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The Early Years of America Part 1. SOL VUS.6. Washington as 1st President. Washington became president in New York – 1st Capitol. capitol moved to Washington D.C. in 1800. Washington set many precedents as President: 1. He addressed Congress formally each year – State of the Union Address.
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The Early Years of America Part 1 SOL VUS.6
Washington as 1st President • Washington became president in New York – 1st Capitol. • capitol moved to Washington D.C. in 1800.
Washington set many precedents as President: • 1. He addressed Congress formally each year – State of the Union Address.
2. He appointed a cabinet to head departments of government and to advise him, • Secretary of State – Thomas Jefferson • Secretary of Treasury – Alexander Hamilton • Secretary of War – Henry Knox • (John Adams – Vice President)
3. He held state dinners and ceremonies. • 4. He resigned after 2 terms. • In his farewell address, Washington warned America about becoming involved in foreign affairs and alliances.
Northwest Ordinance 1787 • Dealt with how states in Northwest would become states. • As soon as a territory had 60,000 inhabitants it could apply for statehood. • Slavery was forbidden in the Northwest Territory. • Set standard for how territories became states and encouraged westward expansion.
Jefferson vs. Hamilton • After George Washington’s presidency ended in 1796, the first political parties emerged: • The Federalist – led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, believed in a strong national government and an industrial economy. • Were supported by bankers and business interest in Northeast.
The Democratic Republicans – led by Thomas Jefferson, believed in a weak national government and an agricultural economy. • Were supported by farmers, artisans, and frontier settlers in the South. • This difference in political opinions between Hamilton’s Federalists and Jefferson’s Democratic Republicans led to the formation of the first political parties.
Events of John Adams’ Presidency • Alien & Sedition Acts • Alien Act – President could imprison or deport citizens of other countries living in the US. • Effort to protect US from spies. • Sedition Act – Anyone who wrote anything “of false, scandalous, or malicious nature” against the government could be fined or imprisoned. • Effort to protect our new government from criticism.
The Alien and Sedition Acts led to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolution. • Said federal government was created to serve states and states could declare laws of the federal government null and void.
XYZ Affair • US and France were at odds over shipping and trade. • Adams sent a delegation to France who negotiated with 3 French agents (known only as X,Y, and Z) • French demanded a bribe of $250,000 and $10 million in loans to even negotiate. • Talks broke down and US no longer had an ally in France.
Election of 1800 • Jefferson (Democratic Republican) defeated Aaron Burr (also Democratic Republican) and John Adams (Federalist). • Decided by the House of Representatives after 36 votes. • Alexander Hamilton disliked Jefferson politically, but disliked Burr personally and convinced members to vote for Jefferson who won. • Burr later killed Hamilton in a duel.
The Election of 1800, won by Jefferson, was the first presidential election in which power was transferred peacefully from one party to the next.
Supreme Court in Early Years • Key decisions by the Supreme Court, under Chief Justice John Marshall of Virginia, established the power of the Federal Courts. • The two most famous cases were: • 1. Marbury v. Madison • 2. Muculloch v. Maryland
Marbury v. Madison (The Midnight Judges) • Before Adams left office he appointed several Federalists to judgeships, but failed to deliver the appointments. • When Jefferson became President, he did not deliver them either. • Led to the famous court case Marbury v. Madison. • Court decided that the judges had been wronged, but the President (Adams) had abused his powers.
Marbury v. Madison established Judicial Review. • Judicial review is the power of the court to declare laws and actions of the government and declare them unconstitutional. • Now the Supreme Court was established as a major branch of government.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) • Maryland tried to tax the Baltimore branch of The Bank of the U.S. • Purpose of the Bank of US: 1. control currency 2. borrow money and pay off debts 3. collect taxes • Bank was lawful under the Necessary and Proper Clause in Constitution.
The Supreme Court said states could NOT tax agencies of the Federal government. • Said, “The power to tax, is the power to destroy.” • Court established that the national government was superior to state governments and decisions of the national government were superior to decisions of state governments.
Louisiana Purchase • Jefferson as President in 1803 purchased the huge Louisiana Territory from France. • Land from Mississippi River to Rockies • Doubled the size of the US overnight.
Jefferson authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore and map the new territories that lay west of the Mississippi River. • Merewether Lewis and William Clark • Sacajawea, an Indian, served as their guide and translator. • They were looking for the Northwest Passage (all water route to the Pacific Ocean) • Began to open the west to settlement.
War of 1812 • James Madison was President • We declared war on England for supporting Indians in the west and raiding our trade ships. • “Second War for Independence” • British invaded Washington D.C. and burned the capital. • The U.S. stopped the British at Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.
Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. • In New Orleans, Andrew Jackson finally defeated the British for good and sent them back to England. • American victory over the British in the War of 1812 produced an American claim to the Oregon Territory. • Migration of Americans to Florida increased and Florida was later acquired by a treaty from Spain
Acquisition of Florida • Seminole Indians in Florida were attacking US. • Andrew Jackson led a militia to Florida to attack Seminoles. • Spain was upset, but President James Monroe told Spain to keep order in Florida or give Florida to us. • To avoid a war, Spain gave Florida to US. • Adams-Onis Treaty
Monroe Doctrine - 1823 • In response to numerous threats from European countries John Quincy Adams (President Monroe’s Secretary of State) wrote the Monroe Doctrine. • It stated: • 1. The American continents should not be considered for future colonization by European powers. • 2. Nations in the Western Hemisphere were different from Europe, republics by nature rather than monarchies.
3. The US would regard as a threat to its own peace and safety any attempt by the European powers to impose their system on any independent state in the Western Hemisphere. • 4. The US would not interfere with European affairs. • The weakness of the Monroe Doctrine was that the US did not really have the army to defend it and would not until 1900.
Westward Expansion • Americans settlers moved westward to the Midwest, Southwest, and Texas, seeking economic opportunity. • In the form of land to own and farm. • The growth of railways and canals helped the growth of an industrial economy and supported westward movement by settlers. • Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin led to the spread of the slave-based “cotton kingdom” in the Deep South. – cotton became the main crop of the South.
Texas added as a State • American migration into Texas (owned by Mexico) led to an armed revolt against Mexican rule. • “Texans” began to want independence and declared their independence from Mexico. • Known as the Texas War for Independence. • Mexico, led by Santa Anna, attacked the Texans and won the early battles • At the Battle of the Alamo, a band of Texans fought to the last man against a vastly superior Mexican force.
With the help of the US Army, Texans eventually defeated the Mexicans. • Texas was added as a slave state and gave the South the majority in Congress.
Mexican War • America fought Mexico again in 1846 over border disputes and the annexation of Texas. • Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo 1848– gave the US land in California and recognized the Rio Grande as the Mexican-US border.
The US gained territory that included the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico. • Gadsden Purchase – 1848 US bought the tiny area in southern New Mexico and Arizona
Manifest Destiny • The belief that it was America’s “Manifest Destiny” to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific provided political support for territorial expansion. • Many believed it to God’s will. • Wars fought and land bought to spread manifest destiny. • Under President James K. Polk the US grew by leaps and bounds as Manifest Destiny came into being.
Indians and Westward Expansion • The idea of Manifest Destiny became the political policy and settlement of new territories began. • Land was given away in Oklahoma and other midwestern territories – Sooners. • During this period of westward migration, American Indians were repeatedly defeated in violent conflicts and forcibly removed from ancestral homelands. • They were forced to march far away from their homes and confined to reservations.
Trail of Tears – during Andrew Jackson’s presidency. • Several tribes were relocated from the Atlantic Coast to Oklahoma. • 15,000 Cherokee Indians forced to move from Georgia/Florida to Oklahoma Territory. • Georgia land was needed for cotton • Called the trail of tears because 1 out of ever 4 Indians died.
The Early Years of America Part II: SOL VUS.6
Government OF the People • Andrew Jackson was a president of the common man. • Before Jackson became president, the US was run by an aristocracy. • Aristocracy – a government in which power is given to the upper class.
People who had not previously participated in the electoral process began to participate. • As a Senator, Jackson fought for property owning requirements for voting were to be done away with and more middle class, non-aristocrats voted. • Election of 1828, Jackson won because he was supported by the middle class.
Spoils System • When Jackson became President in 1828, he rewarded his supporters by giving the top governmental jobs. • Critics of Jackson believed this was unfair and called it the “spoils system.” • Critics said the people who got the government jobs were not qualified and Jackson had bribed his way to the Presidency.
Economic Divisions Between North and South • US government passed “The Tariff of Abominations” • The South believed the tariff was too high. • South Carolina led by John C. Calhoun said they could declare the tariff null because of the VA. and KY. Resolution. • In 1832, unable to get relief from the tariff, S.C. threatened to secede from the US.
President Jackson threatened to send troops to SC to enforce the law and SC backed down. • Jackson did give relief to SC and lowered the tariff. • However, the split between the South and North had grown.
Jackson and the Bank of the U.S. • One of Jackson’s goals as President was to end the Bank of the US. • Jackson believe the national bank was holding too much money, and thus kept poor people too poor and the rich too rich. • The Bank was up for re-chartering in 1832. • If Jackson won the election of 1832, the Bank would not be re-chartered.
Jackson won. • Jackson did not re-charter the Bank and removed all government money and deposited it into state banks. • The collapse of the Bank caused an economic panic in 1837 as state banks passed out many bad loans.
Divisions over Slavery and States Rights • As the US expanded westward, the divisions over slavery almost tore the country apart. Abolitionist movement • Movement to end slavery – popular in North. • William Lloyd Garrison – publisher of The Liberator, an anti-slavery newspaper that helped lead abolitionists. • Helped bring many white, middle class people into abolitionist movement. • Garrison and religious leaders saw slavery as a violation of Christian principles.
