to what extent did the Federalist administrations of George Washington and John Adams promote national unity and advance the authority of the federal government?

Answer: they could not promote national unity sufficiently but they formed a stronger federal government.

Explanation: The Federalist administrations of George Washington and John Adams could not sufficiently promote national unity because of the conflicting beliefs of their political parties. John Adams was elected and served two terms under George Washington as vice President and a single term as President. Both men had great passion for the Republic but were different in many ways.

They were however able to form a stronger and more authoritative federal government. They achieved this through the enforcement of taxes and enactment of several laws; in this they found common ground which strenghtened the powers of the federal government.