Cheatsheet: The Early Republic

1. George Washington's Presidency (1789-1797)

1.1 Key Accomplishments and Precedents

• First president under the Constitution, inaugurated April 30, 1789 in New York City
• Established the cabinet system with department heads as advisors
• Set precedent of two-term limit (served 1789-1797)
• Delivered Farewell Address warning against political parties and foreign alliances
• Established presidential title as "Mr. President"

1.2 Washington's Cabinet

1.3 Major Events

• Judiciary Act of 1789: Created federal court system with Supreme Court and lower courts
• Bill of Rights ratified in 1791 (first 10 amendments)
• Whiskey Rebellion (1794): Farmers in Pennsylvania protested whiskey tax; Washington sent troops to show federal authority
• Proclamation of Neutrality (1793): Kept U.S. neutral in war between France and Britain
• Jay's Treaty (1795): Resolved issues with Britain, avoided war, but unpopular with Jefferson supporters
• Pinckney's Treaty (1795): Agreement with Spain for use of Mississippi River and New Orleans port

2. Hamilton's Financial Plan

2.1 Key Components

2.2 Opposition to the Plan

• Southern states opposed paying state debts (many had already paid theirs)
• Jefferson opposed National Bank as unconstitutional (strict interpretation)
• Hamilton supported National Bank using elastic clause (loose interpretation)
• Compromise of 1790: Capital moved to South (Washington, D.C.) in exchange for debt assumption

3. Rise of Political Parties

3.1 Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans

4. John Adams' Presidency (1797-1801)

4.1 Election of 1796

• Adams (Federalist) elected president, Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) became vice president
• First contested presidential election

4.2 XYZ Affair (1797-1798)

• French agents (called X, Y, and Z) demanded bribes from American diplomats
• Led to undeclared naval war with France (Quasi-War)
• Slogan: "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute"

4.3 Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

4.4 Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798-1799)

• Written by Madison (Virginia) and Jefferson (Kentucky)
• Argued states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws
• Challenged Alien and Sedition Acts

5. Thomas Jefferson's Presidency (1801-1809)

5.1 Election of 1800

• Called "Revolution of 1800" - peaceful transfer of power between parties
• Jefferson and Burr tied in Electoral College
• House of Representatives chose Jefferson as president
• Led to 12th Amendment (1804): Separate electoral votes for president and vice president

5.2 Jefferson's Policies

• Reduced federal government size and spending
• Eliminated whiskey tax
• Reduced national debt
• Allowed National Bank charter to continue
• Promoted agrarian (farming) society

5.3 Louisiana Purchase (1803)

• Purchased from France for $15 million
• Doubled the size of the United States
• Jefferson worried it was unconstitutional but proceeded anyway
• Napoleon sold territory to fund European wars
• Included land from Mississippi River to Rocky Mountains

5.4 Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)

• Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
• Explored Louisiana Territory and route to Pacific Ocean
• Sacagawea (Shoshone woman) served as guide and interpreter
• Mapped territory, documented plants and animals, contacted Native American tribes
• Started at St. Louis, reached Pacific Ocean at Columbia River

5.5 Barbary Pirates

• North African pirates demanded tribute from American ships
• Jefferson sent Navy to fight Barbary States (1801-1805)
• Established U.S. would not pay tribute to pirates

6. Challenges with Britain and France

6.1 Neutral Rights Issues

• Britain and France at war (Napoleonic Wars)
• Both nations seized American ships trading with the enemy
• Impressment: British forced American sailors into British navy
• Chesapeake-Leopard Affair (1807): British ship attacked U.S. Navy ship

6.2 Embargo Act of 1807

• Jefferson banned all foreign trade to avoid war
• Hurt American economy, especially merchants and shipbuilders
• Smuggling increased
• Repealed in 1809, replaced with Non-Intercourse Act (trade ban only with Britain and France)

7. James Madison's Presidency (1809-1817)

7.1 Road to War of 1812

• Continued British impressment of American sailors
• British supported Native American resistance in Northwest Territory
• War Hawks (Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun) pushed for war with Britain
• Desire to expand into Canada and Florida

7.2 War of 1812 (1812-1815)

7.2.1 Major Events

• U.S. failed to conquer Canada
• Battle of Lake Erie (1813): Oliver Hazard Perry defeated British naval forces
• Battle of Thames (1813): William Henry Harrison defeated British and Native Americans; Tecumseh killed
• British burned Washington, D.C. (1814), including White House and Capitol
• Battle of Baltimore (1814): Inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner"
• Battle of New Orleans (1815): Andrew Jackson's victory after peace treaty signed

7.2.2 Hartford Convention (1814)

• Federalists from New England met to discuss opposition to war
• Proposed amendments to limit federal power
• Looked unpatriotic after war ended; Federalist Party died out

7.2.3 Treaty of Ghent (1814)

• Ended War of 1812
• Restored pre-war boundaries (status quo ante bellum)
• Did not address impressment or neutral rights
• Signed December 24, 1814

7.3 Results of War of 1812

• Increased American nationalism and patriotism
• Weakened Native American resistance in Northwest
• Encouraged American manufacturing (could not import during war)
• Made Andrew Jackson a national hero
• Ended Federalist Party
• Confirmed American independence from Britain

8. Native American Relations

8.1 Conflicts in the Northwest Territory

• Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794): General Anthony Wayne defeated Native American confederation
• Treaty of Greenville (1795): Native Americans gave up most of Ohio

8.2 Tecumseh's Confederacy

• Tecumseh (Shawnee chief) united tribes to resist American expansion
• Brother "The Prophet" (Tenskwatawa) led spiritual revival
• Battle of Tippecanoe (1811): William Henry Harrison defeated Native Americans at Prophetstown
• Tecumseh allied with British during War of 1812; killed at Battle of Thames (1813)

9. Era of Good Feelings (1815-1825)

9.1 James Monroe's Presidency (1817-1825)

• Period of national unity with one-party rule (Democratic-Republican)
• Federalist Party disappeared
• Economic growth and westward expansion

9.2 Major Legislation and Events

9.3 Missouri Compromise (1820)

• Missouri applied for statehood as slave state, upset balance in Senate
• Compromise: Missouri admitted as slave state, Maine as free state
• 36°30' line: Slavery prohibited north of this line in Louisiana Territory (except Missouri)
• Henry Clay called "The Great Compromiser" for his role
• Temporarily resolved slavery debate

9.4 Monroe Doctrine (1823)

• Declared Western Hemisphere closed to European colonization
• U.S. would not interfere in European affairs
• U.S. would view European interference in Americas as threat
• Response to fear of European powers reclaiming Latin American colonies
• Established U.S. as dominant power in Western Hemisphere

10. Economic and Transportation Changes

10.1 American System

• Proposed by Henry Clay
• Three parts: protective tariffs, national bank, internal improvements (roads, canals)
• Goal: strengthen and unify the nation economically

10.2 Transportation Revolution

10.3 Industrial Growth

• Textile mills in New England (Lowell, Massachusetts)
• Interchangeable parts developed by Eli Whitney
• Cotton gin (1793) made cotton production profitable in South

11. Key Supreme Court Cases

11.1 John Marshall as Chief Justice (1801-1835)

12. Important Dates