Federalists and Anti-Federalists (Democratic-Republicans), Washington's Presidency

Question 1

Supporters of the Constitution

Answer 1

Known as Federalists, they were mostly wealthy and opposed anarchy. Their leaders included Jay, Hamilton, and Madison, who wrote the Federalist Papers in support of the Constitution.

Question 2

Opponents of the Constitution

Answer 2

Known as Antifederalists, they were mostly commoners who were afraid of strong central government and being taken advantage of. They included Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams.

Question 3

Patrick Henry (1736-1799)

Answer 3

One of the main opponents of the Constitution, he worked against its ratification in Virginia.

Question 4

Sam Adams

Answer 4

He was opposed to the Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added, and then he supported it.

Question 5

George Mason, Bill of Rights

Answer 5

He opposed the Constitution because it didn’t protect individual rights. His opposition led to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.

Question 6

The ratification fights, especially in Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia

Answer 6

Massachusetts farmers opposed the Constitution because they felt it protected trade more than agriculture, but Massachusetts became the 6th state to ratify. New York was opposed to the Constitution; the Federalist Papers were published there to gain support for it. Virginia and New York would not ratify until the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.

Question 7

The Federalist Papers, Jay, Hamilton, Madison

Answer 7

This collection of essays by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, explained the importance of a strong central government. It was published to convince New York to ratify the Constitution.

Question 8

“The Federalist, # 10”

Answer 8

This essay from the Federalist Papers proposed setting up a republic to solve the problems of a large democracy (anarchy, rise of factions which disregard public good).

Question 9

Bill of Rights adopted, 1791

Answer 9

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee basic individual rights.

Question 10

President George Washington

Answer 10

He established many of the presidential traditions, including limiting a president’s tenure to two terms. He was against political parties and strove for political balance in government by appointing political adversaries to government positions.

Question 11

Vice-president John Adams

Answer 11

A Federalist, he had little say in Washington’s administration.

Question 12

Judiciary Act, 1789

Answer 12

Created the federal court system, allowed the president to create federal courts and to appoint judges.

Question 13

Sec. of the Treasury Hamilton

Answer 13

A leading Federalist, he supported industry and strong central government. He created the National Bank and managed to pay off the U.S.’s early debts through tariffs and the excise tax on whiskey.

Question 14

Sec. of State Jefferson

Answer 14

A leading Democratic-Republican, he opposed Hamilton’s ideas. Washington tended to side with Hamilton, so Jefferson resigned.

Question 15

Sec. of War Knox

Answer 15

A Revolutionary War hero, Henry Knox had served as Secretary of War under the Articles of Confederation, and stayed on in that capacity as part of Washington’s cabinet.

Question 16

Attorney General Randolph

Answer 16

Edmund Randolph had been General Washington’s aide-de-camp at the outbreak of the Revolution, and served both as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congressand as Governor of Virginia from 1786-1788. He submitted the virginia Plan at the Constitutional Convention. From 1789-1794 he served as U.S. Attorney General, and then succeeded Jefferson as Sec. of State. In 1795 he resigned form office after being falsely accused of receiving money from France to influence Washington’s administration against Great Britain, although his name was eventually cleared by the french government.

Question 17

Hamilton’s Program: ideas, proposals, reasons for it

Answer 17

Designed to pay off the U.S.’s war debts and stabilize the economy, he believed that the United States should become a leading international commercial power. His programs included the creation of the National Bank, the establishment of the U.S.’s credit rate, increased tariffs, and an excise tax on whiskey. Also, he insisted that the federal government assume debts incurred by the states during the war.

Question 18

Tariff of 1789

Answer 18

Designed to raise revenue for the federal government, resulted in a government surplus.

Question 19

Bank of the U.S.

Answer 19

Part of Hamilton’s Plan, it would save the government’s surplus money until it was needed.

Question 20

National debt, state debt, foreign debt

Answer 20

The U.S.’s national debt included domestic debt owed to soldiers and others who had not yet been paid for their Revolutionary War services, plus foreign debt to other countries which had helped the U.S. The federal government also assumed all the debts incurred by the states during the war. Hamilton’s program paid off these debts.

Question 21

Excise taxes

Answer 21

Taxes placed on manufactured products. The excise tax on whiskey helped raise revenue for Hamilton’s program.

Question 22

Report on Manufactures

Answer 22

A document submitted to Congress, which set up an economic policy to encourage industry.

Question 23

Implied powers, elastic clause, necessary and proper clause

Answer 23

Section 8 of Article I contains a long list of powers specifically granted to Congress, and ends with the statement that Congress shall also have the power “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the forfegoing powers.” These unspecified powers are known as Congress’ “implied” powers. There has long been a debate as to how much power this clause grants to Congress, which is sometimes referred to as the “elastic” clause because it can be “stretched” to include almost any other power that Congress might try to assert.

Question 24

Loose, strict interpretation of the Constitution

Answer 24

Loose interpretation allows the government to do anything which the Constitution does not specifically forbid it from doing. Strict interpretation forbids the government from doing anything except what the Constitution specifically empowers it to do.

Question 25

Location of the capitol: Washington D.C., circumstances surrounding it

Answer 25

The South was angry that the whole country was assuming state debts incurred primarily in the North, and that slaves were not being counted as full persons for purposes of assigning the number of representatives that each state would have in the House. As part of the Compromise Plan adopted at the Constitutional Convention, it was agreed that the nation’s capitol would be located in the South.

Question 26

Residence Act

Answer 26

Set the length of time which immigrants must live in the U.S. in order to become legal citizens.

Question 27

Major L’Enfant, Benjamin Banneker

Answer 27

Architects of Washington, D.C.

Question 28

Whiskey Rebellion

Answer 28

In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton’s excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay’s Rebellion.

Question 29

Washington’s Farewell Address

Answer 29

He warned against the dangers of political parties and foreign alliances.

Question 30

Election of 1796: President Adams, Vice-president Jefferson

Answer 30

The first true election (when Washington ran, there was never any question that he would be elected). Adams was a Federalist, but Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican.

Question 31

New states: Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee

Answer 31

After the western land claims were settled, Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee (in that order) were added to the United States under the Constitution.

Question 32

Federalists and Democratic-Republicans

Answer 32

The first two political parties. Many of the Democratic-Republicans had earlier been members of the Antifederalists, which had never organized into a formal political party.

Question 33

Federalists / Democratic-Republicans: Party leaders and supporters

Answer 33

The leading Federalists were Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. The leading Democratic- Republicans were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Question 34

Federalists / Democratic-Republicans: Programs

Answer 34

Federalist programs were the National Bank and taxes to support the growth of industry. The Democratic-Republicans opposed these programs, favoring state banks and little industry.

Question 35

Federalists / Democratic-Republicans: Philosophies

Answer 35

Federalists believed in a strong central government, a strong army, industry, and loose interpretation of the Constitution. Democratic-Republicans believed in a weak central government, state and individual rights, and strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Question 36

Federalists / Democratic-Republicans: Foreign proclivities

Answer 36

Federalists supported Britain, while the Democratic-Republicans felt that France was the U.S.’s most important ally.

Question 37

Society of the Cincinnati

Answer 37

A secret society formed by officers of the Continental Army. The group was named for George Washington, whose nickname was Cincinnatus, although Washington himself had no involvement in the society.

Question 38

Democratic societies

Answer 38

Clubs which met for discussion, designed to keep alive the philosophies of the American Revolution. They were sometimes called Jacobean clubs because they also supported the French Revolution.

Question 39

Alien and Sedition Acts

Answer 39

These consist of four laws passed by the Federalist Congress and signed by President Adams in 1798: the Naturalization Act, which increased the waiting period for an immigrant to become a citizen from 5 to 14 years; the Alien Act, which empowered the president to arrest and deport dangerous aliens; the Alien Enemy Act, which allowed for the arrest and deportation of citizens of countries at was with the US; and the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials. The first 3 were enacted in response to the XYZ Affair, and were aimed at French and Irish immigrants, who were considered subversives. The Sedition Act was an attempt to stifle Democratic-Republican opposition, although only 25 people were ever arrested, and only 10 convicted, under the law. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which initiated the concept of “nullification” of federal laws were written in response to the Acts.

Question 40

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Answer 40

Written anonymously by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, they declared that states could nullify federal laws that the states considered unconstitutional.

Question 41

Doctrine of Nullification

Answer 41

Expressed in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, it said that states could nullify federal laws.

Question 42

Election of 1800, tie, Jefferson and Burr

Answer 42

The two Democratic-Republicans Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr defeated Federalist John Adams, but tied with each other. The final decision went the House of Representatives, where there was another tie. After a long series of ties in the House, Jefferson was finally chosen as president. Burr became vice-president. This led to the 12th Amendment, which requires the president and vice-president of the same party to run on the same ticket.

Question 43

Revolution of 1800

Answer 43

Jefferson’s election changed the direction of the government from Federalist to Democratic- Republican, so it was called a “revolution.”

Question 44

Jefferson’s Inaugural Address

Answer 44

Declared that he would avoid foreign alliances.

Question 45

12th Amendment

Answer 45

Brought about by the Jefferson/Burr tie, stated that presidential and vice-presidential nominees would run on the same party ticket. Before that time, all of the candidates ran against each other, with the winner becoming president and second-place becoming vice-president.

Question 46

Second Great Awakening

Answer 46

A series of religious revivals starting in 1801, based on Methodism and Baptism. Stressed a religious philosophy of salvation through good deeds and tolerance for all Protestant sects. The revivals attracted women, Blacks, and Native Americans.

Question 47

Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828)

Answer 47

American painter, most famous for painting the portrait of Washington which was copied for the one dollar bill.

Question 48

Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827)

Answer 48

An American naturalist painter.

Question 49

French Alliance of 1778

Answer 49

France aided the U.S. in the American Revolution, and the U.S. agreed to aid France if the need ever arose. Although France could have used American aid during the French Revolution, the U.S. didn’t do anything to help. The U.S. didn’t fulfill their part of the agreement until World War I.

Question 50

French Revolution

Answer 50

The second great democratic revolution, taking place in the 1790s, after the American Revolution had been proven to be a success. The U.S. did nothing to aid either side. The French people overthrew the king and his government, and then instituted a series of unsuccessful democratic governments until Napoleon took over as dictator in 1799.