0003 The Emergence of a New Nation (SMR 2.3) Flashcards
How long have political parties been around?
They have essentially been around since the constitution. The first political parties started with disagreements between Federalists & Antifederalists, Antifederalists later became Democratic-Republicans
What were the first political parties?
Democratic Republicans & Federalists
What polarizing issue abroad caused a division of parties and ideas in America?
The 1789 French Revolution where revolutions took over Bastille.
What political party was Pro-French Revolution?
Democratic Republicans led by Jefferson believed that “extreme” actions are an outcome against the global struggle against monarchial oppression and that they should support revolutionaries for we were once revolutionaries
What political party was Anti-French Revolution?
Federalists led by Adams believed that the extreme actions threatened stability and order. Also argued that the French King helped us win against the British so we should follow through on our word/ treat
Why was the French Revolution so polarizing for Americans?
Because of the 1778 mutual assistance treaty signed with France for assisting us in War of Independence
What was Washington’s stance on the French Revolution. Why did he have this stance?
He declared a neutral status to the French Revolution because Britain who was anti-french revolution was our biggest trading partner
What poiltical party was more into trading with foreign entities?
The Federalists.
Which political party wanted to be self-sufficient and not have to rely on foreign trade?
The Democratic Republicans
What was the result of Jay’s Treaty in 1795?
brings US closer to Britain; French suspends relations with the US
Who were the candidates for the two political parties in the 1796 election to replace Washington?
The Federalist Candidate = John Adams
The Democratic Republican Candidate = Thomas Jefferson
Describe the Federalist party
- Elitist, popular in New England and among “Americans”
- Businessmen and land owners
- Wanted strong, centralized government;
- opposed French Revolution
- Wanted trade relations and to stay on good side of Britain
- Felt that land owners were the only people who should vote
Describe the Democratic Republicans
- Grew out of the anti-federalist movement
- Popular in the south and among immigrants
- State rights: supported the French revolutions
- anti-business
- Also believed that property owners were the only people who should vote BUT believed that everybody should be able to be a landowner
- Wanted to expand country westward so that everybody could have access to land
What contributions did the Federalists bring to America?
Contributions = US Constitution and importance of Supreme Court in our governments, created supremacy of Supreme Court over judicial rulings of congress and presidency
What contributions did Democratic Republicans bring to America?
Contributions = Bill of Rights, States Rights
Which party wanted a strong/ centralized govt?
Federalist Party
Which party grew out of the anti-federalist movement?
Democratic Republicans
Both parties initially believed that land owners should be the only people that can vote. What was the difference in their ideas about this though?
Democratic Republicans believed that ALL people should be able to be landowners – which is why they wanted westward expansion
Which political party was mostly made up of businessmen and land owners?
Federalist party
Which political party was mostly made up of plantation owners, those in the South and immigrants?
Democratic Republicans
Which political party was considered anti-business?
Democratic Republicans
Which party was most interested in westward expansion and why?
Democratic Republicans, because they believed that everybody should have the right to own land
Who was the winner of the 1796 election and who was his VP?
John Adams won the 1796 election with Jefferson as VP (whoever comes in second automatically becomes VP – they are staunch rivals). This made his administration difficult.
Who was John Adams?
Adams was Vice President to Washington and was a leading Federalist, he was part of Whiskey Rebellion, and elected president in 1796, Received serious opposition from Democratic Republicans as well as conservative Federalists, his presidency was full of tensions with polarizing issues and growing discontent leading to Alien & Sedition Acts
What was the Whiskey Rebellion?
A tax protest in the US from 1791-1794. Washington & Adams taxed whiskey and other distilled spirits, the first domestic tax, to pay for Revolutionary war, tax protest mostly came from farmers
What polarizing issues did Adams face in his presidency?
- Unofficial “Anglo-American Alliance” in the French Revolutionary Wars
- 1769 - 1798: France captures American ships, growing anti-French sentiment
- Adams didn’t support French revolution which made him unpopular
- The Quasi wars also made him unpopular
What acts did Adams impose as tension was rising in his presidency over things like the French Revolution?
the Alien & Sedition Acts
What did Jefferson draft in response to the Alien & Sedition Acts that Adam put in place?
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
What was the intended purpose of the Alien Acts?
protected govt from new immigrants who might attempt to pervade and rise up against govt.
How did Adam’s Alien act work to limit immigration?
Upped the amount of years it took for someone to become a citizen and be given voting rights from 5 to 14 years
What was the Alien Friends Act?
Allowed Adams to deport anyone he posed as a threat without trial
What was the Alien Enemies Act (Patriot Act)?
allows president to capture and kick out anyone from a country that we were at war with, can be held indefinitely (violation of habeus corpus and Bill of Rights)
What were the Sedition Acts?
made it illegal to libel/ speak out against govt
How did the Democratic Republicans use the Alien & Sedition acts to build their party?
Democratic Republicans used this as vehicle to get rid of John Adams in next election and elect Jefferson because it drove people, particularly the ethnically non- English towards the Democratic republicans
What were the Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions?
- Protests by Kentucky and Virginia by Democratic Republicans that wanted to challenge govt authority
- James Madison and Jefferson helped draft them
- Virginia and Kentucky declare the Alien and Sedition laws as invalid (nullification)
Why were the Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions important?
It directly challenged Federal Authority which would create further tension eventually leading to secession
After Adams’ presidency, who was elected?
Jefferson in 1800 and again in 1804 in what was considered a bloodless revolution
What did the Jefferson Administration believe?
that the fabric of society was for Americans to have opportunities for growth, was responsible for many western expansions
What elements describe a Jeffersonian Democracy?
- Democratic Republican Ideals
- Anti-elitist
- Distrust of urban industry and financial speculation
- Debt & urban living (The British conditions) were antithetical to freedom of the democratic citizen
- Policies to provide agricultural land to all white men
- Trade embargo with Britain
What did the Jefferson Administration do to aid in Western expansion?
The 1803 Louisiana Purchase that doubled US territory for only 15 million dollars!
Built waterways to better connect the western regions to New Orleans
Who was Andrew Jackson?
- Elected President in 1828
- Considered “hero” of the War of 1812
- First president not from the original 13 colonies
- Self made “Champion of the Common Man”
- despised elites, was supported by pioneers and frontiersmen, wanted universal white mens suffrage
- claimed the Democratic party was the party of “farmers and workers”
Whose political tagline was “Champion of the Common Man” and why was this his tagline?
Andrew Jackson; this was his political tagline, trying to tap into the disenfranchised population of white men non-land owners who were now able to vote after war of 1812
What did Jackson’s opposition of the Second Bank of the United States reflect?
distrust of big govt and Northeast power brokers
Why did Andrew Jackson oppose the Second Bank of the United States?
Seen as a tool of gaining profits by financiers and businessmen of New England; charter expired in 1836, didn’t often back independent farmers or frontiersman because they weren’t trusted to pay back loans
What was the Whig Opposition?
A group of people who opposed the loose policies of “King” Andrew Jackson
What were the three main Jacksonian Controversies?
1) Nullification controversy (1832)
2) Indian Removal Act (1830)
3) Spoils System
What was the Nullification Controversy?
A Jacksonian Controversy that started when he placed “Taxes of abominations”: high trade tariffs, intended to damage industrial businessman as they traded foreign goods, many resented this, especially those in the South like Southern Plantation owners who were trading cotton and tobacco
- Rejected by state of South Carolina, headed by VP Calhoun, initiated a nullification process to overturn federal law, lays the ground for the southern states to secede from the union in the future
- Calhoun vs. Jackson on state and federal authority, the real root of the civil war
What did Jackson and his VP Calhoun disagree on?
State vs. Federal Authority which would inevitably become the root cause of the civil war
What was the Indian Removal Act of 1830?
A Jacksonian controversy and part of his effort to “make America safe”, this prompted the forceful removal of Native Americans beyond the Mississippi “Trail of Tears” (1835-1838)
What was the “Trail of Tears”
Forceful removal of Native Americans between 1835- 1838 west of the Mississippi, removed Cherokee and Choctaw, a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 by Andrew Jackson
What was the Spoils System?
A Jacksonian Controversy that ousted career politicians and replaced them with his supporters.
What was the result of the Spoils System?
a quick rotation of officials: corruption and lack of attention to the service, cronyism
What was cronyism in regards to the Jacksonian era?
the idea that if you were a “Jackson” man, you would work with other “Jackson men” to get things across
What were the significant political ideas during the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian periods?
Both Jackson and Jefferson were Democratic Republicans who were anti-elitist and anti-business. They distrusted urban industries and big banks
What were the significant socioeconomic ideas and issues during the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian periods?
The big socioeconomic idea was for westward expansion and for all people to be able to become land owners. It was really about farmers and workers and frontiersmen than big businessmen
How did Jefferson and Jackson differ in their aim for westward expansion?
Jefferson signed the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and built waterways to better connect the western regions to New Orleans, he also had policies to provide agricultural land to all white men.
Jackson took a different approach by running out Indians in the Trail of Tears through the Indian Removal Act.
What were the main differences between Jackson and Jefferson?
Both were Democratic Republicans but had very different presidencies and policies.
Jefferson had a fairly uncontroversial presidency focused on Westward expansion while Jackson’s presidency was full of controversies, His Nullification Controversy, Indian Removal Act and Spoils System as well as his opposition to the Second Bank of the US, caused even members of his own party to oppose him with the Whig Opposition
What economic issues were experienced after the revolutionary wars?
- States had borrowed fund the war causing economic struggles and serious debt
- Foreign trade embargo
- Lack of a strong monetary system
Who came up with reforms to address the economic issues after the revolutionary war?
Alexander Hamilton with the Reforms of Alexander Hamilton
The Reforms of Alexander Hamilton did what three things?
1) The Federal Govt paid off state debts and created a federal debt
2) Established the Bank of the US (seen as corrupt by many)
3) Adopted mercantilistic economy to make US a competitive world producer
What was the difference between the Democratic Republicans and The Federalist reason for Westward Expansion
The Democratic Republicans were interested in Westward expansion because Jefferson wanted all white men to have access to land, ability to become landowners
The Federalists were only interested in Westward expansion for access to rivers/ new ports / potential for transcontinental railroad to California to increase industry and trade, access to Pacific Ocean ports in California
What is an example of the conflict that was rising between natives and Americans after the revolutionary war?
1808: Shawnee Indian Rebellion led by Chief Tecumseh
Foundation of an Indian confederacy to oppose US expansion
Why did the War of 1812 spur American manufacturing and end up encouraging settlers to expand into new territories?
Because with Americans embargoing trade with Great Britain and with a lack of trade with Europeans in general after the war of 1812, infant American industries were able to take route and flourish without any foreign competition, spurs a desire for raw materials to feed that manufacturing. This new desire for raw materials encourages settlers to expand into these new territories
Why did the War of 1812 start?
Continuation of the Napoleonic Wars (wars between France & European countries that wanted to contain Napoleon & liberalist ideals that were toppling monarchies), US got involved because US trades with France and this upsets Great Britain, so Britain cuts off trade with US and enters into war of 1812
What did President Madison do in the war of 1812
attempts to expand to Canada, declares war in the Atlantic; real theatre in the West and against British interests in Canada
What did the war of 1812 give rise to?
The presidency of Andrew Jackson as well as sprouting of American Industries and settling in new territories
Why was Andrew Jackson considered a hero in the war of 1812?
In January 1815 Andrew Jackson wins the Battle of New Orleans, preserves the freedom of New Orleans and therefore American control of the Mississippi river
What were two major turning points in the war of 1812?
1814: The British take-over and burn Washington DC
Aug 1814: Treaty of Ghent - restoration of borders
What was stated in the 1823 Monroe Doctrine?
lets Europe know that they intend to expand their own country and that Europe should not try to come in
Warned European nations that western hemisphere was closed to future colonization
Who won the close election between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in 1824?
John Quincy Adams was elected by a coalition put together by the Speaker of the House Henry Clay – becomes a “corrupt bargain” in eyes of public
