Week 9 Discussion

The Early Republic

1789-1803

Developing a new political system • After the constitution, competing models of governance

developed between people who believed in a strong and large national government (Federalists), and those who desired a smaller, less intrusive government (Democratic-Republicans).

• During Washington’s presidency (1789-1797), these differences developed into a loose two-party system.

a. Federalists (strong, large fed. gov., pro-British): I. John Adams II. Alexander Hamilton

b. Democratic-Republicans(smaller, less intrusive fed. gov., pro-French): I. Thomas Jefferson II. Aaron BurrWashington Presidency, 1789-1797

Years of Crisis, 1792–1796

Foreign Trade and Foreign Wars •Who in US politics

showed support for the French Revolution?

•Neutrality Act, 1793- Prevented ships from nations at war from docking in US ports.

Liberty Leading the People, Eugene Delacroix, 1830 Source: theguardian.com

Years of Crisis, 1792–1796

The Whiskey Rebellion, 1794 •Protests against the whiskey

tax •Fears of outside intervention

existed due to Spanish and British soldier presence in the western frontiers

•Washington responded by mobilizing 30,000 soldiers from state militias and crushing the revolt.

•Why was the Democratic- Republican Party created in response to Washington?

Source: mountvernon.gov

Years of Crisis, 1792–1796

Further Conflicts on the Frontier •Uncontrolled settlement in Ohio

and Mississippi River valleys created problems with American Indians and led to a pan-Indian resistance headed by Miami chief Little Turtle.

•Battle of Fallen Timbers, 1794 eventually defeats Little Turtle’s efforts, though after numerous loses for the Americans.

•What was the Jay Treaty, 1796 and what was its importance?

Federalist control of government • John Adams won the 1796 election by

3 delegates over Jefferson (as per the norms of the time, Jefferson would serve as Vice-President).

• During Adams’ term, the United States entered a conflict with France.

• Know as the Quasi-War • Both nations’ navies fought for two

years, until they signed a treaty in 1800

• Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) • Federalist dominated Congress

passed measures to limit criticism against the government, make it harder for immigrants to become resident aliens, and deport, imprison and brand people traitors. Source: whitehouse.gov

Election of 1800 • Thomas Jefferson ran against John

Adams in a very close election. • Jefferson and his choice for Vice-

President (Aaron Burr) tied for the presidency, each getting 73 delegates.

• After several votes in Congress, Jefferson won.

• This election is often portrayed as a revolution because it marked the first time the Federalist lost an election, and the transition of government was carried out without any violence.

Jefferson’s Presidency • Though he had widely held views

that the government should be limited, Jefferson expanded federal power.

• Jefferson held very strong views about the liberty of man, but he limited those liberties to white males. – He questioned the equality of African

Americans, and the viability of Indian cultures.

• He waged a war on the Barbary States (a north African kingdom) to protect American merchant interests in the Mediterranean.

Jefferson’s Presidency • Louisiana Purchase (1803)

– In 1798, Spain revoked a treaty that allowed the U.S. to use the port of New Orleans.

– Napoleon Bonaparte, ruler of France, secretly acquired Louisiana from Spain in 1800.

– In 1803, the Haitian Revolution (see next slide), forced Napoleon to seek funding for a possible war with England.

– Jefferson, wanting to avoid losing access to New Orleans, sent James Monroe and Robert Livingston to buy land access to the Mississippi in New Orleans and surrounding area for $10 million.

– The French offered the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million.

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)

• Starts as a slave rebellion in the French colony of Saint Domingue

• When France outlawed slavery in 1794, Toussaint Louverture, Haitian revolt leader, moved towards the French revolutionary cause

• With Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise, French troops invaded Haiti, but were fought off.

• Independence was declared in 1804 and a Constitution passed in 1805.

People of Color and Women in the New U.S. • 1790 Naturalization Law

– Congress passed a law that limited naturalized U.S. citizenship to “free white persons”.

• As a result, African Americans, whether free or slaves, could not achieve full citizenship. – The Revolution remained

unfinished for them. • Level of rights for blacks depended on

which state they lived in, but most states discriminated against them in jobs, government services, and access to society.

People of Color and Women

• In the North, discrimination manifested itself more through the denial of services and jobs.

• In the South, many slave owners allowed manumission for their slaves because they felt the revolution had changed certain moral dynamics. – Nonetheless, slavery grew between 1790 and 1810 from 520,000 to 650,000.

People of Color and Women • Native people in the West

– As U.S. expanded, more conflicts developed between Indians and settlers.

– Land speculation continued to grow throughout the West.

– Wars break out in the Great Lakes area. • Groups pushed out of the East join with groups in the Ohio valley area and form a very formidable opposition

• The conflict ended in 1795 with the Treaty of Greenville.

– In areas controlled by the U.S., there was a strong push to “civilize” and acculturate natives.

People of Color and Women • Women – Well to do women began to adopt the idea of “Republican Motherhood” • Women should be educated, but should tend to the home and provide cultural companionship for husband

• Women participated in public life by being guardians of the home and raising educated and social children.

People of Color and Women • Non-elite women worked hard

domestic and field jobs. • Black women tended to work in

white households, but the period sees an increase in black women living and working on outside of the confines of white households.

• Native women saw their traditional roles as leaders and diplomats stripped away as U.S. culture pushed on native lands and forced Western gender roles on Indians.