New Nation 1781-1800

Question 1

Articles of Confederation

Answer 1

The Articles of Confederation were established during the Revolutionary War by the Continental Congress. Due to fears of concentrated power, the Articles intentionally established a weak central government.

Question 2

What two key provisions were part of the Land Ordinance of 1785, passed under the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 2

The Land Ordinance of 1785 (a) set a method for surveying and settling western territory, and (b) provided a section of land in each township be set aside for public education.

The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were the two key pieces of legislation passed under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 3

In addition to the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Articles of Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. What three key provisions did the Act contain?

Answer 3

One of two major pieces of legislation passed under the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance:

Set rules for creating new states;
Banned slavery in the new states of the Northwest;
Provided for limited self-government in territories not yet made states

Question 4

In Shays’ Rebellion a group of farmers led by Daniel Shays in western Massachusetts shut down county courts. Why?

Answer 4

Shays and his followers shut down the county courts to prevent land seizures and imprisonment for debt. Debts were required to be repaid in hard currency, which was scarce.

Shays’ Rebellion was a response to the economic depression and high taxes resulting from Revolutionary War debt, and highlighted the weakness of the government established by the Articles of Confederation.

Question 5

unicameral

Answer 5

Unicameral is a legislature with one chamber. The Articles of Confederation established a unicameral legislature.

Question 6

bicameral

Answer 6

A bicameral legislature is a legislature with two chambers. The legislative branch, as established by the Constitution, is bicameral.

Question 7

What is a tariff?

Answer 7

A tariff is a tax imposed upon goods when they are either imported or exported. As an example, a country may charge a tax of 10% of the value of a table when that table is exported to a foreign country.

Question 8

What was the Annapolis Convention?

Answer 8

The Annapolis Convention was held in 1786. Twelve delegates from five states met to discuss barriers to trade and commerce that existed due to the Articles of Confederation. The Convention concluded with a call for an additional convention to be held in Philadelphia to discuss revising the Articles.

Question 9

The Constitutional Convention was called in response to the Annapolis Convention. What was the Constitutional Convention’s initial purpose?

Answer 9

The Constitutional Convention’s initial purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation. A group of strong nationalists, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, convinced the Convention to draft an entirely new governing document.

Question 10

The first act of the Constitutional Convention was to name George Washington to preside over their activities. Why?

Answer 10

Washington was universally respected throughout the 13 colonies. As the presiding officer, Washington would hold the Constitutional Convention together, and provide legitimacy to the Convention’s activities.

Question 11

To whom did the Constitutional Convention assign the task of drafting the Constitution?

Answer 11

James Madison

In preparing the section detailing the legislative branch, Madison suggested the Virginia Plan.

Question 12

What was the Virginia Plan?

Answer 12

The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison, called for a bicameral legislature with two branches. Each state would send legislators to each branch based upon the size of their population.

Question 13

Describe the New Jersey Plan.

Answer 13

The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature where each state, regardless of population, had the same number of legislators.

William Paterson proposed the New Jersey Plan as a means of protecting small-population states from being overwhelmed by states with large populations.

Question 14

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve the differences between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan?

Answer 14

The Convention adopted the Connecticut Plan, otherwise known as the Great Compromise. The Connecticut Plan established a bicameral legislature, in which the number of legislators in the House of Representatives was determined by population, while each state had an equal number of legislators in the Senate.

Question 15

Slavery proved a divisive issue during the Convention, with the South wanting slaves counted for the purposes of population, and the North insisting they not be counted. How was this issue resolved?

Answer 15

The Convention passed the Three Fifths Compromise. For purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, each slave counted as 3/5 of a person.

In addition, the Constitution banned the importation of slaves after 1808.

Question 16

Many different Proposals were put forth regarding the office of the President. What powers the the Convention eventually provide the president?

Answer 16

The Convention gave the President the power to:

Engage in foreign policy as the nation’s representative
Have a four-year term limit (but could be re-elected to multiple terms)
Veto legislation passed by Congress

Question 17

As established in the Constitution, how did the Electoral College work?

Answer 17

Q.
As established in the Constitution, how did the Electoral College work?

A.
The President would be elected by an Electoral College
Each state was given the same number of votes as they had Representatives and Senators
The person with the most votes in the Electoral College would be elected President
The person with the second most votes in the Electoral College would be elected Vice President

Question 18

What political development did the Electoral College not anticipate?

Answer 18

The Electoral College system originally provided that the President would be the person who won the most votes in the College, and the person who won the second most votes would be Vice President.

The Electoral College system did not anticipate the development of political parties, which for a short time led to a President and Vice President being from different parties. The problem was resolved by having separate elections for President and Vice President.

Question 19

Between the President and Congress, the Constitution created three essential checks and balances, to prevent each from gaining too much power. What were they?

Answer 19

The three key checks and balances were:

The President can exercise a veto over acts of Congress
Congress can override a Presidential veto only with a 2/3 vote in each house
Treaties negotiated by the President must be ratified by the Senate

Question 20

When would the newly drafted Constitution take effect?

Answer 20

The Constitution would only take effect when it was ratified by nine states. Each state called a separate convention to decide whether to accept the Constitution.

Question 21

Those in favor of the Constitution were known as _________.

Answer 21

Federalists

The Federalists, led by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, thought that a strong central government was essential to the survival of the United States.

Question 22

What did Anti-Federalists believe?

Answer 22

The Anti-Federalists believed that a strong federal government would impinge upon the rights of the states and the people.

The Anti-Federalists, led by George Mason and John Hancock, appealed to the fear of a strong government stemming from the colonial period.

Question 23

To induce the state constitutional committees to ratify the Constitution, the Federalist guaranteed they would pass what legislation?

Answer 23

The Federalists promised the passage of a Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights, suggested by Thomas Jefferson, established limits to the power of the federal government, and guaranteed unto the people certain rights. By 1790, all 13 states had ratified the Constitution.

Question 24

John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison wrote a series of 85 newspaper articles advocating for the Constitution. Collectively, what are these documents know as?

Answer 24

The Federalist Papers

Question 25

The first congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789. What did the Act accomplish?

Answer 25

The only court mentioned in the Constitution was the Supreme Court. The Judiciary Act of 1789 (a) placed five associate justices and one Chief Justice on the Court’s bench, (b) established 13 District Courts – one for each state, and (c) organized three Courts of Appeals as a layer between the District and Supreme Courts.

Question 26

What was Alexander Hamilton’s proposal to put the new nation on a firm financial footing?

Answer 26

As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton made three proposals:

The federal government would assume the individual states’ Revolutionary War debt, and the debt would be paid off at face value
A high tariff on imported goods, to protect domestic manufacturers
A national bank, to protect the nation’s credit at home and abroad

Question 27

Hamilton’s economic plan received strong support in the Norther States. Why?

Answer 27

27 of 85
Q.
Hamilton’s economic plan received strong support in the Northern states. Why?

Most Revolutionary War debts had been bought by Northern merchants at a discount, and they stood to make a substantial profit when the government repaid them at face value.

In addition, the Northern states had a growing manufacturing base, which would be protected from foreign competition by Hamilton’s tariff, and benefit from a strong, stable currency.

Question 28

Alexander Hamilton supported high tariffs on imported goods. Why?

Answer 28

28 of 85
Q.
Alexander Hamilton supported high tariffs on imported goods. Why?

A.
Hamilton believed that high tariffs would help protect nascent American industry, allowing the United States to establish a firm manufacturing base. Further, high tariffs would provide income for the new national government.

Although Congress passed a tariff, it was not as high as Hamilton wished. The revenue shortfall was made up through increased taxes on items such as whiskey.

Question 29

Many Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, opposed Hamilton’s plan to create a strong central government. Why?

Answer 29

Jefferson and his supporters had two main objections to Hamilton’s plan. First, they viewed Hamilton’s plan with suspicion, because they were concerned that as the federal government gained power, the states would lose it. They also felt that it would benefit the rich and hurt poor farmers.

Question 30

What was Hamilton’s view of Congress’ power under the Constitution?

Answer 30

Hamilton, who favored a strong central government, felt that the Constitution’s “necessary and proper” clause endowed Congress with the power to do whatever was necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

Question 31

Jefferson opposed Hamilton’s view of the Constitution. What was Jefferson view?

Answer 31

Jefferson felt that a strong central government would be detrimental to the rights of the states. Jefferson argued that Congress’ powers were specifically limited to those which were enumerated in the Constitution.

Question 32

How did Washington react to the outbreak of war between the French and the British following the French Revolution?

Answer 32

Washington was concerned that the United States was too weak to become entangled in European affairs; and in 1793 he declared that the United States would stay strictly neutral. As such, the United States would support neither Britain nor France.

Question 33

Did the vast majority of Americans oppose or support the French Revolution?

Answer 33

Support for the French Revolution was strong in the United States, although there was concern about the intense violence and mob attacks which accompanied it.

Thomas Jefferson and his allies proved to be the French Revolution’s strongest supporters.

Question 34

The French government’s Ambassador to the United States, _____ _____ , violated diplomatic protocols by directly requesting that the American people support the French Revolution, despite Washington’s declaration of neutrality.

Answer 34

Citizen Genêt

Genêt’s conduct was a scandal and deeply offensive to the American government, and Washington asked the French to recall Genêt.

Question 35

A loose alliance of Indian tribes in the Great Lakes region, allied to resist American expansion, was known as the _____ _____.

Answer 35

Western Confederacy

The allied group of Indians scored several victories over minor American forces in 1790 and 1791, prompting George Washington to dispatch a strong force under General Anthony Wayne to the Ohio Territory.

The Western Confederacy was armed at British forts in the region, although these forts were supposed to have been abandoned according to the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War.

Question 36

In 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Western Confederacy, a loose alliance of Indian tribes, at which battle?

Answer 36

The Battle of Fallen Timbers

After the battle, the Western Confederacy signed the Treaty of Greenville, which ceded much of present-day Ohio to the United States, and opened the land for settlement.

Interestingly, before returning home, Wayne and his troops constructed a number of forts to protect the newly acquired lands. One of these forts, named in his honor, was located in modern-day Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Question 37

The Treaty of Greenville (1795) opened which area up for settlement by the rapidly expanding United States?

Answer 37

The Treaty of Greenville, signed in 1795 between the United States and the Indian tribes of the Western Confederacy, ceded much of modern-day Ohio to the United States.

Question 38

Why is the Whiskey Rebellion (1791) named after whiskey?

Answer 38

To raise funds for the new federal government (as well as to protect new American industry), Alexander Hamilton had wanted to establish a high tariff, but Congress established a lower one and raised the needed funds by taxing various domestic products, including whiskey.

Farmers in Western Pennsylvania, incensed at having to pay a tax on the whiskey they distilled from surplus corn, attacked the tax collectors.

Question 39

How did Washington respond to the Whiskey Rebellion?

Answer 39

Washington adopted some 15,000 state militiamen into the federal army, which was placed under the command of Alexander Hamilton, who was still Secretary of the Treasury, and who now had to direct troops to suppress a rebellion against a tax to which he’d been opposed.

Even so, when Hamilton’s troops arrived, the rebellion collapsed without bloodshed.

Question 40

How did many western citizens view Washington’s dispatch of a 15,000-man army under Alexander Hamilton to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion?

Answer 40

With the Revolutionary War still a fresh memory (it was fought over taxes after all), Washington’s decision provoked outcry throughout the west. As the chief critic of the federal government, Thomas Jefferson became an outspoken supporter of the western farmer.

Question 41

Upon which group of citizens did Thomas Jefferson believe the nation’s strength depended?

Answer 41

Thomas Jefferson believed that farmers were central to American success. Alexander Hamilton, on the other hand, believed that the nation could best be strengthened through manufacturing and trade.

Question 42

By Washington’s second term, two political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, had arisen. What did the Federalist Party believe?

Answer 42

Under leaders such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, the Federalist Party believed in a strong central government, and favored business, high tariffs, and a national bank.

The Federalist Party was pro-British, and found support among wealthy landowners and Northern businessmen.

Question 43

The Democratic-Republican Party was comprised mainly of former Anti-Federalists, and arose during Washington’s second term as President. What did the Democratic-Republican Party believe?

.

Answer 43

The Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, desired a weak central government with limited powers as clearly enumerated in the Constitution. The Democratic-Republicans favored western farmers and agriculture, argued for a low tariff, and were pro-French

Question 44

Why did Washington send Chief Justice John Jay to Britain?

Answer 44

John Jay’s mission was to negotiate a treaty with the British to stop the British policy of impressment. Since the Revolutionary War, British naval vessels had been searching American merchant ships, and impressing (forcing) American sailors into the British navy.

Question 45

John Jay signed a treaty with Great Britain, which was narrowly approved by the Senate. The Jay Treaty provoked outcry. Why?

Answer 45

A.
Although John Jay had been sent to negotiate a treaty regarding the British policy of impressment, he returned with a treaty that said nothing about impressment. Instead, it was an agreement by the British to abandon their forts on the western frontier, which the British had already agreed to do at the end of the Revolutionary War.

In addition, Washington’s willingness to negotiate with the British irritated pro-French Democratic-Republicans.

Question 46

Following Jay’s Treaty, Thomas Pinckney, the American Ambassador to Spain, negotiated a treaty with that country in 1795. What did Pinckney’s treaty establish?

Answer 46

Under Pinckney’s treaty, Spain agreed that the northern boundary of Florida would be at the 31st parallel. More importantly, Spain (which controlled New Orleans at the time), agreed that Americans could transfer cargo at New Orleans, without paying duties to the Spanish government.

The duty free transfer, known as the right of deposit, spurred transit on the Mississippi River, a natural highway, and led to the growth of New Orleans as a large shipping port.

Question 47

In 1796, Washington announced that he would retire after two terms, setting a precedent for future American Presidents. What did Washington warn against in his Farewell Address?

Answer 47

First, Washington warned Americans against forming political parties, a process which was already well underway. Throughout the country’s early years, political parties were coalescing around the two leading figures of the day, Hamilton and Jefferson.

More importantly, Washington warned against involvement in European affairs and “permanent alliances” with European powers. Washington’s advice has continued to guide American Presidents.

Question 48

In the 1796 election, John Adams, a Federalist, was elected President, and Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, was elected Vice President. How did it come about that the President and Vice President were from different political parties?

Answer 48

The Constitution as written did not allow for political parties, and merely stated that the person who got the most electoral votes would be President, and that the person who got the second most electoral votes would be Vice President. Thomas Jefferson finished in second place, by three electoral votes.

The Twelfth Amendment, passed in 1804, allowed electors to cast two separate votes for President and Vice President.

Question 49

What was the XYZ Affair?

Answer 49

Like the British, French naval ships were impressing American sailors and searching American ships. President Adams sent American diplomats to negotiate with France. Three French ministers, whose names were never revealed and were known only as X, Y, and Z, requested bribes before the negotiations could begin. Insulted, the American diplomats returned home.

Question 50

How did most of the American public respond to news of the XYZ Affair?

Answer 50

Most Americans were outraged at the insult, and although popular support for war against Britain had been strong for a few months, now most Americans advocated for war against France.

Although national sentiment, voiced in the expression “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute,” argued strongly for war against France, Adams did not ask Congress to declare war, concerned that the U.S. Army and Navy was still too weak to fight a European power.

Question 51

In 1798, the Federalists won a majority of seats in the Senate and House due to anti-French sentiments after the XYZ affair. What three laws did they pass?

Answer 51

With their new majorities, the Federalists attempted to silence the Democratic-Republicans and passed:

the Alien Act
the Sedition Act
the Naturalization Act

Question 52

What powers did Congress give the President in the Alien Act of 1798?

Answer 52

The Alien Act gave the President the power to deport foreigners he deemed dangerous, and to detain foreigners in times of war. The Act was fiercely opposed by the Democratic-Republicans, who saw in it a dangerous expansion of federal power.

Question 53

How did the 1798 Sedition Act violate principles of free speech?

Answer 53

The Sedition Act allowed for fines against newspaper editors who criticized the President or Congress. As the Supreme Court had not yet established the principle of judicial review (which holds that the Court can review laws to determine if they violate the Constitution), the law stood unchallenged.

Question 54

Why did the Federalists pass the Naturalization Act in 1798?

Answer 54

The Naturalization Act lengthened from 5 to 14 years the time which a person needed to reside in the United States before they could apply to become a citizen. It was passed by the Federalists because most new citizens tended to vote with the Democratic-Republican party.

Question 55

What were the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?

Answer 55

The state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky passed laws which stated that the Alien and Sedition Acts were invalid as being against the Constitution. After the Democratic-Republicans gained control of Congress in 1800, the Alien and Sedition Acts were allowed to expire.

The authority of states to nullify federal acts would appear again in the 1830s Nullification Crisis.

Question 56

In the presidential election of 1800, which took place before the passage of the Twelfth Amendment, two Democratic-Republicans tied in the Electoral College. Who were they?

Answer 56

Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr

Electors who cast their two votes for Jefferson and Burr thought they were electing Burr for Vice President, but when Burr realized that the tie gave him the chance at the Presidency, he attempted to convince the still Federalist House of Representatives to vote for him as opposed to Jefferson, their staunch political enemy.

Alexander Hamilton persuaded many Representatives that Jefferson was the safer choice, because he considered Burr a scoundrel. Later, Burr would shoot and kill Hamilton in a duel.

Question 57

Describe:

the Revolution of 1800

Answer 57

Federalists, who held the Presidency and a majority of House and Senate seats, lost the election of 1800, yet handed over power to the Democratic-Republicans peacefully, and without bloodshed.

Such an event was rare in history and the “revolution” was that handing over control of the Congress took place without violence.