John Adams’ Presidency
John Adams Becomes President In the election of 1796, who would replace the beloved George Washington was a heated question. The Federalists nominated his vice-president, John Adams. The Democratic-Republicans went with their leader, Thomas Jefferson. In a close electoral vote, Adams narrowly defeated Jefferson by a vote of 71-68. Due to the votes, though, Jefferson became Adams’ vice-president.
Article II, Section I The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.
XYZ Affair and its Aftermath In 1796, Adams sent three envoys to France to negotiate over two issues: France was upset over the signing of the Jay Treaty with Great Britain; The French had begun seizing U.S. ships to finance their European conflicts. It became known as the XYZ Affair. The French officials (known as X, Y, and Z) attempted to humiliate the U.S. and demanded $250,000 in bribes, a large sum of money just for a conference with the French foreign minister, Marquis de Talleyrand– no guarantee of peace. Many Americans were outraged over the incident, and public opinion turned against the French and their supporters.
XYZ Affair and its Aftermath The public was divided, and the D-Rs were speaking out against the government for their handling of the incident. In 1798, Adams reluctantly signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Alien Act targeted immigrants who spoke ill of the government, extending the length of time necessary to become a citizen, and allowing the president to deport ‘dangerous’ immigrants. Generally, immigrants supported the Democratic-Republicans, so naturally, the Federalists wanted to take away their voice. The Sedition Act targeted newspaper editors who published negative remarks re: Adams administration.
Quasi-War with France Quasi = seemingly The Quasi-War was an undeclared naval war between France and the United States. It grew out of the XYZ Affair. To defend against the French seizure of ships, Congress established the Navy in 1798. Several small conflicts occurred between the two sides, however, war was never formally declared. When Napoleon took over in France in 1799, he looked to negotiate with Adams. In 1800, the Treaty of Mortefontaine was signed, terminating all previous agreements and re-establishing trade between the two countries.
VA and KY resolutions The two D-R leaders, Jefferson and Madison, wrote resolutions that declared the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional. They were known as the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions. They asserted that states had the right to nullify, or void, federal law. Seemingly, this gave the states more power to enact/disallow laws than the federal government. First major demonstration of states’ rights– that states have power over the federal gov.
Election of 1800 Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson (both D-Rs) tied in electoral votes. The vote went to the House of Representatives. After many re-votes, Jefferson was able to claim victory. Hamilton had lobbied for Jefferson because he considered him the more ‘honorable’ man over Aaron Burr. In 1804, the 12th amendment was passed which stated that voting for president and vice-president would be separate. Aaron Burr would kill Alexander Hamilton in a duel that same year.
Article II, Section I The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.
A Two-Party System Emerges Federalists Democratic-Republicans 1) Key Leaders: 2) Type of Gov: 3) Economy: 4) Country favored 5) Interpretation of Constitution: - Alexander Hamilton John Adams Strong, central government Based on industry and trade Great Britain Loose interpretation= broad interpretation of the Constitution. - Thomas Jefferson James Madison States’ rights Based on farming France Strict interpretation= Constitution should be read as is, no interpretation.