My series of videos on major events during the presidency of George Washington. Much of the content here is elaborated upon in greater depth in my book, Compact of the Republic: The League of States and the Constitution.
The Judiciary Act of 1789:
As one of the first pieces of legislation under the United States Constitution, the Judiciary Act of 1789 created a branch of government that did not exist under the Articles of Confederation. However, the law contained several aspects that proved controversial. In this video, I explain why.
Best books on this topic:
-Maeva Marcus, Origins of the Federal Judiciary
-Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington
The Compromise of 1790:
In 1790, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton proposed assuming the outstanding state debts in order to create an overarching national debt. When he did so, uproar ensued. But why was this such a controversial subject, and how did it bring the United States Capitol to Washington, DC? In this video, I’ll explain.
Best books on this topic:
-Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington
-Kevin Gutzman, Virginia’s American Revolution
The First Bank of the United States:
Of all things, the most controversial issue of President George Washington’s first term swirled around a bank. While Alexander Hamilton championed the establishment of the First Bank of the United States, Thomas Jefferson believed it would endanger liberty, ignite a constitutional crisis, and set a dangerous precedent. In this episode, I explain why.
Best books on this topic:
-Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington
-Murray Rothbard, A History of Money and Banking in the United States
Chisholm v. Georgia:
In 1793, a controversial Supreme Court opinion convinced Congress to amend the Constitution to provide a more explicit safeguard for federalism. Indeed, even Federalists considered the majority opinion in Chisholm v. Georgia as an overt example of overreach by the federal judiciary. In this video, I explain why.
Best books on this topic:
-Nathan Coleman, The American Revolution, State Sovereignty, and the American Constitutional Settlement
-Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington
The Neutrality Proclamation:
In 1793, President George Washington issued a statement that the United States would remain neutral in the ongoing conflict between France and Britain. But given that his decision kept the United States out of war, why was his decision so controversial? In this video, I explain.
Best books on this topic:
-Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, The Pacificus-Helvidius Debates of 1793-1794
-Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington
The Whiskey Rebellion:
The severance of the American colonies from Great Britain began, in large part, over the constitutional implications of British taxation. However, a concerted tax revolt in the early 1790s, the Whiskey Rebellion, was viewed as an existential threat to the fledgling United States. In this video, I explain why.
Best books on this topic:
-Thomas Slaughter, The Whiskey Rebellion: Frontier Epilogue to the American Revolution
-William Hogeland, The Whiskey Rebellion
-Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington
The Jay Treaty:
John Jay returned from Britain in 1794, carrying with him treaty that normalized relations between the United States and its former mother country. He was greeted to a hero’s welcome by the Federalists, but was held in contempt by Republicans. The country became bitterly divided, and Jay’s likeness was hung in effigy in every corner of the country. In this video, I explain why.
Best books on this topic:
-Todd Estes, The Jay Treaty Debate, Public Opinion, and the Evolution of Early American Political Culture
-Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington
-Douglass Southall Freeman, Washington