5th United States Congress
The 5th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 4, 1797, to March 4, 1799, during the first two years of John Adams' presidency. In the context of the Quasi-War with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress. The Acts were overwhelmingly supported by the Federalists and mostly opposed by the Democratic-Republicans. Some Democratic-Republicans, such as Timothy Bloodworth, said they would support formally going to war against France but they opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts which Bloodworth and others believed were unconstitutional.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1790 United States census. Both chambers had a Federalist majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1797 – John Adams became President of the United States
- July 8, 1797 – The Senate expelled Tennessee Senator William Blount for conspiring with the British
- July 11, 1798 – The United States Marine Corps was established
- XYZ Affair in the U.S., followed by naval skirmishes but no war is declared. The XYZ affair led to several Democratic-Republicans breaking ranks with Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson took pains to avoid blaming France for the incident, as a result John Hunter, Josiah Tattnall, Timothy Bloodworth, Alexander Martin, Lemuel Benton, Thomas Sumter, William Smith, John Milledge, Abraham Baldwin, Joseph McDowell, Matthew Locke, Robert Williams, Richard Stanford, Nathaniel Macon, James Gillespie, Dempsey Burges, Thomas Blount, Nathan Bryan, John Brown, Thomas T. Davis, John Fowler and Joseph Anderson all publicly broke ranks with Jefferson, despite the fact he was the de facto leader of their party, and sided with Alexander Hamilton. The aforementioned congressmen and senators were referred to by Jefferson as a "reign of witches" and were described as the "Pro-British republicans".
Major legislation
- April 7, 1798: Mississippi Organic Act, Sess. 2, ch. 28,
- April 30, 1798: The U.S. Department of the Navy was established, Sess. 2, ch. 35,
- June 18, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts:, Sess. 2, ch. 54,
- June 25, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts:, Sess. 2, ch. 58,
- July 6, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts:, Sess. 2, ch. 66,
- July 9, 1798: Act Further to Protect the Commerce of the United States, Sess. 2, ch. 68,
- July 11, 1798: The United States Marine Corps was established, Sess. 2, ch. 72,
- July 14, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts:, Sess. 2, ch. 74,
- July 16, 1798: Marine Hospital Service Act, Sess. 2, ch. 77,
Treaties ratified
- June 7, 1797: Treaty of Tripoli between the United States and Tripoli.
- July 7, 1797: Existing treaties with France were rescinded, Sess. 2, ch. 67,
Party summary
Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.Leadership
Senate
- President: Thomas Jefferson
- President pro tempore: William Bingham, carried over from 5th Congress until July 6, 1797
- *William Bradford, elected July 6, 1797
- * Jacob Read, elected November 22, 1797
- * Theodore Sedgwick, elected June 27, 1798
- * John Laurance, elected December 6, 1798
- * James Ross, elected March 1, 1799
House of Representatives
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and representatives are listed by district.Senate
Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1802; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1798; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1800.New Jersey">List of United States senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
House of Representatives
[List of [United States representatives from Connecticut|Connecticut]]
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Georgia">List of United States representatives from Georgia">Georgia
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.New Hampshire">List of United States representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.New Jersey">List of United States representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Pennsylvania">List of United States representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.Rhode Island">List of United States representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this CongressSenate
There were 9 resignations, 2 deaths, 1 expulsion, 1 late selection, and 2 elections to replace appointees. Neither party had a net gain of seats.House of Representatives
There were 9 resignations and 3 deaths. The Federalists had a 1-seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 1-seat net gain.Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.Senate
House of Representatives
- Claims
- Commerce and Manufactures
- Elections
- Revisal and Unfinished Business
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
Employees
Senate
House of Representatives
- Clerk: John J. Beckley, until May 15, 1797
- * Jonathan W. Condy, elected May 15, 1797
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
- Reading Clerks:
- Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian