LESSON TITLE WASHINGTON'S PRESIDENCY

OBJECTIVES:

1. The students will recount how Washington was elected.

2. They will follow the process of how government was
created.

3. They will cite the things Washington wanted to accomplish as president, and give reasons why these
were goals.

LESSON SUMMARY:

This lesson will look at the first year of Washington's presidency.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. recall worksheets.

2.

NOTES

CREATED January 1994

REVISED

I. Election of Washington

A. February 1789 Electoral College picked
Washington

1. John Adams, vice president

a. geographic balance: VA & MA

2. inaugurated in Philadelphia

3. New York City, capital

B. Caution Washington's main principle

1. wanted the govt to work

2. wanted the population to support it

3. didn't want to discredit the govt

4. his caution helped him be above average

II. Creation of the Government 1789-1797

A. 4 Cabinet departments created

1. State Department

a. Thomas Jefferson

2. Treasury Department

a. Alexander Hamilton

3. Attorney General

a. Edmund Randolph

4. War Department

a. Henry Knox, friend of Washington

B. Judiciary Act of 1789

1. bill signed by Washington

2. established the Supreme Court

a. John Jay first chief justice

3. created 13 district courts and 3 circuit
courts

III. Economics

A. Major issue debated first term

1. Hamilton emerged as economic leader

2. wanted U.S. to be industrial country

3. Jefferson favored agrarian base

B. War debt hotly debated

1. Needed to be paid off

a. Hamilton wanted healthy credit

2. Hamilton wanted federal govt to assume
state war debts

a. insure they pay off

b. Southern states opposed plan

3. Compromise solution

a. debts taken over by govt

b. capital to be built in the South

c. Washington pick the site

C. Hamilton also wanted a protective tariff

1. to protect industry

2. Britain main competitor

3. Congress voted this down

D. Bank of the United States

1. Bank to handle the govts funds

2. its creation not liked by all

a. Jefferson opposed it

b. said it was unconstitutional

3. it was passed, Washington supported it

LESSON TITLE WASHINGTON'S PRESIDENCY

OBJECTIVES:

1. The students will discuss problems that occurred with
Britain and France.

2. They will analyze and debate Washington's advice to the
country.

3.

LESSON SUMMARY:

The lesson will study the problems and successes of Washington's administration.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. essays

2. small group research

NOTES

CREATED January 1994

REVISED

I. Formation of Political Parties

A. Came about for several reasons

1. economic policy

a. agriculture v. manufacturing

2. struggle between Hamilton & Jefferson

a. Washington tended to side with
Hamilton

b. Hamilton was like a stepson

3. interpretation of the constitution

a. strict constructionists

b. loose constructionist

B. Federalists

1. formed around Alexander Hamilton

2. favored a strong central govt

3. favored manufacturing

a. supported BUS

b. wanted a protective tariff

4. loosely interpreted the constitution

C. Democratic-Republicans

1. formed around Thomas Jefferson

2. feared concentrations of power

a. more democratic of the two

3. favored state rights

4. put agriculture over industry

5. more strictly interpreted the constitution

D. 1792 Washington reelected

1. foreign affairs biggest problem

2. 1793 Jefferson would resign

a. leave politics

II. French Revolution 1789-1815

A. France bankrupted from a century of war

1. Upper class didn't want to help pay off
debt

2. 1789 crisis occurred

3. National Assembly was called

a. supposed to address debt problem

b. Louis XVI constitutional monarch

c. beheaded in 1793

B. France was U.S. ally

1. helped U.S. win independence

2. insisted alliance still held

3. put U.S. between France and England

C. England viewed French Revolution with alarm

1. King and Queen executed

2. social turmoil in France

a. England had many of same problems

3. policy to check French radicalism

4. especially when France exported revolution

D. Washington caught in the middle

1. France's ally

2. U.S. major trading partner Britain

3. tried to steer a neutral course

III. Problems with Britain

A. British forts still on American soil

1. in new region of the West

2. supposed to have been removed

B. Britain seizing ships

1. taking cargo bound for France

2. declared most things to be contraband

a. U.S. didn't recognize this power

C. Issue of Impressment

1. British navy major problem with desertion

2. kidnapping American sailors off ships

a. some legitimate deserters

b. many were innocent victims

3. issue nearly led to war

D. Jay's Treaty with Britain 1794

1. somewhat unpopular treaty

a. avoided open conflict with Britain

b. compromise on both sides

2. British troops leave American soil

3. boundary of Maine was settled

4. U.S. would pay off its debts to Britain

5. Set up commission for ship seizures

a. arbitration

6. Impressment nothing settled

IV. Farewell Address

A. Washington fed up after 2 terms

1. didn't like some of the criticism

2. decided against 3rd term

a. set a precedent for other presidents

B. Wrote his farewell address

1. not given as a speech

2. retired to Mount Vernon

C. Warned against sectionalism

1. force threatened to divide the country

2. visionary on this one

D. Warned against political parties

1. believed in unity

2. thought parties caused disunity

3. wrong on this one

E. Warned against foreign alliances

1. feared being drawn into European wars

2. isolation self-interest of U.S.

3. basic policy followed until 20th century

F. Warned against foreign interference domestic
affairs

1. Citizen Genet, French Ambassador 1793

a. tried to recruit American soldiers

b. proved an embarrassment

2. never been a big problem

V. Other Washington Facts

A. One of our most respected leaders

1. fought French & Indian War

2. Secured victory in American Revolution

B. Called Father of his country

1. Constitutional Convention

2. first president

C. Married Martha Dandridge Custis in 1759

1. she was wealthy widow

2. made Washington financially secure

3. had no children

D. Washington was one of the country’s richest

citizens

1. Much of his fortune came from Martha

2. Owned 10,000 acres of Virginia land

3. 60,000 acres west of the Appalachians

a. strong motivation for colonial

control

b. risky investment

E. December 1799

1. took ill at Mount Vernon

2. poor treatment by doctors probably killed
him

a. leeches

3. died on December 14, 1799

LESSON TITLE JOHN ADAMS

OBJECTIVES:

1. The students will assess the difficulties of Adams'
presidency.

2. They will describe how open war was avoided with France.

3. They will explain political repression that went on.

LESSON SUMMARY:

This lesson will look at the major events that took place during the presidency of John Adams.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. small group research. combine with previous or next.

2. recall worksheets.

NOTES

CREATED January 1994

REVISED

I. Election of 1796

A. first contested election

B. Federalists - John Adams

1. Alexander Hamilton leader of party

2. ineligible for presidency

a. foreign birth

C. Democratic-Republicans

1. Thomas Jefferson

a. political return

2. narrowly defeated by Adams

D. Constitutional Problem

1. second highest vote getter becomes VP

2. Jefferson becomes VP

II. French Revolution proved his biggest challenge

A. Jay's Treaty antagonized France

1. felt it was a betrayal

2. begin seizing American ships at sea too

B. Much pressure on Adams to go to war with France

1. Federalists especially pushed for it

a. angered his party

2. correctly refused this course of action

a. U.S. too weak to fight a major power

b. our country would have suffered more

3. Adams received little consideration for
this unpopular decision

a. criticized doing right thing

C. Instead undeclared naval war with France

1. occasional clashes between flagged ships

2. lasted 1798-1800

III. XYZ Affair

A. U.S. representatives sent to France

1. Elbridge Gerry, Charles Pinckney, John

Marshall

a. Gerry famous for gerrymandering

b. Marshall become supreme court justice

2. sent to negotiate end of naval problems

3. Talleyrand demanded huge bribes first

a. common practice in Europe

b. angered Americans

4. temporarily hurt Democratic-Republicans

a. supporters of France

B. Affair provoked anti-foreign sentiment at home

1. Federalists quickly passed exploitive
laws

2. come back to hurt them in 1800

C. Alien Act 1798

1. government could arrest dangerous aliens

2. govt could deport dangerous aliens

3. not much due process though

4. reluctantly signed by Adams

a. did it for his party

D. Sedition Act 1798

1. went against first amendment

a. free speech

2. criticizing govt could be a crime

a. very unpopular

3. reluctantly signed by Adams

a. did it for his party

E. Naturalization Act 1798

1. process of becoming a citizen

2. increased residency requirement from 7 to

14 years

3. Federalists believed most immigrants became Democratic-Republicans

a. done to strengthen the party

b. actually weakened it

IV. Other Adams' facts

A. Well educated president

1. graduate of Harvard

2. extremely successful lawyer

B. Very patriotic

1. early opposed Britain

2. been an ambassador to foreign countries
during revolution

3. served two terms as VP

a. considered it a thankless job

4. had a national outlook

C. Wife was Abigail Adams

1. favored women's rights

2. once urged him to remember "the ladies"

D. Friend of Thomas Jefferson

1. surprising to some

2. 1812-26 wrote letters to each other

a. survived to this day

3. both died on July 4, 1826

LESSON TITLE THOMAS JEFFERSON

OBJECTIVES:

1. The students will be able to describe the details of
Jefferson's life.

2. They will be able to evaluate the election of 1800.

3. They will explain the process that led up to the
Louisiana Purchase.

LESSON SUMMARY:

The lesson will cover the election of Jefferson to the purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon.

ASSIGNMENTS: