Political History of the United States

Political Ideology – basic beliefs, principles and values that determine how a person explains how the believe a society should function

Political Party – a group of people who share the same basic political ideology and seek to attain political power within a government through the election process

Party Platform – a political party’s stated beliefs and intentions

George Washington – elected unanimously as the first President of the United States

John Adams – finished 2nd to Washington, first vice President and first President of Senate

John Jay – Appointed by Washington as first Supreme Court Chief Justice

Washington’s Cabinet

Thomas Jefferson – Secretary of State

Alexander Hamilton – Secretary of Treasury

Henry Knox – Secretary of War Edmund Randolph – Attorney General

Executive Departments

Department of State – diplomacy and foreign affairs,Fifth in line to Presidency

Department of Treasury – financial and economic matters, sixth in line to Presidency

Department of Defense (War) – armed services and military matters, seventh in line to Presidency

Department of Justice – legal affairs and chief law enforcement officer, eighth in line to Presidency

James Madison – Representative from Virginia, House of Representatives

Aaron Burr – Senator from New York

John Marshall - Representative from Virginia, House of Representatives

James Monroe – Senator from Virginia

John Quincy Adams – Returned from Russia after the war, became a lawyer and then ambassador to the Netherlands

Andrew Jackson – the young boy who had been slashed by a British officer became a self taught lawyer out on the frontier in Tennessee, liked to drink and gamble and get into duels

Charles Pinckney – Representative from South Carolina

Charles Pinckney – Senator from South Carolina

Thomas Pinckney – Senator from South Carolina

Timothy Pickering – Served under Washington in War, served as both Secretary of War and State

James McHenry – Served with Washington in War, served as Secretary of War

The Pre-First Party System

Anti-Federalists Federalists

Patrick Henry

Samuel Adams

George Mason

Alexander Hamilton

James Madison

John Jay

Federalists

The Split

Democratic-Republicans

Federalists

Wanted small central government, non-industrial economy, no central bank, state rights, personal liberty, alliance with France

Wanted strong central government, industrial economy, central bank, aristocratic rule, alliance with Great Britain

First Party System

Conservative – promotes traditional institutions and gradual and slow change within society

Liberal – promotes change in society and a move away from traditions

Hawk – someone who advocates going to war

Dove – someone who does not advocate going to war

Strict Constructionism – the philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted literally and focuses on the original meanings of the Framers and not interpretations and should only be changed through the amendment process

Loose Constructionism – the philosophy that the Constitution should be broadly interpreted and that the framers included implied powers so that the Constitution can change with society

Whiskey Rebellion

Congress passes a tax on whiskey, supporters of Jefferson and the Democrat-Republicans refuse to pay and start a rebellion, so Washington……….

Becomes the first and only President to personally lead troops into battle to suppress the rebellion

Jay Treaty

Treaty that said that the United States would Trade with Great Britain and not FranceWashington signed it to stay out of War

Washington Retires

Washington walks away (again) retiring after two terms and setting the precedent of the two term presidency which will last for 144 years and 31 Presidents

Election of 1796

Vs.

71

68

The Quasi War

An undeclared war with France over control of shipping routes. To protect against a French invasion Adams creates an Army and then asks………

Washington to be in command

But Washington is old and close to

Dying

Which he does shortly after taking command but not before he tells to Adams to give command to…………

Alexander Hamilton

So now Hamilton controls a party, a bank and an army

The Alien and Sedition Acts

Signed into law by Adams the Acts made it illegal to speak out against the government and banned immigrants from entering the country and deported immigrants

Election of 1800

Vs.

In the first election that both parties tried to “balance the ticket” by having a candidate

from the North and South Adams would have won if not for the 3/5 clause. Instead two

Democratic- Republicans finished in a tie by mistake

62

61

73

73

Federalist

Democratic-Republican

State Legislatures

FDR

Majority50% + 1

Electoral College

House of Representatives

Majority of States

Senate

President Pro Tempore – 3rd in line

73 73

DRDR

F

President Pro Temp

Jefferson Burr

Uriah Tracy

Jefferson Revolution

Hamilton chose Jefferson after making a deal with him that he would continue some Federalist policies and because he hated

Burr. The Democrat-Republican Party would rule for the next 28 years and eventually destroy the Federalist Party

On his way out of office Adams appoints John Marshall to the Supreme Court (and other Federalists judges) where he will spend the 35 years promoting the Federalist agenda of expanding government and the power of the Supreme Court

Marbury v. Madison – the Supreme Court case that set the precedent of judicial review – the Supreme Court’s ability to determine if a law is Constitutional

Burr murder of Hamilton

The death of the Federalist Party

Incumbent – the existing holder of a political office

Running Mate – a person running for election in a subordinate position to another candidate

Realigning Election – an election in which there is a sharp change in issues and a new political party becomes dominant for a long period of time (over 20 years)

Amendment XI – a citizen of one state can not sue another state if they do not live in that state

Amendment XII – changes the election of the President so that the President and Vice-President are voted for separately, also banned anyone not eligible for President from being Vice-President