I.Hamilton’s Program
a. Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton was a strong supporter of national government
b. believed government should actively direct the development of the economy
c. wanted national govt. to assume Revolutionary War debts of states
d. to gain support of southern states Hamilton brokered a deal to have capital located in south
e. Hamilton believed that creditors would not want new government to collapse if it owed them money
f. Hamilton devised a payment plan
g. 1791, Congress placed tax on whiskey
h. 1792, Congress placed tariff on imports
i. 1791, Congress established the Bank of the United States
j. many people objected to Hamilton’s plan
ja. 1793, Thomas Jefferson resigned in protest
jb. strict construction (Jefferson) ~ believed the national government should not do anything the constitution did not specify vs. loose construction (Hamilton) ~ believed the constitution was only a loose framework of laws on which the government could build the nation as it saw fit
II.The Jeffersonian Republicans
a. many people opposed the policies and increasing power of Washington’s government
b. many joined together in a group called Democratic- Republicans
ba. ancestor of modern Democratic Party
c. in his farewell address in 1796, Washington warned against the divisiveness of political parties
d. 1796, John Adams ran for President against Thomas Jefferson
da. Adams won, Jefferson finished second and became Vice-president
III.Reducing Government
a. Jefferson’s goal as President was to reduce the size and power of the national government
aa. “The sum of good government is a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned” ~ Thomas Jefferson
b. reduced taxes, cut the size of the federal bureaucracy
c. cut the army from 12,000 to 3,000
d. let the Bank of the US continue to function until its charter expired in 1811
e. Jefferson’s biggest rivals were Hamilton and Vice-president Aaron Burr
ea. summer of 1804, Burr killed Hamilton in a duel
f. Constitution was vague on the powers of the judicial branch
g. Judiciary Act of 1789 outlined the powers and role of the judicial branch
ga. created a national court system with 3 circuit courts and 13 district courts headed by the Supreme Court
gb. stated Supreme Court would settle differences between state and federal laws
h. just before the end of its term, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801
ha. reduced the number of Supreme Court justices and increased number of fed. judge
i. this allowed Adams to make several last minute appointments, giving the Federalist control of the court system
Read "The Federalist", oftentimes known as "The Federalist Papers", by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. God Bless you.
