Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Transcript

Unofficial Fighting with France and the XYZ Affair

Expansion of the Navy

• France had helped the United States win independence from England in the American Revolution and expected the US to help militarily when France entered another war with England in the 1790s. Washington refused to help, opting instead for a policy of neutrality.

• Adams pursued that neutrality, but France began raiding American merchant ships. Jay's Treaty of 1795 had normalized trade between the US and Great Britain, and France was furious of the violation of the Franco-American Alliance of 1778 and lending aid to its enemy.

• Adams sought negotiations, but France's insistence on $250,000 in bribe money (the XYZ Affair with X Y and Z being the unnamed constituents of the bribery) derailed diplomatic attempts.

• While neither side ever declared war, the US and French navies fought several battles.

• The precedent that Adams set was in 1799 he and a French diplomat crafted a policy that both ended the fighting and dissolved the Franco-American Alliance of 1778. Adams considered this resolution to the French conflict one of the finest moments of his presidency.

  • Before American independence was declared, Congress adopted the first of a series of naval committees, led by John Adams.
  • When Adams was elected president, he continued to expand the navy with the fear of France bombarding American coastlines.
  • This was significant because French frigates ended up destroying American cargo ships en route from the West Indies to America.
  • American ships began to escort cargo ships to and from America and it proved very effective against the French vessels.
  • The navy became an important factor in the Revolutionary War and later wars during battle because the United States was a contender in the fight against some of the best military powers in the world.
  • The committees and foundations laid and created be John Adams set the precedents for the strong and successful navy for the future of America.

Important Precedents Set by the 2nd President, JOHN ADAMS

First President to Reside in the White House

  • John Adams was elected to office in 1796, which was the first election in which the First Party System was used. Once elected, Adams was the first president to be house in the White House.
  • This new building was constructed under the command of Adams’ preceding president, George Washington.
  • The significance of Adams being the first White House president is in that it set a precedent for the rest of his succeeding presidents that they would stay in a strong, fortified building designed by the Father of the United States.
  • This tradition carried on through every single president, despite a brief interruption when the British attacked the White House, and still occurs today.

The Alien and Sedition Acts

By: Sarani Pachalla, Sam Cheesebrough, Beau Bequeaith, and Braydon Huschka

One of the most important actions John Adams made was signing the series of Alien and Sedition Acts into law proposed by the Federalists to silence the Jeffersonians. The precedent this set was the now widespread advocacy of the Federalist party in America. These acts can be divided in to two categories:

Alien Laws

Sedition Act

  • John Adams was given the ability to deport or imprison so-called "dangerous" foreigners or "aliens" as a safety measure in times of peace or war.
  • This was significant because this law goes directly against the ideology of the Constitution.
  • The Alien Laws also made it more difficult for new immigrants to gain the right to vote. The requirement was five years of residing in the colonies before voting, but this law changed the requirement to fourteen years.
  • This act prevented any acts against the new policies of the government or any spoken or written criticism of the government.
  • People who were in violation of the Sedition Act could be imprisoned or heavily fined.
  • This was in direct violation of the Constitution's First Amendment (freedom of speech and press).
Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi