Cabinet-  George Washington established a Cabinet to help him govern and to give advice. According to the Washington and Adams Administration slideshow, “Alexander Hamilton was his secretary of the treasury, Thomas Jefferson was his secretary of state, and Henry Knox was his secretary of war. He also had Edmund Randolph as his Attorney General to advise on legal matters.” This shows that the cabinet was an important precedent started by Washington. This is significant because the cabinet still exists today.

Conflicts- After the U.S. Constitutional Convention, America faced many problems. According to the Washington and Adams Administration slideshow, These included a “national debt of $52 million from the Confederation, No navy and only a 400 man army, no respect for the US in foreign countries, and learning on the fly.” This shows that America didn’t always have a stable economy or system of government. This is significant because people like Washington were able to create the government we know today through dedication and hard work.  

Precedents- George Washington set precedents on how to lead America. According to our worksheet on George Washington, He Gave State of the Union address in person, consulted with a Cabinet of advisors, set his title as President instead of Your Highness, and stepped down after two terms in office. This illustrates that George Washington set ideals for future presidents. This is important because these ideals are still used today.

Farewell address- After Washing ton’s 2nd term, he left what is called a farewell address to leave advice to the country. This advice included things such as loyalty to our country, religion and morality, how to prevent tyranny, when or when not to form foreign alliances, and the importance of education. According to The HAT Farewell address, “It is of infinite importance that you unify as one nation, indivisible, cherishing a patriotic attachment that is immovable. An entire book could not list all the ways that being a good politician is tied to being moral and religious.  It is important that politicians, entrusted with their office, respect freedom by confining themselves to their respective office, never encroaching upon the constitutional sphere of another department. There’s this tendency to let all the power shift into one office, which inevitably creates tyranny (just look at human nature and how much we love power). Constantly being enemies with a particular country makes you reactive, and can even lead you to war when you really don’t need to, it makes you a slave to them, anxious for any kind of feedback, good or ill. A nation under these influences may impel its government to war based on passion which good reason would reject. Promote knowledge and institutions of its distribution (schools) as a high priority. Because the government will only be as smart as the average person.” This shows that Washington knew how to create a successful nation and give good advice. This is significant because these principles are still used today.

3 part Economic plan- Hamilton built a four part plan to save the country from debt, establish credibility, buy political support, and redistribute wealth. The Washington and Adams Administration slideshow illustrates that his first step would be to establish a national bank to preserve funds. The second step would be to pass an excise tax on goods such as whisky. The third step would be to fully assume all federal and state debts. The last step would be to impose a high tax or tariff on imported goods. This illustrates that Hamilton thought of many ways to repay America’s debt. This is important because this plan was one of the first ones that made our country gain some stability.

Future disputes- There was an argument on Hamilton’s national bank idea. According to The Washington and Adams Administration slideshow, the South didn’t think the existence of a national bank correlated with the Constitution so in exchange for the bank the U.S. capitol was moved from New York to Washington DC. This shows that Hamilton’s plan wasn’t perfect and that compromises were needed. This is significant because compromises are an essential part of a working government.

Political position- Hamilton wanted financial stability for America.  According to Hamilton’s Financial Plan, Hamilton wanted to repay debts made after the war by creating a national bank and imposing taxes. There was some controversy around creating a national bank as it was unconstitutional, but Hamilton made a compromise. This idea illustrates that Hamilton had a political position of power and he thought he could fix America’s economic situation. This is important because he helped turn our country into what it is today.

Position as a Federalist- According to the Hamilton worksheet, Hamilton believed that he could save the economy and according to other worksheets he wanted a strong central government even though it could have caused tyranny. This idea illustrates that Hamilton wanted a central government. This is significant because it created a balance between human rights and strong government.

There was some argument about whether Hamilton’s plan was Constitutional. According to the Washington and James administration slides, some people thought that creating a national bank was unconstitutional because it was never specified in the Constitution. This sparked a debate between people who only wanted to have things listed in the Constitution and those who did not. This idea illustrates that the new nation needed to be on the same page in order to make decisions. This is important because this argument is still relevant today.

Political views- Hamilton and the Federalists believed that the wealthy and educated should be the ones to rule our country. Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans believed that the common man could rule the country. Jefferson wanted the common man to rule the country. Hamilton wanted the wealthy and educated. 

Type of government/view of Constitution- Hamilton believed there should be a strong central government. Jefferson believed that the government should focus on state governments. Hamilton wanted a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Jefferson wanted a strict interpretation of the Constitution. 

Economy- Jefferson emphasized agriculture in the economy. Hamilton emphasized shipping, manufacturing, and trade. Jefferson wanted no special business favors. Jefferson believed a national bank would favor the wealthy. Hamilton wanted protective tariffs. He also wanted a national bank to provide loans to industry.

Views on federal policy- Jefferson supported the French Revolution. He opposed a war with France He favored the French over the British. Hamilton opposed the French Revolution. He wanted a war with France. He was pro-British.

Lasting effects (sectionalism economy state v federal)- Jefferson became elected as president where he could pursue his ideas further. The feud between Hamilton and Jefferson started the divide in the country known as political parties. This also started an issue between state and federal governments. Since then, there have been debates over who should hold powers. The economy was also debated over even though national banks are everywhere. Ironic that this is what George Washington was scared of.

Political parties (agenda philosophy)- The Federalists wanted wealthy people to lead our country. They favored a strong central government. They favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The Democratic-Republicans believed that the common man should rule. They favored state governments. They favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Main points: electoral college tie reactions amendment- The 12th amendment was added in 1804. Electors could make a choice between their selections for presidents or vice presidents. People were shown that the original Constitution wasn’t perfect. This also showed how divided the people could be politically because of the almost fifty-fifty tie.

What did it prove- There was an issue in the original constitution. Two candidates could be selected on a ballot. The person with the most votes would be president. The runner-up would be vice president. This became a problem because two candidates were tied for president. This shows that the Constitution wasn’t perfect to begin with.

president/federal policy- Thomas Jefferson knew that the Louisiana Purchase was a momentous opportunity for the young nation. This treaty would double the size of the present federal land. However, he was a strict Constitutionalist. According to the Constitution, Article 1, section 8, “The Congress shall have Power to regulate commerce (trade) with foreign nations and among the states and with the Indian Tribes.” The federal policy also seems to give permission. It says that The Louisiana Purchase would not be final until it was ratified by the Senate, funded by the House of Representatives, and signed by the President.

constitutional?/ public reaction- The constitution did state that Congress has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations. This sprung the debate on whether or not buying land from another country would be considered Constitutional. People such as Alexander Hamilton stated that this implied that land could be purchased. However, Jefferson had his doubts. She gave in when he embraced the interpretation and realized the benefits of the Louisiana territory for America. The public was divided as Jefferson was a proud strict interpreter of the Constitution and people who shared this strict interpretation of the Constitution were upset as the Constitution never permitted the federal government to purchase new land. The Senate however passed the Louisiana purchase 26 to 6.

Main points- France lost all its North American territories after the French and Indian War. Spain decided to return the land to France. Jefferson wanted the land (more than 800,000 acres) as it was essential to the economy. Jefferson sent a diplomat named James Monroe to negotiate the territory. Monroe spent a total of 15 million dollars instead of the budget of 10 million dollars for the land. Purchasing lands from other countries wasn’t necessarily in the Constitution, but Jefferson gave in for the betterment of the country. The size of the country was essentially doubled.

Lasting effects: expansion, west migration, economic growth-south federal vs state balance of power slave x free- The country was expanded by over 800,000 acres. This addition to the country greatly contributed to westward expansion. It contributed to economic growth as it added new states and farming opportunities to the federal government plus it provided excellent sea access near New Orleans. It also provided new resources. Jefferson was previously worried about the new Constitution giving too much power to the Federal government and not enough to the states. Ironically, the Louisiana Purchase did just that. The Louisiana Purchase also presumably added more slave states to the U.S.

Who were Lewis and clark-  Meriwether Lewis was a soldier and private secretary to Thomas Jefferson, who asked Lewis to lead the expedition. Captain William Clark was also a soldier and were friends in the U.S. army. 

Who went on the expedition- Lewis and Clark were the leaders of the expedition. They brought a few Blackfeet indians. A childhood friend and slave also accompanied them. Sacagawea guided them and helped them survive. Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor and Private Richard Windsor were also members of the expedition.

End result- At the end of the expedition, the west territory had been charted and available for further discoveries. 122 new animal species were documented. 148 new plants and trees were also documented. Sacagawea returned home where she died six years after the expedition. Some say she lived to be 100 years old. Westward expansion became more popular.  

Impact on American trade- The pirates made trade much harder for the new nation. The pirates struck fear in the Mediterranean Sea.

Early American response- At first, people were comfortable with giving tributes in exchange for mercy.

Jefferson's response- Jefferson no longer wanted to pay tribute.

Naval actions- George Washington asked Congress for a stronger and more well-equipped navy.

Aftermath and legacy- U.S. Marines and Navy ships fought two wars and the U.S. eventually had their first victory on foreign land.

England violated U.S neutrality in a variety of ways, while causing trade to suffer. 

American resistance- The war brought feelings of patriotism, unity, and peace as well as closure for past British crimes. 

Star spangled banner- Francis Scott Key wrote a poem known as the Star Spangled Banner that was made the national anthem.

Treaty of Ghent- The Treaty of Ghent officially ended the war in 1812.

Importance- The Monroe Doctrine established America as a world force, allowing newly independent countries protection.

Public policy- The Monroe Doctrine became a huge foreign policy setting boundaries and saying that North and South America should not be colonization opportunities for Britain. And the U.S. promised they would stay out of British business

Importance- It acted as a temporary solution while maintaining political balance in the Senate.

Slave vs Free- The balance was restored after Henry Clay proposed that Missouri enter as a slave state and Maine enter as a free state.

Potential issues in the future- The imaginary line would now hold forever considering eventually state additions and where their borders landed. People were also not happy about this controversial compromise.