| AP American History Review: Presidential Administrations and Events to know!
Era: The Young Republic, or the Early National Period: 1. George Washington, 1789-1797 (two terms) VP - John Adams; Secy of State - Thomas Jefferson; Secy of Treasury - Alexander Hamilton • Judiciary Act, 1789 –creates Federal court system • French Revolution - Citizen Genét, 1793 tries to raise American forces to fight against England; Washington has him removed as emissary • Proclamation of Neutrality (French Revolution 1789-1799) • Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)—defeat of Miami Confederacy in NW territory, Treaty of Greenville (1795)--$20,000 for Indian lands • Invention of the cotton gin in 1793 will lead to increased profitability for cotton in the south • Jay Treaty with England, 1795—Opens British territories to United States trade, England agrees to vacate forts in NW territory and to compensate Americans for shipping losses during British-French war, America agrees to guarantee pre-Rev. war debts to British merchants, no agreement on Impressment or future shipping losses • Pinckney Treaty with Spain, 1795—United States gets navigation rights on Mississippi River and right of deposit in Port of New Orleans. Also settled some territorial disputes. • Hamilton’s Financial Plan/Report on the Public Credit (Federalist Secretary of Treasury) • Assumption of state debts left over from Revolutionary War (Federal Government will pay)—creates the National Debt; gives the wealthy (creditor) class a reason to want to see the government succeed • First Bank of United States, 1791-1811—part government owned, part private owned • Tariff of 1789 (8%) • Whiskey Rebellion, 1799 (Farmers in Pa. respond to federal excise tax on Whiskey; rebellion crushed) • Birth of the first 2 party system in America—Federalists v. Democratic Republicans • Farewell Address, 1796 –Beware of political parties and entangling alliances • Two term tradition, not broken until FDR 2. John Adams, 1797-1801, Federalist (one term) VP - Thomas Jefferson • XYZ Affair, 1797—attempt by French diplomat to get bribe money from United States • Undeclared Naval War with France 1798-1800 • Logan Act 1798—private citizens cannot negotiate for United States without authorization • Establishment of the Department of the Navy 1798 • Convention of 1800 breaks alliance with France and ends hostilities of “Quasi-War” • Alien Act (allows president to deport non-citizens), Sedition Act (criminalizes criticism of government), 1798 • Naturalization Act—lengthens period of time required for citizenship • Kentucky (Jefferson) and Virginia (Madison) Resolutions, 1798 (state compact theory!)—written in response to Alien and Sedition Acts; claim right of state to nullify (neither state did nullify) • Midnight Judges," 1801 (Judiciary Act of 1801)—Federalist Adams “packs” judiciary with Federalist judges before leaving office 3. Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809, Democratic-Republican (two terms) VP - Aaron Burr; Secretary of State - James Madison • Reduced the ceremonial role of President; worked closely w/ D-R Congress • Repealed excise tax, pardoned those jailed for sedition, passed new naturalization act • Kept National Bank and Tariff (inconsistent with D-R philosophy of limited National powers) • Marbury v. Madison, 1803 –establishes judicial review • Louisiana Purchase, 1803 –From France (after the Haitian revolt) • Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1805 • 12th Amendment, 1804 –separate ballots for president and vice president • Chesapeake Incident 1807 (3 Americans killed by British attack on American ship) • Embargo Act, 1807 –cut off United States exports; attempt to stay out of British-French war • Non-Intercourse Act, 1809 –cuts off trade only with Britain and France • Undeclared Naval war in Tripoli—against Pirates of the Mediterranean 4. James Madison, 1809-1817, Democratic-Republican (2 terms) VP - George Clinton; Secretary of State - James Monroe • Macon’s Bill No. 2, 1810 –U.S. will resume trade w/ Britain and/or France if they pledge to support neutral rights; France will claim they accept—contributes to U.S. war against England • French Berlin and Milan Decrees –French restrictions on United States trade with England • British Orders in Council—English restrictions on United States trade with France • "War Hawks," 1811-1812 –young Congressmen (Clay, Calhoun) pushing for war against England so United States can take Canada and possibly Florida • Wm. Henry Harrison defeats Shawnees in Indiana (Battle of Tippecanoe) • War of 1812—2nd War of Independence; fought over United States neutral shipping rights • Hartford Convention, 1814 (sectionalist demands from the Federalists in New England who were hurt by losing their trade with England during the war)— propose limiting president to 1 term; requiring 2/3 vote to declare war or admit new states or enact an embargo • First “Protective” Tariff, 1816 • Treaty of Ghent—ends War of 1812 at status quo ante-bellum • Recharter of the BUS (inconsistent with D-R philosophy) • Madison vetoes Internal Improvements Bill (1817)—believes they should be a local, not national responsibility (consistent w/ D-R philosophy_ Era of Good Feelings and the Rebirth of a Two Party System: 5. James Monroe, 1817-1825, Democratic-Republican VP – Tompkins; Secretary of State - John Quincy Adams • Marshall Court Decisions—Strengthen the National government and protect contracts (which will promote business), Marshall’s decisions are a long term impact of Federalist party, despite its demise: McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819; Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 1819; Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824; Fletcher v. Peck • General Andrew Jackson’s invasion and occupation of Spanish Florida 1818 (Calhoun wants Jackson reprimanded, JQ Adams says no it’s cool…Jackson will later detest Calhoun when he finds out) • Acquisition of Florida from Spain, 1819; Transcontinental or Adam-Onis Treaty 1819 • Tallmadge Amendment 1818, defeated in the Senate—would have gradually abolished slavery in Missouri territory • Missouri Compromise, 1820—Missouri slave/Maine free; no slavery (within Louisiana Territory) above 36 30’ (“forever”)—Henry Clay of Kentucky brokers the compromise; forever lasts until K-N Act 1854 • Monroe Doctrine, 1823—W. Hemisphere “closed” to further European colonization, United States will view violations as an act of war, United States will stay out of European affairs (largely symbolic gesture, made unilaterally although Britain offered to make it a Joint statement. Written by JQ Adams) • Tariff, 1824 • Favorite Sons Election [Jackson, J. Q. Adams, Crawford, Clay], 1824—Jackson defeated, although he won more popular votes and more electoral votes than JW Adams (a corrupt bargain?) 6. John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829, D-R, then National Republican (one term) VP - John C. Calhoun; Secy of State- Henry Clay (that was the deal, right?) • JQA favored a nationalistic agenda during a time of increasing sectionalism • The nation’s 1st “minority” president • Henry Clay introduces his “American System;” based on Hamilton’s Financial Plan. Clay argues in favor of a protective tariff, the national bank, and federal funding of internal improvements (infrastructure—roads to improve trade). This will become the platform of the nationalistic Whig Party; it will be opposed by the Jacksonian Democrats. • Growth of popular democracy (states remove property requirements; popular vote for electors); growth in importance of party organization to get out the vote; politicians must appeal to “common man” • "Corrupt Bargain" charge exploited by Jackson throughout JQA’s term • Erie Canal, 1825 (built/dug at New York State expense)—connects Eastern NY with the West (Albany to Buffalo)—the Erie Canal was a miracle in engineering for its time and canal building was the rage in the 1820s—the transportation developments to know: roads/turnpikes (first), then canals/steamboats, then railroads (which don’t really take off on a big scale until the 1850s—1st transcontinental is 1869) • Tariff of Abominations 1828 prompts Calhoun's Exposition and Protest, which will cause the nullification controversy under Jackson (Calhoun uses the state compact theory to argue that SC can nullify the tariff—based on Va. and Ky. Resolutions of 1798) |