George Washington:
• First president to implement the new Constitution, setting many precedents • Served only two terms; Cincinnatus symbol and republican ideal — government based on republican principles • Rejected monarchical titles • His stature reassured Americans about the new government • Supported the Bill of Rights • Appointed Cabinet members (War, State, Treasury, Attorney General) and members of the
Supreme Court • Supported Hamilton’s financial plan on funding, revenues, creation of Bank of the United States,
assumption of state debts • Accepted compromise on location of national capitol to assure implementation of assumption of
state debts • Generally supported broad (Federalist) interpretation of the Constitution and a strong federal government • “Proclamation of Neutrality,” choosing not to honor the French treaty of 1778; skillful handling of the Citizen Genet affair • Supported Jay Treaty to resolve conflict with Great Britain • Supported Pinckney Treaty to keep open access to Mississippi River • Remained aloof from party politics, condemning party factionalism • Put down Whiskey Rebellion and enforced collection of federal excise taxes • Sent troops into Old Northwest to control Indians on frontier • Actions in office put constitutional principles into practice • Took seriously the concept of separation of powers and took care to implement it • Farewell Address urged disentanglement and condemned parties • No major blunders or scandals during his presidency
John Adams:
• Served two terms as Vice-President • Succeeded Washington as President • Supported broad interpretation of the Constitution and a strong central government • Urged funding for military preparedness; built up US navy • Sought to avoid full-scale war with France: XYZ Affair and Convention of 1800 • Continued Hamilton’s fiscal policies • Tried to control cabinet officials and partisan extremists • Accepted defeat and took part in peaceful transition of power: “Revolution of 1800” • Alien and Sedition Acts may be mentioned as an example of threatening governmental stability • The appointment of John Marshall as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is a valid example of stabilizing the new government IF his long-term impact is noted..
Thomas Jefferson:
• Served as Secretary of State under Washington, 1789-1794 • Urged strict interpretation of the Constitution in the 1790s, yet proved to be flexible when in power as president • Helped organize one of the first political parties, Democratic Republicans, and would subsequently
provide leadership of the party as president • Supported states rights and limited national government • Elected Vice-President in 1796 • Opposed Alien and Sedition Acts and wrote Kentucky Resolutions condemning acts as unconstitutional
and an abuse of republicanism • Assumed presidency in 1801 in vital, peaceful transition of power • Set example of simple, modest “republican” presidency • Inaugural address urged reconciliation of political parties and set forth democratic republican principles • Limited use of spoils system; did not dismiss all Federalists currently in government • Restored naturalization law of five years; urged repeal of remaining sections of Alien and Sedition Acts, and pardoned those convicted under remaining sections • Continued most of Hamilton’s financial programs in terms of limited import duties, payment of national debt, land sales, and the national bank • Reduced military expenditures and other government expenses, as well as direct taxes; objective was a more frugal government • Purchased Louisiana Territory to reduce foreign threat in the West and on the Mississippi, part of the ideal of the Empire of Liberty and the creation of an agrarian republic • Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the nation, involving broad interpretation of powers allowed the federal government by the Constitution • Truce with the Barbary pirates following successful military action, which led to greater economic stability and expanded trade in the Mediterranean • Accepted decisions of the Federalist (Marshall) U.S. Supreme Court • Sponsored the Lewis and Clark expedition for multiple purposes — an example of a broad use of presidential power • Economic coercion policies, such as the Embargo Acts — kept the U.S. out of war but could also be seen as destabilizing because it polarized New England Federalists
No comments:
Post a Comment