The New Nation (Washington through Jackson)

Question 1

What is the Cabinet?

Answer 1

The advisers to the President who also manage the principal executive departments of the Federal government. This is not mentioned in the Constitution, but is part of the unwritten constitution, started by the first president, George Washington.

Question 2

What was Hamilton’s Financial Plan?

Answer 2

The new nation adopted this plan in order to establish sound fiscal footing. Think: BE FAT! This included: a Bank of the United States, an Excise tax on Whiskey, Funding of the existing debts at par, Assumption of state debts from the Revolutionary War, and a Tariff.

Question 3

Washington called out 13,000 militiamen to put down this uprising which started due to an excise tax. This demonstrated the new government had the power to enforce its authority.

Answer 3

Whiskey Rebellion

Question 4

The names of the first two political parties. Alexander Hamilton and John Adams were leaders of the ___________ while Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were leaders of the ______________.

Answer 4

Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans

Question 5

President Washington issued this, stating that the United States would adopt ‘a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerent powers’ of both England and France. This surprised people because the U.S. was expected to support France since France helped America during the American Revolution.

Answer 5

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

Question 6

What BIG IDEAS were in Washington’s Farewell Address?

Answer 6

Washington issued his Farewell Address before leaving office. In it, he advised that the U.S. should not enter into permanent alliances with foreign countries. He also warned against the dangers of factions, or political parties.

Question 7

Laws passed by Federalists under President Adams that suppressed (or squashed) dissent, making it a crime to speak out against the government. These laws also changed naturalization laws. These laws led to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.

Answer 7

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Question 8

Reactions against the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. These statements supported the doctrine, or idea, that the Constitution was a compact between states and that states could object when Congress exceeded its authority. This introduced the theory or idea of nullification.

Answer 8

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798)

Question 9

The landmark Supreme Court case in which the concept of Judicial Review was first used by the Court. This concept allows the Supreme Court to declare a law or action of the Federal Government to be Unconstitutional.

Answer 9

Marbury vs. Madison (1803)

Question 10

What is Judicial Review?

Answer 10

A power of the Supreme Court not specifically listed in the Constitution. Instead, it is implied in the Constitution and was first used in the famous case of Marbury vs. Madison. Over time, this power has increased the authority of the Federal Government. It allows the court to rule that a law or action is ‘unconstitutional.’

Question 11

This action, by Thomas Jefferson, doubled the size of the United States and gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. This greatly benefitted American farmers. However, Jefferson had to adopt a loose construction of the Constitution in order to make it happen.

Answer 11

The Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Question 12

What was the Embargo Act (1807)?

Answer 12

This law forbade all exports from the United States to any country. It was an attempt by President Jefferson to avoid conflict with other nations. It was a failure that was later repealed.

Question 13

What was the Monroe Doctrine?

Answer 13

A statement of U.S. foreign policy issued by President James Monroe in December of 1823. It declared the American continent was no longer open to colonization by Europeans and that any action by Europeans in the Western Hemisphere would be considered an act against the United States itself.

Question 14

McCulloch vs. Maryland (1819)

Answer 14

The landmark Supreme Court decision that upheld, or allowed, the creation of the Bank of the United States. The court ruled that the state of Maryland could not tax the bank. This demonstrated that the federal government has supremacy over the states.

Question 15

Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824)

Answer 15

Another landmark decision of the Marshall Court in which the Supreme Court ruled that only the national, or federal, government has the power to regulate interstate commerce. Again, this demonstrated the federal government has supremacy over the states.

Question 16

The Supreme Court named after this powerful Chief Justice. Under this Chief Justice, the court ruled in favor of the supremacy of the federal government over the state governments. Famous decisions of this Court include Marbury vs. Madison, McCulloch vs. Maryland, and Gibbons vs. Ogden.

Answer 16

Marshall Court named after John Marshall, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the early 1800s.

Question 17

This law was signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830. It was designed to force all Native Americans living East of the Mississippi River to move West of the River, to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.

Answer 17

Indian Removal Act

Question 18

As a result of the Indian Removal Act, this tragedy occurred in which 16,000 Cherokee Indians were forced to march to Indian Territory. Around 1 in 4 Cherokee Indians died on this journey.

Answer 18

The Trail of Tears

Question 19

Andrew Jackson exercised this Presidential power more than all of the Presidents BEFORE him, combined. Jackson was depicted as a King in a famous political cartoon, in part because of his use of this power.

Answer 19

Veto.

Jackson vetoed more bills of Congress than Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and John Quincy Adams COMBINED!

Question 20

As President Andrew Jackson used this system to reward his political supporters with jobs in government.

Jackson argued that this allowed more Americans to have a role or voice in their government.

Others saw this as a corrupt system.

Answer 20

The Spoils System.

“To the victors go the spoils.”

Question 21

These two individuals were sent West to explore the vast land acquired through the Louisiana Purchase and to look for a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Much of what Americans knew of the West in the 1800s came from the Journals created on this journey.

Answer 21

Lewis and Clark.

The expedition lasted from 1804-1806. It was called the Corps of Discovery Expedition.

Question 22

What details can you recall about the Louisiana Purchase?

Answer 22

We bought this vast piece of land from FRANCE under Napoleon Bonaparte for $15 Million. Napoleon decided to sell it after his attempt to establish an empire in the Caribbean failed. This doubled the size of the US and allowed farmers in the Ohio River Valley to move their goods to the port at New Orleans. Jefferson adopted a LOOSE INTERPRETATION of the Constitution to make this happen.

Question 23

This conflict was fought with England and ended in 1814. Nicknamed ‘Mr. Madison’s War’ the war started when the US felt its freedom of the seas was violated by the British practice of seizing American ships and using impressment on sailors.

Answer 23

The War of 1812

This war saw the burning of Washington, DC, the creation of the Star Spangled Banner (our national anthem), and Andrew Jackson rise to the status of war hero after the Battle of New Orleans.

Question 24

This was the name given to the period immediately after the War of 1812 concluded until around 1825. There was a lot of nationalism, one political party in power, and a lot of American growth and progress.

Answer 24

The Era of Good Feelings

Question 25

This was completed in 1824 and turned New York City into a very important center of trade, commerce and finance almost overnight. The project was nicknamed “Clinton’s Ditch” and was viewed skeptically until everyone saw how successful it was. It put many locations across upstate New York on the map.

Answer 25

Erie Canal

Question 26

Andrew Jackson declared “war” on this institution because he believed it only looked out for rich people in the northeast at the expense of the common man. Jackson vetoed the recharter (like a permission slip) of this and then took action to ruin it.

Answer 26

The Bank of the United States (BUS)

Question 27

A battle that developed when South Carolina tried to nullify (or make void) the Tariff of 1828 - also called the “Tariff of Abominations.” Andrew Jackson vowed NOT TO LET South Carolina defy the Federal Government on his watch and threatened to use military force to make South Carolina comply. Eventually, this was settled without any violence. It was an early example of those arguing for “States’ Rights.”

Answer 27

The Nullification Crisis