Throughout history, many American presidents came across disputes within the country that needed to be resolved. In order to fulfill their position as a president, they would need to come up with a plan of action. This action would sometimes create tension and cause conflicts between the president and the people. George Washington and John Adams both served as presidents of the United States who played key roles in developing plans of action. Washington served a two year term as president from 1789 to 1797, while Adams followed after Washington and served only one term from 1797 to 1801. President Washington played a part after the Whiskey Rebellion broke out during his presidency. During Adams presidency, he contributed to producing the …show more content…
The threats prevented the collectors from establishing offices, “this was accomplished by threatening the welfare of the collectors or by tarring and feathering or torturing them” (article 4). Soon after, the people in Washington County, Pennsylvania turned their threats into actions and started the Whiskey Rebellion.The Whiskey Rebellion started when “An angry mob marched on collector John Neville's house in Washington County, had a shoot out with him and his slaves, and eventually burned his home...Not only did this mob attack the tax collector but they also stole the mail from a post rider leaving Pittsburgh” (article 3). The mob did not follow the federal law and risked being prosecuted for intercepting mail, this is when George Washington decided that something needed to be done. Washington wanted to avoid confrontation so he met with his cabinet and the governor of Pennsylvania; Thomas Mifflin, on August 2, 1794 to try and put an end to the Rebellion peacefully (article 2). On August 7th , Washington issued a proclamation in hopes to put an end to the Rebellion. The proclamation was directed towards the rebels “to disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes. The proclamation also invoked the Militia Act of 1792” (article …show more content…
“In 1798, the Federalist-controlled Congress exploited the anti-French sentiment sweeping through the colonies to pass a series of laws that, on the surface, promoted American safety but actually were designed to quiet their Democratic-Republican counterparts” (article 2). Adams goal was to weaken Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party to make the Federalist Party stronger (and to protect the United States from foreign influence). The Alien and Sedition Acts were made up of four individual laws. The Alien Acts was composed of the Alien Friends Act “which empowered the president to deport any alien whom he considered dangerous” (article 1), and the Alien Enemies Act “which allowed the deportation of any alien who hailed from a country at war with the United States” (article 1). The Sedition Act was passed that allowed for punishment to anyone who printed “false, scandalous and malicious writing” (article 1), directed towards the president but Congress was also included in the bill. The Naturalization Act was the last bill that extended the time an immigrant can become an American citizen—from five to fourteen years. Although these bills were made to protect American citizens, Adams main goal was always to increase the power of the Federalist Party. His idea for these laws didn't go as planned, many citizens were furious with the abuse of