Founding Brothers

Washington‘s VisionWashington’s retirement: In Sep.19 .1796, all of a sudden, an address to the United States of America appeared on the inside pages of American Daily Advertiser, which was named as the famous Washington’s Farewell Address later. The main reasons of Washington‘s retirement are his sheer physical fatigue and the attack of press. The Farewell Address talked about the foreign affairs, the principles of American Revolution. On the other hand, the Farewell Address ignored the slavery and women affairs. Jay’s Treaty: In 1794, Washington sent Chief Justice John Jay to London to negotiate a realistic bargain that avoided a war with England when America was ill prepared to fight one. Jay returned in 1795 with a treaty that recognized England’s commercial and naval supremacy and implicated endorsed the pro-English version of neutrality. The bargain aroused a lot of petitions and protests calling for the cancel of the Treaty. The racial patriots regarded this Treaty as a betrayal to the core of the principles of democracy. However, there is no denying that the Treaty brought about many long-term advantages to the fledging America. Whisky Rebel: A tax protest in the United States in 1789, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who sold their corn in the form of whiskey had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented. The tax was a part of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton's program to pay off the national debt. Washington regarded this protest as a threat to the federal government, while Madison thought the Rebel was just a normal way to express public’s opinions.Adams &the Federalists vs. Jefferson & the RepublicansThe Federalists and the Republicans: Federalists in general believed in a strong central government capable of acting decisively to maintain order and to restrain the popular tendency toward anarchy. The opposition to the Federalist program developed under the leadership of James Madison, then a U.S. representative from Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson. The Republicans articulated the widespread fear among the people of a powerful, overbearing central government wedded to the particular interests of economic elite that was little concerned with either the rights of states or the welfare of yeomen farmers and ordinary citizens. To preserve local and states' rights, and to protect individual liberty, they advocated the "strict construction" of the Constitution. The XYZ Affair: a 1798 diplomatic episode during the administration of John Adams that Americans interpreted as an insult from France. It led to an undeclared naval war called the Quasi-War, which raged at sea from 1798 to 1800. France demanded huge bribes even before any discussions could happen. The XYZ Affair became the watershed of the relationship between America and France. Before the XYZ Affair, America most supported France; and after the XYZ Affair, most despised France.Alien and Sedition Acts: There were four separate acts, the The Naturalization Act, the Alien Act, the Alien Enemies Act, and the Sedition Act. These four acts were passed to cool down the opposition by stopping their most extreme firebrands. The Naturalization Act changed the period of residence required before an immigrant could attain American citizenship to 14 years (naturalized citizens tended to vote for the Democratic-Republicans). The Alien Friends Act and the Alien Enemies Act allowed the president to deport any foreigner he thought dangerous to the country. The Sedition Act made it a crime to publish "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" against the government or its officials. Punishments included 2–5 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. Although Adams had not originated or promoted any of these acts, he nevertheless signed them into law.Reference:1. http://www.americanforeignrelations.com/A-D/Bipartisanship-Federalists-and-republicans-in-the-early-republic.html 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XYZ_Affair 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams#Alien_and_Sedition_Acts 部分摘抄原文

Political climate in the New American RepublicThe geographic advantages: the geographic isolation of North America and the bountiful resources provided the fledging nation massive advantages and almost limitless potential.The Whig principles: an obsessive suspicion of any centralized political power that operated in faraway places that beyond the immediate supervision and the surveillance of the citizens it claimed to govern.The revolutionary era republicanism: namely, that no central authority empowered to coerce or to discipline citizens is permissible, for it merely duplicated to monarchical and aristocracy principles that the American Revolution fought to escape. The federal government was actually a nominal union that did have real power.Hamilton vs. BurrThe succinct version of the duel: On the morning of July 11, 1804, Burr and Hamilton rowed across the Hudson River in separate boats to a secluded spot near Weehawken, New Jersey. There, they exchanged pistol shots at 10 paces. Hamilton was struck on his right side and died the following day. Though unhurt, Burr found his reputation suffered an equally fatal wound.Background of the duel: the conflict began at 1791 when Burr captured a Senate seat from Philip Schuyler, Hamilton's father-in-law. In the election of 1800, Hamilton used all his power to ensure Jefferson’s election. In the end, Jefferson was voted as president, with Burr becoming vice president. On April 24, 1804, in a letter written by Charles Cooper, he referenced that Hamilton used a ‘more despicable ‘phrase to insult Burr. Annoyed by the phrase ‘more despicable’, Burr strongly demanded a denial of using this word by Hamilton. However, Hamilton refused to give a denial and be responsible for any the words mentioned Charles’ letter. Burr declined to accept the obscure statement of Hamilton and was even more dissatisfied about the second letter of Hamilton, which continued to refuse to offer any kind of direct denial of the use of the words, thus directly giving birth of the famous duel.The compromise of 1790The contents of the compromise: Madison agreed to permit the core provisions of Hamilton’ fiscal program to pass; and in return Hamilton agreed to use his influence to assure that the permanent residence of the national capital would be on the Potomac River. Hamilton suggested that all citizens who owned government securities should be reimbursed at par. Also, the federal government would take on all the debts of states.The background of the compromise: In 1790, Madison was at the peak at his power and was generally regard as the most influential political leader. The dinner for the compromise was held in Jefferson’s quarters in the late June of 1790. Two years later, Jefferson admitted the bargain mad that evening with Hamilton was the greatest political mistakes of his life.The issue of slaveryThe Quaker petition: The Quakers sent a petition to the House of Representatives in 1790 to end the African slave trade. This was closely followed by another petition from the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. The Society was wishing to end slavery too. The petition claimed that slavery was incompatible with the values for which the American Revolution had been fought. The petition was also signed by Benjamin Franklin.The opinions towards slavery of the founding fathers: Jefferson wanted to end the slavery as soon as possible. Madison did answer the question directly. He thought the issue of slavery would endanger the fledgling nation and tended to defer this issue as long as he could. Franklin endorsed the petition from the Pennsylvania Abolition Society.Northwest Ordinance: Contents of Article of Six: passed in July of 1787. The Article of Six forbade slavery in the territory north of Ohio water, a decision that would probably bring about a general exclusion of slavery in all incoming States.Sectional Compromise: an exchange of votes whereby New England agreed to back an extension of the slave trade for twenty years in return for support from the Deep South for making the federal regulation of commerce a mere majority votes in Congress than a two-thirds votes.The main obstacles to emancipation: 1.the cost of the compensation the owners of slaves. 2. The location of the freed slaves. 这是读书笔记第一部分，部分摘抄原文，部分摘抄维基百科，部分自己写的，所以如果觉得一段文笔优美，一段像屎一样烦请原谅。发现语法错误烦请指出。

刚开始看，序言写的好，这让我对本书的内容预期大大降低：序言超好的书，一般最好看的就是序言本身。：）