George Access| a series of study guide notes
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Key dates
The new government
The election of 1789, the first under the new Constitution, gave the Federalists control of the
new government. There were large Federalist majorities in both the Senate and the House of
Representatives. As the most famous and popular man in the country, George Washington
was chosen as president by Electoral College representatives; no one stood against him. John
Adams, with 34 votes, the second highest number, became vice president.
The new Congress met on 4 March 1789 in New York city, the temporary seat of the federal
government. It could muster only eight senators and thirteen members of the House. A
month passed before both chambers gathered a quorum. Meanwhile, Washington left his
home at Mount Vernon to be inaugurated president on 30 April. His journey to New York
turned into a triumphal procession, confirming the universal confidence he commanded and
the hopeful expectancy with which the new constitutional experiment was awaited.
Washington was less optimistic. Burdened with dread that so much was expected of him, he
declared that he felt like a condemned man going to the place of execution.
Problems facing the new government
• The USA was far from united.
• Rhode Island and North Carolina were still not in the Union.
• The nation had an untried Constitution.
• The new government, burdened with a colossal debt, had almost no revenue or machinery
for collecting money.
• No judiciary department existed.
• The USA had no navy and its army consisted of 672 officers and men.
• The USA's western borders were open to Native American attack.
, British and Spanish troops still occupied parts of the national territory.
Advantages faced by the new government
Nevertheless, the new government entered office with two advantages:
• The worst of the post-war depression was over and the economy was expanding.
• There was widespread support for both the new government and the Constitution. Despite
the passion that had characterised the ratification debates, Anti-Federalists accepted the
popular verdict and agreed to participate in the new political system in good faith.
The first Congress
Congress set about the work of building on the Constitution's general framework. In
assuming this task, it set a number of precedents which permanently influenced American
constitutional development. James Madison, working closely with Washington in 1789-90,
played a key role in the House of Representatives.
The judiciary act
The Constitution had created a federal judiciary but left the detail as to how it should be
structured and what its precise responsibilities and relationship with the state courts should be
for settlement at another time. The 1789 Judiciary Act established a hierarchical system of
federal courts. At the top was the Supreme Court. This was to consist of a chief justice and
five associate justices. Beneath it there were to be district courts in each state and three
circuit courts of appeal.
By creating an entire apparatus, the Judiciary Act ensured that federal laws and rights would
be adjudicated uniformly throughout the nation. The act also provided that the Supreme Court
should rule on the constitutionality of state court decisions and nullify state laws which
violated the federal Constitution.
Washington selected the six members of the Supreme Court (three from the South and three
from the North) and named John Jay as the first chief justice.
, The bill of rights
During the ratification debates, there had been much criticism of the lack of specific
guarantees of popular rights. In some states, the Federalists had promised to remedy this
omission in order to secure ratification. James Madison made the adoption of a Bill of Rights
one of the first items of business. The House of Representatives adopted seventeen
amendments; the Senate adopted twelve, the states ratified ten.
These ten constitutional amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, went far
towards reconciling Anti-Federalists to the Constitution. Nine of the amendments were
concerned with the rights of the individual. They guaranteed freedom of religion, of speech,
of assembly and of the press, the right to petition and to bear arms, and immunity against
arbitrary search and arrest. They also prohibited excessive bail, cruel and unusual
punishments and the quartering of troops in private houses. The tenth amendment reserved to
the states all powers except those specifically delegated to the federal government.
The amendments took effect in December 1791 when Virginia became the final state to
ratify them. The adoption of the amendments helped to convince North Carolina (1789) and
Rhode Island (1790) to enter the Union.
Raising revenue
Aware that revenue was the government's most critical need, Congress passed two measures:
• There was to be a trade duty of five per cent on most items, 7.5 per cent on certain
listed items, and duties as high as 50 per cent on 30 specific items, including steel, nails,
hemp, molasses, ships, tobacco, salt, indigo and cloth, to protect American manufacturers
from foreign competition.
• The Tonnage Act (1789) stated that American ships should pay a duty of six cents per ton,
American-built but foreign-owned ships 30 cents/ton and foreign-built and -owned ships 50
cents/ton.
The importance of Washington
If Congress had an important role in building the new framework of government, so too did
George Washington. Washington had earned the right to be trusted with power. In 1783 he
had shown no desire to become the military dictator that many had feared. Realising that his
| 100% Pass| Complete| Currently Testing
Newest !2026 – 2027
Key dates
The new government
The election of 1789, the first under the new Constitution, gave the Federalists control of the
new government. There were large Federalist majorities in both the Senate and the House of
Representatives. As the most famous and popular man in the country, George Washington
was chosen as president by Electoral College representatives; no one stood against him. John
Adams, with 34 votes, the second highest number, became vice president.
The new Congress met on 4 March 1789 in New York city, the temporary seat of the federal
government. It could muster only eight senators and thirteen members of the House. A
month passed before both chambers gathered a quorum. Meanwhile, Washington left his
home at Mount Vernon to be inaugurated president on 30 April. His journey to New York
turned into a triumphal procession, confirming the universal confidence he commanded and
the hopeful expectancy with which the new constitutional experiment was awaited.
Washington was less optimistic. Burdened with dread that so much was expected of him, he
declared that he felt like a condemned man going to the place of execution.
Problems facing the new government
• The USA was far from united.
• Rhode Island and North Carolina were still not in the Union.
• The nation had an untried Constitution.
• The new government, burdened with a colossal debt, had almost no revenue or machinery
for collecting money.
• No judiciary department existed.
• The USA had no navy and its army consisted of 672 officers and men.
• The USA's western borders were open to Native American attack.
, British and Spanish troops still occupied parts of the national territory.
Advantages faced by the new government
Nevertheless, the new government entered office with two advantages:
• The worst of the post-war depression was over and the economy was expanding.
• There was widespread support for both the new government and the Constitution. Despite
the passion that had characterised the ratification debates, Anti-Federalists accepted the
popular verdict and agreed to participate in the new political system in good faith.
The first Congress
Congress set about the work of building on the Constitution's general framework. In
assuming this task, it set a number of precedents which permanently influenced American
constitutional development. James Madison, working closely with Washington in 1789-90,
played a key role in the House of Representatives.
The judiciary act
The Constitution had created a federal judiciary but left the detail as to how it should be
structured and what its precise responsibilities and relationship with the state courts should be
for settlement at another time. The 1789 Judiciary Act established a hierarchical system of
federal courts. At the top was the Supreme Court. This was to consist of a chief justice and
five associate justices. Beneath it there were to be district courts in each state and three
circuit courts of appeal.
By creating an entire apparatus, the Judiciary Act ensured that federal laws and rights would
be adjudicated uniformly throughout the nation. The act also provided that the Supreme Court
should rule on the constitutionality of state court decisions and nullify state laws which
violated the federal Constitution.
Washington selected the six members of the Supreme Court (three from the South and three
from the North) and named John Jay as the first chief justice.
, The bill of rights
During the ratification debates, there had been much criticism of the lack of specific
guarantees of popular rights. In some states, the Federalists had promised to remedy this
omission in order to secure ratification. James Madison made the adoption of a Bill of Rights
one of the first items of business. The House of Representatives adopted seventeen
amendments; the Senate adopted twelve, the states ratified ten.
These ten constitutional amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, went far
towards reconciling Anti-Federalists to the Constitution. Nine of the amendments were
concerned with the rights of the individual. They guaranteed freedom of religion, of speech,
of assembly and of the press, the right to petition and to bear arms, and immunity against
arbitrary search and arrest. They also prohibited excessive bail, cruel and unusual
punishments and the quartering of troops in private houses. The tenth amendment reserved to
the states all powers except those specifically delegated to the federal government.
The amendments took effect in December 1791 when Virginia became the final state to
ratify them. The adoption of the amendments helped to convince North Carolina (1789) and
Rhode Island (1790) to enter the Union.
Raising revenue
Aware that revenue was the government's most critical need, Congress passed two measures:
• There was to be a trade duty of five per cent on most items, 7.5 per cent on certain
listed items, and duties as high as 50 per cent on 30 specific items, including steel, nails,
hemp, molasses, ships, tobacco, salt, indigo and cloth, to protect American manufacturers
from foreign competition.
• The Tonnage Act (1789) stated that American ships should pay a duty of six cents per ton,
American-built but foreign-owned ships 30 cents/ton and foreign-built and -owned ships 50
cents/ton.
The importance of Washington
If Congress had an important role in building the new framework of government, so too did
George Washington. Washington had earned the right to be trusted with power. In 1783 he
had shown no desire to become the military dictator that many had feared. Realising that his
