1. Essential Question:
How did ideological differences between Jefferson & Hamilton contribute to the rise of America’s first political parties?

2. Foreign Affairs

4. The Battle over Foreign Affairs
France was engulfed in the French Revolution; The U.S. supported the revolution, but feared its radical & bloody nature
In the 1792 election, Washington was unanimously chosen again
Foreign policy became the focus of Washington’s 2nd term:
War between England & France broke out in 1793 which divided Americans over who to support
England refused to obey the Treaty of Paris (1783) & barred the U.S. from West Indian trade
U.S. neutrality seemed to be the best option 10 10

5. The French Revolution Led to War Between England & France

6. The Peril of Neutrality
Americans seemed to favor France due to French assistance in the American Rev
Hamilton & Jefferson wanted neutrality but disagreed how:
Jefferson: punish England (due to impressment) by cutting off trade & reward France
Hamilton: England needed to be appeased, not coerced
Washington signed Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) to keep America out of foreign wars
At least until the Genet Affair: French diplomat Edmond Genet challenged American neutrality repeatedly in public 11 11

7. English & French “impressment” of American sailors

8. Jay's Treaty with England
The treaty avoided war with England but did not get the British to pay Southerners for lost slaves or merchants for impressed ships
John Jay demanded from England
The removal of British soldiers from western forts in America
payment for impressed ships
acceptance of U.S. neutrality
Jay’s Treaty (1794)
British vacated western forts
U.S. gained trade in West Indies
But, England did not recognize neutrality or end impressment
Jay was hung in effigy throughout America
The House challenged the Senate’s Constitutional authority to ratify the treaty 12 12

9. Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain
Prior to 1795, Spain closed U.S. access to the Mississippi River & encouraged Indian attacks
But, Spain interpreted Jay's Treaty as Anglo-American alliance against Spain & signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo (Pinckney’s Treaty):
Spain reopened the Mississippi
Settled the disputed border between Florida & U.S. 15 15

11. Treaty of Greenville with Indians
To end Indian attacks against white settlers in the West, the U.S. fought an Ohio Indian alliance led by the Shawnee at Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)
Led to the Treaty of Greenville:
Indians ceded lands in Ohio
The U.S. promised “fair” dealings with Indian nations
Settlers rushed to Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, & western New York
The end of the American Revolution unleashed a rush of white settlers into frontier Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and western New York. Hundreds died as Indians resisted the influx of whites onto their lands. To open the Ohio country to white settlement, President Washington dispatched three armies. Twice, a confederacy of eight tribes led by Little Turtle, chief of the Miamis, defeated American forces. But in 1794, a third army defeated the Indian alliance at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in northwestern Ohio. Under the Treaty of Greenville (1795), Native Americans ceded much of the present state of Ohio in return for cash and a promise that the federal government would treat the Indian nations fairly in land dealings. 14 14

12. Conquest of the West (Notice the British forts in the West!)

13. America’s First Political Parties

14. America’s 1st Political Parties
Represented the “Spirit of 1776” & the fight against tyranny
Also called Jeffersonian Republicans or simply, Republicans
Disagreements over Hamilton’s financial plans & Anglo-French Wars led to the 1st political parties:
Democratic-Republicans: led by Jefferson, favored states’ rights, “strict construction,” ties to France, & liberty
Federalists: led by Hamilton, favored a strong national gov’t, “loose construction”, ties to England, & public order
Represented the “Spirit of 1787” & the fight for a stronger national gov’t 10 10

16. America’s 1st Political Parties
Political parties were seen as a conspiracy against liberty
Federalists & Dem-Republicans thought it was their duty to destroy the other party
In the Washington & Adams eras, the Federalists dominated politics, but Jefferson’s election in 1800 killed the Federalists
Commoners in the U.S. were highly literate
Newspapers transformed political culture in the U.S.; they were widely read, highly influential, & totally partisan 16 16

17. Whiskey Rebellion
Hamilton interpreted the rebellion as a Jefferson-inspired conspiracy
Jefferson saw it as an excuse by Federalists to raise an army to intimidate Republicans
The whiskey tax led yeomen in western Pennsylvania to start a Whiskey Rebellion in 1794
When the governor of PA refused to act, Federalists saw the revolt as a threat to safety
Washington himself led the U.S. army to suppress the rebellion
Both parties used the event to attack each other
Rioted with the same fervor as those against the Stamp Act
Political polarization was further intensified by the outbreak of popular protests in western Pennsylvania against Hamilton's financial program. To help pay off the nation's debt, Congress passed a tax on whiskey. On the frontier, the only practical way to transport and sell surplus corn was to distill it into whiskey. Frontier farmers regarded a tax on whiskey in the same way as American colonists had regarded Britain's stamp tax.
By 1794, western Pennsylvanians had had enough. Some 7000 frontiersmen marched on Pittsburgh to stop collection of the tax. Determined to set a precedent for the federal government's authority, Washington gathered an army of 15,000 militamen to disperse the rebels. In the face of this overwhelming force, the uprising collapsed. The new government had proved that it would enforce laws enacted by Congress.
Thomas Jefferson took a very different view of the "Whiskey Rebellion." He believed that the government had used the army to stifle legitimate opposition to unfair government policies. 17 17

18. Whiskey Rebellion, 1794
His mere presence (and the 15,000 soldiers he brought with him) was enough to end the Whiskey Rebellion
Political polarization was further intensified by the outbreak of popular protests in western Pennsylvania against Hamilton's financial program. To help pay off the nation's debt, Congress passed a tax on whiskey. On the frontier, the only practical way to transport and sell surplus corn was to distill it into whiskey. Frontier farmers regarded a tax on whiskey in the same way as American colonists had regarded Britain's stamp tax.
By 1794, western Pennsylvanians had had enough. Some 7,000 frontiersmen marched on Pittsburgh to stop collection of the tax. Determined to set a precedent for the federal government's authority, Washington gathered an army of 15,000 militamen to disperse the rebels. In the face of this overwhelming force, the uprising collapsed. The new government had proved that it would enforce laws enacted by Congress.
Thomas Jefferson took a very different view of the "Whiskey Rebellion." He believed that the government had used the army to stifle legitimate opposition to unfair government policies.
President Washington is one of two presidents (Madison is the other) who participated in combat while serving as president

19. Washington's Farewell Address
Washington never acknowledged the faction in his cabinet, he tended to side with the Federalist perspective of gov’t
Washington was not limited by the Constitution to 2 terms, but in 1796 he announced his decision to retire
Washington’s Farewell Address:
Warned against political parties
Warned against “entangling alliances” with foreign nations (led to the precedent of non-intervention in foreign affairs)
Washington’s decision to retire established the precedent of terms in office for presidents 18 18

20. Discussion Question:
George Washington is universally agreed to be the most significant of America’s Founding Fathers…
But, who is the 2nd most important of these early political leaders:
James Madison?
Alexander Hamilton?
Thomas Jefferson?
Someone else?
Make an argument for each & then rank order them with a clear justification for your #1 choice

21. Hamilton/Jefferson Comparison
(Federalist)
Jefferson
(Democratic-Republican)
What was his vision of the role of government
(National or State?)
Payment of National & State Debts
Tariff on Imported Goods
The U.S. Economy: (Manufacturing or Farming?)
Creating a National Bank
Interpretation of the Constitution
Whiskey Tax and Whiskey Rebellion
Support for the French Revolution

22. Hamilton/Jefferson Discussion
Summarize the fundamental idea at the heart of the Federalists/Anti-Federalist disagreement. In what ways is this similar to the idea at the heart of the Hamilton/Jefferson conflict? In what ways is it different?
Who’s vision for America, Hamilton’s or Jefferson’s, do you feel was most appropriate for America in 1790? Explain