Changes

The first major legislative accomplishment of the "Washington Administration" (the name given to the government under a particular president) was the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established federal court system.  (Later, in the first major ruling of the Supreme Court in 1803, the Court declared a small portion of this Act unconstitutional in ''Marbury v. Madison''.)   

The first major legislative accomplishment of the "Washington Administration" (the name given to the government under a particular president) was the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established federal court system.  (Later, in the first major ruling of the Supreme Court in 1803, the Court declared a small portion of this Act unconstitutional in ''Marbury v. Madison''.)   

More legislation followed.  The Patent Act of 1790 established a procedure under the Patent Clause of the Constitution (Art. I, Section 8, clause 8) by which people could obtain exclusive ownership of their inventions by obtain patents on them.  This which created a unique incentive for Americans to invent useful new devices.  This motivated Eli Whitney to develop and in 1794 patent the cotton gin which enabled the automated picking of bits of cotton by pulling them through a screen, which filtered out the seeds stuck to the cotton.<ref>https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/famous-eli-whitney-inventions.htm</ref>  A brush then removed the cotton from the blade on each rotation.  This was such a productive invention that it picked as much cotton in one hour as the work of several men toiling all day, and enabled the South to vastly increase its production of cotton.  The South then imported even more slaves to vastly expand its cotton production.

More legislation followed.  The Patent Act of 1790 established a procedure under the Patent Clause of the Constitution (Art. I, Section 8, clause 8) by which people could obtain exclusive ownership of their inventions by obtain patents on them.  This which created a unique incentive for Americans to invent useful new devices.  This motivated Eli Whitney to invent in 1793 and patent in 1794 the cotton gin, which enabled the automated picking of bits of cotton by pulling them through a screen, which filtered out the thorns and seeds stuck to the cotton.<ref>https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/famous-eli-whitney-inventions.htm</ref>  A brush then removed the cotton from the blade on each rotation.  This invention enabling picking as much cotton in one hour as the work of many men picking cotton all day, and allowed the South to vastly increase its production of cotton to sell to the entire world.  The South then imported even more slaves to vastly expand its cotton production.  By the time of the [[Civil War]], some thought the South was invincible due to its tremendous ability to produce cotton ("King Cotton"), upon which the world depended as a basic ingredient for clothing.

[[File:Cotton gin.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Eli Whitney's invention: the cotton gin]]

[[File:Cotton gin.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Eli Whitney's invention: the cotton gin]]

In 1790, George Washington's top aide and the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, gave a report on public credit to Congress.  Hamilton urged Congress to create a national bank run by a private board of directors.  Thomas Jefferson, who was a rival of Hamilton, opposed establishing a national bank, arguing that it was not authorized by the Constitution.  But Hamilton persuaded Washington based on the "necessary and proper" clause<ref>U.S. Const., Article One, section 8, clause 18:  "The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be '''necessary and proper''' for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof."</ref> (implied powers) of the Constitution.  Accordingly, in 1791 Hamilton was successful in persuading Congress to establish the First Bank of the United States, pursuant to the Bank Act.

In 1790, George Washington's top aide and the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, gave a report on public credit to Congress.  Hamilton urged Congress to create a national bank run by a private board of directors.  Thomas Jefferson, who was a rival of Hamilton, opposed establishing a national bank, arguing that it was not authorized by the Constitution.  But Hamilton persuaded Washington based on the "necessary and proper" clause<ref>U.S. Const., Article One, section 8, clause 18:  "The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be '''necessary and proper''' for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof."</ref> (implied powers) of the Constitution.  Accordingly, in 1791 Hamilton was successful in persuading Congress to establish the First Bank of the United States, pursuant to the Bank Act.

'''Debate:  compare the views of [[Alexander Hamilton]] (who felt the federal government should have whatever powers are not denied to it, by virtue of the "elastic" or "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution) to the views of [[Thomas Jefferson]] (who felt the federal government should have only the powers expressly given it).  Which one was right?'''

'''Debate:  compare the views of [[Alexander Hamilton]] (who felt the federal government should have whatever powers are not denied to it, by virtue of the "elastic" or "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution) to the views of [[Thomas Jefferson]] (who felt the federal government should have only the powers expressly given it).  Which one was right?'''

== Other Events of the 1790s ==

== The Supreme Court ==

Two other events of the 1790s were significant, though unrelated to President Washington or Congress.  In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which is a mechanical way to separate cotton from its thorny branch and seeds.  The cotton gin enabled a machine to do the work of 50 men, and greatly increased cotton production by the South.  It turned the South into a powerful economic force and made it the primary source of cotton production in the entire world.  By the time of the [[Civil War]], the South thought it was invincible due to its ability to produce cotton ("King Cotton"), and how the entire world depended on the South for this basic ingredient of so many things at the time.

The new U.S. Supreme Court did not have its own building or the immense power it has today.  In 1793 it issued a decision named ''Chisholm v. Georgia'' which allowed, for the first time, a lawsuit to be filed against a state in the new federal courts by a citizen of ''a different'' state.  This outraged the states and was considered an "activist" decision by the Supreme Court, because it subjected a state to the judicial power of the new national government.  Within two years Congress passed and more than 3/4 of the states ratified the [[Eleventh Amendment]] to the Constitution specifically to overturn this decision.  This illustrated a type of "check and balance" on Supreme Court power: the power of the People to amend the Constitution to overturn a bad Supreme Court decision.  Including the Bill of Rights, there have been a total of 27 amendments to the Constitution, a few of which were motivated by a desire to overturn a bad Supreme Court decision.  Notice that Congress cannot overrule the Supreme Court if the Court bases its decision in the Constitution itself; an amendment to the Constitution is then the only way to overrule a Supreme Court decision that is based in the Constitution.

 

Also in 1793, the new U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision named ''Chisholm v. Georgia''.  It allowed, for the first time, a lawsuit to be filed against a state in the new federal courts by a citizen of ''a different'' state.  This outraged the states and was considered an "activist" decision by the Supreme Court, because it subjected a state to the judicial power of the new national government.  Within two years Congress passed and more than 3/4 of the states ratified the [[Eleventh Amendment]] to the Constitution specifically to overturn this decision.  This illustrated a type of "check and balance" on Supreme Court power: the power of the People to amend the Constitution to overturn a bad Supreme Court decision.  Including the Bill of Rights, there have been a total of 27 amendments to the Constitution, a few of which were motivated by a desire to overturn a bad Supreme Court decision.  Notice that Congress cannot overrule the Supreme Court if the Court bases its decision in the Constitution itself; an amendment to the Constitution is then the only way to overrule a Supreme Court decision that is based in the Constitution.

==The Two-Party System==

==The Two-Party System==

The "two-party" system developed as part of the political struggle between rivals to take power after George Washington.  On one side was  farmers, people in debt (debtors), and rural America, which was led by future Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.  On the other side were the bankers, manufacturers and cities (urban interests), which were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams.

The "two-party" system developed as part of the political struggle between rivals to take power after George Washington.  On one side was  farmers, people in debt (debtors), and rural America, which was led by future Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.  On the other side were the bankers, manufacturers and cities (urban interests), which were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams.