Washington was unanimously elected the first President of the United States in 1788. He faced many challenges as no precedents had been established for the office. John Adams was elected as the first Vice President. During their terms, the capital was established in Washington D.C. and the country faced conflicts with Native Americans and tensions with European powers like France. Adams succeeded Washington as President in 1796 but faced partisan conflicts between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties.

1. Washington and Adams:
Our First Two Presidents
1788-1800

2. Washington: The Obvious Choice
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Acc. To Constitution, president was to
be chosen by “electors” named by
state legislatures
Each elector had two ballots
Washington was unanimous 1st choice
(69 electoral votes)
Under this system, the winner was
president & person with secondgreatest number of votes became VP
(it was Adams with 34 electoral votes)
Washington takes the Oath of Office

3. Washington’s challenges
Everything Washington did was a precedent
 “We are in a wilderness without a single
footstep to guide us.” -- Washington
 US at the time easy prey
US army < 700 officers and soldiers; no navy
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Inaugural Address

4. The First “Cabinet”
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Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War: Henry Knox
Attorney General: Edmund Randolph

5. Judiciary Act of 1789
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Provided more details about Judicial Branch
6 Supreme Court justices (John Jay is first Chief
Justice) (#s went up over time)
Other lower federal courts
Affirmed “supremacy clause” of Constitution
(Article 6, Section 2): states could appeal to a
federal court if constitutional issues were raised
(e.g./ election results in Florida in 2000)

6. Hamilton v. Jefferson
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Deep philosophical differences
Both men greatly respected by
Washington
Become leaders of first political parties in
US: Jefferson of DemocraticRepublicans, Hamilton of Federalists; the
two-party system becomes wellentrenched after just a few years
This despite Washington’s pleas to avoid
partisanship in private and public
comments (such as his Farewell
Address)

7. Bank of the United States
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Hamilton wanted a national
Bank of the United States
to issue paper money and
handle tax receipts and other
government funds
A problem: not called for
directly in Constitution
A debate: strict vs. loose
interpretation (see Article I,
Section 8 – “elastic clause”
Hamilton gets his Bank, by…

8. Our Nation’s Capital
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Had been Philadelphia
In 1789, it’s New York City (then
back to Philly)
Plans are made to create a new
city centrally located to appeal to
Northerners and Southerners: the
District of Columbia
Built on a swamp along Potomac
River between Maryland and
Virginia
Pierre L’Enfant and Benjamin
Banneker (African American) are
among the engineers whose grand
vision is realized
Becomes nation’s capital in 1800
(Adams the first president to live in
White House – the “President’s
House”)
To this day, unique relationship to
US; not a state

9. The Whiskey Rebellion
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The federal government needed
money
The first federal tax on Americans
was an excise tax on distilleries
(alcohol producers)
Farmers in Western Pennsylvania
distilled corn into whiskey; more
profitable & practical
Some attacked tax collectors and
many refused to pay the tax
In 1794. Washington called up
15,000 militiamen and personally
led them over Allegheny
Mountains in show of force;
rebellion ended with no loss of life

10. Meanwhile, in Europe…
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In summer of 1789, as new US government
is forming, French Revolution begins
French citizens demand “liberte, egalite,
fraternite”
During Reign of Terror , the guillotine
becomes a symbol of the mob out of
control; in fight against tyranny, the mob
becomes tyrannical
The rest of Europe (Old Order) is scared
revolutionary ideas will spread and fight
France
Most radical leaders in France are
Jacobins ; their supporters in US are
labeled Jacobins, too
Jefferson (& Democratic-Republicans) a
strong supporter of France; Hamilton (&
Federalists) of Great Britain
Washington decides in 1793 to remain
neutral
Jefferson soon resigns from Cabinet

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War with Native Americans,
Britain?
American settlers continue to move west of the
Appalachian Mountains into lands US “won” in American
Revolution in Northwest Territory
Native Americans disagree that their lands were won by
anyone and resist
Native Americans successful at first but eventually suffer
great losses at Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794

12. Jay’s Treaty
The
Jay Treaty signed between US
and Great Britain in 1794 after Battle of
Fallen Timbers; many Americans angry
with details: no assurance that Americans
could not be “pressed” into service in
British navy, British allowed to continue fur
trade along Canadian border; but Britain
did agree to leave Northwest territory and
war had been averted

13. Pinckney’s Treaty

14. Adams’ turn
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Adams as VP: active as President
of the Senate (more tiebreaking
votes – 31 -- than any other VP &
spent more time in Senate
presiding than any other VP)
But greatly frustrated by the job:
“Gentlemen, I feel a great difficulty
how to act. I am Vice President. In
this I am nothing, but I may be
everything.”
Washington decides not to seek a
third term, retires to Mount Vernon
(where he dies three years later)
In Washington’s Farewell
Address , he warns against
entangling alliances with
European countries

15. Election of 1796
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Parties…
Negative campaign ads (Adams is called “His
Rotundity”, Jefferson labeled a coward and
atheist)
Adams (a Federalist) receives 71 electoral
votes, Jefferson (a Democratic-Republican)
receives 68
A problem: Pres and VP from different parties
sectionalism
16 states (incl. Vermont, Kentucky, and
Tennessee)

17. War with France?
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French upset about the Jay
Treaty
French navy begins seizing
American ships bound for Britain

19. XYZ Affair and undeclared war
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Pinckney, Marshall and Elbridge Gerry to France on
secret peace mission
“X, Y, and Z”; they demand payment (bribe) of
$250,000 to let the Americans meet with top French
foreign minister
War seems imminent; in fact, it’s an undeclared war
for 2 years as Congress creates navy and
authorizes American ships to seize French vessels;
Washington called out of retirement to lead army
Official war is averted – Adams considers it one of
greatest accomplishments, in part because he
denies Hamilton power to become an American
“Bonaparte” (army is disbanded since there’s no one
to fight)

20. Alien and Sedition Acts
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Idea emerged out of anti-French sentiment
In 1798, Federalists pushed through Congress four measures
that became known as the Alien and Sedition Acts (& Adams
signed into law)
Alien acts gave president power to deport or jail any alien
considered undesirable
Sedition Act prohibited any expression of “false, scandalous,
and malicious statements” against the government
Still law when Adams ran for re-election in 1800
12 had been charged and convicted under the law (incl. NJ
man who made fun of Adams posterior – arrested and fined
$150)
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: states’ rights???
Madison and Jefferson (leading Democratic-Republicans)
secretly wrote these resolutions proposing nullification
Sedition Act terminated in 1801