Ali Ghafoori 1

America in the Aftermath of the Revolution (1783-1800)

Lecture Date: February 27, 2008

Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796:

The 1796 Farewell Address announced:

1. Washington’s retirement.

2. Washington criticized the divisive nature of party politics.

3. He counseled Americans that they should not enter any permanent

foreign alliances (Policy of Isolation).

4. He further stipulated that America must remain neutral in all

conflicts (Policy of Neutrality).

The policies of isolation and neutrality were to form the bed rock of

American foreign affairs for years to come.

Election of 1796:

There was no specific mechanism during this time to establish candidacy

but the party leaders informally agreed as to whom they should support.

The two sets of leading fore-runners were:

1. John Adams and Thomas Pinckney for the Federalists.

2. Jefferson and Burr for the Republicans.

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America in the Aftermath of the Revolution (1783-1800)

This was a balanced ticket of a Northerner and Southerner.

The partition along party lines was problematic as the Constitution had not

provided a mechanism for election on a part ticket system. Furthermore,

Hamilton disliked Adams and sat about to undermine his election in favor

of Pinckney. However this resulted in confusion and Adams won the

election to become the president but Jefferson became his vice-president.

The Adams Administration:

Highlights of the Adams administration include:

Internal Dissent – Adams was disliked by the members of his own

party. Lacking any precedents, he decided to retain Washington’s

cabinet that were Hamilton loyalists and actively subverted his

agenda.

Treaty with France – In the wake of Jay’s Treaty, the French corsairs

plundered American ships and goods bound for England. This

amounted to an undeclared naval war. In response to the French

aggression the Department of the Navy was set up and Congress

passed a bill to enlarge the US army to 10,000 standing strength.

George Washington was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief.

Washington stipulated that he will serve only if Hamilton is

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America in the Aftermath of the Revolution (1783-1800)

appointed as his second-in-command (a request which was complied

with).

Hamilton was hoping that a French invasion through Spanish Florida

would give him a chance to crush the pro-French Republicans. This

however did not materialize and in 1800 Adams sent an envoy to

France where a treaty was negotiated with France and the permanent

alliance was annulled.

XYZ Affair – Facing public outcry and demands for war from the

public and the Federalists against the French, Adams had earlier

dispatched a delegation to France to conclude a treaty in 1797. The

affair devolved into the XYZ Affair as the French foreign minister at

the time—Talleyrand—demanded a bribe. This further stocked the

demand for war with France, but Adams refused to be drawn into a

full conflict with France. The mission was eventually recalled without

a treaty.

The Alien and Sedition Act, 1798:

The French crisis was a pretext that the Federalists were keen in exploiting

to suppress the Republican opposition.

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America in the Aftermath of the Revolution (1783-1800)

Besides making it much harder for immigrants to become US citizens, the

act also contained the Sedition Act which was used against anyone who

criticized the US government with fines and jail time.

For the Republicans the proof that this was a Federalist conspiracy was

evident in the fact that the act excluded criticism of the Republican vice-

president and was set to expire on March 3, 1801 (the day when the new

administration took power thereby making sure that the law will not be

used against the Federalists).

Republicans protested that the acts violated the Constitution but

Federalists countered that the law was necessary in time of crises. Supreme

Court was dominated by Federalist appointees so the Republicans did not

have recourse.

Republican response was to draw up the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

of 1798 and 1799. According to these resolutions, since the Constitution

arose as a compact amongst states, the states should decide when Congress

had exceeded its powers. This is known as the Compact Theory of the

Constitution.

The acts were meant as pieces of propaganda but it had profound and

unfortunate results down the road (the Civil War).

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America in the Aftermath of the Revolution (1783-1800)

The Sedition Act was seldom used against Republican Congressmen.

Instead, the Federalists used the Act to target newspaper men affiliated

with the Republicans.