THE FEDERALIST ERA, 1789-1801

*Alexander Hamilton(1755-1804)

• treasury secretary, 1789-95

• Report on the Public Credit(1790)

• Report on Manufactures(1791)

• Bank of the U.S.(1791)

• Aaron Burr

*Federalist Party

• strongest support in New England

• support stronger along the coast or navigable rivers than inland

• primarily merchants, manufacturers, and commercial farmers

• elitist; distrustful of the masses

• leaders:

  • *Alexander Hamilton

  • John Adams

*Democratic Republican Party

• many Anti-Federalists

• primarily subsistence farmers and urban workers and artisans

• leaders:

  • Thomas Jefferson

  • James Madison

• favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution

• wary of a proactive national government

• more democratic

KEY EVENTS

• *French Revolution

  • execution of Louis XVI(January 1793)

  • Washington's neutrality proclamation(22 April 1793)

  • *Citizen Genet

• *Whiskey Rebellion(1794)

• *Jay Treaty(1795)

  • effort to resolve Anglo-American disputes

  • inspiration in the formation of the Republican Party

• John Adams administration(1797-1801)

  • *XYZ Affair

  • *undeclared naval war against France

  • *Naturalization Act

    • extension of citizenship residence requirement from 5 to 14 years

  • *Alien Act

    • authorized the president to deport any potentially dangerous or treasonable alien during peacetime

  • *Sedition Act

  • *Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

    • authored by Jefferson and Madison

    • state right to nullify federal legislation

Revolution of 1800

• peaceful transfer of power between opposing parties

• Adams' midnight appointments