AP US: John Adams as President (1797-1801)
Election of 1796
- Washington's VP, John Adams, and former Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, run for President
- Adams choose Pinckney, Jefferson chooses Burr as VP
- however, the party system is not yet understood, and the Electoral College system doesn't let it work very well
- electors cast two votes, and the President is the one with the majority, the VP is the second highest
- Adams (Federalist) and Jefferson (Democrat-Republican) are elected Pres/VP, leading to conflicts
- indicates that the system needs to be fixed to compensate for political parties
Adams as President
- intelligent, but not a great "people person"
- however, his four years in office aren't of amazing quality
- he's the first one-term president
- faces many problems, including foreign and domestic policy, and discord within his party
- vies with Hamilton for party leadership - the system hasn't yet evolved to where the President is de facto leader
Foreign Policy: France
- relations with France begin to unravel soon after he begins his term
- the French are upset by Washington's Neutrality Proclamation
- they see Jay's Treaty, which makes a deal with the British, as violating the principle of neutrality
- France had given money and troops for the American Revolution, and they wanted better treatment from the Americans
- believed the Federalists were pro-British - and Hamilton, at least, was
- France decides to attack US shipping, as Britain had already done so with success
- so, Adams sends a group for discussion
- Marshall, Gerry, and Pinckney are sent to negotiate with France
- however, the king's three representatives "X, Y, and Z" ask for a $250,000 bribe to be able to start negotiations, and want the US to pay millions in tribute
- (this becomes known as the "XYZ Affair"
- Pinckney refuses to pay to negotiate - he is outraged by the request for a bribe and tribute
- this also infuriates Congress, so they vow to spend millions on defence rather than on tribute
- Adams is being pushed to respond to France
- the Federalists want to arm merchant ships
- Hamilton agitates for war, he wants a break with France and open trade with Britain
- Adams took the high road and took the blame for his party, but he did try to make a settlement
- Convention of 1800
- Adams negotiates with Napoleon
- any previous agreements are cancelled
- each nation recognises the other
- France promises to stop attacking US ships
- relations begin to improve
Alien and Sedition Acts
- Adams will take the blame for the actions of a Federalist-controlled Congress
- they pass four acts, collectively known as the "Alien and Sedition Acts"
- Naturalisation Act
- attempts to curb criticism from immigrants, especially the French and Irish
- believe that the French and Irish identify most with the Democrat-Republicans
- raise residency requirement for citizenship to 14 years - and you can't vote until you're a citizen
- Alien Friends Act
- gives the President the authority to deport individuals that he considers a threat to the US
- Alien Enemies Act
- gives the President the authority to deport or imprison individuals that he considers to be a threat to the US in time of declared war
- Sedition Act
- speaking, writing, or publishing criticism of the government were, at the least, a misdemeanour, or possibly treason
- Historian's Views
- violate the 1st Amendment, and probably unconstitutional
- the Sedition Act certaintly violates the 1st
- Naturalisation Act, apart from its motive, is definitely within the legal authority of Congress
- Washington was right
- because of politics, Adams signs a law he might not otherwise have signed - he was focused on gaining power in his party, rather than on what was necessary for the nation
- Supreme Court has not yet figured out that its job is to stop acts like these, so they pass
Challenges to the Alien and Sedition Acts
- 1798 - Kentucky legislature adopts a resolution written by Jefferson questioning the authority of the government to pass the Acts
- Virginia legislature, under Madison, articulates the "Compact" or "States' Rights" theory of government
- Kentucky and Virginia Resolves
- together, the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions were known as the Kentucky and Virginia Resolves
- they state that the federal government was created by the states, and thus the states have priority over declarations of the federal government
- support of James Madison is surprising
- he had written the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which gives the supreme authority of the national government, over that of the states
- this supremacy clause had been ratified by Virginia and Kentucky
- this idea, even though it is unconstitutional, will continue for many years, ex. the Civil War
Midnight Judges
- as he was leaving office, Adams appointed many federal judges
- however, not all of these commissions were delivered on time, leading to the pivotal Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison