Jefferson + Madison 1800 - 1816 Flashcards
The new American nation was beset by difficulties both at home and abroad. This deck covers the Presidencies of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison.
Explain what the 2nd Great Awakening was.
The 2nd Great Awakening was a religious revivalist movement that started in 1795 and lasting until 1835.
The 2nd Great Awakening featured camp meetings that would feature revivalist Christian preachers giving sermons and is split into three different phases.
One of the lasting effects of the 2nd Great Awakening is that it significantly increased movements such as Prohibition, Abolitionism, and reform for the mentally ill, etc.
While the First Great Awakening focused primarily on those who already went to church regularly, at which group was the Second Great Awakening directed?
The Second Great Awakening was directed at the unchurched and consisted of revival meetings about conversion to Christianity. Preachers such as Peter Cartwright held their revival meetings outdoors in large tents instead of in churches.
What characterized the 1st phase of the 2nd Great Awakening?
The first phase, which occurred from 1795 to 1810, was much more rural in setting, featuring camp meetings for the first time. It fulfilled the spiritual needs of white settlers who were expanding westward.
James McGready, a Presbyterian Minister, is credited by most historians with having the first camp revivalist meeting which spread Christianity to areas that were not religiously devout.
What was the major source of power for the earliest American factories?
water power
Early factories were located by rivers and water power was used to operate the mills. Water mills were especially useful in early textile mills.
Complete the sentence:
Eli Whitney’s invention of the _____ _____ made it economical to use cotton to manufacture clothes.
cotton gin
Short for “engine,” the gin automatically separated cotton fibers from cotton seed, and greatly sped up the production of cotton. The gin made slavery more profitable, allowed cotton to replace wool as the dominant material in clothing, and revolutionized the Southern economy. Though created in 1793, it was not validated until 1807.
In the presidential election of 1800, which took place before the passage of the Twelfth Amendment, two Democratic-Republicans tied in the Electoral College. Who were they?
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr
Electors who cast their two votes for Jefferson and Burr thought they were electing Burr for Vice President, but when Burr realized that the tie gave him the chance at the Presidency, he attempted to convince the still Federalist House of Representatives to vote for him as opposed to Jefferson, their staunch political enemy.
Alexander Hamilton persuaded many Representatives that Jefferson was the safer choice, because he considered Burr a scoundrel. Later, Burr would shoot and kill Hamilton in a duel.
Explain the Revolution of 1800.
Federalists, who held the Presidency and a majority of House and Senate seats, lost the election of 1800, yet handed over power to the Democratic-Republicans peacefully, and without bloodshed.
Such an event was rare in history and the “revolution” was that handing over control of the Congress took place without violence.
Explain what the midnight appointments were about.
Shortly before he left office, President John Adams appointed several prominent Federalists to positions in the United States government, including appointing William Marbury as Justice of the Peace for Washington, D.C.
Thomas Jefferson ordered his Secretary of State, James Madison, not to deliver these midnight appointments, including William Marbury. In response, Marbury sued Madison.
This case of the Midnight appointments would make its way to the Supreme Court in the case called Marbury v Madison.
What did the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) establish?
It established the principle of judicial review.
Written by Thomas Jefferson’s cousin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison established the principle of judicial review.
John Marshall decided to give Thomas Jefferson the victory in this case of the Midnight Appointments, since giving Jefferson what he wanted also meant that Jefferson (and by extension Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans) would have to agree with the idea of “judicial review”. By agreeing to it, both political parties were agreeing to the idea that the Supreme Court would have the final say on whether or not a law was constitutional or unconstitutional.
How did Napoleon respond to the American offer to purchase New Orleans and parts of Florida for $10 million?
Desperate for funds to continue his war in Europe, and distracted by a slave revolution in Haiti, Napoleon and his ministers offered America the entirety of the Louisiana Territory for $15 million. Shocked at the fantastic bargain, the American diplomats made the deal, without seeking approval from Jefferson or the Congress.
Why did the Louisiana Purchase put Jefferson in a difficult political position?
Since its passage, Jefferson had argued that the President could only exercise those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution. No Constitutional provision allowed the President to purchase territory. Nevertheless, the Louisiana Purchase was such an amazing deal, Jefferson ignored his qualms and supported the transaction.
What were the effects of the Louisiana Purchase?
The Louisiana Purchase:
- Doubled the size of the United States.
- Removed a potentially troubling foreign presence from the American frontier.
Containing parts of what would eventually become 13 states, Jefferson hoped that this new land would strengthen the position of his cherished American farmer.
Complete the sentence:
Thomas Jefferson dispatched _____ _____ ____ ______ _____ to explore the newly purchased Louisiana Territory.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
In a two-year expedition, Lewis and Clark (assisted by Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian) explored vast swaths of territory, traveling from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, and providing descriptions of the newly acquired western lands.
The expedition also strengthened American claims to the Oregon Territory, and an eventual American outlet on the Pacific Ocean.
Complete the sentence:
After their resounding defeat in the 1800 election, the Federalists retained control only of the ______ branch of the federal government.
judicial
The Constitution provided that federal judges had lifetime tenure, and could only be removed from office by impeachment. Chief Justice John Marshall, a Federalist, would retain that office for 34 years.
Define:
judicial review
Judicial review is a principle, established in Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137, (1803) that holds that the Supreme Court has the power to review acts of Congress and the President to determine whether they are allowed under the Constitution.
Thomas Jefferson thought war with Britain was unwise given the small size of the American navy. How did Thomas Jefferson respond to the continued British impressment of American sailors?
Jefferson convinced Congress to pass the Embargo Act in 1807, which barred American ships from sailing to any non-American port.
Jefferson hoped that Britain, cut off from American supplies, would cease violating American rights. Britain simply began importing more goods from South America and continued her impressment of Americans.
What was the result of the Embargo Act (1807) on the American economy?
With overseas markets closed, a massive depression followed the Embargo Act, especially in New England, where the economy was heavily dependent on shipping and trade.
Complete the sentence:
_____ _____ invented the steamboat, revolutionizing travel on the nation’s waterways.
Robert Fulton
Fulton’s invention in 1807 made it possible for farmers in the West to get their products to Eastern ports inexpensively and quickly, and for manufacturers to get their goods to the West.
Complete the sentence:
Noah Webster’s _______ _______ ________ was used as the authoritative text to teach spelling to children in American schools beginning in the early 1800s.
Blue Backed Speller
Webster, who also published the first American dictionary in 1806, used the Blue Backed Speller to standardize American education and to separate it from English education.
He also attempted to introduce new spelling into American writing, and while dropping the “u” from “colour” caught on, spelling tongue “tung” never did.
Complete the sentence:
The Non-Intercourse Act (1809) repealed the Embargo Act (1807), but still disallowed U.S. trade with _____ and _____.
Britain; France
Passed at the beginning of Madison’s first term, the Non-Intercourse Act was Madison’s attempt to ease the economic hardship caused by the Embargo Act, while still maintaining U.S. neutrality in the war between France and Britain. However, the American economy continued to suffer.
Who was Tecumseh?
Tecumseh was a Shawnee, who tried to unite the Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River in a confederacy to resist white expansion.
Tecumseh’s army was defeated by William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Since they provided aid to the Indians, the British were blamed by Americans for Tecumseh’s activities, leading to further difficulties between the United States and Britain.
Who were the War Hawks?
The War Hawks were Congressmen who favored war with Great Britain. Led by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, most War Hawks came from the new states of the American West, such as Tennessee and Kentucky.
The War Hawks contended that war with Britain was a matter of national honor, and the only way to ensure freedom of the seas and to stop British aid to Indian tribes of the West. They also argued that in the event of war, Canada could be taken by the United States.
Why did Madison ask Congress for a declaration of war against Britain in 1812?
Throughout his first term, Madison had done his best to stay neutral in the decades-long conflict between France and Britain. Continued impressment by the British Navy, the blockade of the American coast, and the pressure of the War Hawks led to Madison’s request that Congress declare war.
Ironically, after war was declared, Madison received word that the British had agreed to stop their blockade.
How did Federalists react to the declaration of war against Britain?
Centered in New England, New York, and New Jersey, Federalists denounced the war as an attempt by the Democratic-Republicans to conquer Canada and Florida in an effort to increase the number of Democratic-Republican voters.
In addition to the Federalists, New England merchants (many of whom were Federalists) opposed the War of 1812 for different reasons. Why?
Despite Britain’s blockades, the Embargo Act (1807), and the Non-Intercourse Act (1809), New England merchants made substantial profits off of both sides in the Napoleonic Wars, and were reluctant to sever trading with Britain.
What was the target of the initial American attack during the War of 1812?
American forces launched a three-prong attack into Canada. Poorly equipped and poorly led, American troops were defeated, achieving only one notable success by burning York (modern-day Toronto).
In 1814, after Napoleon’s first surrender, the British launched a counterattack with their freshly available forces. Where did this attack take place?
The British campaign was centered on the Chesapeake region. They captured and burned Washington, and then attempted to take Baltimore and Fort McHenry.
Fort McHenry withstood the British attack, and Francis Scott Key, who’d observed the bombardment of the fort, was inspired to write the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Who led American troops in the South during the War of 1812?
Andrew Jackson fought a successful campaign against Britain’s allies, the Creek Indians (opening Alabama for settlement), then withstood a British attack at New Orleans.
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815. A stirring American victory, it actually took place two weeks after a peace treaty had been signed between the British and Americans at Ghent, in Belgium.
What were the terms of the Treaty of Ghent?
The Treaty of Ghent restored the status quo antebellum (a Latin phrase meaning: the state in which things were before the war), and formalized the American/Canadian boundary. Neither side had achieved decisive victory in the War of 1812.
What was the Hartford Convention?
The Hartford Convention was a meeting of New England Federalists opposed to the War of 1812, many of whom supported secession. Although a vote for secession failed, the Hartford Convention urged opposition to the War and amendment to the Constitution to stop the growth of Democratic-Republican power.
After the War and Jackson’s victory at the Battle of New Orleans, the Federalists were castigated as unpatriotic, and by 1820, the Federalists had disintegrated as a national political force.
The Rush-Bagot Agreement (1815), established disarmament upon what international border?
In the Rush-Bagot Agreement, British and American diplomats severely limited naval armament on the Great Lakes and set the stage for limits on border forts between the United States and Canada.
The Rush-Bagot Agreement began the peaceful coexistence between America and Canada that has lasted to this day.
Under Chief Justice John Marshall, how did the Supreme Court strengthen the federal government?
The Marshall Court issued decisions that established the superiority of the federal government over the states.
Although the Supreme Court had held a federal law unconstitutionally in Marbury v. Madison, in what case did the Supreme Court establish the principle that it could hold a state law unconstitutional?
Fletcher v. Peck (1810)
In Fletcher, the Georgia state legislature had enacted a law that voided some land sales which a previous legislature had made and which were induced by corruption.
The Marshall Court held that the Georgia legislature’s law which voided the land sales were a violation of the U.S. Constitution, even if the land sales had been made by a corrupt process.
What prompted General Andrew Jackson’s military actions in Florida in the late 1810s?
After Spanish troops were withdrawn from Florida to suppress rebellions in Central and South America, a mixed band of escaped slaves, whites, and Seminole Indians used the lack of authority to launch raids on American settlements and then flee across the border beyond American retribution.
President Monroe authorized Jackson to stop the raids by crossing the border if necessary.
Why did Congress pass the Tariff of 1816?
Concerned that goods from newly peaceful Britain would flood the U.S. market, Congress passed a high tariff in 1816 to protect American manufacturers.
Although passed by Democratic-Republicans, the Tariff of 1816 was similar to one proposed by Hamilton during George Washington’s adminstration.
How did the American Colonization Society propose to solve the issue of slavery?
The American Colonization Society suggested that the government purchase enslaved people and have them transported back to Africa.
The country of Liberia, Africa was founded by the American Colonization Society. Although men such as Lincoln supported the idea, it never caught on and only 12,000 Black Americans returned to Africa.
