Alexander Hamilton's Political Beliefs

Taylor LaFrancis
APUSH period 2
Chapter 6 IDs
23 August 2013 Term/Name | Identify | Significance (if underlined) | Alexander Hamilton’s political beliefs | Hamilton called for a national convention to overhaul the entire Articles of Confederation. | *Hamilton suggested Congress consider ways to “render the constitution of the federal government adequate to the experiences of the union” | Founding Fathers to the Constitution Convention | Fifty five men representing all states, except Rhode Island, who attended one or more sessions of the convention in the Philadelphia State House on September 1787. | | Madison’s Virginia Plan | The plan called for a new national legislature consisting of two houses. | | Patterson’s New Jersey Plan | Preserved the existing one-house legislature, in which each state had equal representation, but gave Congress expanded powers to tax and regulate commerce. | | The Great Compromise | The proposal called for a legislature in which states would be represented in the lower house on the representation of population; proposed that the upper house, the states should be represented by two members apiece. | Its most important achievement was resolving the difficult problem of representation. | Three-fifths Compromise | Each slave counting as three- fifths of a free person in determining the basis for both representation and direct taxation. | The three-fifths compromise was based on the false assumption that a slave was three-fifths as productive as a free worker and thus contributed three-fifths as much to the state. | Madison answers question of sovereignty | All power, at all levels of government flowed ultimately from the people. | | Madison answers problem of concentrated authority | The Constitution and the government it created were to be the “supreme law” of the land; no state would have the authority to deny it. | | Separation of Powers | The constitution’s most distinctive feature, its creation of “checks and balances” among the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches. | | Federalist papers | Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, under the joint pseudonym “Publius” wrote a series of essays explaining the meaning and virtues of the Constitution. | They did so in an effort to counter the powerful arguments the Anti-federalists were making against the constitution. | Anti-Federalists | Those who opposed the Constitution or defenders of the true principles of the Revolution. | | Bill of Rights | A Bill of Rights was, at first, not included with the new Constitution for it would be a later provision. | It was later instituted to provide comfort to the many Anti-federalists, specifically in Virginia and New York, who had become discontent with dominating federalist support. | Hamilton’s political beliefs | Hamilton believed a stable and effective government depended on an enlightened, ruling class | | Funding the national debt & assuming the debt | Hamilton proposed that the new government take responsibility for the existing public debt; the government should call in the old depreciated certificates of debt and exchange them for uniform, interest-bearing, bonds, payable at define rates | | Bank of the United States | An idea proposed by Hamilton was the creation of a national bank would help fill the void that the absence of a well-developed banking system had created; began operating in 1791 | | Federalist Party | Within a few years of the ratification of the Constitution, Hamilton and his followers had become an “interested and overbearing majority.” | | Republican Party | Federalist critics responded to their numbers and structure of power by organizing their own vigorous opposition force. | | First Party System | Institutionalized factionalism between the Federalist and Republican “parties.” | Neither side was willing to admit that it was acting as a party; neither would concede the right of the other to exist. | 1794 Whiskey Rebellion | Began in western Pennsylvania when farmers refused to pay a whiskey excise tax and began terrorizing tax collectors. | | Position of Native Americans per the Constitution | The Constitution and later federal laws grant local sovereignty to tribal nations, yet do not grant full sovereignty equivalent to foreign nationals, hence the term “domestic dependent nations.” (Territorial Sovereignty, Plenary Power Doctrine, Trust Relationship) | | Citizen Genet | French ambassador in America, went around the country trying to recruit Americans to fight for French without consent of American government- kicked out for allowing French warship[ into Philadelphia, no longer French ambassador in America | | Jay’s Treaty | It said that Britain was to pay for Americans ship[s that were seized in 1793, that Americans had to pay British merchants debts owed from before the revolution, and Britain had agreed to remove their troops from the Ohio Valley | | Pinckney’s Treaty | Agreement between the united states and Spain that changed Florida’s border and made it easier for American ship’s to use the port of New Orleans | | Washington’s Farwell Address | A letter written by the first American President, George Washington, to “The people of the United States.” Advised the American people that each president should only be allowed to serve two, four year terms, to stay a nonpartisan nations, and to practice isolationism | The letter was written by Washington after years of exhaustion due to his advanced age, years of service to his country, the duties of the presidency, and increased attacks by his political opponents | Outcome of Election of 1796 | John Adams, Federalist, won with 71 electoral votes. Thomas Jefferson, Democratic-Republican, received 68 electoral votes and became vice president. First presidential election to involve political parties. | | XYZ affair | An insult to the American delegation when they were supposed to be meeting French foreign mister, Talleyrand, but instead they were sent 3 officials Adams called “X, Y, and Z” that demanded $250,000 as a bribe to see Talleyrand. | | Quasi War | Adams was angry as a result of XYZ affair a trade was cut off with French sailors was ordered; 1798- Navy was being funded- captured 35 French ships; Britain- ally; Finally France reconciled and new treaty allied with French; undeclared war | | Alien and Sedition Acts | They were four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalist in the 5th United States Congress in the aftermath of the French Revolution and during an undeclared naval war with Britain and France, later known as the Quasi-War. It was signed into law by President John Adams | It took away civil liberties of the people and violated the first amendment: freedom of speech and press. They also took away the fundamental Freedoms. | Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions- compact Theory and Nullification | Political statements in 1798 and 1799 that argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional any acts of Congress that were not authorized by the Constitution | The Resolution had been controversial since their passage, eliciting disapproval from ten state legislatures and were written secretly by Vice President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison | Confused of outcome of the election of 1800-Jeffererson v. Aaron Burr | Jefferson and Burr each received 73 votes in the electoral college, so the house of representatives had to decide the outcome. The house chose Jefferson as president and Burr as vice president. | | Why a “Revolution of 1800?” | It was the peaceful Revolution, the first transfer of power in the white house | It was the first time in a western government where a change in the ruling power had occurred so radically, peacefully, and without bloodshed. | John Adams | He was a defense lawyer for soldiers of Boston Massacre and attended the 1st Continental Congress. He was later elected as the 2nd president of the U.S., swerved it onto revolution. He proposed the idea of American home rule under British direction | He made peace with France before he left office-Appointed midnight judges- alienated his Federalist party- passed Alien and Sedition Acts. |