The Washington and Adams
Administrations
George Washington - ANS-- A retired Virginian general and was unanimously elected to
be the first President of the United States and was unanimously elected for his 2nd term
as well in 1792 because the North and South will be united under his leadership.
Became the General of 12,000 troops to stop a rebellion in 1794 in Pennsylvania.
John Adams - ANS-The Vice President during George Washington's Presidency. He
was a Federalist and beat Jefferson by 3 electoral votes to become the second
president, after Washington. He re-established the U.S. Navy and eventually
established peace with France after demanding $20 million from France.
Key precedents set by Washington - ANS-- The constant precedents for all future
presidents set by Washington are as follows: the president shall only serve 2 terms of 2
years, he shall be referred to as "Mr. President" as well as establishing the Cabinet and
appointing the first leaders of each department to it.
The Cabinet - ANS-- The Cabinet: Executive departments established by the Congress.
1. State Dept. - Foreign affairs
2. Treasury Dept. - In charge of money/finance of the country
3. War Dept. - In charge of national defense
4. Attorney General - Government's chief lawyer
5. Postmaster General - Oversaw the nation's postal service
Who were the original members of Washington's Cabinet? - ANS-Secretary of State
-Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of Treasury - Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War - Henry Knox
Attorney General - Edmund Randolph
How did the Executive Branch gain the power to fire Cabinet members? - ANS-A
disagreement broke out on whether or not the President could dismiss his Cabinet
members or if the Congress had a say in the matter. The Senate split 12-12 on who
should have control. Adams, as president of the Senate, broke the tie in the President's
favor.
, Judiciary Act of 1789 - ANS-This law established 13 federal district courts and 3 circuit
courts throughout the 13 states. State courts continued to be used, but federal courts
had the power to overturn the state courts.
Power of Federal courts vs. power of State courts - ANS-Federal courts had the power
to overturn the state courts. State courts had original jurisdiction of cases happening in
their state.
John Jay - ANS-- The 1st Chief Justice of the U.S Supreme Court and was sent to
England to negotiate a peace treaty. He also drafted Jay's Treaty, called for England
paying for damaged American ships, withdrawing from U.S territory, and some trade in
the Caribbeans, but failed to deal with unfair British trading system.
James Madison - ANS-- He was a Representative for Virginia and wrote the proposed
amendments which would then become the Bill of Rights. He also wrote the Virginia
Resolution.
Bill of Rights and its function - ANS-The Bill of Rights is an integral part of our
government. It does not give rights to the people, but rather limits the rights of the
government.Amendments 1-8 described what the government cannot do to the people.
Amendment 9 protect rights (natural rights) not listed in the Constitution. Amendment 10
reinforces the limits of the federal government.
What happened to the first proposed amendment? - ANS-It had to do with the number
of representatives in Congress. It failed to be ratified by enough states and never
became part of the Constitution.
What happened to the second proposed amendment? - ANS-It prevented Congress
from giving itself a pay raise. It took over 200 years to finally be ratified and became part
of the Constitution in 1992 as Amendment XXVII (27).
What is the difference between Positive rights and negative rights? - ANS-- Positive
rights allow or force an action. Negative rights prohibits or forces to prohibit an action.
Hamilton's bond repayment plan and the controversies it caused - ANS-Hamilton had
proposed to pay off the debts owed to other countries and individual American
citizens.The Confederation government had sold war bonds during the war. It was like
an IOU from the government that would be paid for after the war. After the war though,
the terrible economic situation led many Patriots to sell their war bonds to speculators
for a lower price than they bought them for. So when Hamilton decided to pay all the
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