The First Party System
this political party advocated for a strong central government and an economy based on manufacturing and commerce.
the Federalists
In 1794, Pennsylvania farmers staged this rebellion to protest a federal excise tax on their primary distilled export.
the Whiskey Rebellion
This 1789 European event deeply divided Americans, with Federalists fearing its "anarchy" while Democratic-Republicans initially cheered its democratic ideals.
the French Revolution
This French ambassador's 1793 arrival sparked a crisis when he began recruiting American privateers to attack British ships, directly defying Washington’s neutrality.
Edmond-Charles "Citizen" Genêt
In 1794, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne led the Legion of the United States to a decisive victory at this Ohio battle, ending major Native American resistance in the region.
the Battle of Fallen Timbers
which championed states' rights and an agrarian society of "yeoman farmers."
the Democratic-Republicans
To establish national credit, Hamilton proposed that the federal government do this for all remaining state debts from the Revolutionary War.
assume (take on) and pay off all remaining state debts from the Revolutionary War
This 1794 treaty with Great Britain was intended to avoid war but was so hated by the public that John Jay was burned in effigy across the country.
Jay’s Treaty
President Washington eventually granted this former French envoy political asylum in New York after his home government issued a warrant for his arrest during the Reign of Terror.
Citizen Genêt
Signed in 1795 after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, this treaty forced twelve Native American nations to cede most of present-day Ohio to the United States.
the Treaty of Greenville
Federalists generally followed this "loose" method of constitutional interpretation, arguing that the government had "implied powers" not explicitly listed in the text.
Loose Construction
In 1791, Congress chartered this controversial institution, which Jefferson argued was unconstitutional because the power to create it was not explicitly granted.
the Bank of the United States
This 1797 diplomatic scandal occurred when French agents demanded a bribe from American envoys, sparking a wave of anti-French sentiment.
the XYZ Affair
This 1795 agreement with Spain, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo, granted Americans the right to navigate the Mississippi River and use the port of New Orleans.
Pinckney’s Treaty
This Miami chief led the Northwestern Confederacy to major victories over U.S. forces in 1790 and 1791 before his defeat by General Wayne.
Little Turtle
which George Washington warned against in his Farewell Address, saw the nation split into two competing political factions.
the Two-Party System
These 1798 laws allowed the president to deport "dangerous" foreigners and criminalized "malicious" writing against the government.
the Alien and Sedition Acts
This "undeclared" naval conflict between the U.S. and France lasted from 1798 to 1800 and was fought primarily in the Caribbean.
This "undeclared" naval conflict between the U.S. and France lasted from 1798 to 1800 and was fought primarily in the Caribbean.
This 1794 treaty, though widely unpopular, successfully secured a British promise to evacuate their remaining military forts in the Northwest Territory by 1796.
Jay’s Treaty
In 1799, this Pennsylvania auctioneer led an eponymous rebellion against a new federal property tax, marking the third major rural tax revolt of the decade.
Fries’s Rebellion
This New Yorker and first Secretary of the Treasury clashed so bitterly with Thomas Jefferson that their rivalry eventually defined the era’s political divide.
Alexander Hamilton
Drafted by Jefferson and Madison these political statements argued that states had the right to "nullify" federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.
the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
Washington issued this 1793 proclamation to keep the United States out of the escalating conflict between Great Britain and Revolutionary France.
the Proclamation of Neutrality
This series of diplomatic letters, released by John Adams in 1798, substituted the names of French agents with letters of the alphabet to mask their identities and expose a bribe attempt.
the XYZ Affair papers
Under the Treaty of Greenville, the U.S. government established this system of annual payments of goods and cash to Native American tribes in exchange for their lands.
the Annuity System