Chapter 7: Starting a New Nation

Chapter 7: Launching a New Nation

Section 1: Washington Leads a New Nation

Main Ideas:

• 1789 George Washington became the first president of the United States.

• Congress and the president organized the executive and judicial branches of government.

• Americans had high expectations for their new nation.

• President Washington and members of Congress established a new national government.

The First President

• George Washington: was ready to retire after the revolution but people believed he would be a great president.

• Electoral college: a body of electors who represent the people's vote in choosing the president.

• George Washington was selected as president, John Adams became vice president.

The First President

• Martha Washington: our 1st first lady entertained guests and attended social events with her husband.

• Republican Motherhood: the idea that women placed an important role in teaching their children to be good citizens.

Organizing The Government

• This new government will set precedent regarding how the future of the U.S. would be set up.

• precedent: an action or decision that later serves as an example.

• Congress created departments in the executive branch for different areas of national policy.

• Cabinet heads: department heads that advise the president.

Washington's Cabinet

• Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson

• Secretary of Treasury: Alexander Hamilton

• Secretary of War: Henry Knox

• Attorney General: Edmund Randolph

Federal Court System

• Judiciary Act of 1789: created three levels of federal courts and defined their powers and relationship to the state courts.

Americans' Expectations for the Nation

• Americans wanted improved trade, free from too many restrictions.

• Americans expected the government to protect the and to keep the economy stable.

Americans' Expectations for the Nation

• Most Americans lived in the countryside and worked on farms.

• Wanted fair trade laws and the right to settle on western lands. They wanted a hands off government.

• Some Americans worked in towns as craftspeople, laborers, or merchants.

• Wanted simple trade laws, and laws that would protect them form foreign competitors. They wanted government involvement.

Americans' Expectations for the Nation

• Most cities were small with the exception of New York and Philadelphia.

• New York was the first capital of the new nation.

• 1792: 24 stockholders signed an agreement which became the foundation for the New York Stock Exchange.

• New York reflected the potential of the New Nation.