Study Guide  Ch. 7  -  8

Republicanism  State Constitutions  Articles of Confederation  Fiscal Crisis  Robert Morris  Bank of North America 1781  Economic Depression  tariff policy  Indian Policy in the West  Treaty of Fort Stanwix  Ordinance of 1784  Land Ordinance of 1785  Northwest Ordinance of 1787  Southwest Ordinance of 1790  relations with Britain   relations with Spain  Constitutional Convention  Virginia Plan  New Jersey Plan  The Great Compromise  three fifths compromise  sectionalism and slavery  powers of the executive  The Constitution  Checks and Balances  Struggle over Ratification  Federalists  Antifederalists

regional isolation  Mid-Atlantic Pluralism  The South  The West  struggles with Native Americans over land  the Bill of Rights  the Cabinent  federal judiciary  Judiciary Act of 1789  Tariff Act of 1789  Tonnage Act of 1789  Hamilton's Plan  National Political Parties  The French Revolution  Citizen Genet  Democratic-Republicanism  Mad Anthony Wayne  Battle of Fallen Timbers  Treaty of Greenville  The Whiskey Rebellion  Treaties with Britain and Spain  Election of 1796  The XYZ Affair  Quasi-war with France  Direct Tax of 1789  Hamilton and the Federalists  Alien and Sedition Acts of 1789  Virginia and Kentucky resolutions  Fries' Rebellion  Fall of the Federalist Party  Franco-American Accord of 1800  Election of 18

    America: A Narrative History: Ch 7  --  multiple choice, true false,   Flash cards      
                                                       Ch 8  --  multiple choice, true false,   Flash cards       

     Confederation to Constitution:   puzzle -- flashcards     
                                Constitution:  flashcards            
                            New Republic:  puzzle  --  flashcards    

       The Unfinished Nation:  matching    --  multiple choice   

       The American Nation: Ch 5    flashcards  --  fill in the blank  --  multiple choice      
       
        Bill of Rights quiz          Federalist / Democratic Republican quiz              

The Articles of Confederation – Written document setting up the loose confederation of the states that comprised the first national government of the United States from 1781 – 1788.  The powers of them delegated to the central government were extremely limited. There were no provisions for a national judiciary or separate executive branch of government. Each state was allowed only one vote, and chose their delegates in annual elections and could serve only three years out of six. Congress had the power to declare war, make peace, conduct foreign affairs, negotiate with Native Americans, and settle disputes between states. The effect was to create a loose confederation of autonomous states.

Economic Depression – During the depression Britain closed its markets to American goods, hoping to weaken the US and keep them dependent. They also cut them off from trade with the British West Indies their most important trade relation. With insufficient money in circulation to raise prices and reverse downturn, the depression fed on itself. American ships barred from British ports – Resulted in trade relations with India and China, commercial treaties with the Dutch, Swedes, and Prussians.

Tariff Policy – Artisans and workers pushed for tariff barriers against cheap British goods as a way to encourage domestic manufacturing and protect their jobs. Shippers avoided these tariffs by taking their cargo’s to states without tariffs, leaving states with high tariffs to get goods from other states and paying tax to have them imported.

Indian Policy in the West – Congress negotiated a series of treaties with the Indians, beginning in 1784, for the abandonment of their land claims in the west.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix – By threatening to use military force, congressional commissioners coerced the Iroquois Confederation of New York to cede half its territory to the United States.

Ordinance of 1784 – The work of Thomas Jefferson, proposing to create 10 districts or territories that could apply for statehood only when the population equaled that of the least populous state in the existing states.

Land Ordinance of 1785 – Act Passed by Congress under the articles of Confederation that created the grid system of surveys by which all subsequent public land was made available for sale. $1 per acre…

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – Legislation passed by Congress under the Articles of Confederation that prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories and provided the model for the incorporation of future territories into the union as coequal states. When a territory got to be a population of 5000 adult males they could elect legislature, but was subject to an absolute veto by the governor. With a population of 60,000 they could apply for statehood.

Southwest Ordinance of 1790 - Legislation passed by Congress that set up a government with no prohibition on slavery in U.S. territory south of the Ohio River.

Relations with Britain – Combined with the matter of unpaid debts, the continued failure of the states to make restitution to the Loyalists gave the British a convenient pretext to hold on to the forts in the west, which was part of an overall strategy to keep the United States weak and small. The continued British presence in the region effectively shut Americans out of the fur trade with the Indians.

Retaliatory navigation acts by individual states did little good because they left the British free to play one state off another.

Relations with Spain – Spain did not recognize the boundaries set by the Paris treaty with Britain, hoping for a more northerly boundary. Also denying the U.S. free navigation of the Mississippi River. Kentucky and Tennessee residents could not reach the world trade market if they could not ship goods up and down the Mississippi.

Spanish and the Creek – The Spanish set up an alliance with the Creek to help keep American settlers from invading the frontier. Led by Alexander McGillivray some five thousand Indian warriors, he played the Spanish and the Americans to gain freedom for the Creeks in the 1780’s.

Annapolis Convention – Conference of state delegates at Annapolis, Maryland, that issued a call in September 1786 for a convention to meet in Philadelphia in May 1787 to consider revisions to the Articles of Confederation. Only nine states sent delegates to attend.

Constitutional Convention – Convention that met in Philadelphia 1787 that drafted the Constitution of the United States. All states sent delegates except Rhode Island. 55 men in attendance…

Constitution of the United States – The written document providing for a new central government of the United States, drawn up at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and ratified by the states in 1788.

Virginia Plan – Proposal of the Virginia delegation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention calling for national legislature in which the states would be represented according to population. The national legislature would have explicit power to veto or overrule laws passed by state legislatures. Drafted by James Madison – Made representatives equal in both houses of Congress proportional to population.

New Jersey Plan – Proposal for a strengthened national government in which all states would have equal representation in a unicameral legislature. Introduced by William Patterson – Gave the national government the explicit power to tax and regulate domestic and foreign commerce.

Unicameral legislature – legislative body composed of a single house.

Great Compromise – Plan proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut for creating a national bicameral legislature in which all states would be equally represented in the Senate and proportionately represented in the House. It also settled a sectional dispute over representation between the free states and the slave states.

Bicameral Legislature – A legislative body composed of two houses.

Three-Fifths Compromise – Free residents were to be counted precisely: to that count would be added three-fifths of all other persons excluding Indians not taxed.

Sectionalism and Slavery – The great division of interests in the United States would arise from the effect of states having or not having slaves. The southern states worried that the northern states would pass navigation acts favoring northern shippers and drive up export costs. Southerners required a two-thirds majority vote required to force trade legislation.

	Articles	Constitution
Sovereign power of the central government	No power to tax or raise armies	Power granted on taxes and armed forces
Source of power	Individual States	Shared through federalism between the states  and the national government
Representation in Congress	Equal representation of states in a unicameral Congress -Each state had one vote.	A bicameral legislature with equal representation of the states in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives
Amendment Process	Unanimous consent of the states required to amend the Articles or raise taxes.	Consent of three fourths of the states
Executive	None provided for	Office of the president
National Judiciary	None provided for	The Supreme Court

Powers of the Executive – Included the rank of commander and chief of the armed forces, the authority to conduct foreign affairs and negotiate treaties, the right to appoint diplomatic and judicial officers, and the power to veto congressional legislation.

The Constitution – Power granted on taxes and armed forces, shared through federalism between the states and the national government, a bicameral legislature with equal representation of the states in the Senate and proportional representation in the house, consent of three-fourths the states to amend, with an executive office and a national judicial system.

Checks and Balances – The Constitution placed both internal and external restraints on the powers of central government. The division of the government into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, each with its ways to limit the powers of the others.

Checks and Balances
Legislative Branch    Authority to approve or reject the presidential appointments and to ratify or reject treaties, could declare war, can override veto with two-thirds vote, congress could impeach, convict and remove a president, determined the size of the supreme court and remove federal judges appointed by the president

Judicial Branch    Could invalidate acts of congress and the president it found unconstitutional

Executive Branch    Commanded the armed forces, could not declare war, could veto congressional  legislation, appointed judicial officials

Struggle over Ratification – Needed to be ratified by at least nine states. Federalists supported the Constitution and Anti-Federalists apposed it and wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation. Federalists campaigned by passing out flyers and pamphlets, giving speeches, and writing newspaper editorials.  

	Federalists	Anti-Federalists
Position of the Constitution	Favored the Constitution	Opposed the constitution
Position on the Articles of Confederation	Felt the Articles had to be abandoned	Felt the Articles needed to be amended
Position on the power of the states	Sought to curb the power of the states with a new central government	Felt the power of the states should be paramount
Position on the need for a bill of rights	Initially saw no need for a bill of rights in the Constitution	Saw the absence of a bill of rights in the proposed Constitution as a threat to individual liberties
Position on the optimum size of the republic	Believed a large republic could best safeguard personal freedoms	Believed only a small republic formed on common interests could protect individual rights
Source of support	Commercial farmers, merchants, shippers, artisans, holders of national debt	State-centered politicians, most back country farmers

Amendment - A change or an addition to an existing official or legal document. The process of amending the U.S. Constitution requires that 2/3 of the congress (or 2/3 of the state legislatures) approve of the proposal and 3/4 of all states agree to make the change. The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.

Anti-federalists - People that feared a strong central government, supported states' rights, and opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Anti-federalists insisted that a Bill of Rights must be included in the Constitution to protect individuals' rights against a powerful central government. Anti- federalists typically were members of the poorer classes, but also included patriots Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Monroe and Richard Henry Lee.

Articles of Confederation - The document that served as the first official constitution of the United States from 1781 through 1789. The Articles of Confederation dictated a loose organization of 13 independent states, joined together with equal representation in a Congress, in order to provide for the common defense. The Articles proved too weak to effectively govern the young nation, however, and delegates meeting at the Annapolis Convention in 1786 recommended that a new convention be called to discuss revision of the Articles. This convention, called the Constitutional Convention, met beginning in May of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and produced an entirely new government for the United States.

Bank of North America – First national bank 1781, Morris wanted it to serve as a national institution, and he used it to hold government funds, make loans to the government, and issue bank notes.

bi-cameral - An organization that consists of two sections, or houses. In the United States government, the legislative branch is bi-cameral because it includes two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. This division into two houses was provided for in the Great Compromise, and also established a balance of power similar to that described by the French political philosopher Montesquieu.

Bill of Rights - A written summary of inalienable rights and liberties. Set explicit limits on the power of government to interfere in the lives of citizens. All states had freedom of religion, freedom of press, and a right to a trial by jury. A listing of the rights granted to citizens, the Bill of Rights serves to protect the people from a too powerful government. These civil rights granted to U.S. Citizens are included in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Checks and Balances - The Constitution set forth a government composed of 3 branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch was given certain powers over the others to ensure that no one branch usurped a dangerous amount of power. This system, known as checks and balances, represented the solution to the problem of how to empower the central government, yet protect against corruption and despotism.

Commerce Compromise - A compromise related to trade that granted the U.S. Congress the right to levy taxes on imports, but not exports. The Commerce Compromise satisfied the manufacturing and shipping interests of the North as well as the cash-crop interests of the South, while establishing a strong control of trade by Congress.

Committee of the Whole - The Constitutional Convention devised a Committee of the Whole that would be composed of all convention delegates, but that would only be allowed to debate issues and make recommendations to the larger body, the convention. This device allowed issues to be discussed freely first, without a resulting vote, and to be brought up later in front of the convention for further debate before voting.

concurrent powers - Powers that are shared between the national government and the state government. Some concurrent powers include collecting taxes, building roads, enforcing the law, and establishing courts.

Elastic Clause - Article I, Section VIII of the Constitution states that Congress shall have the power "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution...powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States." This clause, known as the elastic clause, was the point of much contention between those who favored a loose reading of the Constitution and those who favored a strict reading.

electors - People that were elected or chosen in each state to elect the president. The number of electors granted to each state was equal to the total number of representatives from that state plus the two senators from that state. Under the original operation of the U.S. Constitution, the electors from each state convened to vote for the president, and then submitted their top two choices to the Senate, which tallied the votes of electors from all the states.

enumeration - Powers that are specifically listed or stated in an official or legal document. Some of the enumerated powers of Congress as granted by the U.S. Constitution include the right to establish post offices, the right to regulate foreign commerce, and the right to coin money. Enumeration can also refer to counting of the population.

Established Church – A church supported by public taxes.

Fiscal Crisis – The Continental Congress and the states incurred heavy debts to finance the revolutionary war. Unable to impose and collect taxes to cover debts and without reserves of gold and silver, they had to borrow funds and issue certificates or bonds pledging repayment.

The Great Compromise - This compromise, originally proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut, resolved the conflict between small states that wanted equal representation, and large states that argued for representation based on the population in each state. The compromise established equal representation in the Senate and representation relative to population size in the House of Representatives, therefore combining elements of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.

House of Representatives - The house of the legislative branch in which representation is determined by the size of a state's population. Roughly modeled after the House of Commons in the British Parliament.

Impeachment – The formal charging of a public official with improper conduct.

implied powers  Powers that are not clearly defined in the Constitution, but, by implication, are granted to the government. Those who believe in the existence of such powers favor a "loose" interpretation of the Constitution, whereas those who hold that the Constitution authorizes nothing that is not spelled out specifically follow a "strict" interpretation.

implied powers doctrine The idea put forth by Hamilton in his argument in favor of the Bank, which held that the government has powers other than those enumerated in the Constitution. These "implied powers" rise from the government's right to select the means to exercise the powers given it and from the "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution. Later this was stated even more directly by Chief Justice John Marshall: "Let the end . . . be within the scope of the constitution and all means which [are] appropriate . . . which are not prohibited . . . are constitutional."

Jay's Treaty provided for the removal of British troops from American land, and avoided the outbreak of war with Britain. While seen as unsuccessful by the majority of the American public, Jay's Treaty may have been the greatest diplomatic feat of the Washington administration, avoiding the outbreak of war

Judicial Review – A power implied in the Constitution that gives federal courts the right to review and determine the constitutionality of acts passed by congress and state legislatures.

Nationalists - Group of leaders in the 1780’s who spearheaded the drive to replace the Articles of Confederation with a stronger central government.

Natural Rights – Political philosophy that maintains that individuals have an inherent right, found in nature and preceding any government or written law, to life and liberty.

The New Jersey Plan - Proposed by William Paterson of New Jersey, this plan provided, among other things, that each state, regardless of population, would have equal representation in the legislative body.

Northwest Ordinance - The 1787 Northwest Ordinance defined the process by which new states could be admitted into the Union from the Northwest Territory. It forbade slavery in the territory, but allowed citizens to vote on the legality of slavery once statehood had been established. The Northwest Ordinance was the most lasting measure of the national government under the Articles of Confederation, in that it established the model which would be used for admission of new states well into the future.

patronage – The power to appoint individuals to governmental positions.

ratification - To approve or accept an official or legal document. Article VII of the U.S. Constitution states that 9 states must ratify the document before it became the official law of the land.

Republicanism taught that political rights should be limited to those who owned private property, because the independent will required for informed political judgment required economic self-sufficiency.

Senate - The house of the legislative branch in which each state has equal representation (2 senators from each state). Roughly modeled after the House of Lords in the British Parliament.

The 3/5 Compromise - The 3/5 Compromise provided that in matters of both representation and taxation, a slave would count as 3/5 of a person. This served to settle a bitter dispute between North and South regarding the balance of regional power that was rooted in the issue of how to count a slave towards total population.

Sovereignty means that an independent state has the power to govern its own affairs. A sovereign state maintains the power to govern its own affairs without interference from other states or other bodies of power.

State Constitutions – Ten states in 1777 adopted new constitutions. Connecticut and Rhode Island simply amended their old colonial charters; Massachusetts ratified its constitution in 1780. Power had to be checked to ensure individual liberty and safeguard against tyranny. They curbed power of governors and increased that of legislatures. They cut back on executive powers of the governors. They increased the powers of legislatures giving them power to oversee military and financial matters. They also included provisions that lowered property requirements for voting and officeholding, mandated annual elections, increased the number of legislative seats, and made representation more proportional to population.

suffrage – The right to vote in a political election. New Jersey was the first state to allow women’s suffrage. 1776 – 1807

The Virginia Plan - Presented by Edmund Randolph but mostly written by James Madison, this plan was the first proposed to replace the Articles of Confederation. This plan for national government called for stronger centralized government, including a bi-cameral legislative branch and representation in each house to be based on the population in that state. Smaller states disliked the plan, since it would limit their power in the proposed government.

People

Chief Joseph Brant - A Mohawk Chief who had distinguished himself during the Revolutionary War, Joseph Brant organized a military alliance of Native American tribes in the northwest, which, while it faltered because of limited support from certain portions of the Iroquois, presented the government under the Articles of Confederation with a challenge in the west.

Benjamin Franklin - A printer, inventor, philosopher and author, Benjamin Franklin played many vital roles in establishing both the independence of the United States and in ensuring the success of the young nation. In addition to serving as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, and on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, Franklin also helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris and served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. As the eldest member of the convention, he contributed his reputation and political experience to the formation of the U.S. Constitution.

Alexander Hamilton - Starting out as a poor immigrant in New York City, Alexander Hamilton built a career in law, politics, and finance that rested on the belief in a strong centralized government. He gained exposure to U.S. leadership during the American Revolution as George Washington's aide-de-camp and personal secretary. Hamilton attended the Annapolis Convention and participated as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, at which he proposed such a strong centralized government that his proposed president served for life. When the U.S. Constitution was delivered to the states for ratification, Hamilton played an integral role to pass the document in New York State through his joint authorship of a series of persuasive essays called the Federalist Papers. He served as Secretary of the Treasury during Washington's presidency and distinguished himself through his strong financial policy and leadership. Hamilton led the government's Federalist initiatives, most notably through his proposals on the subject of public credit and the creation of the Bank of the United States.

John Jay played an important role in the establishment of the new government under the Constitution. One of the authors of The Federalist Papers, he was involved in the drafting of the Constitution, became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court under Washington, and went on to negotiate Jay's Treaty with Britain to head off war in 1795.

Thomas Jefferson attained political fame originally as the author of the Declaration of Independence. A prominent statesman from Virginia, Jefferson became Washington's first Secretary of State. However, in 1793, Jefferson resigned from that post in opposition to Alexander Hamilton's continued efforts to garner power for the national government. With James Madison, Jefferson took up the cause of the strict constructionists and the Republican Party, advocating the limitation of the national government.

Henry Knox - Washington appointed Henry Knox his first Secretary of War. Knox played a valuable role in the development of the executive branch. His most notable actions came in relation to the struggle with the Native Americans on the frontier, where he declared the Indian title to the land officially recognized by the US in the early 1790s.

James Madison - James Madison was a delegate from Virginia to both the Annapolis Convention and the Constitutional Convention who strongly clamored for a vigorous and powerful central government. Prior to the Constitutional Convention, Madison prepared two papers on government, A Study of Ancient and Modern Confederacies and Vices of the Political System of the United States, from which he drew most of the ideas for the plan of government (later called the Virginia Plan) that was proposed on May 29, 1787. Because of his central role in creating the U.S. Constitution, and the diligence with which he maintained records during the Convention, he is known as "the father of the Constitution." He faced off against Patrick Henry in the Virginia debate over ratification, and contributed his nationalist arguments, along with Hamilton and Jay, to the Federalist Papers. He was one of the authors of The Federalist Papers and, as a member of the first Congress, a staunch advocate of strong central government. However, after a string of Federalist measures that asserted the power of the national government over the state in questionable areas, Madison defected from the Federalist cause and became a critic of excessive central power. He joined Thomas Jefferson in leading the rising Republican Party. He moved away from the federalist political party and became a supporter of the Jeffersonian Republicans. Madison followed Jefferson as the fourth president of the United States.

Charles Louis Montesquieu - A French philosopher of the Enlightenment, Montesquieu published books on political history and theory that were influential on the creation of the U.S. Constitution. In The Spirit of Laws, published in 1748, he examined the three main types of government (republic, monarchy, and despotism) and argued that the powers of government should be separated and balanced in order to guarantee individual rights to citizens. The three- branch system of government and the concept of checks and balances are rooted in Montesquieu's political theories.

Robert Morris – Financier of the revolution, tried to place the first national tax with a national impost of tariff. Leader of the Bank of North America, replaced by Alexander Hamilton. Wanted Congress to assume payment of the national debt.

William Paterson - A delegate from New Jersey most known for his resistance to the Virginia Plan, because of its reliance on proportional representation, William Paterson insisted that the small states be protected from the larger, more populous neighbors. He was instrumental in organizing delegates from the small states of Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland to draft a counter-plan of government, which became known as the New Jersey Plan.

Roger Sherman - Roger Sherman was the only man to have signed all of the basic American documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. A delegate from Connecticut, he served in both the first and the second Continental Congresses, on the committee that drafted the Declaration, and the one that drafted the Articles. He was a delegate to the Confederation Congress, the Constitutional Convention, to the House of Representatives and the Senate. His extensive political experience at every stage of the young nation's growth made him one of the best negotiators among his peers. It was for his ability to create compromises that he is best known, for he is credited with the creation of the Great Compromise.

George Washington - The Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, this Virginia-born planter served a great symbolic role in early American history. He was keenly in favor of a strong national government, and exerted his influence towards that end whenever possible. He hosted the first successful interstate commerce meeting at his plantation home at Mt. Vernon, contributed tremendous prestige to the Constitutional Convention by agreeing to serve as its president, and was shortly thereafter elected as the first president of the United States of America. He intervened little in legislative affairs, and concentrated mostly on diplomacy and finance. A Federalist, he granted Alexander Hamilton a great deal of support.    

Annapolis Convention - Held in September 1786 at the request of Virginia, this meeting of the states aimed to improve the uniformity of commerce. Only 12 delegates showed, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. Sensing a statewide agreement on the importance of revising the Articles of Confederation, this convention resolved to call another statewide convention in May of 1787. This convention would become known as the Constitutional Convention.

Constitutional Convention - Scheduled to begin on May 14, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Constitutional Convention progressed through the summer to establish a new form of government as described by the U.S. Constitution. Although the convention was called for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, delegates from 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island was absent) expressed an overwhelming interest in a totally new, and stronger, form of central government. Upon ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, this agreed-upon form of government was put into effect and has operated as the government of the United States ever since.

Land Ordinance of 1784 - Proposed by Thomas Jefferson just a month after Virginia officially handed over western lands to congress, this ordinance established the process by which new lands would be divided into states, the process for surveying and sale, and the qualifications of new states to enter into Congress. This ordinance set the precedent to prohibit any attempts to colonize newly ceded lands.  

Proclamation of American Neutrality - In the early 1790s, Britain and France went to war with one another. The American public was torn over the issue of which nation to support, the South pulling for a pro-French foreign policy, and the North advocating a pro-British policy. Issued on April 22, 1793, the Proclamation of American Neutrality was Washington's response to the division of the nation, stating that the US would stay out of the war.

Shays' Rebellion - As economic depression struck Massachusetts, farmers were increasingly burdened by debt, a problem exacerbated by an increase in taxes. In August 1786, Western Massachusetts farmers organized in an attempt to shut down three county courthouses through violent means in order to prevent foreclosure proceedings. The rebellion was easily put down,
but it alerted many to the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation. The rebellion created a crisis atmosphere, strengthening the case of nationalists that a stronger central government was needed to maintain civil order in the states. Shays Rebellion was brought on by high taxes and lack of supplies of currency.  Radical farmers, artisans, and small producers viewed themselves as true conservatives, the preservers of true republican liberties.

Whiskey Rebellion - Alexander Hamilton had pushed a high excise tax through Congress as part of his economic policy efforts. However, the tax affected western Pennsylvania distillers almost exclusively, and was administered by federal officials with little knowledge of or compassion for the situation of the small farmers. Violence broke out in July 1794. In a short period of time over one hundred men attacked a US Marshall, the chief revenue officer for Allegheny County saw his house and stables burned to the ground, and organized, militant farmers threatened to form a separate country. In a show of strength, George Washington himself, led a force of militiamen to crush the rebellion.

Washington's Farewell Address - Published on September 19, 1796, George Washington officially resigned the presidency after two terms, setting a precedent that would remain in place until FDR in the 1930s. The focus of the address was a warning that Americans should avoid the rise of political parties that the previous years had seen. He further advised future generations to maintain a policy of isolationism in foreign affairs.