With the president and new congress elected, the government had to create a judicial branch. This was accomplished through the Judicial Act, which did three things. One: it created a U.S. Supreme Court. Two: It set up district courts. Three: It defined the relationship between federal and state courts. Through these measures the government set up a strong court system.
Taking priority, however, was the protection of individual rights. Several states agreed to ratify the Constitution only if a bill of rights was amended to the Constitution. More than 200 amendments were proposed; of these, Congress recommended 12 to the states. Ten of these were chosen by the states, thus setting up the Bill of Rights.
A third priority was to strengthen the U.S. financial situation. The Revolutionary War created a large debt, numbering in the tens of millions, which the Articles of Confederation did little or nothing to reduce. It was Alexander Hamilton who took charge of the job of strengthening the finances of the U.S. His plan entailed several points. One was the creation of a national bank and the production of a national currency. Another point was the consolidation of the debt of the national government and much of the states' debts. A third point was to start taxes to help pay off the debt. In particular, a whiskey tax was levied. Although not all of Hamilton's plans pleased everyone, they did pass through Congress.
The first federal government of the U.S. faced several major tasks in 1789. It created a strong court system. It protected individual rights through the Bill of Rights. It strengthened the U.S. financial situation. The government faced these problems then resolved it the best that it could.