Washington and Adams Presidencies
The Washington and Adams presidencies could easily seem like a set rocky years for a young America strung together by events and acts of these great men, such as treaties, international and domestic affairs, and advice to try and establish a safe and effective national government.
With a new national government under The Constitution, many feared that it could fail to be effective just as the Articles failed, but the acts of Washington and Adams during their presidencies would disprove this fear. For example one of the first things Washington did in his presidency was to establish the first presidential cabinet. The presidential cabinet was a group of four men (Thomas Jefferson- Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton- Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Knox- Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph- Attorney General) selected by Washington himself to be his advisers, and help to carry out his duties. The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of his cabinet would appear almost immediately with the rise of Hamilton’s financial plan. Hamilton’s plan called for a funding of national and state debt at par to show the reliability of a strong federal government and establish federalism. But this part of his plan fueled sectionalist ideals between the north and south. Another part of his plan was to establish a National Bank to regulate the economy and establish a national currency. This part of his plan did make the government more effective but it went against Democratic-Republican ideas of a strict interpretation of the constitution, which increased partisan tension. And the last point in his plan was to raise taxes on general goods and excise taxes on luxury goods. When Washington second term came to a close he left the country with three “rules” to follow in his farewell address; avoid sectionalism, avoid political parties, and avoid permanent alliances. These “rules” set a great structure for a young and successful government, but inevitably, weren’t able to be followed.
With a new national government under The Constitution, many feared that it could fail to be effective just as the Articles failed, but the acts of Washington and Adams during their presidencies would disprove this fear. For example one of the first things Washington did in his presidency was to establish the first presidential cabinet. The presidential cabinet was a group of four men (Thomas Jefferson- Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton- Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Knox- Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph- Attorney General) selected by Washington himself to be his advisers, and help to carry out his duties. The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of his cabinet would appear almost immediately with the rise of Hamilton’s financial plan. Hamilton’s plan called for a funding of national and state debt at par to show the reliability of a strong federal government and establish federalism. But this part of his plan fueled sectionalist ideals between the north and south. Another part of his plan was to establish a National Bank to regulate the economy and establish a national currency. This part of his plan did make the government more effective but it went against Democratic-Republican ideas of a strict interpretation of the constitution, which increased partisan tension. And the last point in his plan was to raise taxes on general goods and excise taxes on luxury goods. When Washington second term came to a close he left the country with three “rules” to follow in his farewell address; avoid sectionalism, avoid political parties, and avoid permanent alliances. These “rules” set a great structure for a young and successful government, but inevitably, weren’t able to be followed.