The Federalist Era 1789 to 1800 Chapter Nine

President George Washington On April 30, 1789, George Washington was elected as our first president with John Adams as Vice President. They served under the new Constitution and were extremely well respected by the people, who were fearful of the office of the President. April 30, 1789

Vice President John Adams

Setting Precedent Washington set many precedents, or traditions, with every decision he made in office. For example, he created the title, “Mr. President” and served two terms.

State Department Thomas Jefferson

Treasury Department Alexander Hamilton

War Department Henry Knox

Attorney General Edmund Randolph

cabinet These advisors, along with Attorney General Edmund Randolph, became known as the "cabinet".

Judiciary Act of 1789 The Judiciary Act of 1789 helped create the federal court system in the United States. The Federal Court System had 13 district courts and three circuit courts.

United States Supreme Court The United States Supreme Court would be the final authority in all matters. It could overturn any state ruling. John Jay was the first Chief Justice.

Bill of Rights 1791 In December of 1791, Congress passed the Bill of Rights to protect the individual rights and liberties of the American people.

the 10th Amendment The 10th Amendment was supposed to give the states some leverage with the United States government. It states that any power that is not given to the federal government is reserved for the people or the states.

Hamilton & the National Debt Washington rarely dealt with financial issues, instead leaving them to Hamilton to handle. (Washington dealt mostly with foreign affairs and military issues.) Hamilton’s biggest problem was the national debt and how to stop it from growing larger. Hamilton suggested that the U.S. should take over all debts owed by the states to other nations or people since they got these debts creating the U.S. He hoped this would make the states more loyal to the U.S. government.

Hamilton’s Plan U.S. Government should take over state debts Create a Bank of the United States to keep the nation’s money

State Arguments Most states agreed to repay other nations, but many did not want to pay off the war bonds purchased by citizens who had sold them for less than their value to speculators who hoped to get rich once they were repaid.

Southern States Oppose Many Southern states were opposed to this plan since they had already paid their debts back and thought the North were getting a free ride. To get support from the South, Hamilton proposed moving the new U.S. capital to land between Virginia and Maryland. At that time, the capital was located in Philadelphia, where it would remain until the new capital was ready.

The New CapitAl The Southern States agree! In the South Washington, D.C. The Southern States agree!

Hamilton & the Bank of the U.S. Hamilton wanted to create the Bank of the United States to keep the nation’s money. It would be owned by the government and individuals.

Jefferson & Madison Oppose Jefferson and Madison said the bank was unconstitutional, but Hamilton convinced Washington to agree. Jefferson Madison Hamilton and Washingotn

Hamilton & the import Tax Hamilton also suggested a tariff on goods imported from Europe to force Americans to buy American goods. He believed this would help support American industry.

Southern States Oppose The South initially opposed this plan since they did not have many factories and would just have to pay higher prices and not receive any benefits. However, they eventually agreed.

Taxes Finally, Hamilton got Congress to agree to creating taxes to help fund the U.S. government. Jefferson and Madison began to strongly oppose Hamilton’s ideas of a stronger U.S. government. They believed that the U.S. would become dominated by a few wealthy individuals instead of the people.