Race, Class, Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, And The Amount...

In 1789, Americans grouped themselves based on race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and the amount of freedom they have. The 1790 national census counted around 4 million Americans. New England was atypical. The Puritans only extended the region to those who believe in the Calvinist orthodoxy of the dominant Congregationalist Church. This exclusiveness was to limit population diversity. Puritan values and a rough environment made New England the most religiously and ethnically consistent region in the United States. Congregationalism stayed the official, state supported religion in Connecticut and Massachusetts. They found slavery conflicting with the natural-rights philosophy, so they slowly began to abolish it in the 1780s. In†¦show more content†¦Life in the western settlements was rough. Spain was a serious threat. The Congress that met in New York (from 1789 to 1791) had to give structure to the framework of the new national government that was outlined in the Constitution. Vice President John Adams and others in the Senate agreed to the name â€Å"Mr. President†. James pushed for a bill of rights (ten amendments that protected individual rights and liberties and rights of the states). The Bill of Rights were ratified on December 15, 1791 by the states and became a part of the Constitution. Congress enabled the first executive departments in the summer of 1789. They were the State Department for foreign affairs, the Treasury for finances, and the War Department for the nation’s defense. The department heads were closely connected to the president and eventually would become the cabinet, the president’s chief advisory body. The Judiciary Act of 1789 created a ranked national judiciary based on 13 federal district courts. Appeals from those courts were heard in one of the three circuit courts and the Supreme Court had the final say. The act limited jurisdiction in federal courts to legal issues coming from the Constitution. The Tariff Act of 1789 was made to raise revenue. The Tariff Act caused debate, leading to sectional disputes. The Tonnage Act of 1789 was passed and it was a duty imposed on the tonnage of entering ships to U.S ports. The tax was higher on foreign-owned ships to help American shippers.