Unit 4 Flashcards
The Early Republic
Who was our nation’s first president?
George Washington
When did our nations first president take office?
1789
What plethora (a lot) of issues did Washington have?
-Define authority of the central government (what a government does)
-Pay off war debt (owe money)
-Create stable economic system
-Build military
-Maintain national security
-Set up court system
What did Washington do to set up a precedent for future presidents?
-Use of domestic force (used military)
-Executive Cabinet (group of advisors)
-2 term limit (8 years in office)
-Proclamation of Neutrality (not taking any sides)
What was Washington’s biggest problem when he took office?
-The nation was deeply in debt (to owe money)
Who was Secretary of Treasury (works with congress on money) at the time?
-Alexander Hamilton
What plan did Hamilton come up with, why, and what did it consist of?
-Hamilton came up with Hamilton’s Financial Plan to help the U.S. financially.
It consisted of the following main points:
-Repay the debt
-Establish a national bank
-Create a protective tariff (tax)
What did Hamilton do to help the U.S. make money?
-He placed a tax on whiskey.
What effect did the Whiskey tax have?
-Many farmers who made the whiskey did not have cash to pay the tax.
What did the farmers do in response to the Whiskey tax?
-The farmers protested.
What did Washington do to stop the farmers protest during the Whiskey Rebellion?
-Washington sent the army to restore order. (unlike Shay’s Rebellion)
What did Washington write when he retired as president?
-Washington wrote a letter to the American people.
What was the name of the letter Washington wrote when he left office?
-Farewell Address (goodbye talk).
What did Washington warn the people against in the Farewell Address?
-Political Parties
-Permanent foreign alliances (long-term other country partnership)
What is a political party?
-A group of people that have similar ideas of how government should be run.
Why were the first political parties formed?
-Because of arguments between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.
Why did political parties disagree with each other?
-Mainly over the power of the federal government.
Who was the leader of the Federalist Party?
-Alexander Hamilton
What did Hamilton want as the leader of the federalist party?
-Strong federal government
-Emphasis on manufacturing
-Rule by wealth/educated
-Pro-British
-Loose interpretation of the constitution
-National Bank
-Protective tariff (tax on imported goods to protect American products)
Who was the leader of the Democrat-Republican Party?
-Thomas Jefferson
What did Jefferson want as the leader of the Democrat-Republican Party?
-Strong state right’s
-Emphasis on agriculture (farms)
-Rule by the people
-Pro-French
-State banks
-Strict interpretation of constitution
-Free trade
Who was elected as the second president of the U.S. and what political party did he support?
-John Adams was the second president of the U.S. and was a federalist.
What did was France doing during Adams first term?
-France was capturing American ships going to Britain.
How did Adams try to resolve the France’s attacks on U.S. ships and what was this called?
-He sent delegates (representatives) to France to try and talk through the problems but France refused to listen- the XYZ Affair.
What did Adams political party want to him to do during the XYZ Affair?
-Declare war
What did Adams think was best for the country during the XYZ Affair?
-Not declare war or get involved in a war.
What was the Alien (person from another country) Act?
-Allowed the president to imprison (throw in jail) aliens (people from other countries) he thought were dangerous.
What was the Sedition (criticize government) Act?
-Made it a crime to criticize the U.S. government (violating the 1st amendment, more specifically, freedom of speech and freedom of press).
-This was against the constitution.
Who helped write the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?
-Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
What were the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?
-Claimed the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional and would be nullified (to cancel).
Who beat who as third president of the U.S. and what political party did he support?
-Thomas Jefferson beat Adams as the 3rd president and he was a Republican.
What is the Revolution of 1800?
-The changing of the presidency from one political party to another without violence.
What did Thomas Jefferson do once in office?
-Reduced the size of the military.
-Reduced the spending of the government.
-Believed in the free enterprise system which kept the government out of the people’s economic business.
What were the effects of Jefferson first actions in office?
-less taxes, and more money
What did Adams do before he left office?
-He had given government jobs to other Federalists.
Who was Secretary of State during Thomas Jefferson’s first term of presidency?
-James Madison
Once in power, what did Thomas Jefferson order James Madison to do?
-Jefferson ordered Madison to not deliver the letter that informed Marbury of his new job as a judge.
What was ruled in the case of Marbury v. Madison, and who was in charge of the case?
In the case Marbury v. Madison, chief justice John Marshall ruled that it was unconstitutional (against the Constitution) to force Madison to deliver the papers.
What case established judicial review?
Marbury v. Madison
What is judicial review?
-Judicial review is the right of the Supreme Court to declare an action of the Congress or the president unconstitutional.
-M(arbury) +M(adison)=Jolly(Judicial) Rancher(Review)
What was ruled in the case Gibbons v.Ogden, and who ruled it?
In the case Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government would be in charge of “interstate commerce” (trade between the states).
What was ruled in the case McCulloch v. Maryland, and who ruled it?
In the case McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government does not have to pay taxes to the states.
Who was John Marshall, how did he help improve the government and what exactly did he do?
-Supreme Court Chief Justice (leader)
-Strengthened the power of the federal government and judicial branch.
-Wrote Supreme Court decision that established judicial review
Why did Napoleon sell the Louisiana Territory to the U.S.?
Napoleon of France was running out of money while fighting a war and was willing to sell the vast Louisiana Territory.
What was Jefferson unsure of when buying the Louisiana Territory?
Even though Jefferson was not sure the Constitution gave him the power to do so, he bought the land.
When and how much did the U.S. buy the Louisiana Territory for?
In 1803, the U.S. paid $15 million (of resources) for the land.
Who explored the Louisiana Territory?
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the Louisiana Territory (from the French).
Who helped guide the expedition into the Louisiana Territory?
Sacagawea helped guide their expedition.
What did the expedition into the Louisiana Territory provide?
Their trip laid the groundwork for future Americans to move west.
What would Britain do to American property when at war with France?
Britain, who was at war with France again, would seize American ships.
What would Britain do to American sailors when at war with France again?
Britain, who was at war with France again, would seize American ships and force American sailors to join the British Navy (impressment).
In 1807, what happened to The Chesapeake, an American ship?
In 1807, a British ship attacked a U.S. ship, The Chesapeake, and killed 3 Americans.
In response to the British attacks, what did President Jefferson pass?
In response to the British attacks, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act which prohibited America from trading with any other countries.
What was an effect of the Embargo Act?
While the Embargo Act was meant to hurt Britain, it ended up hurting America more.
After the result of the Embargo Act in America, what did Congress do to the Act and how was Jefferson affected?
Congress overturned (reversed) the failed embargo, and Jefferson decided to not run for a 3rd term as president.
Who became president in 1809 and what continued after this person’s presidency?
In 1809, James Madison became president of the U.S. The British and French continued to capture American ships.
In 1811, what battle U.S. did the U.S., against who, what happened as result
-In 1811, the U.S. won a major battle called the Battle of Tippecanoe, against Native Americans.
-As a result, the Native Americans decided to join forces with the British.
What were the War Hawks, who lead this group, and what did they encourage? What did Congress do following this?
-A political group called the War Hawks, led by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, encouraged the government to declare war on Britain.
-Congress quadrupled the size of the army.
In 1812, what did Madison do?
In 1812, Madison decided to declare war on Britain.
During the War of 1812, what did the American forces try to do and what happened as a result?
-American forces tried to invade Canada but failed.
-In retaliation (respond with force), the British attacked and burned much of Washington D.C.
Where did many battles take place and outcomes of these battles during the War of 1812?
Many battles took place on the Great Lakes, the greatest one being the Battle of Lake Erie won by the U.S.
How did the Star-Spangled Banner come about?
-In Baltimore, Maryland Britain bombarded Fort McHenry.
-The following morning, Francis Scott Key was so ecstatic that America withstood the bombarding that he wrote the Star-Spangled Banner.
-That poem is now our country’s national anthem.
What ended the War of 1812?
-The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812.
-No boundaries changed, but the British agreed to stop seizing American ships.
What was the Battle of New Orleans?
Andrew Jackson had not heard the war had ended, and fought and defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans.
What were some effects of the War of 1812?
-America earned respect around the world for defending themselves from Britain.
-Americans became very patriotic, or proud of their country.
-Americans built more factories, increasing manufacturing, to make items they could not trade for during the War of 1812.
What was the Era of Good Feelings?
Americans were happy after the War of 1812, and did not argue over political parties.
What was the Antebellum period?
