The ratification of the Constitution did not put to rest the debates between those who wanted a more active federal government and those who favored states' rights. Within George Washington's cabinet, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson battled each other over many issues, including the national bank and government subsidies for manufacturing. The lines drawn between Jefferson and Hamilton formed the basis for the First Two Party System in the United States, which put the Federalists against the Jeffersonian Republicans.
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"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism." |
Jefferson vs. Hamilton: The First Two Party System |
Due 2/6/18 |
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George Washington, unbound by considerations of party, put together a geographically and ideologically diverse cabinet that was dominated by Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury, and Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State. Jefferson and Hamilton had fierce disagreements about the nature of the Constitution and the powers that it granted to the federal government - most notably the power to create a national bank.
E-Lecture Available on YouTube |
Textbook ReadingAMSCO
109-111, 113-114 Primary Source(s) |
The Whiskey Rebellion
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Leave it to Alexander Hamilton to come up with a plan to restore the public credit and make farmers pay for it. Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey made waves in the Pennsylvania backcountry, resulting in the Whiskey Rebellion. The Washington administration's strong response to the rebellion demonstrated the power of the federal government under the new Constitution, but it also energized the opponents of the administration.
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
113 Primary Source |
E-Lecture Available on YouTube |
My YouTube teacher friends, HipHughes and MrBettsClass, have also made videos explaining the Whiskey Rebellion. Take a look at these to gain more perspective - or even just to take in MrBettsClass' drawing skills!
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George Washington's Foreign Policy
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As the French Revolution began to shake the foundations of Europe, George Washington found himself stuck between the Federalists, who wanted to strengthen economic ties with Britain, and the Jeffersonians, who wanted to the United States to express solidarity with her sister republic in France. Caught between two extremes, Washington chose the middle path of neutrality. The Citizen Genet affair and the unpopular Jay treaty presented challenges to Washington's administration, while Pinckney's Treaty settled boundary and navigation disputes with Spain.
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
111-112 PowerPoint Presentation |
Washington's Farewell Address
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After two terms, George Washington decided to leave public life - for good, this time - and return to his farm at Mount Vernon. On the way out, he gave Americans a few words of advice, the most memorable being his warnings against political parties and permanent alliances with foreign nations.
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Primary Source(s) |
The Adams Administration
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When George Washington stepped down from the presidency after two terms, he was followed by his vice president, John Adams, who had the misfortune of becoming the nation's first one term president. The Adams administration was a contentious period in United States politics, as the United States fought a "quasi-war" with France, Congress passed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and Jefferson and Madison responded with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
Primary Source(s)E-Lectures Available on YouTubeDON'T LAUGH - THEY'RE OLD!
What were you doing in 2012?
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Textbook ReadingAMSCO
113-119 PowerPoint Presentation |