Download - Our Early Presidents
Our Early Presidens:Washington, Adams, and Jefferson
Mrs. Bermudez
The First Three…
1. George Washington 1789-17972. John Adams 1797-18013. Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809
George Washington- #1 Elected as our first president of the United States He was a great leader and well respected hero of the
American Revolution Americans felt he had a strong character, was honest,
and full of patriotism. Perfect role model for new nation
Important People that helped Washington… Vice President- John Adams Secretary of Treasury- Alexander Hamilton Secretary of State- Thomas Jefferson Secretary of War- Henry Knox Attorney General- Edmund Randolph First Lady/Wife- Martha Washington
Quick Check #1
Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?
Alexander Hamilton
Events from Washington’s Presidency… 1789- Congress passes the Judiciary Act
Creates the Supreme Court Creates a federal court system for nation
with three levels Washington makes John Jay the first
Supreme Court Chief Justice (head judge)
WE ARE NOT INVOLVED…
1793- The French Revolution begins (similar to the American Revolution)
French want our help…What to do??? 1793- Proclamation of Neutrality issued by
Washington Told the world that the United States would NOT
take sides with countries at war Washington thought this would be safe for such a
young country
Washington says goodbye…
Washington decides NOT to run for a third term, he says he is a President, not a King
1796/1797- Washington’s Farewell Address- He warns the United States against..
1. Foreign Entanglements- STAY NEUTRAL and out of foreign problems
2. Political Parties- STAY UNITED, don’t get split apart
Lasting effects of Washington’s Presidency…
PRECEDENTS- an action or a decision that serves as an example for later generations
Big precedents set by Washington:1. Created a Cabinet of Advisors… every
president after him does this too
2. Only serves 2 terms as president…”I am not a king, only a president. The people are the country’s true leaders”
Second President- John Adams Ran for the Federalist Party and wins a
narrow victory over Jefferson Thomas Jefferson is elected as his vice
president even though he is from a different political party, the Democratic-Republicans
Many saw him as hard working, honest, and intelligent.
XYZ Affair… (nothing to do with pants)
1798- French officials (aka X,Y, and Z) tried to bribe our American diplomats on a peace seeking mission.
Adams feared war might break out over this incident Adams does create a large navy and army but is
able to avoid war over this insult
XYZ Affair… (nothing to do with pants)
What country asked the United States for money in return for a treaty and alliance?
FRANCE!
Alien and Sedition Acts… not from Mars or Venus
In response to the incident with France and a possible war
Congress passed this law in 1798 that said1. President could remove any foreign resident
for “treasonous behavior”2. Made it illegal for citizens to “write, print,
utter, or publish” any false or hostile words against the government or its politics
3. Citizens could not plot against any government actions
Discussion: What is wrong with the Alien and Sedition Acts?
Do you think they are fair?
Wait a minute!!! Keep thinking …
How does the Alien and Sedition Acts violate the Bill of Rights?
Election of 1800- Big Issues… Adams runs for re-election, Jefferson, Burr,
and Pinckney run against him. Jefferson and Burr won 73 electoral votes each
while Adams won 65 and Pinckney won 64. TIE FOR PRESIDENT…WHAT TO DO???
How do we handle this??? There was nothing in the Constitution about
what to do… So they sent the issue to the House of
Representatives for a vote which resulted in another tie…and for 30 more times after that!!
Finally, so many people refused to vote overall and Jefferson ended up winning
Because of this the 12th amendment was passed in 1803 creating a separate ballot for President and Vice President to avoid ties
Third President- Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson was a Democratic- Republican Party Candidate…believes in less government control over issues
Wanted the people to be in charge
Wanted to be fair
Important people for Jefferson…
Secretary of State- James Madison
Chief Justice of Supreme Court- John Marshall
Rival- Alexander Hamilton
1803- Marbury vs. Madison
VERY IMPORTANT CASE!!! Established Judicial Review… gave the
Supreme court its power of declaring laws unconstitutional.
What Happens… Marbury sues Madison saying that Madison illegally stopped
Marbury from getting his job as a federal judge as was his right under the Judicial Act of 1789
The court rules that the Judicial Act was WRONG and did not follow the Constitution therefore it was invalid or illegal
This is the FIRST time the supreme court has done this
1803- Louisiana Purchase- Land anyone???
France needs money to fight a war and offers to sell us some land
This DOUBLES the size of the United States and gives us the control of the Mississippi and Port of New Orleans for trade
Jefferson is able to purchase the land owned by France at the price of $15 million dollars
This is called the LOUSIANA PURCHASE
Some fun facts…
What cost $15,000,000 million in 1803 would now cost $204,768,579.15 in 2009.
It came down to less than 3 CENTS and ACRE!!!!
An acre is about ¾ of a football field… imagine all that land for less than 3 CENTS!!!