New York City
Dear Cabinet Members,
As you know, our young nation currently faces a plethora of domestic and foreign issues. Your advice will help me determine a plan for facing these challenges. Please discuss the issues together with the rest of the cabinet and get back to me with proposals for my actions on these challenges.
As you make your proposals, you must keep in mind our financial constraints. Further, you must keep in mind the precedents you will be setting as part of the first presidential administration.
Make sure you use a copy of the Constitution to ensure that you’re not making suggestions that might abuse the power of the government. Abusing our new Constitutional powers would set a tyrannical precedent.
Domestic Problem #1: US War Debt
As the new government sets up in New York, a major issue facing President Washington and the new Congress was what to do about the $52 million dollar debt left over from the war. The US still owed many soldiers for fighting. Additionally, the US owed millions to France and Spain for their help during the war. Remember Shays’s Rebellion.
The individual states are also all in debt too. Many of them are begging the national government to take over their debt so they can start fresh under this new Constitution. What should be done?
Step One: Write down the main idea of the problem in your chart.
Step Two: Discuss your options below, then write your final recommendation on your chart.
- Ask Congress to create an income tax and tax all Americans to raise money to pay off the debt. This would ensure that all Americans contribute to the success of the new country.
- Ask each state to donate to the government to help pay off this debt. The problem here is that a lot of the states are actually in debt already and they are asking the US government for help.
- Ignore the debt and just let it continue to grow. After all Congress does have the power to “borrow” money. Why do the French and Spanish and soldiers need the money anyway?
- Ask Congress to set up a National Bank. Banks make a lot of money and this would allow the government to make the money from the banking systems in America. It would also allow the government to begin to coin and print money.
- Place a large “tariff” on all imports coming from our largest trading partner, Britain. Americans import many of their favorite goods from Britain. The tariff would allow the government to charge Britain for the privilege of selling to Americans. The government would make money, and also, it would make the prices of American goods more competitive.
- Create your own option, but keep the Constitution in mind as you design your plan.
Step Four: Write the name of the presenter for this resolution under the chart.
Domestic Problem #2: Revolting Farmers in Pennsylvania:
As It Appears In the August 11 issue of Claypoole's Daily Advertiser
Angered by an excise (sales) tax imposed on whiskey in 1791 by the new Congress, farmers in the western counties of Pennsylvania engaged in a series of attacks on excise agents.They argue that this tax effectively eliminated any profit by the farmers from the sale or barter of an important cash crop, and became the lightning rod for a wide variety of grievances by the settlers of the region against the federal government.
While citizens in the east did not find it difficult to abide by the concept that individual states were "subservient to the country," people west of the mountains were less accepting of decisions made by the central government.
The rebel farmers continued their attacks, rioting in river towns and roughing up tax collectors until the so-called "insurrection" flared into the open in July of 1794 when a federal marshal was attacked in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Almost at the same time several hundred men attacked the residence of the regional inspector, burning his home, barn and several outbuildings. Pittsburgh was another scene of disorder by enraged mobs.
Step One: Write down the main idea of the problem in your chart.
Step Two: Discussyour options, then write your final recommendation in the appropriate section of your chart.
- Ask Congress to repeal the tax, but if so on what grounds?
- Send troops to enforce the collection of the tax and to capture the rebels.
- Send the President himself to talk to the rebels.
- Ignore the rebels, but if so on what grounds….
- Create your own option, but keep the Constitution in mind as you design your plan.
Step Four: Pick one cabinet member to present this solution to the class and write his/her name next to your solution on the chart.
Foreign Problem #1: Native Americans attack settlers in the Northwest Territory. An immediate threat existed on the western frontier, which at that time was the Ohio country in the Northwest Territory. Many Americans wanted to push into the alluring western lands, but were wary because of a growing confederation among the native tribes of the region. And rumor had it, the British near Canada and on the Great Lakeswere helping to arm these natives with weapons.Two major military setbacks made the American settlers cautious when considering westward expansion:
- Brig. General Josiah Harmar. A veteran of the War of Independence and the first commander of the U.S. army following peace, Harmarwas assigned the task of guarding the Ohio frontier against native uprisings and also against the lesser threat of Canadian squatters. He established Fort Harmar at the site of present-day Marietta, Ohio, but later centered his operations at Fort Washington (Cincinnati). In the fall of 1790, Harmar and a combined force of regular army and volunteers moved northward to quell the threat from the Miami and their allies. In October, the American army was ambushed and thoroughly routed by Little Turtle, on the banks of the Maumee River. This defeat was regarded as a great humiliation for the young nation. Harmar retired shortly thereafter.
- Major General Arthur St. Clair. Also a veteran of the War for Independence, St. Clair had served in the Continental Congress prior to being named the first governor of the Northwest Territory. In 1791, he led an ill-disciplined American army from Fort Washington northward and was ambushed and defeated near the Wabash River by Blue Jacket, leader of an inferior native force. St. Clair survived, but went into retirement the following year.
Step Two: Discuss your options, then write your final recommendation on your chart.
- Send a team of diplomats to create a treaty with the Native tribes attacking the settlers, but what would you offer the Natives?
- Send more troops, but what would you do to ensure they would be more successful than generals in the past. And more military is expensive.
- Let the settlers deal with the problems on their own. After all, this is America and the settlers moving West are getting cheap land so they might have to take the risk.
- Make a law saying settlers can no longer move to this region. How will you enforce this law?
- Create your own option, but keep the Constitution in mind as you design your plan.
Step Four: Pick the most likely member of the cabinet to share the group’s final recommendation with the president.
Foreign Problem #2: French and British Problems
Inspired by the Americas, the French people began to revolt against their government. When the first rumors of political change in France reached American shores in 1789, the U.S. public was largely enthusiastic. Americans hoped that the existing Franco-American alliance would be solidified by democratic reforms that would transform France into a republican ally against aristocratic and monarchical Britain. However, with revolutionary change also came political instability, violence, and calls for radical social change in France that frightened many Americans. American political debate over the nature of the French Revolution exacerbated pre-existing political divisions and resulted in the alignment of the political elite along pro-French and pro-British lines.
From 1790 to 1794 the French Revolution became increasingly radical. After French King Louis XVI was tried and executed on January 21, 1793, war by the new French government, Great Britain ,Spain and other European powers declared war against the French.Both the French and the British wanted Americans to come to their aide. The French felt like the Americans owed them due to the help the French gave them during the American Revolution. On the other hand, the British were the Americans number one trading partner, and so they thought that the Americans should side with them for economic reasons.
For the United States, war could lead to economic disaster and the possibility of invasion. At first, the President declared a strict policy of neutrality. Helping the French would frustrate the British who at this point were the American’s chief trade partners. Helping the French would impact the trade agreements with Great Britain. This situation was made even more difficult by the actions each side took to “coerce” the Americans into an allegiance. The British began harassing neutral American merchant ships on the Atlantic to encourage them not to aide the French. Plus they began kidnapping American merchants on those ships to join the British navy. Meanwhile the French government had dispatched a controversial minister to the United States, Edmond-Charles Genêt, who would cause quite a stir in as he marched around the country criticizing the President Washington for not aiding the French. Later, the French would start harassing American merchant ships as well. The Americans had no navy. France and Britain are in a war and they both want your help. They are both messing with your trading ships on the Atlantic. The British are giving weapons to the Natives near the Canadian border. The French citizens and immigrants in the US are publically criticizing the US government for not aiding them.
Step One: Write a summary of the problem on your chart. There are actually two problems here.
Step Two: Discuss your options, then write your final recommendation on your chart.
- Support the French who supported the American Revolution. This will frustrate your British trading partners and hurt your economy though.
- Support the British, you most important trading partner. This will frustrate your old friends the French who are fighting for liberty much like Americans had fought for just a few years ago.
- Threaten the British with war if they don’t stop arming the natives in the North and Canada.
- Do something else.
Step Four: Pick the most likely member of the cabinet to share the group’s final recommendation with the president.
Foreign Problem #3: The Spanish control the port of New Orleans the Mississippi River.
Spain at this time held the prized port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi River but the borders were muddy. Use of the port of New Orleans was a vital concern of American farmers and tradersto move goods from the West to East. Efforts to transport their goods to market to both sides by overland routes were time-consuming and expensive. American merchants needed to be able to use the port of New Orleans freely without paying taxes in order to move their goods effectively. Americans aren’t sure if the Spanish want to fight over the use of these key geographic features, but use of the port and the river are vital to America’s economics and growth.
Step One: Write a summary of the problem on your chart. There are actually two problems here.
Step Two: Discuss your options, then write your final recommendation on your chart.
- Attack the Spanish in an attempt to take control of the port.
- Ignore the problem and let the farmers take the long route.
- Offer the Spanish money to buy the Port of New Orleans.
- Send diplomats to Spain to try to create a treaty, but what would you offer.
Step Four: Pick the most likely member of the cabinet to share the group’s final recommendation with the president.
Domestic Problem #3: Political Problems in the White House: Hamilton and Jefferson develop deep animosity toward each other. Hatred begins between the two.
Washington doesn’t know what to do. Two of his most trusted advisors – Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of Treasury and Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State had opposing opinions on almost EVERYTHING. Both were threatening to quit the cabinet.
Here’s what they were fighting about… who’s side should George take?
About whether or not to act more in support France or Britain…. Hamilton supported Britain because they were the US’s most important trading partner, but Jefferson thought that the French fought for liberty more like Americans had in the past and also they had supported us during the war.
About whether to support American small business or American agriculture… Jefferson saw Americans more as an agrarian nation (agriculture based). He wanted the government to support the farmers. Hamilton thought that America should develop their businesses to support the economy.
About whether to favor the wealthy or the common man.… Jefferson, wasn’t exactly a common man nor was Hamilton, but Jefferson wanted to favor more of the small farmer type while Hamilton was more in favor of wealthy, educated individuals having the most power in America.
About how to interpret the Constitution…. Jefferson favored a STRICT interpretation of the Constitution. This means that if the Constitution doesn’t say the government can do something, then they can’t. On the other hand, Hamilton favored a LOOSE interpretation of the Constitution. He thought that when necessary and proper, the government could “loosely” read between the lines of the Constitution and take powers that weren’t exactly written down.
If you were Washington and your best advisors were so different, what would you do to settle the disputes between these two political factions. Who’s side would you support?
Step One: Write a summary of the problem on your chart.
Step Two: Discuss your options, then write your final recommendation on your chart.
- Support Alexander Hamilton’s ideas. But explain why.
- Support Thomas Jefferson’s ideas. But explain why.
- Do something else.
Step Three: There’s nothing in the Constitution that tells you what to do about these two different factions…
Step Four: Decide which team member is going to explain your solution.
Write a short speech to give to the Cabinet that would address these developing “factions” (a faction is a group that has a strong opinion). Use the word faction in your speech. Place your speech in the powers box since there is no power to support this.
Final Cabinet Action – A Farewell Address
Washington was reelected a second time president, almost against his will, on February 13, 1793. The vote was again unanimous. Nearly everyone seemed to agree that only Washington could do the job. That didn't stop politicians from attacking him, however. They attacked him for supporting the national bank, for living in luxury at the presidential mansion, and for remaining distant and aloof from the common people. They even accused him of wishing to become a monarch. His second term was consumed by the threat of war with Britain and/or France–and the fight within his own government between Hamilton and Jefferson. Washington wanted desperately to retire, and as soon as it seemed like America would not have to fight another war, Washington decided to step down when his second term was up. His friends urged him not to, but he was determined.