avoid excessive political party spirit and geographical distinctions. In foreign affairs, he warned against long-term alliances with other nations. The address was printed in Philadelphia's American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796.
ms-hss-ush-unit_2_--_chapter_6-_launching_the_nation.pdfUnited States History: Chapter 6, Launching the Nation (textbook)
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George Washington: A brilliant group of political leaders emerged during the Revolutionary Era and the early years of the new nation. Collectively, they are called the FOUNDING FATHERS and their names are familiar — Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Most essential of them all was the first president of the United States: George Washington.
Growing up in Colonial Virginia: Believe it or not, George Washington was once a kid. He rode horses. He thought about running away from home and going off to sea.
The Force of Personality and Military Command: George Washington was a serious man.
He carried himself with a grave dignity often described as aloofness. Quite the opposite of being an informal joker, Washington held people at a distance. A central part of his personality included strong self-control that avoided excessive camaraderie. Surely, his long military service played a significant role molding this character. First as a militia officer on the Virginia frontier preceding and during the French and Indian War (1754-58) and then again as the commander of the Continental Army (1775-83), Washington believed that familiarity could weaken the respect an officer needed for effective command.
The First Administration: Washington happily resigned his military command at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783. He saw himself living out his days as a farmer at Mt. Vernon. But he would be called on to lead the country again — this time not in war, but peace.
Farewell Address: Washington departed the presidency and the nation's then capital city of Philadelphia in September 1796 with a characteristic sense of how to take dramatic advantage of the moment.
Mount Vernon and the Dilemma of a Revolutionary Slave Holder: George Washington, like most powerful Virginians of the 18th century, derived most of his wealth and status from the labor of African and African American slaves. At his father's death in 1743, eleven-year-old George inherited ten slaves. His property grew larger with the death of his half-brother Lawrence in 1754, which brought him the 2600 -acre plantation of Mt. Vernon along with another 18 slaves.
Unsettled Domestic Issues: Washington's towering stature and legacy might misleadingly suggest that the early years of the new nation were times of great confidence and self-congratulation. In fact, just the opposite was nearly the case. Americans knew that the historical record of the long-term success of republican governments was exceedingly poor. Previous examples and classical political theory suggested that republics almost all suffered the fate of collapsing into anarchy and then being taken over by a power-seizing tyrant.
The Bill of Rights: The first national election occurred in 1789. Along with President Washington, voters elected a large number of supporters of the Constitution. In fact, almost half of the ninety-one members of the first Congress had helped to write or ratify the Constitution.
Hamilton's Financial Plan: Presidents Washington ($1), Lincoln ($5), Jackson ($20), and Grant ($50) all appear on currency. But what about this guy Alexander Hamilton on the ten-spot? How did he get there? A sawbuck says you'll know the answer after reading this piece.
Growing Opposition: The 1790s brought extraordinary divisions to the forefront of American life and politics. Strong differences about how best to maintain the benefits of the Revolution lay at the center of these conflicts. Hamilton's economic policies were among the earliest sources of tension. They sparked strong reactions not only from elected officials and ordinary farmers, but even split Washington's cabinet.
The Whiskey Rebellion: More taxes on whiskey? "No way!" said the rebellious farmers of western Pennsylvania.
New taxes placed on whiskey to increase federal revenue cut deeply into ordinary people's livelihood. In the newly settled backcountry, poverty was widespread. For farmers to survive economically, they needed to convert bulky corn and grain into more easily transported whiskey. The new taxes debilitated this crucial economic resource for many frontier settlers from New York to Georgia.
Native American Resilience and Violence in the West: The early 1790s witnessed major crises on a number of different fronts from the perspective of the federal government. It faced domestic unrest from the backcountry. On the international front there was trouble with France and England. And Native Americans in the west regrouped to pose a significant threat to U.S. plans for expansion.
Politics in Transition: Public Conflict in the 1790s: The French Revolution. The emergence of the two-party system. Threats of war with France and England. The first transfer of Presidential political power. George Washington called "debauched" and worse. The clampdown of personal freedoms. Welcome to the political 1790s in America.
Trans-Atlantic Crisis: The French Revolution: The French Revolution brought fundamental changes to the feudal order of monarchical and aristocratic privilege. Americans widely celebrated the French Revolution in its glorious opening in 1789, as it struck at the very heart of ABSOLUTIST POWER. France seemed to be following the American republican example by creating a constitutional monarchy where traditional elites would be restrained by written law. Where the king had previously held absolute power, now he would have to act within clear legal boundaries.
Negotiating with the Superpowers: The United States was a small new country. Regardless, it found itself in the midst of the dramatic escalation of political and military conflicts brought on by the French Revolution.
Two Parties Emerge: The ELECTION OF 1796 was the first election in American history where political CANDIDATES at the local, state, and national level began to run for OFFICE as members of organized political parties that held strongly opposed political principles.
The Adams Presidency: Would the meddlesome Alexander Hamilton undermine his own Federalist party and the administration of newly elected John Adams?
The Alien and Sedition Acts: No protesting the government? No immigrants allowed in? No freedom of the press. Lawmakers jailed? Is this the story of the Soviet Union during the Cold War? No. It describes the United States in 1798 after the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The Life and Times of John Adams: John Adams stands as an almost tragic figure. Rather than continue to use the exigencies of war to build his own popularity and to justify the need for strong federal authority, Adams opened negotiations with France when the opportunity arose to work toward peace. Reconciling with France during the critical campaign of 1800 enraged many Federalists, including Adams' own secretary of state who repeatedly refused to send PEACE COMMISSIONERS to France.