Washington + Adams Presidencies — Precedents, Whiskey Rebellion 1794, Alien & Sedition Acts 1798, Peaceful Transfer 1801

THREE PROMISES + review: 'Constitution effective ___; Bill of Rights ratified ___'

• Three Promises
• Quick review

WASHINGTON 1789-1797. Established the CABINET (Hamilton at Treasury, Jefferson at State, Knox at War, Randolph as Attorney General). Chose 'Mr. President' over Adams's suggested 'His Highness' — establishing the equal-citizen address. Addressed WHISKEY REBELLION 1794 (Western PA farmer protest against the 1791 federal excise tax on whiskey, which they distilled from their grain to transport easily) by personally leading 13,000 militia — establishing the federal authority to enforce its own laws. Bank of the United States 1791 (Hamilton-Jefferson cabinet debate on constitutionality — Hamilton's 'implied powers' interpretation vs. Jefferson's 'strict construction' — the first major constitutional-interpretation dispute). Proclamation of Neutrality 1793 in French Revolutionary Wars. TWO-TERM PRECEDENT — declined a third term (later codified by 22nd Amendment 1951). FAREWELL ADDRESS 1796 — warning against parties + sectionalism + foreign entanglement. ADAMS 1797-1801. XYZ Affair 1797-98 (French diplomatic insult). Quasi-War 1798-1800 (undeclared naval conflict with France). ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS 1798 — Alien Enemies Act + Alien Friends Act + Naturalization Act + SEDITION ACT criminalizing 'false, scandalous and malicious' speech against the federal government. ~25 prosecutions including Vermont Congressman Matthew Lyon — explicit VIOLATION of 1st Amendment by the same generation that wrote it. VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY RESOLUTIONS 1798 (Jefferson + Madison anonymously arguing states could 'nullify' unconstitutional federal laws — the first nullification doctrine; returns in 1832 South Carolina Nullification Crisis). PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER ADAMS TO JEFFERSON March 4 1801 — the FIRST TIME IN MODERN HISTORY power transferred between political opponents without violence. This is the constitutional achievement Washington and Adams set up.

• Notice: constitutional protections require ONGOING DEFENSE — not even the generation that wrote them honored them perfectly.

  model The Sedition Act criminalized criticism of the federal government — exactly what the 1st Amendment forbids ('Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech, or of the press'). The same generation that wrote the 1st Amendment in 1791 violated it in 1798. Jefferson and Madison wrote anonymous Virginia + Kentucky Resolutions arguing states could nullify the unconstitutional laws.

  prompt Why was the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 a constitutional crisis?

• What did the Whiskey Rebellion establish about federal authority?
• Why was the Sedition Act unconstitutional?
• What is the significance of the 1801 peaceful transfer?

Apply MG-7 to Washington's Farewell Address 1796 excerpt + Sedition Act 1798 text. CORROBORATION: compare Sedition Act language to 1st Amendment text — they directly contradict each other.

M-5-S-CIV-08-A Diagram

Side-by-side panel 24 × 12 inches. LEFT panel (1st Amendment, blue border): 'Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.' Date stamped: ratified December 15 1791. RIGHT panel (Sedition Act §2, red border): 'If any person shall write, print, utter, or publish... any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government... such person... shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.' Date stamped: July 14 1798. Center arrow: 'CONTRADICTION — 7 years apart, by the same generation.'

M-5-S-CIV-08-B Illustration

Period-style illustration of George Washington on horseback at the head of 13,000 militia force, Western Pennsylvania October 1794. Whiskey distillery and grain fields in background. Caption: 'The Whiskey Rebellion 1794 — Washington personally led federal troops, establishing that the federal government could enforce its own laws.' Style: educational; informational not violent.

• Sort 12 precedent + crisis cards into Washington / Adams columns.

  scaffold MG-12 Voices Gallery for face-to-name
• In pairs, compare 1st Amendment text + Sedition Act text side-by-side. Underline the contradiction.

  scaffold Both texts provided in display-size font with sentence frames

• Name three Washington precedents.
• Why was the Sedition Act 1798 unconstitutional?

• Place Whiskey Rebellion 1794 + Farewell Address 1796 + Sedition Act 1798 + Peaceful Transfer 1801 on MG-4 Band 1
• Preview Lesson 9 — Jefferson's presidency + Louisiana Purchase + Lewis and Clark

• Read Washington's Farewell Address G5-simplified (1 page). Identify ONE warning Washington gave that you think still matters today. 2-sentence response.