Chapter 10 Section 4

Troubled Times for John Adams, our 2nd U.S. President

Jay’s Treaty 1794(named after Chief Justice John Jay)

Negotiated to

stop the British from attacking U.S. merchant ships

The British agreed to:

remove their forts from the Northwest Territory

allowed U.S. ships to trade in the

British West Indies

settle disputed boundaries between Canada & the U.S.

The United States agreed topay back private debts, although

the American people did not agree

However, Britain did NOT promised to stop seizing American ships or impressing

American sailors.

France’s reaction to Jay’s Treaty

• The French were not pleased. They stopped American ships in the Caribbean and seized their cargoes

• They tried to influence the 1796 Presidential election, on the side of Jefferson, a French sympathizer

The Election of 1796

The Federalist Candidates

John Adams for President Thomas Pinckney for V.P.

Democratic-Republican Candidates

Thomas Jefferson for President Aaron Burr for Vice President

The Outcome

Avoiding War with France

In 1797, President Adams sends three men on a peace-keepingmission to France.

John Marshall

Eldridge Gerry

Charles Pinckney

These men were to meet with the French foreign minister, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand.He kept them waiting for two weeks and then sent 3 agents in his place, known as X, Y, and Z.

Agent X

“X” was a Swiss banker by the name of

Jean Conrad Hottenguer

Agent Y

“Y” was Mr. Bellamy, an American banker & merchant living in Hamburg, Germany.

Agent Z

• “Z” was Lucien Hauteval, a Swiss gentleman.

The French agents asked for:

$250,000 (bribe money for Talleyrand) & a

loan of $10,000,000 (as preconditions for negotiations)

Outraged at being asked for a bribe,

Charles Pinckney replied, “No! Not a sixpence!”

*A sixpence is a British coin worth 6 pennies.

The Results of XYZ Affair

• Congress votes to enlarge the U.S. army and navy

• The U.S. begins an undeclared naval war with France.

So… What is stopping

France from declaring war on the United States?

France is already at War with Great Britain

Britain’s military leaderSir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington

France’s new leader,Napoleon Bonaparte

The Convention of 1800

In 1800, President Adams sends a second peace commission to France.

The United States and France agreed on terms of peace.

Many Federalists were upset that Adam’s had made peace with France.

Adam’s was so pleased with this accomplish-ment that he wanted these words on his gravestone:

“Here lies John Adams who took upon himself the responsibility of the peace with France in the year 1800.”

The Alien Acts

• Passed by Federalist-dominated Congress in 1797

• Were meant to 1) hurt the D-R Party 2) protect the U.S. from foreigners/aliens

The three Alien Acts were:

The Naturalization ActThe Alien Act

The Alien Enemies Act

Naturalization Act of 1797

The Act changed the amount of time it required to become a U.S. citizen from 5 to 14 years.

Naturalization Requirements 2009

To become a U.S. Citizen, you must:• Be at least 18 years of age• Have entered the U.S. legally• Have been living in the U.S. for at least 5

years

Naturalization requirements, continued

• Demonstrate some command of the English language

• Have some knowledge of U.S. history & government

• Be of good character• Take oath of allegiance to the United

States

The Alien Act

gave the President the power to imprison or deport any foreigner

The Alien Enemies Act

allowed the United States to arrest and deport all aliens who were citizens of foreign nations at war with the United States

The Sedition Act

made it a crime for anyone to speak out or write negatively about the President of the United States,

members of Congressthe federal government

or federal laws

The Sedition Act was a violation of

the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Reaction to the Sedition Act

The State’s Rights Theory

said that a state could nullify (cancel) a federal law within its state and could decide whether or not to obey

such laws

The Election of 1800the Democratic-Republicans Candidates

Thomas Jefferson Aaron Burr

The Federalist Candidates

Charles C. Pinckney

John Adams

Because of a tie, the House of Representatives had to vote to

determine who would be the next President.

Burr=73 Adams=65 Jay=1 Jefferson=73 Pinckney=64

Alexander Hamilton broke the tie by voting for Thomas Jefferson, thus making Jefferson our 3rd U.S. President.

Result of 1800 Election

To avoid a situation like the election of 1800, Congress passed the 12th Amendment which changed the rules for voting within the Electoral College.

Federalists Legacies

• Gave the country a solid financial base • Gained respect from other countries• Expanded the country with 3 new states• Created the District of Columbia, or

Washington D.C.• Appointed “midnight judges”

Washington D.C. City Planner: Pierre Charles L’Enfant

Midnight Judges

• Federal judges or “justices” of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President

• President John Adams appointed several his last night in office, one being John Marshall

Why did John Adams appoint Federal Judges when he would no longer be President?

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A Review

• Summer 1775 Revolutionary War begins• July 4, 1776 Colonists declare themselves to be independent of Great Britain and

King George with Thomas Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence• 1781 The Revolutionary War ends , 6 years after it started.• 1783 The British Crown recognizes America’s independence in the Treaty of Paris two years later war has

ended• 1778 Treaty of Alliance made with King Louis XVI of France agreed to support the Americans in their

Revolutionary War against Britain and the colonists would add the French in war also.• 1789 George Washington becomes first U.S. President• 1789 French Revolution (between French people & their monarchs)• 1793 Great Britain & several other countries wages war against the revolutionary government of France• 1793 France asked U.S. for support in war against Great Britain. France reminds U.S. of the Treaty of Alliance• 1793President Washington issues the “Proclamation of Neutrality”, saying U.S. will not aid France since the

treaty had been made with the French king who they had killed. • 1793 Proclamation of Neutrality backfires: results in an undeclared war at sea with both the British and the

French (ships seized, sailors impressed)• 1794 Jay’s Treaty Chief Justice John Jay (& others) are sent to Britain by President Washington on a peace

mission. Which results in Jay’s Treaty. • 1796 John Adams elected President

What did the Declaration of Independence say?

Part 1 (Preamble): Explains why declaration is being writing in the first place; to break ties with the mother country

Part 2: Listed the rights of the citizens: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People form a government to protect their rights and the government should be based on the consent of the governed. If that doesn’t happened, the people have the right to overthrow it.

Part 3: Listed the colonists’ complaints against the British government.

Part 4:The colonies declare themselves “free and independent states” with the full power to make war, form alliances, and to trade with other countries.

Now the colonists are no longer subjects of the British crown but a new nation, the United States of America.

Treaty of Paris, 1783

• U.S. Representative: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin

• Took almost two years for a compromise• Said:• The British would acknowledge the independence of the

colonists• They would remove their troops from U.S. soil immediately• They would recognize the new boundaries (land from west

of Appalachians Mt. to Mississippi R.; and from Canada to Florida

• Great Britain would return Florida to Spain