The Early Presidencies

THE EARLY PRESIDENCIES

Establishing Precedent & History

The Constitution Officially Recognized In 1789 The Constitution Recognized An

Executive Branch (The Presidency) Natural Born Citizen 35 Years of Age Lived 14 Years Within The U.S.

National Capital Established In New York City

George Washington Takes Oath of Office In New York On 30th April, 1789

George Washington Born 22nd February, 1732 Father A Virginia Planter Near Wakefield Virginia 1748 Began Surveying Career On The Frontier Served As An Officer During The French &

Indian War Wealthy Virginia Planter, Married To Martha

Dandridge Custis Served As Commander-in-Chief During The

American Revolution Served Politically During The Constitutional Era

Washington Takes Office Unanimously Elected By

The Electoral College 1789 & 1792

John Adams Picked As Washington’s Vice President Second Pick For President

Inaugurated At Federal Hall In New York City

Washington Takes Office Congress Votes To Pay Washington

$25,000 Annually Refused Salary Independently Wealthy Eventually Accepted So As Not To Limit The

Office To The Wealthy Immediately Begins Setting Precedent

Takes Title “Mr. President” Establishes A Cabinet Judiciary Act of 1789 2 Terms Of Service

Washington As President Confident Delegator Of Power &

Administrator Residence Act of 1790

Capital Moved To Philadelphia Washington Rotates His Slave Staff

Nations Capital Would Lie Along The Potomac River

Washington Personally Oversees Surveying Work Of Nations Capital

“The City of Washington in the Territory of Columbia” Named In His Honor

Issues Of The Presidency Massive National Debt

$52 Million Lacked Military Support

No Standing Navy Only 400 Men In The U.S.

Army Indian Uprising/Raids In

The Northwest Territory (Ohio River Valley) 1790 & 1791

Indian Uprisings Raids Along The Ohio River Valley Initial Military Efforts Proved To Be A Failure Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, & Tecumseh Main

Native American Leaders Anthony Wayne

Commander Of The American Legion Spent Time Training For Forest Warfare

Battle of Fallen Timbers 1794 American Victory Treaty of Greenville “Officially” Ended Uprising

Whiskey Rebellion Secretary Hamilton Proposes A Tax On Liquor

Signed Into Action In 1791 Bitterly Opposed By Frontier Farmers

Traditionally Converted Excess Grain Into Whiskey Attacks By Farmers On Tax Collectors Became

Violent Washington Calls Up State Militias

Washington Personally Leads Army Of 13,000 October Of 1794 Uprising Fizzles Out Washington Proved Capable Of Leading The

Country & The Army

Foreign Affairs Great Britain

Britain Refuses To Adhere To Treaty of Paris Kept Forts Within American Territory Made Threats Against American Shipping In

The West Indies & On The Atlantic Ocean Jay Treaty, 1795

Negotiated By Chief Justice John Jay British Would Evacuate Forts Small Scale Shipping Would Return America Would Remain Neutral Of French Affairs Commissions Set Up To Negotiate U.S. to U.K.

Debt

Foreign Affairs Barbary Bribes

Barbary Pirates Attack American Shipping

Treaty of Tripoli Signed Between American & Pasha of Tripoli Washington Agreed To Protection Money To Keep

American Ships Safe Spain

More Productive Pinckney’s Treaty, 1795 Cleared Relations Between The U.S. & Spain

The French Revolution July 14, 1789

The Storming Of The Bastille In Paris

French Revolution Begins Many Americans Supported

The French Efforts To Overthrow The Monarchy

U.S. Sent Aid To White Slave Holders In Haiti Haitian Slave Rebellion

Extremely Bloody Washington Sympathized

With Ousted Slave Holders

The French Revolution 1793, France Began Taking Extreme Measures

King Louis XVI Executed-1/21/1793 Queen Marie Antoinette Executed-10/16/1793 Hundreds Of Clergy, Nobles, & Revolutionary

Dissidents Slaughtered At The Guillotine's Blade The U.S. Government Remained Neutral, Public

Cried For Action Edmond-Charles Genet Sent To Washington’s

Second Inauguration Proclamation of Neutrality, 1793 Officially Drew

The Line For American Involvement In Europe

Retirement From Office By The End Of This Second Term

Washington Was Exhausted From Public Service

Issued Public Farewell Address In 1796 Returned Home To Mt. Vernon December 12, 1799

Spent Day Riding Horseback In The Snow & Rain Inspecting His Farm

Awoke Ill The Next Morning And Was Bled Passes Away On December 14, 1799 The World Mourned Washington’s Death

John Adams Born October 30, 1735 Came From A Moderately

Wealthy/Influential Family Studied At Harvard;

Considered Becoming A Minister; Chose Law Instead

On October 25, 1764, He Married His Third Cousin Abigail Had Five Surviving Children

Often Unpopular And Contentious

The Presidency Served As President From 1797-1801 Kept Many Of The Programs & Institutions

Washington Had Created In Office He Was Described As “Prickly”

Fought With His Own Party (Federalists) As Well As The Democratic-Republicans

Spent Much Of His Term At His Massachusetts Home

First President To Live Within The White House

Foreign Relations Tried To Remain Neutral In European

Affairs French Viewed American As Britain’s

Junior Began Seizing American Ships & Sailors

The XYZ Affair The Adams’ Administration Wanted To

Negotiate With The French Three French Diplomats (X,Y,& Z) Demanded

Huge Bribes Before Beginning Talks Finally Pushed Americans Away From French

Support

Foreign Affairs Quasi-War Broke Out Between The French

& The Americans In 1798 Adams & The Congress Pushed To Improve

The Army & Navy In Preparedness For An Attack

Convention of 1800 American Diplomats Sent To France Napoleon Agreed That A Conflict Was Useless American Freed From Any Entanglement In

European Affairs For The Time Being

The Alien & Sedition Acts Series Of Four Separate Acts, 1798 Government Could Arrest & Deport

Immigrants Who Spoke Against The Establishment

Worked Against The Democratic-Republican Efforts Worked Heavily Naturalizing Immigrants

Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions Declared Acts Unconstitutional

Election Of 1800 He & Charles Pinckney Fought Hard Over The

Republicans Jefferson & Aaron Burr Lost By 8 Electoral Votes To Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton Had Worked To Undermine Adams’ Campaign

Jefferson Extremely Popular In The South Midnight Judges

Judiciary Act of 1801, Created Series Of Appeals Courts

Loyal Federalists Judges Appointed To Fill These Courts

John Marshall Picked As The Fourth Supreme Court Chief Justice

Post-Presidency Years Returned Home To

Massachusetts Did Not Attend Jefferson’s

Inauguration 1812, Reconciled With

Jefferson Abigail Died In 1818 July 4th, 1826

Fiftieth Anniversary Of The Declaration of Independence

John Adams Died Jefferson Passed Hours Prior Passed While His Son Still

Remained In Office

Thomas Jefferson Born April 13, 1743

3rd of 10 Children Born Into A Well Connected Family Well Educated

Became A Planter, Lawyer, & Teacher January 1, 1772 Married Martha Skelton

Had Six Children, Only One Lived Beyond 25 September 6th, 1782, Martha Died

The Relationship With Sally Hemmings Politically Involved, Nationally &

Internationally

Jefferson Presidency Served As President From 1801-1809 Highly Supported In The South Electoral Vote A Tie

Jefferson & Aaron Burr Hamilton Undermines Burr & Wins Jefferson

The Election (Burr Would Eventually Kill Hamilton In A Duel)

Pushed To End Adams Era Policies Paid Down National Debt

80 to 52 Million Dollars

Jefferson Presidency Pushed For Major Cuts To The Army &

Navy Streamlined Washington Bureaucracy Sought Financial Benefits By Selling Off

Frontier Lands & Duties At Seaports Marbury vs. Madison

Supreme Court Case Marbury: A Midnight Judge Madison: Jefferson’s Secretary of State,

Refused To Deliver Marbury’s Appointment Papers

Marbury Victorious

The Expanding Nation Nation Needed To Stretch Out Louisiana Purchase

1803 France Needed The Money, France No Longer Needed

The Land 828,000 Square Miles

Lewis & Clark Expedition Meriwether Lewis & William Clark Traveled As Explorers, Scientists, & Ambassadors Aided By Sacagawea They Blazed A Trail To The

Pacific Brought Back Valuable Information & Scientific Data

Barbary War Barbary Pirates Again Interfering With

American Trade In The Mediterranean Barbary Leaders Demanding More Money To

Keep Shipping Safe Jefferson Decided The U.S. Could Fight The

Pirates Jefferson Sent A Naval Force Into the

Mediterranean Systematic Bombardment Of Tripoli Americans Come Out Victorious At The End Of

The War, June 10th, 1805

Retirement From Office Retires From Office In 1809 Helped Establish The

University of Virginia Health Began To Fail In 1825

By 1826 He Was Confined To His Bed

Died On July 4th, 1826 Died A Few Hours Before John

Adams Though Born Wealthy, Died In

Debt

James Madison Born March 16th, 1751

Oldest Of 12 Children Father Wealthy Tobacco Planter Highly Educated Married Dolley Todd 9/1/1794

Adopted Her Son John One Of The Authors Of The Federalists Papers Politically Active

Worked For Religious Freedoms “Father of the Constitution”, Writer Of The Bill of

Rights

Madison Presidency Served From 1809-1817 Initially Worked Against

The National Bank Would Expire In 1811 Used To Finance The War of

1812 Rechartered The Bank In

1814 Dealt With The Second

Barbary War Conclusive End To American

Tribute To Tripoli

War of 1812 British Navy Interfering With American Trade

Seizing American Ships, Impressing American Sailors

Madison Pushes Congress To Prepare For War Southern & Western “War Hawks” Back Madison

War Declared By Congress In June Of 1812 American Launches A Canadian Invasion

Utter Failure American Troops Perform Poorly

The American Navy Redeems Itself With A Victory At Lake Erie

War of 1812 Native American Skirmishes On The

Frontier Tecumseh Killed In October Of 1813 Andrew Jackson Defeats Creek & Seminole

Forces In AL & FL (Respectively) Washington Threatened

Four Major British Forces Land In The U.S. Maine, New York, Maryland, & New Orleans

The Capital Threatened With Capture Madison Flees The City Before British Troops

Arrive Dolley Madison Remains In The City

War of 1812 Washington Threatened

British Forces Began Nearing The Capital Mrs. Madison Empties The White House Of

President Madison’s Letters, Valuables, & Art Saves The Portrait Of George Washington

British Capture The City Burn The White House & Capital Building A Terrible Storm Kills Many British Troops & Slows

Their Advance

War of 1812 Battle Of Fort McHenry

Francis Scott Key Poem “Star-Spangled Banner”

Treaty Of Ghent Battle Of New Orleans

Americans Led By Andrew Jackson 71 American Casualties, 2036 British Deaths American Victory Fought After The Treaty of Ghent Signed

Post-Presidency Ushered In The “Era of Good

Feelings” Retired To Plantation At Montpelier Left The Presidency Poorer Than

When He Entered Bedridden Over Anxiety Of Debt Latter Years He Remained Politically

Active June 28, 1836

Madison Died Last Of The Founding Fathers