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Election of George Washington
After the Constitution was ratified, Americans voted under it in the first election. As expected, George Washington was elected President unanimously, while John Adams was chosen to be Vice President. Washington emphasized an isolationist form of action, and wanted to remain neutral in all European affairs. In his Farewell Address, he warned against permanent alliances and political parties. -
Whiskey Rebellion
To raise money, the U.S. created a new excise tax on liquor. Farmers, who converted their corn into whiskey so it could be easily transported, hated the tax. They rebelled and marched in protest through the streets of Pittsburgh, sang Revolutionary songs, and tarred and feathered tax collectors. Washington responded by sending militia troops down to stop the rebellion. This event showed that the new government was not powerless and could handle a crisis. -
Election of John Adams
In this election, the Federalists backed John Adams and
Thomas Pinckney for President and Vice President respectfully, and the Democratic-Republicans backed Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr respectfully. Unexpectedly, John Adams became president and Thomas Jefferson became Vice President, due to the Constitution’s ruling of how the electoral vote worked. Since there was a Federalist President and a Democratic-Republican Vice President, tensions and distrust arose even more between the parties. -
Sedition Act
Due to the tensions rising between America and France, the government began to worry about French spies and subversion. In response, John Adams passed four laws, one of which was the Sedition Act. The Act allowed for punishment of those who criticized the government either verbally or in writing. This was an attempt by John Adams to keep the peace and prevent discord in the American public, but was criticized for being unconstitutional, since it seemed to restrict the 1st Amendment. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
In this crucial and close election, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr ran against John Adams, John Jay, and Charles Pinckney. Thomas Jefferson beat John Adams, the current incumbent president, by eight electoral votes. However, he tied with Burr. The election was ultimately and ironically resolved by Hamilton, who despised Burr and felt that Jefferson was the lesser of two evils. Due to the fact that Jefferson and Burr tied, this resulted in an amendment to the electoral college system. -
John Marshall appointed
Federalists in the old Congress wanted to increase the amount of federal judges. President Adams, naturally being a Federalist, wanted these judges to be Federalist and appointed judges reflecting his political views. One of the judges Adams appointed was John Marshall. Being a Federalist, John Marshall wanted to make the government stronger. He found the courts to be much weaker than the other branches of government since, in his view, it was not clear what powers the federal court had. -
Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson sent Robert Livingston and James Monroe to buy New Orleans and West Florida from Napoleon for $10 million. Napoleon, needing funds for his war, offered all of Louisiana. Livingston and Monroe discussed and agreed upon a total price of $15 million. Talleyrand, the French foreign minister, agreed. In total, the Louisiana Purchase gave America full control of the Mississippi River and was, both in land to cost and usefulness to cost ratios, the best real estate deal in history. -
Embargo Act
In order to attempt to avoid war with France and Britain and to get them to stop seizing American ships, Jefferson imposed a total embargo with the two countries. While on paper it seemed like a good idea, in reality it hurt America more than it hurt Britain and France. New England merchants were hurt the most by this act, and protested loudly. The act was later repealed. -
Election of James Madison
After the incredibly unpopular Embargo Act, Jefferson, following the precedent set by George Washington, refused to run for a third term. George Madison easily won the election. He also wanted and hoped that Britain and France would soon respect American neutrality, but would ultimately be forced to play his hand and declare war. -
Non-Intercourse Act
After the Embargo Act backfired, Congress replaced it with the milder Non-Intercourse Act. This law allowed America to continue trade with all nations except Britain and France. It slowly helped bring back the failing economy that the Embargo Act had created. -
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War of 1812
Britain began to ignore American’s position of neutrality and began to impress American sailors into their Navy to fight in their war. In 1812, Congress declared war on Britain. The war lasted three years and resulted in the burning of theof the White House, the National Anthem, and the Battle of New Orleans. It was finally ended with the Treaty of Ghent and as put by John Quincy Adams, “nothing was adjusted, nothing was settled.” -
Gibbons v. Ogden
A New York law allowed two people to basically operate a monopoly over steamboat business within New York boundaries. It also forced out-of-state steamboats to pay substantial fees in order to operate within the boundaries. Gibbons, who did business between New York and New Jersey, challenged the monopoly and took the case to court. It reached the Supreme Court, where John Marshall ultimately ruled that Gibbons did not have to pay and that the New York law was unconstitutional. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
After Congress chartered the second Bank of the United States, Maryland imposed a tax on any federal banks within the state boundaries. James W. McCulloch refused to pay the tax. The case was taken to the Supreme Court, and John Marshall ruled that McCulloch did not have to pay the tax, and that states had no authority to tax “instruments of the national government employed in the execution of the Constitution.” This decision outlined and emphasized the powers of the federal and states. -
Indian Removal Act
Jackson, in the battle between settlers and Indians, sided with the white settlers. Jackson supporters in Congress pushed through the Indian Removal Act in 1830. It forced Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi. In 1838, The U.S. Army drove more than 15,000 Cherokees westward. Many died on the long, sorrowful journey, which was dubbed by the Cherokees’ the Trail of Tears. -
Worcester v. Georgia
In 1828, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama passed a law declaring that all Indians in the state must be governed by state laws. The Cherokees went to court with the argument that their treaties with the federal government protected their rights and property. The case reached the Supreme Court, and John Marshall declared Georgia’s actions unconstitutional and stated that Native Americans were people protected by the Constitution. However, President Jackson refused to enforce the Court’s decision.
