Launching the New Nation

1 74 CHAPTER2 Revolution and the Early RepublicTerms & NamesTerms & NamesMAIN IDEAMAIN IDEAOne American's StoryLaunching the New NationWith George Washington asits first president, the UnitedStates began creating aworking government for itsnew Nation . The country s early leadersestablished precedents fororganizing government that theUnited States still IT MATTERS NOWWHY IT MATTERS NOWAs the hero of the Revolution, George Washington was theunanimous choice in the Nation s first presidential the news reached him on April 14, 1789, Washingtonaccepted the call to duty despite his uncertainty about how tolead the new country. Two days later he set out for New YorkCity to take the oath of PERSONALVOICEGEORGE WASHINGTON About ten o clock I bade adieu [farewell] to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity [happiness]; and with a mindoppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I havewords to express, set out for New York.

2 With the best dispo-sitions [intentions] to render service to my country in obedienceto its call, but with less hope of answering its expectations. The Diaries of George WashingtonWhen Washington took office as the first president of theUnited States under the Constitution, he and Congress faced adaunting task to create an entirely new government. The momentous decisionsthat these early leaders made have resounded through American Heads the New GovernmentAlthough the Constitution provided a strong foundation, it was not a detailedblueprint for governing. To create a working government, Washington andCongress had to make many practical decisions.

3 Perhaps James Madison put itbest: We are in a wilderness without a single footstep to guide us. JUDICIARY ACT OF 1789 One of the first tasks Washington and Congress facedwas the creation of a judicial system. TheJudiciary Act of 1789provided for aSupreme Court and federal circuit and district courts. The Judiciary Act allowedstate court decisions to be appealed to a federal court when constitutional issues Judiciary Act of 1789 AlexanderHamilton cabinet two-party system Democratic-Republican protective tariff XYZ Affair Alien andSedition Acts nullificationGeorge WashingtonAwere raised. It also guaranteed that federal laws would remain the supreme lawof the land.

4 WASHINGTON SHAPES THE EXECUTIVE BRANCHThe Nation s leaders alsofaced the task of building an executive branch. To help the president govern,Congress created three executive departments: the Department of State, to dealwith foreign affairs; the Department of War, to handle military matters; and theDepartment of the Treasury, to manage head these departments, Washington chose capable leaders ThomasJefferson as secretary of state,Alexander Hamiltonas secretary of the treasury,Henry Knox as secretary of war. These department heads soon became the presi-dent s chief advisers, AND JEFFERSON: TWO CONFLICTING VISIONSH amilton andJefferson held very different political ideas.

5 Hamilton believed in a strong centralgovernment led by a prosperous, educated elite of upper-class citizens. Jeffersondistrusted a strong central gov-ernment and the rich. Hefavored strong state and localgovernments rooted in popularparticipation. Hamilton believedthat commerce and industrywere the keys to a strong Nation ;Jefferson favored a society S ECONOMIC PLANAs secretary of the treasury,Hamilton s job was to put thenation s economy on a firmfooting. To do this, he called onthe Nation to pay off its debts, alarge amount of which wasincurred during the also proposed the establish-ment of a national bank thatwould be funded by both thefederal government and wealthyprivate investors.

6 This bankwould issue paper money andhandle taxes and other govern-ment of a nationalbank, such as James Madison,argued that since theConstitution made no provisionfor such an institution, Congresshad no right to authorize it. Thisargument began the debatebetween those, like Hamilton,who favored a loose interpreta-tion of the Constitution andthose, like Madison, who favoreda strict interpretation a vitaldebate that has continuedthroughout JEFFERSON1743 1826 The writer of the Declarationof Independence, ThomasJefferson began his politicalcareer at age 26, when hewas elected to Virginia s colo-nial legislature.

7 In 1779 hewas elected governor ofVirginia, and in 1785 he wasappointed minister to served as secretary ofstate from 1790 to Southern planter, Jeffersonwas also an accomplishedscholar, the architect ofMonticello (his Virginia house),an inventor (of, among otherthings, a machine that madecopies of letters), and thefounder of the University ofVirginia in 1819. Despite hiselite background and his own-ership of slaves, he was astrong ally of the small farmerand average HAMILTON1755 1804 Born into poverty in theBritish West Indies, AlexanderHamilton was orphaned atage 13 and went to work asa shipping clerk. He latermade his way to New York,where he attended King sCollege (now ColumbiaUniversity).

8 He joined thearmy during the Revolutionand became an aide toGeneral ambitious,Hamilton quickly moved up insociety. Although in his hum-ble origins Hamilton was theopposite of Jefferson, he hadlittle faith in the common citi-zen and sided with the inter-ests of said ofJefferson s beloved commonpeople: Your people, sir, yourpeople is a great beast! MAIN IDEAMAIN IDEAAC ontrastingHow didJefferson s andHamilton s viewsof governmentdiffer?THE FIRST POLITICAL PARTIESThe differences within Washington s cabinetintensified and soon helped to give rise to a two-party who sharedHamilton s vision of a strong central government (mostly Northerners) calledthemselves Federalists.

9 Those who supported Jefferson s vision of strong state gov-ernments (mostly Southerners) called themselves WHISKEY REBELLIOND uring Washington s second term, an incidentoccurred that reflected the tension between federal and regional , Congress had passed a protective tariff,an import tax on goods pro-duced abroad meant to encourage American production. To generate even morerevenue, Secretary Hamilton pushed through an excise tax a tax on a product smanufacture, sale, or distribution to be levied on the manufacture of 1794, furious whiskey producers in western Pennsylvania refused to pay thetax and attacked the tax collectors. The federal government responded by sendingsome 13,000 militiamen to end the conflict.

10 The Whiskey Rebellion, as it came tobe known, marked the first use of armed force to assert federal at Home and AbroadAt the same time, the new government facedcritical problems and challenges overseas aswell as at home along the western FOREIGN AFFAIRSIn1789 a stunning revolution in France endedthe French monarchy and brought hope fora government based on the will of the peo-ple. By 1793, France was engaged in warwith Great Britain as well as with otherEuropean the United States, reaction to theconflict tended to split along party supported addition topromotingAmerican goods,the Tariff of 1789,as well as tariffsthat followed,provided themajority of thefederalgovernment srevenue until the20th centur theBastille, aninfamous prison in Paris, France,on July 14, 1789.