US HISTORY: 1789-1877 Flashcards
the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798):
- passed by?
- the alien act
- the sedition act
a. passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798, signed into law by president John Adams
b. allowed deportation of foreigners and made it difficult for new immigrants to vote
- eligibility to vote switched from 5 years as a citizen to 14
- the Federalists saw foreigners as a deep threat to American security
c. the sedition act: prohibited public opposition to the gov.
- fines and imprisonment could be used against those who write, print, utter, or publish any false, scandalous, and malicious writing against the gov.
- representative Matthew Lyon of Vermont was imprisoned for his letter criticizing president Adams
the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798
a. Democratic-Republic responses to the Alien and Sedition acts - drafted by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1798
b. Virginia’s resolution: penned by Madison, declared the Alien and Sedition acts as unconstitutional and that measures should be taken by all states to retain their reserved powers
c. Kentucky’s resolution: Jefferson concluded that bc the acts were unconstitutional, they were null and void (not legally valid)
d. these resolutions failed to influence other states to pass similar resolutions
Jeffersonian Republicans
a. also known as the republican party, led by Thomas Jefferson - this group was opposed to the policies of federalists who favored a strong central gov.
b. they believed in individual freedoms and rights of the states - feared that the concentration of federal power under federalists represented a dangerous threat to liberty
John Marshall and the Supreme Court
- appointed Chief Justice
- defined what?
- Marbury v. Madison case
a. Marshall was appointed in 1801 by president Adams - was named as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and held that position until his death in 1835
b. he defined the basic relationship of the judiciary to the rest of the federal gov.
c. best known for his decision and statement in the Marbury v. Madison case
- declared the Judiciary Act of 1789 was illegal in that it gave Judicial Branch powers not granted in the constitution
- this statement set precedent for the Supreme Court to nullify laws found to be unconstitutional
the decline of the Federalist Party and the emergence of Jacksonian Democracy
a. the party came to an end after the War of 1812, as many Americans viewed the Federalists as traitors
- its emphasis on banking, commerce, and national institutions made it unpopular among Americans
b. 1828: Andrew Jackson, a democrat, won the presidential election (first democratic pres.)
- he was anti-Indian sentiment, which played well w/ getting white settlers to vote for him
- he promised to remove Natives from land that white settlers wanted
- proclaimed himself as the “champion of the common man” and believed that their interests were ignored by the economic plans of Clay and Adams
- he also rewarded his supporters by giving them jobs in office (known as the spoils system)
debates over the national bank and tariffs:
- Jackson’s view on the US bank
- the Tariff of Abominations
a. Jackson believed the national bank was corrupt in that it benefitted the elite, and it needed to be reviewed more by the federal gov.
- Bank war of 1833: Jackson killed the bank of the US - when Congress tried to recharter the bank, he vetoed it
- the removal of the bank of the US led to a major economic depression known as the Panic of 1837
b. the Tariff of Abominations (1828) was also passed under Jackson which led to the Nullification Crisis
- the tariff raised taxes on imported manufactures to reduce foreign competition w/ American manufacturing
- this benefitted Northern manufacturing, but severely hurt the south
the Nullification Crisis:
- John Calhoun’s “exposition and protest”
- new tariff bill of 1832
- south’s response to the new bill
- new tax bill and force bill
- the end of the crisis
a. John Calhoun (vice pres. of Jackson) anonymously published “Exposition and Protest” which criticized the tariff and laid the groundwork for nullification theory
- argued that states had the right to nullify any federal law they considered unconstitutional
b. Jackson supported states’ rights but saw nullification as path to secession and a broken Union → (1832) as a compromise, he signed a new tariff bill that lowered most import duties
c. this did not go well w/ Southern radicals who wanted the tariff completely repealed. Nov. 1832, a convention of Southern politicians and proponents of states rights declared the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and unenforceable in South Carolina. they threatened to secede if the gov. didn’t repeal the tariff
d. Jackson tried to compromise again: 1833, signed another bill to lower the tariffs even more - he also signed the Force Bill which authorized force of arms if the South didn’t comply
e. ^^ brought an end to the nullification crisis, but the South kept going against the gov. and using secession as a threat
the rise of the Whig Party:
- foundation of the Whigs
- differences
- the decline of the party
a. in opposition to Jacksonian Democracy, the Whig Party was established in 1834
- feared Jackson was taking too much power that may lead to him naming himself as king
b. differences:
- unlike the Democrats who wanted a strong executive branch, the Whigs believed the legislature should have the most power in gov.
- they were also strong proponents of social order
c. by 1840 they build a party organization as strong as the Democrats - William Henry Harrison was the face of the party
- he won the election, but power for the party didn’t last long when Harrison died a month later and John Tyler took power, who fought against the Whig majority in Congress
major territorial acquisitions of the time pd.
- Lousiana Purchase (1803)
- Florida (1819)
- Texas (1845)
- OR (1846)
- the Mexican cession (1848)
- Gadsden Purchase (1853)
a. 1803, Louisiana Purchase: purchased from France for $15 million
b. 1819, Florida: purchased from Spain for $5 million in assumed claims under Adams-Onis Treaty
c. 1845, Texas: annexation of independent republic
d. 1846, Oregon: the Oregon Treaty w/ Great Britain
- recognized south of the 49th parallel as the US
e. 1848, Mexican Cession: the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
- gave US California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and most of Arizona and Colorado
f. 1853, Gadsden Purchase: purchased from Mexico for $10 million - gave southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico
- also provided the land needed for a southern transcontinental railroad
factors encouraging migration
- Irish and Germans moving to the US
a. mid 1800s, many immigrants from Ireland and Germany were arriving in the US
b. people from Ireland were coming to the US for better economic opportunities
- they often worked in building canals and railroads
c. educated Germans fled to the US to escape persecution from revolutionary activities and for greater economic opportunities
- they were more likely to became farmers or investment in industry
improvements in transportation
- roads and canals
- Adams response to roads and canals
- railroads
- industrial economy
a. roads and canals:
- 1811, construction of a national highway from Maryland to Illinois (funded by the federal gov.) marked the beginning road infrastructure
- canals saved travelers immense amounts of time and $$ (i.e. the Erie Canal: linked the Hudson River to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River)
b. Adams endorsed the creation of roads and canals to facilitate commerce and develop markets for agriculture and advance settlement in the West
c. railroads: starting in the late 1820s, railroads w/ steam locomotives offered a new mode of transportation
- the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was the first to begin service w/ a steam locomotive
- railroad companies began to form
- the demand for coal, iron, and steel skyrocketed, → an increase in these industries → new job opportunities
d. these transport links built an industrial economy
consequences of the Industrial Revolution (5 things)
a. rapid urbanization in America - by 1920, the vast majority lived in cities
b. rise in unskilled labor
c. new labor laws such as the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act
d. poor working conditions and low wages led to the growth of labor unions
- came about bc workers had little political support due to the fact that many were immigrants and women who weren’t allowed to vote
e. formation of distinct social classes - a new middle class formed, which consisted of entrepreneurs, businessmen, and law and medical professionals
- each social class had its own set of values that would often clash, leading to more polarized political parties
the War of 1812
- Britain’s Orders in Council
- the Embargo Act
- the Non-Intercourse Act
- declared war (1812)
- fought where?
- the capital in 1814
- the Treaty of Ghent (1824)
a. Great Britain and France were in conflict w/ one another - both sides attempted to block the US from trading w/ the other
b. in 1807, Britain passed the Orders in Council: required neutral countries to obtain a license before trading w/ France or French colonies
- the Royal Navy was also forcing US seamen to serve on behalf of the British
c. 1807: Jefferson’s Embargo Act, which restricted trade, failed in that it hurt America more than the 2 countries
d. 1809: ^ that bill was replaced w/ one that stated if either power dropped trade restrictions against the US, Congress would resume non-intercourse w/ the opposing power (Non-Intercourse Act)
- France said they’d drop restrictions → pres. James Madison blocked trade w/ Britain
e. 1812: Congress declared war against Britain
- Federalists were against war bc they relied heavily on trade w/ Britain
f. war was fought in Canada (a British colony)
g. in 1814, British forces captured DC and burnt the Capitol and White House
h. 1824: the Treaty Of Ghent ended the war: the US didn’t achieve pre-war objectives, but it did open up the Great Lakes region to American expansion
the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
a. 1823. President James Monroe’s message to congress that warns EU nations that the US wouldn’t tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs
b. declared that any attempts by EU powers to establish new colonies in America would be considered interference in American politics
beginnings of the Mexican-American War (1846-48)
- Texas independence (1836)
- Polk (1844)
- war was declared (1846)
a. 1836: Texas gained independence from Mexico
- at first the US declined to incorporate it into the union bc northern political interests were against the addition of a new state that supported slavery
- Mexico also warned the US that any attempt of annexation would lead to war
b. after the 1844 election of Polk, annexation procedures were initiated
- believed Texas should be re-annexed, OR should be “re-occupied”, and wanted CA, and New Mexico
- his offer to purchase those lands were rejected→ moved troops into a disputed zone between the Rio Grande and Nueces River, which had been recognized as Mexican territory
c. 1846: Congress declared war despite opposition from northern lawmakers
