Alexander Hamilton: Target of Republican Mistrust
Historian Peter Onuf says that Republicans both feared and respected Alexander Hamilton, believing that he wanted to make the United States over in the image of Britain. "Many of Hamilton's troubles," Professor Onuf explains, "...go back to the Cons...
Great Division in the 1790's, The
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the deep divisions in the United States concerning how the U.S. should align itself regarding the French Revolution. "The stakes were extremely high," Professor Onuf says. "This was not gratuitous thinking about some...
Election of Thomas Jefferson, The
Historian Peter Onuf explains that the primary difference between the Jefferson presidency and that of John Adams was that Jefferson emphasized state's rights over a strong centralized government, and also paid down the national debt by more than fi...
Adams Presidency, The
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the high points as well as the shortcomings of the John Adams presidency. On the downside, President Adams had to contend with an extremely disloyal Cabinet, consisting largely of holdovers from the second Washington...
Washington Forms the Executive Branch (Part Two)
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn continues his discussion of the challenges facing President Washington as he sought to preside over the federal government during his administration. One of Washington's most difficult challenges was maintaining a...
Washington Forms the Executive Branch (Part One)
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn explains that George Washington realized that some kind of Cabinet structure would be necessary, even though there's nothing about a Cabinet written into the Constitution. President Washington named Thomas Jeffers...
Choosing The National Capital
Historian Peter Onuf talks about Thomas Jefferson's decision to allow the national capital to be located in Washington D.C. Professor Onuf explains that Jefferson agreed on Washington D.C., because he thought that the power of the federal government...
A Young Nation Moves Forward
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn talks about some of the key challenges the young United States faced in its early years. Among the most pressing was growing the economy to keep pace with the rapidly expanding population. Other challenges include...