Presidents and Policies
Who was the first president of the United States in 1789?
George Washington
What were England and France doing to the US at sea that made us angry?
They were seizing our ships.
What were the first two political parties?
Federalists and Democratic Republicans.
What was the Whiskey Rebellion?
A rebellion of corn farmers who were mad about the excise tax on whiskey.
What was the Louisiana Purchase?
Jefferson bought the land from France for $15 million.
What is a precedent?
An example for future generations to follow.
What was Jay's Treaty?
It was a treaty from George Washington and England that stopped us from going to war.
Who were the leaders of these parties?
Hamilton for the Federalists and Jefferson for the Democratic Republicans.
Why was the Embargo Act considered a bad idea?
It made the economy go down a lot! From 108 million to 22 million.
What is impressment?
Britain kidnapping our sailors and making them join the British navy.
What was George Washington's view on political parties?
He doesn't like them, believes they will cause division.
What was Pinckney’s Treaty?
A treaty with Spain to allow the US to use the Mississippi River.
What type of economy did each party support?
Democratic Republicans- farming
Federalists- business
Explain the Alien and Sedition Acts and their target
It allowed the government to deport any aliens and they could jail anyone who spoke badly against the government. This targeted French immigrants.
What was the Lewis and Clark Expedition?
A 3 year journey that Jefferson had them go on to map out the Louisiana Purchase land and note the animals, plants, rivers and tribes.
Who founded the first Bank of the United States and why?
Alexander Hamilton- to help pay off the debt from the Revolutionary War.
What was the XYZ Affair?
France was seizing our ships, Adams sent diplomats to discuss and they wanted a bribe to even talk.
Which country did each party support?
Federalists- Britain
Democratic Republicans-France
What is the difference between loose interpretation and strict interpretation of the Constitution?
Loose means you can use the Elastic Clause to make any law that is good for the country.
Strict says you can only do what the Constitution says- no more.
How much land was the Louisiana Purchase?
Enough to double the size of the country.
What was the Neutrality Proclamation?
Washington advised us to stay out of any conflict with England and France.
What was the Quasi-War?
An unofficial war at sea between the US and France after the XYZ Affair.
Compare Hamilton's and Jefferson's parties on federal vs. state power.
Hamilton believed in strong central government and Jefferson wanted state governments.
What is the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions?
The Democratic Republican response to the Alien and Sedition Acts that said that states could nullify or block federal laws they didn't agree with.
What was a positive and negative for exploring the west (Louisiana Purchase)?
Positive was more farmland for Americans.
Negative was more conflict with Native American tribes as Americans took their land to make farms. Question of slavery spreading into the new territory will be a huge future conflict.