AP US history Flashcards
1
Q
When and how did the first people come to the America’s?
A
- Over the Bering land bridge about 40,000 years ago
2
Q
When was the printing press invented? Who invented it?
A
- 1439, by Johannes Gutenberg.
3
Q
How many years did Columbus desk financial support? Who finally backed him?
A
- Eight years
- In 1492, Spanish monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand
4
Q
Who were the first two nations in the New World? What did the pope do in 1493? What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
A
- Spain and Portugal
- They turned to the pope to settle a land dispute, in 1493 - Pope Alexander vi drew a vertical, north-south line on a world map, giving Spain all lands to the west of the line and Portugal all lands to the east.
- In 1494, they signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, moving the line a few degrees to the west.
- It was later discovered that the line passed through what is now the country of Brazil, and this, together with Portuguese explorations, established Portugal’s claim to Brazil.
- Spain claimed the rest of the America’s.
5
Q
Why did England not follow up on Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland (1497)
A
England’s monarchy in the 1500s was preoccupied with other matters, including Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church.
6
Q
What did England due in the 1570s and 80s?
A
- England challenged Spanish shipping in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- Sir Francis drake, for example, attacked Spanish ships, seized the gold and silver they carried, and even attacked Spanish settlements on the coast of Peru.
7
Q
What was England’s first attempt at colonization in the new world?
A
- Sir Walter Raleigh,
- Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina in 1587
- Failed
8
Q
What was the first French settlement in America?
A
1698 at Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River.
9
Q
What did Dutch sailor Henry Hudson do in 1609?
A
- Speaking a northwest passage, in 1609, Hudson sailed up a broad river (later named for him)
- established Dutch claims to the surrounding area that would become New Amsterdam (and later New York).
10
Q
What happened in 1588?
A
Britain defeated the Spanish Armada, giving it a reputation as a major naval power.
11
Q
How did England initially finance the costly and risky enterprise of starting a colony?
A
Their joint-stock companies (Stock was held jointly by many shareholders).
12
Q
What was the first permanent English colony in America? When was it settled?
A
Jamestown in 1607.
13
Q
What allowed Jamestown to overcome the problem of starvation?
A
- John Smith: If you don’t work, you don’t eat
- John Rolfe: established a tobacco industry, and by exporting the cash crop, the colony quickly became profitable.
14
Q
What economic system did the pilgrims practice until 1623? From when to when to Plymouth suffer from famine?
A
common ownership 1620-23
20-23
15
Q
When did Africans first arrive in Jamestown?
A
1619
16
Q
Did the Pilgrims Intend to land at Plymouth in 1620?
A
No, they hand been aiming for Jamestown, but decided to stay in Plymouth upon landing.
17
Q
When did the Spanish first land in Florida?
A
1565, in St. Augustine.
18
Q
From when to when we’re the Spanish in New Mexico? What happened?
A
1609 (Santa Fe) Harsh efforts to Christianity the Native Americans caused the Pueblo people to revolt in the 1680s. The Spanish were driven from the area in the early 1700s.
19
Q
When did the Spanish settle in Texas?
A
In the early 1700s after being driven from New Mexico.
20
Q
When did the Spanish arrive in California? Why?
A
- In response to Russian exploration from Alaska,
- San Diego 1769 and San Fransisco in 1776. By 1784, a series of missions and settlements had been established along the California coast by members of the Franciscan order.
21
Q
What was the Spanish approach to Native Americans?
A
conquer, rule, and intermarry with the Aztecs, Maya’s, and Incas.
22
Q
What was the English approach to Native Americans?
A
occupied the land and forced the small, scattered tribes they encountered to move away from the coast to inland territories.
23
Q
What was the French approach to Native Americans.
A
looking for furs and converts to Catholicism, tended to treat the Native Americans as economic and military allies.
24
Q
What happened to Roger Williams? What did he find? How did it differ from other states?
A
- Boston in 1631 as a respected Puritan minister.
- believed that the individual’s conscience was beyond the control of any civil or church authority.
- in conflict with other Puritan leaders, who ordered his banishment from the Bay colony.
- founded the settlement of Providence in 1636.
- recognized the rights of Native Americans and paid them for the use of their land. Second,
- complete religious toleration by allowing Catholics, Quakers, and Jews to worship freely.
25
What was the halfway-covenant?
1660s
- people could take part in Puritan church services and activities without making a formal declaration of their total belief in Christ.
26
What was King Phillip’s war?
A chief of the Wampanoags named Metacom—known to the colonists as King Phillip—united many tribes in southern New England against the English settlers, who were constantly encroaching on the Native Americans’ lands. In a vicious war (1675-1676), thousands on both sides were killed, and dozens of towns and villages were burned. Eventually the colonial forces managed to prevail, killing King Phillip and virtually ending Native American resistance in New England.
27
When did England take over New Amsterdam/York from the Dutch?
In 1664
28
Who were the Quakers? What did they believe? Why were they persecuted in England?
- equality of all men and women
- nonviolence
- resistance to military service.
- religious authority was found within each person’s private soul and not in the Bible or any outside source.
- In the 17th century, such views seemed to pose a radical challenge to established authority. Therefore, the Quakers of England were widely persecuted for their beliefs.
29
What was Penn’s Holy Experiment?
- Penn was a quaker.
- He wanted his new colony (given to him to fulfill a royal debt) to achieve three purposes:
- provide a religious refuge for Quakers and other persecuted people
- enact liberal ideas in government
- generate income and profits for himself.
30
What was the last colony? When was it chartered? What was it’s purpose?
- George (1732).
- defensive buffer between prosperous South Carolina and Spanish Florida
- gave thousands of English debt prisoners and chance to start life anew (easing the strain on British prisons).
31
How did mercantilism apply to the colonies early on?
Colonies were to provide raw materials to the parent country for the growth and profit of that country’s industry. Colonies existed for one (main) purpose only; to enrich the parent country.
32
Mercantilism
the economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances, which a government should encourage by means of protectionism.
33
What did the Navagation Acts (enacted by Britain over time from 1650 to 1673) require?
1. Trade to and from the colonies could be carried only by English or colonial ships
2. All goods imported into the colonies, except for some perishables, had to pass through ports in England.
3. Certain goods from the colonies could only be exported to England. Tobacco originally, but over a period of years, the list was expanded to include most colonial products.
34
What were the negative effects of the Navigation Acts?
1. Colonial manufacturing was severely limited.
2. Chesapeake farmers received low prices for their crops.
3. Colonists has to pay high prices for manufactured goods from England.
35
What was the Dominion of New England?
- 1686, King James II combined the New England colonies into the Dominion of New England and place Sir Edmund Andros in charge as governor.
- Andros was instantly unpopular, levying taxes, limiting town meetings, and revoking land titles.
- brought to an end in 1688 when William and Mary deposed James II.
36
In 1775, what percentage of the colonies were African American? What percentage of them were in the south?
20 percent, with 90 percent of them being in the south.
37
How religiously tolerant were the colonies in the early eighteenth century?
All of the colonies permitted the practice of different religions, but with varying degrees of freedom. Massachusetts, the least tolerant, excluded non-Christians and Catholics, although it accepted a number of Protestant denominations. Rhode Island and Pennsylvania were the most liberal.
38
What percentage of the people living in the colonies in the 1700s lived on farms?
Over 90%
39
```
What was life like for women in the 1700s in the colonies?
How many children?
Household work?
who educated?
Jobs?
Divorce? Legal rights?
```
- bore eight children
- Household work included cooking, cleaning, clothes-making, and medical care.
- educated the children.
- usually worked next to her husband in the shop, on the plantation, or on the farm.
- Divorce was legal but rare, and women had limited legal and political rights.
- Yet the shared labors and mutual dependence with their husbands gave most women protection from abuse (which was legal) and an active role in decision making.
40
What was transportation like in the colonies?
| How did this impact the location of cities?
- Transporting goods by water was much easier than attempting to carry them overland on rough and narrow roads and trails.
Therefore, trading centers like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston were located on the sites of good harbors and navigable rivers.
41
In the 17th century, what two churches were paid for with taxpayer money? How did this change over time? When did it end?
The Church of England (or Anglican Church) in Virginia and the Congregational Church in Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut.
- In Massachusetts and Connecticut, by the time of the Revolution, members of other established religions were exempt from supporting the Congregational Chruch.
- Some direct tax support remained until the 19th century. In Virginia, all tax support for the Anglican Church ended shortly after the Revolution.
42
What was the Great Awakening?
- a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its Thirteen Colonies between the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Protestantism as adherents strove to renew individual piety and religious devotion.
43
Who was Jonathan Edwards? What did he teach?
- He initiated the Great Awakening with a series of sermons, including "Sinner's in the Hands of an Angry God" (1941).
- He taught that each individual who expressed deep penitence could be saved by God's grace, but the souls who paid no heed to God's commandments would suffer eternal damnation.
44
Who was George Whitefield? How large were some of his audiences? What did he teach?
- Whitefield ignited the Great Awakening with his rousing sermons on the hellish torments of the damned.
- He preached in barns, tents, and fields, sometimes attracting audiences of 10,000 people.
- He stressed that God was all-powerful and would save only those who openly professed belief in Jesus Christ; those who did not would be cast to hell. He taught that ordinary people who had faith and sincerity could understand the Christian Gospels without depending on ministers to lead them.
45
What were the economic/leisure differences between the 1600s and the 1700s in the colonies?
- In the early 1600s, the chief concern of most colonists was economic survival. People had neither the time nor the resources to pursue leisure activities or create works of art and literature.
- One hundred years later, however, the colonial population had grown and matured to the point that the arts and other aspects of civilized living could flourish, at least among the well-to-do southern planters and the merchants of the northern cities.
46
What was the first colonial college? When was it created?
Harvard, 1636
47
What was the first nonsectarian college in the colonies/US? When was it created?
The College of Philadelphia (eventually the University of Pennsylvania), founded in 1765
48
Could Newspapers attack political authorities in the early colonial days?
What happened to John Zenger in 1735? What did his lawyer argue? What did the jury do? How did this impact the newspaper industry? What was this the first example of?
- According to English common law at the time, injuring a governor's reputation was considered a criminal act, no matter whether a printed statement was true or false.
- In 1735, John Zenger, a New York editor and publisher, was brought to trial on a charge of libelously criticizing New York's royal governor.
- Zenger's lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, argued that his client had printed the truth about the governor.
- Ignoring the English law, the jury voted to acquit Zenger. - While this case did not guarantee complete freedom of the press, it encouraged newspapers to take greater risks in criticizing a colony's government (it is a famous example of jury nullification).
49
What were the main forms of entertainment for the well-to-do in the 1700s?
- cardplaying and horse-racing in the south, theatergoing in the middle colonies, and attending religious lectures in Puritan New England.
50
What did the government of each of the 13 colonies consist of by 1750?
By 1750, the 13 colonies had similar systems of government, with a governor acting as chief executive and a separate legislature (2 houses) voting either to adopt or reject the governor's proposed laws.
51
How did the French and Indian War begin?
- Hoping to stop the French from completing work on Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) and thereby win control of the Ohio River Valley, the governor of Virginia sent a small militia under the command of a young colonel named George Washington.
- After gaining a small initial victory, Washington's troops surrendered to a superior force of Frenchmen and their Native American allies on July 3, 1754. With this military encounter in the wilderness, the war began.
52
How did the French and Indian War initially go for Britain? What happened in 1755? 1756/1757?
At first, the war went badly for the British.
- In 1755, another disastrous expedition from Virignia, led by General Edward Braddock, ended in disastrous defeat, as more than 2,000 British regulars and colonial troops were routed by a smaller force of French and Native Americans near Ft. Duquesne. The Algonquin allies of the French ravaged the frontier from western Pennsylvania to North Carolina. A British invasion of French Canada in 1756 and 1757 was repulsed.
53
Why was the Albany Congress called? What came out of the Albany Congress? How many states ended up ratifying the plan?
- Recognizing the need for coordinating colonial defense, the British government called for representatives from several colonies to meet in a congress at Albany, New York in 1754.
- The delegates from seven colonies adopted a plan--the Albany Plan of Union--developed by Benjamin Franklin that provided for an intercolonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes from the various colonies for there common defense.
- But, not a single colony ended up ratifying the plan.
54
How did the British turn around the French and Indian War? What was the end result? 1758? 1759? 1760? What happened in 1763? What was the end result?
In London, William Pitt, the new British Prime Minister concentrated the government's military strategy on conquering Canada. This objective was accomplished with the retaking of Louisbourg in 1758, the surrender of Quebec to General James Wolfe in 1759, and the taking of Montreal in 1760. With these victories and the signing of a peace treaty in 1763, the British extended their control of North America, and French power on the continent virtually ended.
55
What was salutary neglect? What changed after the French and Indian War?
- the 17th and 18th century British Crown policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep British colonies obedient to England.
- This earlier policy ended after the French and Indian War as the British saw a need to adopt more forceful policies for taking control of their expanded North American dominions, and making them cover the British debt created by the war.
56
What was Pontiac's Rebellion? What caused it? How did the British respond?
The first major test of the new British imperial policy came in 1763 when Chief Pontiac led a major attack against colonial settlements on the western frontier. The Native Americans were angered by the growing westward movement of European settlers and by the British refusal to offer gifts as the French had done. Pontiac's alliance of Native Americans in the Ohio Valley destroyed forts and settlements from New York to Virginia. Rather than relying on colonial forces to retaliate, the British sent regular troops to deal with the "rebellion."
57
What was the Proclamation of 1763? What did it hope to achieve? How did the colonists feel about it? What was the result?
- prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
- Such a measure, it was hoped, would help to prevent future hostilities between colonists and Native Americans.
- But the colonists reacted to the proclamation with anger and defiance. After their victory in the French and Indian War, Americans hoped to reap benefits in the form of access to western lands. For the British to deny such benefits was infuriating. Defying the prohibition, thousands streamed westward beyond the imaginary boundary line drawn by the British.
58
Sugar Act (1764)? What was its purpose?
Placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries. Its chief purpose was to raise money for the crown?
59
Quartering Act (1765)
This act required the colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers stationed in the colonies.
60
Stamp Act (1765). What was its purpose? What did it do? What was it the first of?
- To raise funds to support British military forces in the colonies.
- required that revenue stamps be placed on most printed papers in the colonies, including all legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and advertisements.
- This was the first direct tax--collected from those who used the goods--paid by the people in the colonies, as opposed to the taxes on goods that were imported into the colonies, which were paid by merchants.
61
Stamp Act. How did Patrick Henry respond? What did James Otis call for? What was formed as a result? What did they resolve?
What other group formed as a response? What did they do?
What was the most effective form of protest? What did this lead to?
1. A young Virginia lawyer named Patrick Henry expressed the sentiments of many when he stood up in the House of Burgesses to demand that the king's government recognize the rights of all citizens--including no taxation without representation. In Massachusetts, James Otis initiated a call for cooperative action among the colonies to protest the Stamp Act. Representatives from nine colonies met in New York in 1765 to form the so-called Stamp Act Congress. They resolved that only their own elected representatives had the legal authority to approve taxes.
2. The protest against the stamp tax took a violent turn with the formation of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, a secret society organized for the purpose of intimidating tax agents. Members of this society sometimes tarred and feathered revenue officials and destroyed revenue stamps.
3. Boycotts against British imports were the most effective form of protest. It became fashionable in the colonies in 1765 and 1766 for people not to purchase any article of British origin. Faced with a sharp drop in trade, London merchants put pressure on Parliament to repeal the controversial Stamp Act.
62
Declaratory Act (1766). What was it accompanied by? What did it do?
- In 1766, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act. At the same time, Parliament also enacted a face-saving measure known as the Declaratory Act.
- asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
63
Townshend Acts (1767). What were their purpose? What did they enact duties on? What else did they do?
- To raise revenue to pay crown officials in the colonies
Parliament enacted new duties to be collected on colonial imports of tea, glass, and paper. The Townshend Acts also provided for the search of private homes for smuggled goods. All that an official needed to conduct such a search would be a writ of assistance (a general license to search anywhere) rather than a judge's warrant permitting a search only of a specifically named property.
64
Colonial reaction to the Townshend Acts (1767). How did James Otis and Samuel Adams respond? How did British officials react to this? How did the colonists react to this?
- In 1768, James Otis and Samuel Adams jointly wrote the Massachusetts Circular Letter and sent copies to every colonial legislature. It urged the various colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.
- British officials in Boston ordered the letter retracted, threatened to dissolve the legislature, and increased the number of British troops in Boston.
- Responding to the circular letter, the colonists again conducted boycotts of British goods. Merchants increased their smuggling activities to avoid the offensive Townshend duties.
65
Repeal of Townshend Acts (1770). Why was it repealed? What was kept? How did the colonists react?
- The act was mostly repealed in 1770 because it damaged trade and generated only a disappointing amount of revenue.
- A small tax on tea was retained as a symbol of Parliament's right to tax the colonies. The repeal ended the colonial boycott.
66
Boston Massacre. What did colonists in Boston resent? What did they do? How did the British respond? Who defended the British and what was the decision? Who called it a massacre? How was this later used?
- The people of Boston generally resented the British troops who had been quartered in their city to protect customs officials from being attacked by the Sons of Liberty.
- On a snowy day in March 1770, a crowd of colonists harassed the guards near the customs house.
- The guards fired into the crowd, killing five people including an African American, Crispus Attucks.
- At their trial for murder, the soldiers were defended by colonial lawyer John Adams and aquitted.
- Adams' more radical cousin, Samuel Adams, angrily denounced the shooting incident as a "massacre."
- Later, the episode was often used by colonial leaders to inflame anti-British feeling.
67
What was The Gaspee? What happened in 1772? How did the British respond?
- A British ship that had been successful in catching a number of smugglers.
- In 1772, the ship ran aground off the shore of Rhode Island. Seizing their opportunity to destroy the hated vessel, a group of colonists disguised as Native Americans ordered the British crew ashore and then set fire to the ship.
- The British ordered a commission to investigate and bring guilty individuals to Britain for trial.
68
Tea Act (1773). What caused it? What did it do?
- The colonists continued their refusal to buy British tea because the British insisted on their right to collect the tax. Hoping to help the British East India Company out of its financial problems, Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773 which made the price of the company's tea--even with the tax included--cheaper than that of smuggled Dutch tea.
69
Boston tea Party. How did Americans respond to the tea act? Why? What happened here?
- Following the Tea Act (1773), many Americans refused to buy the cheaper tea because to do so would, in effect, recognize Parliament's right to tax the colonies.
- A shipment of the East India Company's tea arrived in Boston harbor, but there were no buyers. On December 16, 1773, before the royal governor could arrange to bring the tea ashore, a group of Bostonians disguised themselves as Native Americans, boarded the British ship, and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor.
70
What percentage of tea in the colonies around 1773 was smuggled in?
About 86%
71
What was the Colonial reaction to the Boston Tea Party
The colonial reaction to this incident was mixed. While many applauded the Boston Tea Party as a justifiable defense of liberty, others though the destruction of private property was far too radical.
72
The Coercive/Intolerable Acts (1774) (4 of them) Why were they created? What did they do?
- directed at punishing the people of Boston and Massachusetts and bringing dissent under control.
1. The Port Act closed the port of Boston, prohibiting trade in and out of the harbor until the destroyed tea was paid for.
2. The Massachusetts Government Act reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature while increasing the power of the royal governor.
3. The Administration of Justice Act allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in England instead of in the colonies.
4. A fourth law expanded the Quartering Act to enable British troops to be quartered in private homes. It applied to all colonies.
73
What was the colonies response to the Intolerable acts? What was this convention later referred to as?
- All colonies except Georgia sent delegates to a convention in Philadelphia in September 1774 to determine how they should react.
- The first Continental Congress
74
What three main measures were adopted by the First Continental Congress?
The Suffolk Resolves rejected the Intolerable Acts and called for their immediate repeal. It also called for military preparations and boycotts.
2. The Declaration of Rights and Grievances petitioned the king urging him to redress colonial grievances and restore colonial rights. It recognized Parliament's authority to regulate commerce.
3. It called for a second meeting in May 1775 if colonial rights were not recognized
75
How did Britain respond to the 1st.C.C?
Declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion and sent additional troops to the colony
76
What happened on April 18, 1775? How did it start? What happened next? Lexington? Concord?
- General Gage (British commander in Boston) sent troops to seize colonial military supplies in Concord.
- Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the militia of Lexington
- Americans were forced to retreat (8 Americans were killed, one British injured)
- British entered Concord and destroyed some supplies
- British were ambushed while returning, suffering 250 casaulties (100 American casualties at days end)
77
Bunker Hill. What happened? Casualties?
June 17, 1755
- A British force attacked the colonists' position on fortified Breed's Hill, and managed to take the hill, suffering over a thousand casualties. Americans claimed a victory of sorts, having succeeded in inflicting heavy losses on the attacking British Army.
- 450 American Casualties, 1,054 British Casualties
78
Second Continental Congress creation? What military actions did it initially take?
- Philadelphia, May 1775
- called for troops
- GW appointed commander-in-chief
- Navy and Marine Crop were organized in the fall
79
Olive Branch Petition
- Sent in July 1775, pledged their loyalty to King George III and asked the king to intercede with Parliament to secure peace and the protection of colonial rights
80
Parliament's Prohibitory Act (August 1775)?
Response to the Olive Branch Petition. Declared the colonies in rebellion
81
Declaration of Independence? What happened on July 7, 1776? Who wrote it? What did it contain? What happened on the 2nd and 4th of July.
On June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution declaring the colonies to be undefended.
- Declaration drafted by Jefferson listed specific grievances against George III's government and also expressed the basic principles that justified revolution
- Lee's resolution adopted on July 2nd, DoI adopted on July 4th.
82
How did the first three years of the war go (1775-1777)? What happened in 1776? What was the state of the war at the end of 1777? How did the winter of 77-78 go?
- Very poorly, it barely escaped disaster in a battle for New York City in 1776.
- By the end of 1777, the British occupied both New York and Philadelphia.
- After losing Philadelphia, Washington's demoralized troops suffered through the severe winter of 77-78 camped at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.
- 95% decline in trade
- Goods were scarce and inflation was rampant. Continentals (the money) were virtually worthless.
83
Battle of Saratoga.
What were the British trying to do?
What happened to them?
Why was this battle so important?
October 1777.
British forces had marched from Canada in an ambitious effort to link up with other forces marching from the west and south. Their objective was to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. but they were attacked at Saratoga by troops commanded by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. The British Army was forced to surrender.
(330 American casualties, 1,100 British casualties, 6,200 British captured).
- Persuaded France to join the war (a year later Spain and Holland also joined)
84
Battle of Yorktown
Sep 28, 1781 – Oct 19, 1781
- Strongly supported by French naval and military forces, Washington's army forced the surrender of a large British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis.
- Final major battle of the Revolutionary War
85
Treaty of Paris
War had become increasingly unpopular in Britain, a tory government was replaced by a whig one.
Treaty signed in 1783 provided 4 things.
1. Britain would recognize the existence of the US as an independent nation. 2. The Mississippi River would be the western boundary of that nation. 3. Americans would have fishing rights off the coast of Canada. 4. Americans would pay debts owed to British merchants and honor Loyalist claims for property confiscated during the war.
86
Articles of Confederation
Adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781
- Central government with one body, a congress. Each state had one vote, at least 9 required to pass important laws. Unanimous vote required to amend.
- Congress could wage war, make treaties, send diplomatic representatives, and borrow money.
Congress could not regulate commerce or collect taxes. It also had no executive branch to enforce its laws
87
Problems with Articles of Confederation (Financial, Foreign, Domestic)
1. Had no taxing powers and could only request that the states donate money for national needs (paying war debts). Money printed at the time was virtually worthless.
2. Britain and Spain are threatening to take advantage of U.S. weakness by expanding their interests in the western lands soon after the war ended.
3. Shays Rebellion (uprising against high taxes, debtors prison, and lack of paper money. Broken by Massachusetts military after about 6 months (summer 1786 to January 87)
88
Women during the war. War effort? Economy? Class?
- Some worked as cooks and nurses in war effort
- A few actually fought (ex. Deborah Sampson who pretended to be a man)
- maintained colonial economy during war, running farms and businesses
- Still seen as second class, "remember the ladies" - Abigail Adams
89
Slavery during revolution time
- Most northern states ended slavery.
| - Majority of southern slaveowners came to believe that slave labor was essential to their economy
90
How did the states treat each other under the AoC?
The 13 states treated one another with suspicion and competed for economic advantage. They placed tariffs and other restrictions on the movement of goods across state lines. A number of states also entered into boundary disputes that increased interstate rivalry and tension.
91
Annapolis convention
1786, only five states showed up, after discussing ways to improve commercial relations among the states, they called for another convention in Philadelphia to revise the AOC.
92
How did Americans see government after the revolution? How did this impact the constitution?
Americans in the 1780s generally distrusted government and feared that officials would seize every opportunity to abuse their powers, even if they were elected democratically. Therefore, Madison and other convention delegates wanted to make sure that the new constitution would be based on a system of checks and balances.
93
What was the great compromise/Connecticut plan?
It reconciled the New Jersey and Virginia plans, and called for the creation of two legislative bodies, the house and the senate.
94
Three-fifths compromise
Counted each slave as 3/5s of a person for the purpose of determining a state's level of taxation and representation
95
1808 agreement
A guarantee that slaves could be imported for at least 20 years longer (until 1808), at which point congress could vote to abolish the practice.
96
Commercial compromise
Allowed congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, including placing tariffs (taxes) on foreign imports, but it prohibited placing taxes on any exports.
97
What did the federalists believe?
A stronger central government in order to maintain order and preserve the union
98
What did the antifederalists believe?
Stronger central government would destroy the work of the revolution, limit democracy, and restrict states' rights
99
Federalist papers
85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay arguing in favor of the constitution
100
Ratification of Constitution
By promising to add a bill of rights to the constitution, the antifederalists most telling objection was met. With New Hampshire voting yes in June 1788, the constitution was ratified (9th state)
101
Argument in favor of bill of rights
Americans had fought the revolutionary war to escape the tyranny of a central government in Britain. What was to stop a strong central government under the constitution from acting in a tyrannical manner? Only by adding a bill of rights could Americans be protected against such a possibility.
102
Argument against bill of rights
Since members of Congress would be elected by the people, they did not need to be protected against themselves. Furthermore, it was better to assume that all rights were protected than to create a limited list of rights, since unscrupulous officials could then assert that unlisted rights could be violated at will.
103
What was the first US Capital
New York City
104
Who formed Washington's original cabinet?
State: Thomas Jefferson
Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
War: Henry Knox
Attorney General: Edmund Randolph
105
Judiciary Act of 1789
Established a Supreme Court with one chief justice and five associate justices. This highest court was empowered to rule on the constitutionality of decisions made by the state courts. The act also provided for a system of 13 district courts and three circuit courts of appeals.
106
Hamilton's financial plan
1. Pay off the national debt at face value and have the federal government assume the war debts of the states.
2. Protect the young nation's "infant" industries and collect adequate revenues at the same time by imposing high tariffs on imported goods
3. Create a national bank for depositing government funds and for printing banknotes that would provide the basis for a stable U.S. currency/
107
First National bank debate. What were the arguments? What was the result?
Jefferson argued that the constitution did not give congress the power to create a bank. But Hamilton took a "broader" view of the Constitution, arguing that the document's "necessary and proper" clause authorized Congress to do whatever was necessary to carry out its enumerated powers. Washington supported Hamilton on the issue, and the proposed bank was voted into law. Although charted by the federal government, the Bank of the United States was privately owned. As a major shareholder of the bank, the federal government could print paper currency and use federal deposits to stimulate business.
108
Proclamation of neutrality (1793)
US declares neutrality in French Revolution, Jefferson resigns in protest
109
Pinckney Treaty (1795)
Spain agreed to open the lower Mississippi River and New Orleans to American trade. The right of deposit was granted to Americans so that they could transfer cargoes in New Orleans without paying duties to the Spanish government.
110
Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
- Western Pennsylvania Farmers refused to pay federal excise tax on Whiskey, attacked revenue collectors
- Washington federalized 15,000 state militiamen and placed them under the control of Alexander Hamilton.
- Rebellion collapsed without any bloodshed.
- Some applauded Washington's actions, but many resented and condemned it as an unwarranted use of force against the common people (including Jefferson)
111
What was the 14th state? When was it added?
Vermont, 1791.
112
Federalists vs Democratic-Republicans
View of constitution: Loose interpretation, strong central government vs Strict interpretation, weak central government
Military policy: Large peacetime army and navy vs small peacetime army and navy
Domestic policy: National bank and tariffs vs no national bank and opposition to tariffs
113
Washington's farewell adress (1796)
Warned Americans:
- Not to get involved in European affairs
- Against the US making "permanent alliances" in foreign affairs
- Not to form political parties
- To avoid sectionalism
114
XYZ affair
- U.S. merchant ships were being seized by the French
- Adams sent a delegation to Paris to negotiate.
- Certain ministers known as X, Y, and Z requested bribes to begin negotiations
- Americans refused
- Many clamored for war, but Adams refused believing the Army and Navy weren't strong enough
115
Naturalization Acts (1798)
Increased from 5 to 14 years the number of years required for immigrants to qualify for U.S. citizenship because most immigrants voted Democratic-Republican
116
Alien Acts (1798)
Authorized the president to deport any aliens considered dangerous and to detain any enemy aliens in times of war
117
Sedition Act (1798)
Made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize either the president or Congress and imposed heavy penalties (fines or imprisonment) for editors who violated the law
118
Kentucky and Virginia resolution (1799)
declared that the states had entered into a "compact" in forming the national government, and therefore, if any act of the federal government broke the compact, a state could nullify the federal law.
119
Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same amount of electoral votes, and was sent to the house.
- They debated and voted for days before they finally gave a majority to Jefferson (Hamilton had urged his followers to vote for Jefferson, whom he considered less dangerous and of higher character than Burr)
120
Jefferson Presidency
Carried on neutrality policy, reduced the size of the military, eliminated a number of federal jobs, repealed the excise taxes (including those on whiskey), and lowered the national debt, repealed alien and sedition acts
121
Lousiana purchase
- 1803
- U.S. wanted New Orleans and a strip of land extending from that port eastward to Florida, offered Napoleon $10 million
- Delegates offered entire territory for $15 million, accept
- Passed congress as a treaty (constitution doesn't give authority to purchase land)
- doubled size of US
122
Marbury v Madison (1803)
- Adams midnight appointments not delivered in time
- Madison (SoS) ordered not to deliver them
- Marbury sues for his job
- Marshall says under Judiciary Act of 1789 Marbury had right to his job, but that the Act itself was unconstitutional, therefore Marbury could not be given his commission
- Establishes judicial review
123
Barbary Pirates
To protect U.S. merchant ships from being seized by Barbary pirates, Washington and Adams had agreed to pay tribute to the Barbary governments. The ruler of one state, the Pasha of Tripoli, demanded a higher sum in tribute when Jefferson took office. Rather than pay this sum, Jefferson decided to send a small fleet of U.S. naval vessels to the Mediterranean. Sporadic fighting with Tripoli lasted for four years (1801-05). The American navy did not achieve a decisive victory but gained some respect and also offered a measure of protection to U.S. vessels trading in the Mediterranean Sea.
124
Chesapeake-Leopard affair (1807)
A few miles off the coast of Virginia, the British warship Leopard fired on the U.S. warship Chesapeake. Three Americans were killed and four others were taken captive and impressed into the British navy. Anti-British feeling ran high, and many Americans demanded war. Jefferson, however, resorted to diplomacy and economic pressure as his response to the crisis
125
Embargo Act (1807)
- Prohibited American merchant ships from sailing to any foreign port.
- The goal, because Britain was the U.S's largest trading partner, was to force Britain to stop violating the rights of neutral nations
- Embargo backfired, and brought much greater economic hardship to the U.S. than to Britain.
- The impact on the U.S. economy was devastating, especially for the merchant marine and shipbuilders of New England. A movement for secession even began there.
- Jefferson called for its repeal in 1809 during the final days of his Presidency, after the repeal the US could trade with all nations except Britain and France (Nonintercourse Act of 1809)
(read more about this, good argument against tariffs)
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Macon's Bill no. 2 (1810)
If either Britain or France formally agreed to respect U.S. neutral rights at sea, then the US would prohibit trade with that nation's foe.
- Napoleon agreed, and Madison placed an embargo on Britain in 1811, but Napoleon never fulfilled his end of the bargain, continuing to seize US merchant ships
127
Cause of War of 1812
- British seizure of US merchant ships and impressment of sailors
- British providing arms to Indians who fought Americans
- War hawks who wanted to take control of Canada
128
Treaty of Ghent (1814)
- Ended fighting
- Returned all conquered territory to the prewar claimant
- Recognition of the prewar boundary between Canada and the United States
War ended in a stalemate.
129
Hartford Convention
- New England Federalists met in December 1814 to consider secession
- Treaty of Ghent shortly after, Federalists appeared unpatriotic (would no longer be a presidential contending party by 1820)
130
War of 1812 legacy
1. United states gained the respect of other nations
2. Widely denounced for its talk of secession and disunion in New England, the Federalist party came to an end as a national force
3. The US came to accept Canada as a neighbor and a part of the British Empire
131
Tariff of 1816
After the war Congress raised the tariff rates on certain goods for the express purpose of protecting U.S. manufacturers from ruin. It was the first protective tariff in U.S. history
132
Henry Clay's American System and James Monroe
1. Protective tariffs
2. a national bank
3. internal improvements
Two parts were in place by 1816, the last year of the Monroe Presidency. Congress in that year adopted a protective tariff and also chartered the Second Bank of the US (charter for the first had expired in 1811)
But Madison objected to internal improvements, stating that the constitution did not explicitly provide for the spending of federal money on roads and canals. Throughout his presidency, Monroe consistently vetoed acts of Congress providing funds for road-building and canal-building projects. Thus, the individual states were left to make internal improvements on their own.
133
The Panic of 1819
Caused by the Second Bank of the US, which had tightened credit in a belated effort to control inflation. Many state banks closed, and there were large increases in unemployment, bankruptcies and imprisonment for debt.
- Western States were hit the worst due to land speculation based on postwar euphoria which had placed many people in debt, and in 1819, the Bank of the US foreclosed on large amounts of western farmland.
134
Changes in the Republican in the 1810s
Certain members of the party, such as John Randolph clung to the old Republican ideals of limited government and strict interpretation of the Constitution. The majority of Republicans, however, adopted what had once been a Federalist program. Even after the War of 1812, a Republican Congress authorized the maintaining of a large army and navy. In chartering a Second Bank of the US in 1816, the majority faction of Republicans adopted an institution originally championed by the Federalist leader Alexander Hamilton
135
Fletcher v Peck (1810)
In a case involving land fraud in Georgia, Marshall concluded that a state could not pass legislation invalidating a contract. This was the first time the SC declared a state law to be unconstitutional and invalid.
(Contract Clause)
136
Martin v Hunter's Lease (1816)
SC established the principle that it had jurisdiction over state courts in cases involving constitutional rights
(Article Three of the U.S. Constitution grants the U.S. Supreme Court jurisdiction and authority over state courts on matters involving federal law.)
137
Dartmouth v Woodward (1819)
(Contract Clause) This case involved a law of New Hampshire that changed Dartmouth College from a privately chartered college into a public institution. The Marshall Court struck down the state law as unconstitutional, arguing that a contract for a private corporation could not be altered by the state.
138
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Using a "loose interpretation" of the Constitution, the Marshall Court ruled that the federal government had the implied power to create the bank. Furthermore, a state could not tax a federal institution because "the power to tax is the power to destroy"
(Although the Constitution does not specifically give Congress the power to establish a bank, it delegates the ability to tax and spend. Since a bank is a proper and suitable instrument to assist the operations of the government in the collection and disbursement of the revenue, and federal laws have supremacy over state laws, Maryland had no power to interfere with the bank's operation by taxing it. Maryland Court of Appeals reversed.)
139
Cohens v Virginia (1821)
In Virginia, the Cohens were convicted of selling Washington, D.C., lottery tickets authorized by Congress. Marshall and the court upheld the conviction. More important, this case established the principle that the Supreme Court could review a state court's decision involving any of the powers of the federal government ("established" why do we assume that the court is always right, why should 9 unelected officials be able to determine what is and is not constitutional, what states and congress and the president, may or may not do)
(State laws in opposition to national laws are void. The U.S. Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction for any U.S. case and final say.)
140
Gibbons v Ogden (1821)
Could the state of New York grant a monopoly to a steamboat company if that action conflicted with a charter authorized by Congress? In ruling that the New York monopoly was unconstitutional the Marshall court established the federal government's broad control of interstate commerce.
(New York law was invalid because the Commerce Clause of the Constitution designated power to Congress to regulate interstate commerce and the broad definition of commerce included navigation.)
141
The Missouri Compromise
- At the time 11 free states and 11 slave states
- Missouri was a slave territory, free states alarmed that they would lose balance in senate
- Henry clay proposes that
1. Missouri was to be admitted as a slaveholding state
2. Maine was to be admitted as a free state
3. In the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of latitude 36* 30', slavery was prohibited
- It passed both houses and was signed into law by Monroe in 1820
142
Monroe Doctrine
- December 2, 1823, "as a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by he free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers."
- Monroe declared further that the United States was opposed to attempts by a European power to interfere in the affairs of any republic in the Western Hemisphere
143
Early U.S. roads
- The construction of privately built and relatively short toll roads starting with Pennsylvania's Lancaster Turnpike in the 1790's led to most major cities being connected by roads by the mid-1820's
- Despite the need for interstate roads, states' righters blocked the spending of federal funds on internal improvements.
- One notable exception was the Cumberland Road, which was built with federal and state funds between 1811 and the 1850s. The different states owned their respective segments of the highway
144
Early canals
- Erie Canal in NYS completed in 1825 linked the economies of western farms and eastern cities.
- It's success in stimulating economic growth touted off a frenzy of canal-building in other states.
- In little more than a decade, canals joined together all of the major lakes and rivers east of the Mississippi.
- Improved transportation meant lower food prices in the East, more immigrants settling in the West, and stronger economic ties between the two sections.
145
Steamboats
- First to sail was Robert Fulton's Clermont in 1807 (Hudson River)
- Commercially operated steamboat lines soon made round-trip shipping on the nation's great rivers both faster and cheaper.
146
Railroads
Began being built in the U.S. in the late 1820s.
- Hampered at first by safety problems, but by the 1830s they were competing directly with canals as an alternative method for carrying passengers and freight.
- They (as well as steamboats and canals) swiftly changed small western towns such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Chicago into booming commercial centers of the expanding national economy
147
Cotton and the South
- Throughout the 19th century, the principal cash crop in the South was cotton
- Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793 transformed the agriculture of an entire region.
- Now that they could easily separate the cotton fiber from the seeds, southern planters found cotton more profitable than tobacco and indigo, the leading crops of the colonial period.
- They invested their capital in the purchase of slaves and new land in Alabama and Mississippi and shipped most of their cotton crop overseas for sale to British textile factories.
148
Women in the early 1800s
As American society became more urban and industrialized, the nature fo work and family life changed for women, many of whom no longer worked next to their husbands on family farms.
- Women seeking employment in a city were usually limited to two choices: domestic service or teaching.
- Factory jobs, as in the Lowell system, were not common.
- The overwhelming majority of working women were single. If they married, they left their jobs and took up duties in the home.
- Marriages arranged by one's parents were becoming less common, and some women elected to have fewer children.
- Nevertheless, legal and political restrictions on women (not being able to vote, for example) remained.
149
Economic and social mobility early 1800s
- Real wages improved for most urban workers in the early 1800s.
- The gap between the very wealthy and very poor increased
- Social mobility did occur from one generation to the next, and economic opportunities in the United States were greater than in Europe.
150
Slavery in early 1800s
- At the start of the 19th century many Americans thought slavery would gradually disappear
- Economically it was becoming unfeasible due to both the exhausted soil of the coastal lands of Virginia and the Carolinas and the constitutional ban on the importation of slaves after 1808.
- Hopes for a quiet end to slavery were ended by the rapid growth of the cotton industry.
151
Industrial northeast
Originally, the industrial revolution centered in the textile industry, but by the 1830s, northern factories were producing a wide range of goods--everything from farm implements to clocks and shoes.
152
Commonwealth v Hunt (1842)
"peaceful unions" had the right to negotiate labor contracts with employers. ("A labor combination to raise wages is not inherently illegal.")
153
African Americans in the north in 1860
The 250,000 African Americans who lived in the North in 1860 constituted only a small minority (1 percent) of northerners, but as free citizens, they represented 50 percent of all free African Americans.
154
Immigration form Europe 1820 - 1860
- In 1820, some 8,000 immigrants arrived from Europe
- Sudden increase in 1832. After that year, the number of new arrivals never fell below 50,000 a year and in one year, 1854, climbed as high as 428,000.
- From the 1830s - 1850s nearly 4 million people from northern Europe crossed the Atlantic to seek a new life in the US
155
What caused the surge in immigration from Europe between 1830 and 1860?
1. The development of inexpensive and relatively rapid ocean transportation
2. famines and revolutions in Europe that drove people from their homelands
3. The growing reputation of the United States as a country offering economic opportunities and political freedom.
156
Nativists 1840s
A large number of native-born Americans were alarmed by the influx of immigrants, fearing that the newcomers would take their jobs and also subvert the culture of the Anglo majority.
- The nativists were protestants who distrusted the Roman Catholicism practiced by the Irish and many of the Germans.
- In the 1840s, opposition to immigrants led to sporadic rioting in the big cities and the organization of a secret anti foreign society, the Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner. This society turned to politics in the early 1850s, nominating candidates for office as the American party, or Know-nothing party.
157
Agriculture and King Cotton
- Even though by 1850s small factories in the region were producing approximately 15 percent of the nation's manufactured goods. Tobacco, rice, and sugarcane were important cash crops, but these were far exceeded by the South's chief economic activity: the production and sale of cotton.
- By the 1850s, cotton provided two-thirds of all U.S. exports and tied the South's economy to its best customer, Britain. "Cotton is king," said one southerner of his region's greatest asset
158
population of slaves 1800 vs 1860
from 1 million to 4 million, largely as a result of the cotton boom
159
slave life
- Conditions of slavery varied from one plantation to the next. Some slaves were humanely treated, while others were routinely beaten.
- All suffered alike from being deprived of their freedom.
- Families could be separated at any time by an owner's decision to sell a wife, a husband, or a child.
- Women were vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
- Despite the hard, nearly hopeless circumstances of their lives, African Americans managed to maintain a strong sense of family and of religious life.
160
slave uprisings
- Denmark Vesey 1822
- Nat Turner 1831
The revolts were quickly and violently suppressed, but even so, they had a lasting impact. They gave hope to enslaved African Americans, drove southern states to tighten already strict slave codes, and demonstrated to many, especially in the North, the evil of slavery.
161
What percentage of white's owned slaves at the time of the 1860 census?
1.6% total, about 4% in the south
162
Free southern blacks
- By 860 as many as 250,000 African Americans in the South were not slaves
- Most of the free southern blacks lived in cities where they could own property. By state law, they were not equal with whites, were not permitted to vote, and were barred from entering certain occupations. Constantly in danger of being kidnapped by slave traders, they had to show legal papers proving their free status.
- They remained in the south for various reasons. Some wanted to be near family members who were still in bondage; others believed the South to be home and the North to offer no greater opportunities.
163
How did horses get to America?
They were brought by the Spanish in the 1500s
164
How did the public view the west in the early 1800s
In the public imagination, the West represented the possibility of a fresh start and new opportunities for those willing to venture there.
165
Daily life in the west
Whether the frontier lay in Minnesota or Oregon or California in the 1840s and 1850s, daily life for white settlers was similar to that of the early colonists. They worked hard from sunrise to sunset and lived in log cabins or other improvised shelters. More of them died at an early age from disease and malnutrition than from Indian raids.
166
Women on the Western frontier
Often living many miles from the nearest neighbor, pioneer women performed a myriad of daily tasks, including those of doctor, teacher, seamstress, and cook -- as well as chief assistant in the fields to their farmer-husbands. The islolation, endless work, and rigors of childbirth meant a limited lifespan for women on the frontier.
167
Environmental damage on the Western Frontier
Eurpopean Americans had little understanding of the fragile nature of land and wildlife. As settlers moved into an area, they would clear entire forests and after only two generations exhaust the soil with poor farming methods. At the same time, trappers and hunters decimated the beaver and the buffalo to the brink of extinction.
168
Universal white male suffrage
- Western states recently admitted into the Union--Indiana (1816), Illinois (1818), and Missouri (1821)--adopted state constitutions that allowed all white males to vote and hold office. Absent from these newer constitutions were any religious or property qualifications for voting.
- Most eastern states soon followed suit, eliminating such restrictions from their constitutions. As a result, from one end of the country to the other, all white males could vote regardless of their social class or religion.
- Also, political offices could now be held by people in the lower and middle ranks of society.
169
Party nominating conventions
- it had been common for candidates for office to be nominated either by state legislatures or by "King Caucus," a closed-door meeting of a political party's leaders in Congress.
- In the 1830s, however, the caucuses were replaced by nominating conventions.
- Party politicians and voters would gather in a large meeting hall to nominate the party's candidates.
- The Anti-masons were the first to hold such a convention. This method was more open to popular participation, hence for democratic.
170
Popular election of the President
In the presidential election of 1832, only South Carolina used the old system whereby its electors for president were chosen by the state legislature. All other states in the Union had adopted a new and more democratic method of allowing the voters to choose a state's slate of presidential electors.
171
Spoils system
At the national level, President Jackson believed in appointing people to federal jobs strictly according to whether they had actively campaigned for the Democratic party. Any previous holder of the office who was not a Democrat was fired and replaced with a loyal democrat. This practice of dispensing government jobs in return for party loyalty was called the spoils system by critics because it promoted government corruption.
172
Presidential election of 1824
- Jackson had won the popular vote and had more elector votes than any other candidate, however he lacked a majority in the college, so the election was thrown to the house
- Henry Clay used his influence in the House to provide John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts with enough votes to win the election.
- When President Adams appointed Clay his Secretary of State, Jackson and his followers were certain that the popular choice of most voters had been foiled by secret political maneuvers. Angry Jackson supporters accused Adams and Clay of making a "corrupt bargain."
173
President John Quincy Adams
- Adams further alienated the followers of Jackson when he asked Congress for money for internal improvements, aid to manufacturing, and even a national university and an astronomical observatory. Jacksonians viewed all the measures as a waste of money and a violation of the Constitution. This agenda was largely blocked.
- In 1828, toward the end of Adam's presidency, Congress patched together a new tariff law, which generally satisfied northern manufacturers but alienated southern planters. Southerners denounced it as a "tariff of abominations."
174
Election of 1828
- Going beyond parades and barbecues, Jackson's party resorted to smearing the president and accusing Adam's wife of being born out of wedlock. Adams' supporters retaliated in kind, accusing Jackson's wife of adultery.
175
Andrew Jackson and the Veto
Jackson interpreted the powers of Congress narrowly and therefore vetoed more bills (12) than the total vetoes cast by all six preceding presidents. For example, he voted the use of federal money to construct the Maysville Road, because it was wholly within one state, Kentucky.
176
Peggy Eaton Affair
The wife of Jackson's Secretary of War, shew was the target of malicious gossip by other cabinet wives, much as Jackson's recently deceased wife had been in the 1828 campaign. They refused to invite her to their private parties because they suspected her of being an adulteress. When Jackson tried to force the cabinet wives to accept Peggy Eaton socially, most of the cabinet resigned. This controversy also contributed to the resignation of Jackson's VP John C. Calhoun, a year later. For remaking loyal to Jackson through this crisis, Martin Van Buren of New York was chosen to be the new VP.
177
Cherokee Nation v Georgia (1831)
The Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction to hear a suit brought by the Cherokee Nation, which is not a "foreign State" within the meaning of Article III
178
Worcester v Georgia (1832)
- The court ruled that the laws of Georgia had no force within the boundaries of the Cherokee territory.
- In this clash between a state's laws and the federal courts, Jackson sided with the states. He said defiantly, "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it."
179
Nullification crisis (1828)
In 1828, the South Carolina legislature declared the increased tariff of 1828, so-called Tariff of Abominations, to be unconstitutional. In doing so, it affirmed a theory advanced by Jackson's first vice president John C. Calhoun. According to this nullification theory, each state had the right to decide whether to obey a federal law or to declare it null and void.
180
Nullification Crisis (1832)
- In 1832, Calhoun's South Carolina turned up the war of words by holding a special convention to nullify not only the hated tariff of 182 but also a new tariff law of 1832. The convention passed a resolution forbidding the collection of tariffs within the state. Jackson's reaction was decisive. He told the Secretary of War to prepare for military action. He persuaded Congress to pass a Force bill giving the president the authority to take military action in South Carolina. The president also issued a Proclamation to the People of South Carolina, stating that nullification and disunion were treason.
- But federal troops did not march in this crisis. Jackson opened the door for compromise by suggesting that Congress lower the tariff. South Carolina postponed nullification and later formally rescinded it after Congress enacted a new tariff along the lines suggested by the president.
181
Jackson on slavery
He used his executive power to stop antislavery literature from being sent through the U.S. mails. Jacksonians in the South could trust the president not to extend the benefits of democracy to African Americans
182
Jackson's Bank Veto
- Another major issue of Jackson's presidency concerned the rechartering of the second Bank of the United States.
- Henry Clay, Jackson's chief political opponent, favored the bank. In 1832, an election year, Clay decided to challenge Jackson on the bank issue by persuading a majority in Congress to pass a bank-recharter bill.
- Jackson promptly vetoed this bill, denouncing it as a private monopoly that enriched the wealthy and foreigners at the expense of the common people (believed it was incompatible with sound policy, justice, and the constitution)
- The issue backfired for Clay in the 1832 election. An overwhelming majority of voters approved Jackson's attack on the "hydra of corruption." Jackson won reelection with more than three-fourths of the electoral vote.
183
Pet Banks
Jackson "killed" the national bank not only by vetoing recharter but also by withdrawing all federal funds. Aided by Secretary of the Treasurey Roger Taney, he transferred the funds to various state banks, which Jackson's critics called "pet banks."
184
Specie Circular
As a result of both Jackson's financial policies and feverish speculation in western lands, prices for land and various goods became badly inflated. Jackson hoped to check the inflationary trend by issuing a presidential order known as the Specie Circular. It required that all future purchases of federal lands be made in gold and silver rather than in paper banknotes. Soon afterward, as banknotes lost their value and land sales plummeted, a financial crisis--the Panic of 1837--plunged the nation's economy into a depression.
185
President Van Buren and the Panic of 1837
Just as Van Buren too office, the country suffered a financial panic as one bank after another closed its doors. Jackson's opposition to the rechartering of the Bank of the United States was only one of many causes of the panic and resulting economic depression. But the Whigs were quick to blame the Democrats for their laissez-faire economics, which allowed for little federal involvement in the economy.
186
"His Accidency"
Unfortunately for the Whigs, Harrison died of pneumonia less than a month after taking office, and "His Accidency," John Tyler proved to be not much of a Whig. He vetoed the Whigs' national bank bills and other legislation, and favored southern and expansionist Democrats during the balance of his term (1841-45)
