Washington and Congress

Section 1

Creating a New Government

• Philadelphia Convention gave the nation a new Constitution

• Washington’s job was to take the words of the Constitution and turn them into an effective government for the U.S.

Institutions of Power

• First task was to provide the president with a bureaucracy– A body of officials put in place to govern

• 1789 Congress created…– Department of State– Department of the Treasury– Department of War– Office of the Attorney General

Cont.

• Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state• Alexander Hamilton was for the Treasury

Department• General Henry Knox was secretary of war• Edmund Randolph was selected as attorney

general• These department heads became known as the

cabinet– A group of advisers to the president

Washington’s Cabinet

Cont.

• Congress also organized the judicial branch• In the Judiciary Act of 1789, Congress established

13 district courts, 3 courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court

• Washington chose federal judges with Senate’s approval

• John Jay served as the first chief justice of the United States

• Who is today’s chief justice?• John Roberts, Jr.

Jay Roberts

The Bill of Rights

• One of the most important acts of Congress was the introduction of the Bill of Rights

• Federalists promised to add a Bill of Rights during the campaign to ratify the Constitution

• James Madison made the Bill of Rights his top priority

• Madison relied heavily on George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 and Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786

Cont.

• September 1789 Congress agreed on 12 constitutional amendments

• They were sent to the states for ratification but only 10 were approved

• These 10 went into effect in 1791 and became known as the Bill of Rights

Amendment 1- Freedom of speech, press and religionAmendment 2 - The right to bear armsAmendment 3- Protection of homeowners from quartering troops, except during war.Amendment 4 - Rights and protections against unreasonable search and seizureAmendment 5 - Rights of due process of law, protection against double jeopardy, self incriminationAmendment 6 - Rights of a speedy trial by jury of peers and rights of accusedAmendment 7 - Rights to trial by jury in civil casesAmendment 8 - Protection from cruel and unusual punishment, excessive bailAmendment 9 - Protection of rights not specified in the Bill of RightsAmendment 10 - States rights, power of the states

Financing the Government

• 1789 the government was up and running• Most important need was a source of revenue• Government can’t operate without money• James Madison and Alexander Hamilton come

up with 2 different plans to finance the government

Tariff of 1789

• Madison suggested that the federal government raise most of its money by taxing imports from other countries

• Tariff of 1789- required importers to pay a percentage of the value of their cargo when they landed it in the U.S. along with tonnage-a tax based on how much their ships carried

• Tariff hurt Southern planters because they were now charged higher rates

Hamilton’s Financial Program

• Read this section– bonds

Opposition to Hamilton’s Plan

• Critics argued that Hamilton’s plan was unfair to those who purchased bonds

• Speculators- people willing to take a risk in hopes of a future financial gain

• Madison didn’t agree with Hamilton’s plan• Most Northerners owned the bonds while

much of the tax money that would be used to pay off the bonds would come from the South

Cont.

• July 1790 Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson strike a deal– Madison and Jefferson would use their influence to

convince Southerners in Congress to vote for Hamilton’s plan and in return, the capital of the United States would be moved from New York to a section of land along the Potomac River to be called the District of Columbia

– Southerners believed the capital in the South would help offset the strength of Northern states in Congress

The Bank of the United States

• Read this section– Understand Hamilton and Madison’s argument– Enumerated powers– Implied powers– Bank of the United States

The Whiskey Rebellion

• Hamilton believed the federal government had to establish its right to impose direct taxes on the people

• 1791 Congress imposed a tax on the manufacture of whiskey

• New tax enraged Western farmers• Whiskey was used as a medium of exchange in

the West where coins and bank notes were scarce

Cont.

• Rebellion didn’t erupt until 1794• Farmers terrorized tax collectors, stopped court

proceedings, robbed the mail, and destroyed the whiskey-making stills of those who paid the tax

• Hamilton urged Washington to put down the rebellion

• 1794 Washington sent 15,000 troops to put down the Whiskey Rebellion

Whiskey Rebellion Flag

The Rise of Political Parties

• Read the rest of this section– Hamilton vs. Jefferson– Federalists vs. Republicans– agrarianism