Anglais cours premier semestre6

Chapter 3 : The Presidency of John Adams

A few remarks:
Washington choose not to serve a new term, and he didn’t want to died in power. So John Adam was elected president in 1796 and he took office in a difficult time. The Federalist party was becoming fractured. It was out of tune with America. Adams was out of tune with America democratic increasing. They often equated opposition with treason, and compromise with cowardice. Trouble with France were becoming serious. He was completely out of step with the democratic time. He was not a popular president at all. During his period their was a growth of partisans politics, much of course in the displeasure of Washington. Strives over the foreign policy. Like most Federalist Adams viewed the French revolution badly and leant toward Britain and getting away from France. The relation toward the French allied deteriorated. Yet he resisted pressure from his party, and it undermined his credibility among the Federalist, but at the same time he enraged the Republicans with a series of Act : Alien and Foreign Act. It crystallized the anger against him.

A- Washington steps down and Adams win a close election
The Americans were very critical toward Washington and he wrote a very important text : “Farewell Address”. It was published on the 17 September 1796. In his address he warned America of parties divisions. He spoke of the painful effect of the spirit of the party. For him, a party was negative. He was worried about parties based on geographical differences. Most important point: foreign policy, he urged the American to stay neutral in foreign affair. He wrote :” The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending or commercial relation to have with them as little political connection as possible.” He wanted the Americans to developed trade with other nations. When the Federalist choose Adams, he was supposed to continue this policy. They choose Thomas Pinckney as vice-president. And the republicans choose Jefferson as their President candidate. Jefferson received 67 votes.

B- France becomes an enemy
The French had been angered by Washington policy in 1793. They were upset when US signed the Jay Treaty which settled disputes between France and Britain. It allowed US some trade with the British west Indies. It also obliged the Americans to pay the revolutionary debt not yet collected by Britain. This treaty was not extremely favorable to Americans. It did not put an end to the practice of impressments (French ships took the US Ships) It was perceived as a rapprochement of US and UK. In 1797, The French had captured 300 US ships. Adams sent 3 envoy to France in order to fix the problem. But when they arrived in France, their was an attempt to buy them. So the relation deteriorated. It started an undeclared naval war between France and US. Us warships captured hundred of French ships. Adams tried to limit the problem, he sought the diplomatic way. Both nation agreed to stop the fighting. By doing this, he didn’t make any friends on the domestic state.
C- The downfall of the Federalists ( the Aliens and sedition act)
4 laws. These laws were supposed to protect the US from foreign troublemakers. But they were in fact used by the Federalist to weaken the Republicans: by example, lengthen the time that an immigrant had to wait before becoming an Americans citizen. There were 2 laws to do with Aliens. The power to send back home any aliens he thought were a treat to the US. These laws were never really used in practice. They kept mute on the Federalist. The sedition act provided jail sentences against any persons who spoke, wrote or published anything false or detrimental on a member of the government. Many Republicans newspapers went bankrupt. The Republicans fought back, especially Jefferson and Madison. They got the state legislation of Virginia and Kentucky to declare the sedition act unconstitutional. Virginia made clear the theory of state right, that if federal government was created by the states therefore the states could declare laws of congress unconstitutional. It is just the beginning of states rights. This would be a burning issue up to the civil war.

D- The election of 1800
The Republican were fighting hard to win the election. The Federalists were split between the supporter of Hamilton and those of Adams. The Federalist chose Adams and Pinckney to run for the presidency and vice-presidency. The Republicans choose Jefferson and Heron Burr. The result is a victory of the Jefferson and Burr and they had the same number of vote. The house of representative had to decide whether Burr or Jefferson they voted 46 times before one of them won the majority. The Republicans had captured the presidency. It was a big change; at the last minutes the Federalist gets control of the federal court. B/c Adams chose the chief justice, for 30 years the Federalist kept giving a federalist interpretation of the constitution and the law. In spite of the fact that the president is Republican, the federal court kept a federalist vision of the constitution. When the Supreme Court had a majority of conservative’s members, even if the president would be democrat, the Supreme Court would stay. Supreme Court remains extremely independent from the 2 powers. When a judge is appointed, he is there for life.

E- What the federalist achieved
They lost the election but they achieved much. They put the federal government in operation. They implemented the Constitution. They created a sound financial system for the USA, they kept the USA out of serious trouble with others nation. Nonetheless, it was a good thing they loose power in 1800, they were something of an aristocracy in these people. They believed of a power hold by the elite. They had not a very populist vision of the government; they wanted to leave most of Americans out of politics. The increasing domination of extremists from N-E in their party and the affinity with aristocracy England were some of the mains reproaches against the Federalist.