Troubled Times For John Adams

Chapter 10 Section 4

Achievements:

• Mass. Active patriot

• Ambassador to France, Netherlands and Great Britain

• Helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris

• Vice president under George Washington

Feelings on Office of Vice President:

“The Most insignificant office that ever the Invention of man contrived…”

Problems with France:

• The French were unhappy about the Jay Treaty (protected trade with Great Britain)

• French ships seized the cargo of American ships in the Caribbean

• Americans were angry that the French were interfering with trade and poloticts

Avoiding War:

• Sent a 3 person peace commission to Paris– John Marshall– Charles Pinckney– Elbridge Gerry

• The French offered a “treaty with a price”• America was angry about being asked for a

bribe

• The meeting with the French became known and Americans were outraged

• Marshall, Pinckney, and Gerry became known only as X,Y, and Z

• This Forced Adams to consider asking congress to declare war on France

X,Y, and Z affair:

Adams decides to wait:

• He hoped that either– France would negotiate– American people would unite

• Napoleon Bonaparte (new leader of France) was at war with Britain and did not want to fight America as well.

Greatest Achievement:

• Many people consider avoiding war with France to be Adam’s greatest achievement

• “Here lies John Adams who took upon himself the responsibility of the peace with France in the year 1800”

Fight for control:

1789

Alien and Sedition Acts

• Passed as an attempt to stop the growth of the democratic-republican party

Alien acts:

• Supposed to protect the country from aliens (people form other countries)

Naturalization Act:

• Increased the time required to become a united states citizen

• (Most new immigrants were joining the democratic-republican party)

Alien Act:

• Gave the president the power to imprison or deport any foreigner

• (Hoped to silence the French refugees that spoke out against the federalists party)

Alien Enemies Act:

• Could arrest and deport all people who were citizens of foreign nations at war with the United States

Sedition act:

• Made it a crime to speak or write critically about the president, members of congress, the federal government, or federal laws– (attempt to silence criticism)

Outcome:

• 25 democratic-republican editors were arrested (10 convicted)

• No aliens were ever deported

• Angry response from Jefferson and other democratic-republicans

Jefferson and Madison

• Looked at the acts as a violation of the Bill of Rights

• Wrote 2 resolutions approved by the states of Kentucky and Virginia

KY and VA resolutions:• Claimed that the alien and sedition act could not

be put into actions because they were a violation of the constitution

• People had the right to nullify (cancel) a federal law within the state

• Each state could determine if the federal government had gone beyond its constitutional powers

• Began the States Rights Theory (states could decide whether or not to obey such laws)

Federalists Loose Power:

• The sedition act and the way it was enforced made the Federalists and Adams look high handed and tyrannical.

• By 1800 the federalists had lost the support of most people

Seeking re-election:

• His stand on making peach with France had split the federalist party

• People who did not agree with him refused to support him

Next presidency:

• President- Thomas Jefferson• Vice president- Aaron Burr

Election of 1800:

• Vicious and hard-fought

• Each side felt the other would destroy the country

• Jefferson and Burr tied for president

• The deciding vote went to the house of representatives

• Alexander Hamilton voted against Burr making Thomas Jefferson the president

12th Amendment:

• Was put in place to avoid another tie

• Calls for electors to vote on separate ballots for president and vice president