YOU ARE HERE >
Main > Teacher Resources > JCC Survey Course > Cyber Lectures > Survey 1-07
The Critical Years 1789 - 1800
Video
Clips
In many of the cyberlectures, I
have added video clips from a variety of sources. I believe
that video often is very effective to bring a topic to life.
In some cases, especially the
History Channel, you will have to tolerate a 30 second
advertisement. I apologize for the inconvenience.
The Constitution, which went into effect in 1788, was
intended to correct the shortcomings of the Articles of
Confederation by strengthening the national government and
limiting state governments. The abuses of the monarchy and
Parliament were still fresh in the minds of American
citizens. Would this new federal government exercise too
much power? How would separation of powers or checks and
balances actually function? These and many other questions
awaited the unanimously elected
President Washington (click for a video
clip) and the members of the first Congress, as they
entered the temporary capital of New York City. Today, as we
read the Constitution, it is possible to visualize the House
of Representatives, Senate, Supreme Court and the majestic
buildings in
Washington
D.C.
However, in the early years, the first administration would
actually define every facet of the Constitution through
practice, trial and error. I have always admired George
Washington for his dedication and many accomplishments.
However, as he took the oath of office on April 30, 1789,
the task of directing the transformation of the Constitution
from parchment to reality must have been overwhelming. From
this day on, the decisions and actions of the Congress as
the legislative branch, the president as the chief executive
and the Supreme Court as the federal judiciary, would
clearly define the living Constitution.
One of Washington's first actions
was to organize his executive department. The original
cabinet positions included: Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of
State,
Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of the Treasury,
Henry Knox Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph as Attorney
General. These four men, from different sections of the
country and with diverse political perspectives, would serve
as the president's advisors. Hamilton emerged as a dominant
figure and, with the approval of President Washington and
Congress, designed and implemented a dynamic financial
program including funding the national debt, assuming state
debts, imposing customs and excise taxes, and establishing
the Bank of the United States. Part of the deal to acquire
passage of this multifaceted plan was the promise to
establish the nation's capital in the south along the
Potomac River. The most controversial component was the plan
to establish a national bank. Hamilton argued that the
Constitution gave the federal government implied, as well
as, expressed powers and that the document could be
interpreted loosely combining the specific powers and the
"necessary and proper" clause. Opposition from Jefferson,
and his followers, reflected the fears of a national
government endlessly expanding power and embraced "strict
construction"--the bank was not "necessary" merely
convenient and went beyond the explicit powers.
Hamilton and Jefferson would begin
to crystallize the arguments, at the Constitutional
Convention and their opinions, into the foundation of two
emerging political parties. Hamilton's nationalistic views
would evolve into the Federalist Party espousing the belief
that national power ensured liberty. Thus, the federal
government must create a powerful commercial republic based
on internal economic development, foreign trade, and a
formidable navy to protect these interests. The emerging
needs of a growing country would require the loose
construction of the Constitution through the use of Article
I, Section VIII, Clause 18--the "necessary and proper
clause". Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans concerned
with the possible abuse of central government, promoted a
belief in states rights, the need for a bill of rights, and
strict construction of the Constitution. Foreign policy
would also serve as a point of contention.
Congress was also very active in
exercising their powers.
The Judiciary Act of 1789
established a Supreme Court
with a chief justice and five
associate justices--How many justices comprise the Supreme
Court today? This law also enabled the Supreme Court to rule
on the constitutionality of decisions made by state courts.
The act also made provisions for a system of thirteen
district courts and three circuit courts of appeal. This
same act was a crucial element of the case
Marbury v. Madison.
By 1791, the Bill of Rights had been approved by Congress
and ratified by the states.
The textbook highlights most of the
significant events of Washington's era. Issues of note
included the Treaty of Greenville, The Whiskey Rebellion and
the addition of Vermont and two "western" states to the
union--Kentucky and Tennessee. From a foreign perspective,
the French Revolution created a severe ideological and
political division over foreign policy throughout the
Federalist administrations. Basically the choice was whether
to provide support to France, France's enemies or neither
side. The extreme radicalism of the revolution seemed to
temper the feeling that we "owed France for our successful
struggle for independence. Washington established the
tradition of a president articulating foreign policy with
the
Proclamation of Neutrality 1793.
No doubt a very obvious policy based on the title!
In 1796, Washington retired as
president and issued his
Farewell Address of 1796
summarizing policies and
actions he felt were dangerous to the young republic.
Americans were warned to stay out of European affairs, avoid
making permanent alliances, not to form political parties
and to avoid sectionalism. WOW--talk about the Psychic
Hotline--every issue returned to plague the United States at
different points in history. In fact, many current events
focus on political parties and treaties--just ask George W.
Bush. President Washington's decision to leave office after
two terms established a precedent followed by all his
successors throughout the nineteenth century.
The election of 1796 witnessed the
emergence of the two party system. The Federalists supported
John Adams the vice president. The Democratic-Republicans
embraced Thomas Jefferson. Adams won by three electoral
votes. Jefferson received the second highest number of
electoral votes and, due to the original Constitution
(changed in 1804 by the 12th Amendment), he became Vice
President--picture President George W. Bush and Vice
President Al Gore! Adams' years in office were marked by
problems with foreign policy and serious domestic disputes.
The American response to the French Revolution and
Anglo-French War split the country as Adams adhered to
Washington's warning to avoid foreign entanglements. On the
home front, the Federalists attempted to retain power and
restrain criticism by passing the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The item I wish to draw to your attention to is the basic
statement that it was illegal for newspaper editors to
criticize either the President or Congress and imposed
significant fines or imprisonment for editors in violation.
Imagine if this law was applied today and included
comedians! This abusive law, which obviously seems to
violate the first amendment, caused immediate dissension and
discussion. Our response would be to appeal to the Supreme
Court --unfortunately, judicial review would not be
established until Marbury v. Madison (1803). We may witness
this proposed response over some of the contents of various
Homeland Security legislation--including the Patriot Act.
James Madison wrote the Virginia Resolutions and Thomas
Jefferson wrote the
Kentucky Resolutions
(anonymously) which were passed by the respective
legislatures. Both resolutions declared that the states had
entered into a compact in forming the national government,
and if any act of the federal government broke the compact,
a state could nullify the federal law. This argument,
crafted by two of our founding fathers, would serve as the
rationale for the nullification controversy in the 1830's
and appear again in the 1850's.
During Adam's presidency, the
Federalists lost popularity due to taxation policies, the
Alien and Sedition Acts and foreign policy. Adam's became
the first president to lose a bid for reelection. However,
Jefferson's election in 1800 marked a momentous event in our
history--the first peaceful transition of power from the
ruling party to the elected party. An event we take for
granted but is still non existent or questionable in many
parts of the world today. As messy as the election of 2000
seemed to us, transition was smooth and expected--albeit not
necessarily without the intercession of the Supreme Court.
Also the
Election of 1800
was the first election when
a tie in the electoral college, between Jefferson and Burr,
required that the House of Representative select the winner.
Our textbook offers a very comprehensive Online Student
Learning Center. Click on the link below, Select the
appropriate chapter and you will have access to: Chapter
Objectives, Chapter in Perspective, Chapter Overview, numerous
Interactive Activities, Primary Source documents and my
favorite--Internet Exercises/Recommended Sites Related to the
Specific Topics
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072870982/student_view0/index.html
Folk Music of American History: Music and Lyrics
(highly recommended music before, during or after reading
cyberlectures!)
Additional
Folk Music and Lyrics
|