The Essential Question
- In what ways did John Adams live up to and depart from his ideals in his role as president of the United States ?
Election of 1796
- The election of 1796 was split on completely sectional lines with the North voting for and ultimately electing John Adams over the South who voted for Thomas Jefferson.
- Adams became president and Jefferson became VP
- This was problematic because the Pres and VP came from different parties and had different values and goals.
John Adams
- A Federalist
- Played major role in the Continental Congress encouraging independence .
- Despite not being at the Constitutional Convention, he was supportive of the stronger government under the Constitution.
- Wins the 1796 Election - > 1st election with 2 opposing parties.
XYZ Affair
- France practiced impressment = seizing American ships & sailors .
- Done in retaliation for not supporting their conflict with Great Britain
- US sends representatives to France to discuss issue
- 3 French ambassadors ( X, Y, Z) ( named by Adams ) wanted a bribe ( 250k ) to even talk about the issue.
XYZ Affair
- America did not pay the bribe
- Used the money to build a Navy and wage a 2 year undeclared war against France.
- George Washington was asked to lead the army if war was ever officially declared.
Alien and Sedition Acts
- to counter what the government saw a threat to itself the Federalists pushed through 4 measures which became the Alien and Sedition Acts. 3 of these measures: The Alien Acts, raised residence requirement for American citizenship to 14 years and allowed the president to deport or jail any alien considered undesirable.
- The sedition Act made it illegal to speak out against the government.
- Aimed at the French and would restrict the power of the Dem-Reps
Virginia and Kentucky Resolution & Nullification
- Passed in response to the Alien & Sedition Acts
- The Dem-Reps viewed Adams as a tyrant - much like the King of England.
- Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions: State laws that voided the alien & sedition acts.
- The Acts were unconstitutional bc violated the 1st Amendment .
- Introduced the theory of nullification
- states did not have to enforce federal law if it violates the constitution.
Election of 1800 and Aaron Burr
- John Adams was not very popular during his re-election campaign.
- Aaron Burr also ran for President in 1800.
- Like Jefferson he was a Democrat-Republican.
- Since most Americans disliked Adams, the election was really between the 2 Dem.-Rep. candidates
- Thomas Jefferson & Aaron Burr.
- Jefferson was not well liked either & it appeared he was going to lose to Aaron Burr.
Election of 1800
- Set the precedent that in the event of a tie, house of Representatives will choose the winner of the election.
- Jefferson wins.
- Hamilton convinces Federalists to switch their votes to Jefferson.
Big Takeaways From the Election of 1800
- Set the precedent that in the event of a tie, House of Representatives chooses winner.
- Jefferson Wins!!
- The 12th amendment is passed
- Seperate ballots for Pres. & VP ( Still ont like modern elections ) .
- A “Revolution” because of the peaceful transition of power from one political party to another political party.
- Federalists - > democratic republicans
Aaron Burr vs Alexander Hamilton
- Hamilton & Burr never saw eye to eye.
- Burr never forgot how Hamilton influenced the election.
- Burr killed hamilton in a duel.
- Ended Aaron Burr’s political career.
Lame Duck President
- Term used to describe a president who will not serve another term b/c:
- Lost bid for re-election
- Already served terms
- The president is a lame duck from the moment of last election & the inauguration for the new president:
- Historical: November - > March
- Modern: November - > January 20th
- Some lame duck Presidents use this time to push through legislation.
Judiciary Act of 1801
- Attempt by Adams to pack the Federal Court System with Federalists called “Midnight Judges”.
- Appointed 68 judges of the peace – All supporters of the Federalist party.
- Not all the paperwork was delivered while Adams was President & it was expected Jefferson would do it once he came into office.
- That was a big “No” from Jefferson
John Marshall
- Staunch federalist and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Handed down decisions that would strengthen the Federal and Judicial Branch.
- Ruled against Marbury ( a federalist ) in the Marbury vs Madison court case.
Marbury v Madison
- Marbury was a midnight judge who did not get his official papers; The judiciary act of 1789 was supposed to provide them. Marshall said that the provision of the act was unconstitutional because Congress did not empower the Supreme Court to issue such orders. Ruled against Marbury.
Judicial Review
- the ability of the Supreme Court to declare an act of congress unconstitutional.