George Washington's Cabinet In 1789

Between the years of 1789 – 1800, there were two people given the job of being the President of these United States of America, George Washington, the first president, and John Adams, the second president. Between the years of 1789 – 1800, the United States of America was a very young country who was searching for its identity, a leader, and an economic basis on which to run the country. Before, 1789, when George Washington took office, the Constitution of the United States was a very new document. It had just been ratified 1 year earlier, which meant that the Articles of Confederation, which ruled the country between the years 1783 – 1788, was thrown

Once approved by every State the U.S. Constitution was put in effect in 1789. The U.S. Constitution brought the President, Supreme Court and Congress into play. It states the powers held by each office and lays out how each position should be picked. The U.S Constitution also states the rights of every U.S citizen.

Instead, they decided that it would be better to draft a new document that would establish a new type of government. Many agreed to this new government, especially James Madison, author of the Virginia Plan and the Federalist Papers. To Madison, as addressed in Federalist No. 51 (Document I) the new government must give more power to the federal level, but also be able to check its “ambitions”. From this came the system of checks and balances, and a separation of powers. This new government was described in the Constitution of the United States of America. The federal government had three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Nevertheless, they still gave some power to the states. The Framers also added a Bill of Rights to dissuade Antifederalists that the new government gave too much power to the national government. This Bill of Rights protected American many civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly; right to bear arms and a fair trial; as well as freedom of religion. Pre-Revolution, England had imposed its religion on the colonies, however, after the war, states began to guarantee freedom of worship as evidenced by the “Statutes at Large of Virginia, 1786” (Document D). Therefore, the American Revolution fundamentally changed American politics by eliminating monarchy and embracing democracy.

A political party is a group of people who seek to win elections and hold public office in order to shape government policy and programs. George Washington warned the nation against creating political parties in his famous “Farewell Address”. He feared political parties would divide the country and weaken support of the Constitution (Doc 4). The first major political parties, the Federalists and the Republicans, were created during the term of President George Washington. Despite President Washington’s warning, the rise of the two political parties, in the years after his term was inevitable. The Federalists were in favor of a strong central government, while the anti-federalists opposed most their ideas. Over time, the gradual development

Washington had a great impact on the amount of power the federal government brandished, and his foreign and domestic policy set an example for future presidents to follow. George Washington used his executive powers to appoint Supreme Court judges as soon as he took office. The majority of the men Washington appointed to serve as Supreme Court justices were Federalists. Chief Justice, John Jay, was also a Federalist which helped ensure that federalist ideas remained prominent in the Supreme Court. Washington also handpicked the first Cabinet of the United States. The Cabinet, meant to be comprised of intelligent men of integrity, served two purposes: advise George Washington and supervise their assigned departments. George Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton’s economic plans, Reports on the Public Credit and Reports on Manufactures, were created in order to increase national power, expand manufacturing, establish a national bank, and pay off the war debt acquired under the Article of Confederation. Hamilton wanted to use implied powers, powers not directly stated in the constitution, to create a tax that would raise revenue and establish international credit. Hamilton created a tax on whiskey which would eventually cause the Whiskey Rebellion. Washington handled domestic disputes, such

When George Washington became the first president of the United States in 1789 the young republic faced many pressing issues. The state needed to build a sound economy, create a stable polotical system and preserve national independence. .

The first president of the United States, George Washington knew that he wasn't knowledgeable in every issue. So, he decided to create The Cabinet where people cultured in different issues where out in each department to help the president decide on issues. The Cabinet, which includes the vice president and the 15 Head Secretaries of the Executive Department are nominated by the President and then presented to the Senate for approval or rejection. In those 15 Department lays the Department of Labor. The Secretaries of that department want the president’s power over the bully pulpit to communicate to the American people the wage gap and the problems it creates also to advice congress on making this law legal. The Department of labor came up

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was formally adopted. The American Revolution had already been going on with the battles of Lexington and Concord over a year prior, but the first government of the United States is the Articles of Confederation, a constitution based on Republican ideas and democracy. The Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation in 1777. It was adopted, written by John Dickinson, but there was a delay in ratifying it by the states. States like Virginia and Massachusetts had claimed a bunch of land stretching from the East Coast all the way to the Pacific Ocean as part of their colonial charters. States like Maryland and Pennsylvania, who did not have these land claims, did not want to ratify this new national government until the land is relinquished. It was not until in 1781 when the states officially ratified the Articles of Confederation. From 1781 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation failed and had created problems in political, economic, and foreign policies, making this new national government an ineffective government.

Before the constitution became the law of the land there was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States, and the first form of government established by the U.S. Under the Articles of Confederation the government consisted of a congress of delegates chosen by state legislatures. Congress was also unicameral, or a single house legislature. Each state had the same amount of power regardless of size or population. The powers to make, administer, and enforce laws were all placed with Congress. The government did not consist of a President or executive branch, instead the executive power was spread among several committees of congressmen. The articles granted certain limited powers to Congress. The Congress could not raise money through taxes, therefore it relied on contributions from the states, which was not reliable. Passing laws required approval of at least nine of the thirteen states, and amending a document required approval of all thirteen states. Congress had no power to regulate trade between the states or internationally. There was no national army, so the government relied on the individual states to establish a military.

     In the hot, humid summer of 1787 state delegates met for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and drafted a new frame of government for the United States: the United States Constitution. A new federal system of government was set forth which distributed powers between the state and federal government and created three branches of government as checks and balances for each other. The new Constitution also gave the new government the power to both tax and regulate commerce.

This meeting was arranged in 1787 in which leaders wrote the U.S. Constitution. At first leaders were divided on the representation of Congress. Also, because leaders such as Madison and Patterson had different ideas on representation, they proposed three different plans. These plans were the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan and the British Plan. Ultimately the ideas of the Virginia Plan became the basis of the new government system. The government then divided into three branches of Judicial, Executive and Legislative. However, groups of people, such as the Federalist and Anti-Federalists were still divided on the Constitution. An example that contributed to conflict between these different groups of people can be seen in the Whiskey Rebellion, when Congress passed a tax on whiskey. The Whiskey Rebellion cost small producers more than large producers. Many of these men had fought in the Revolutionary war and now were being taxed on their own products to help pay for the war. George Washington could not stand for this and marched an army into places where farmers refused to obey and pay the taxes. This demonstrated that the new national government was strong and able to protect

It was two days after April 16, 1789 when George Washington accepted the duties of being President, and began to create the government and the First Cabinet. In Document 1 it stated that these people In the textbook it stated, “ To head these departments, Washington chose capable leaders he knew and trusted. He picked Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton as secretary of the treasury, and Henry Knox, who had served as Washington’s general of artillery during the Revolution, as secretary of war. Finally, he chose Edmund Randolph as attorney general, the chief lawyer of the federal government. These department heads soon became the president’s chief advisers, or Cabinet.”

Initially, the Articles of Confederation was the first form of written constitution the United States had established. However, the Articles of Confederation had many flaws, one of the major flaws was it was establishing a weak government. Therefore, many important delegates through a committee decided to construct a new form of law that will inculcate a strong government. The result was the ratification of the Constitution (1788); the supreme law of the land. The constitution is broken down in three branches the legislative, executive, and the judicial branch all for the purpose for tyranny doesn’t surpass. Likewise, the constitution is constructs first with the preamble starting with the famous words” We the People of the United States,”

In addition to this, the first president of the United States, George Washington, played a significant role in the forming of the Judicial Department 2. In April of 1789, George Washington proposed an address to the first congress, which gave the Judicial Branch a great emphasis to influence congress to create the Judiciary Act. The U.S. Marshals service website states Washington’s address, says, and I quote, “I will be pleased therefore to let a supreme regard for equal justice and the inherent rights of the citizens be visible in all your proceedings”. Washington wanted all citizens to feel protected and also wanted equal justice for all of the people.

After the Revolutionary War, the newly formed United States still had a major task ahead of them. They had to form a new government that would satisfy the demands of the people and ensure the success of their nation. The Articles of Confederation was the first system of government that was proposed and put into effect. This attempt at creating a system that protected the people form a strong central government ultimately failed but was an important step in the development of the current government system. The weaknesses presented by the Articles of Confederation helped lead to reforms that made the Constitution successful. Both the Articles and the Constitution demonstrate the struggles that the colonists went through with the British and