1783-1820

1783-1820

Treaty of Paris (1783) Ellen Tootoo

On September 3, 1783 The Treaty of Paris was signed which ended the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. Five events leading up to this treaty were the Battle of Yorktown, the Continental Congress, independence, the preliminary articles of peace, and the French foreign minister. Of all these important events, the Battle of Yorktown played the biggest role because it made known to Britain that the United States was more powerful than they were. This helped develop the United States because it enlarged its boundaries, but it also held consequences due to it not being very specific. []

Northwest Ordinance (1787) Ellen Tootoo The Northwest Ordinance was an act passed on July 13, 1787 opening up vast western land areas to accelerate the country’s westward expansion. Five events that were either affected by this act or caused this act to be made were The Virginia Act of Cession, Resolution of Public Lands, the constitution, the Annapolis Convention, and The Treaty of Paris. Each one of the events listed, in some way, display land boundaries being recognized or wanted. This helped shape the United States by granting us more land to expand our country. []

US Constitution (1787) Joe O'Donnell The United States constitution was raitified by a amjority of the states in 1787. The construction of this new constitution began because the Articles of Confederation was too weak. Also Shay's Rebellion influenced the writeing of the constitution, people realized the country was close to mass rebellion and the government was too weak to handle it. This led to the constitutional convention. Also problems with the federal government played part in the constitution being constriucted. George Washington stated bluntly, "No money." The writing of our constitution was influenced by the Iroquois contitution also. The constitution set up seperation of powers and checks-and-balances, restricted the power of the national government. The constitution is extremely important because it set up the framework for the U.S. government and serves as a guideline to how the nation will work. []

Bill of Rights (1791) Joe O'Donnell

The Bill of Rights was created in 1789 but wasn't officially ratified until December of 1791. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the U.S. constitution. The ideas and writings of John Lovke greatly influenced the Bill of Rights. The English Bill of Rights, 1689, also influences the writing of our, the U.S, Bill of Rights. Including things like the right to bear arms, the freedom of petition and many others. Preventing the government from gaining to much power also influenced the writing of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights plays a key role in the american government, most obviously in the restriction of too much power. These first ten amendments serve as limitations to the government, protecting the natural rights of citizens of the United States. []

Federalist-Democratic Republic Groups (1792-3) Mckayla Zupan Political Parties were never popular in the United States until the early 1790's. The first political party system consisted of two main groups; the Federalist and the Democratic-Republican. These parties were formed to compete for control of the United States Presidency. The Federalist party leaders during this time period were Alexander Hamiliton, and John Adams. The party was popular to wealthy, educated business merchants in the Northeast region and believed in a loose interpretation of the constitution as well as having a strong central government. They were pro-British and thought that a strong military would be best for the country. The National Bank was one of there biggest additions to the US, along with high tariffs on trade goods. The Democratic-Republican party was opposite of the Federalist party and believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution, along with having a weak central government, allowing the states to have more powers and control. The main leaders of this party were Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. The Democratic-Republican Party were pro-French and thought that having a small military was best for the US. This political party was popular to small farmers, particularly in the southern regions.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**Democratic**-**Republican**_**Party**

Washington's Farewell Address (1796) Courtney Tarter

As previously stated, George Washington was the first president of the United States. After two terms, he retired from office concluding his presidency with his famous Farewell Address speech in 1796. James Madison helped draft the speech, that was finally revised by Washington himself. Alexander Hamilton also was a great influence to his speech as well. George mainly warns the future America, the government and people, of four main topics: Washington saw all these things firsthand how they affected the actions of the people and his fellow government, and did not believe they would benefit America in any way. Now that Britain was finally out of their hair, he thought that we should not mess around with any other European countries and treaties in fear of war. He declared America "neutral" due to this fear.Though this speech was actually never spoken, it was published and greatly took into consideration, and might have been true, but in the end we did not follow his instructions of steering clear from these things.
 * European Affairs
 * Sectionalism
 * Political Parties
 * "Permenant Alliances"

[]

Alien and Sedition Acts (1789-99) Mckayla Zupan Under the threat of war with France, Congress in 1798 passed four laws in an effort to strengthen the Federal government. These acts were known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. These acts were set up to limit the power of the Democratic-Republicans. The first law was the Naturalization Act, which passed by in Congress on June 18th. This act changed the 5 year resident requirement to 14 years before they became eligible for a US citizenship. Congress then passed the Alien Act on June 25, authorizing that the President could deport any aliens "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States" during peacetime. The third law the Alien Enemies Act, was enacted by Congress on July 6. This allowed the wartime arrest, imprisonment and deportation of any alien subject to an enemy power. The last of the laws, the Sedition Act, passed on July 14 declared any false, scandalous, or malicious writing to be a misdemeanor, and punishments would be enforced. The act led to many arrest of news reporters, most from Republican newspapers, and also their newspapers were forced to be shut down. http://www.ourdocuments.gov

Louisiana Purchase (1803) Courtney Tarter

The Louisana Purchase was huge with the expansion of the United States of America. Though it was completely againt the President's morals of strict interpretation of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson decided to go along with it. Because it does not specifically say it was legal to acquire land, many people refused the proposal, but in the end was granted anyways. Due to the Lousiana Purchase, America bought 828,000 square miles of land from France, and it only costed 15 million dollars. This purchase was a big deal, and a huge test for the future government of America, especially since George Washington has warned the future of engaging in foreign alliances, this was definitely a friendly gesture torwards France.

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Marbury v. Madison (1803) Cordon Witherington

Marbury vs. Madison is debatably the most important court case in United States History. It established the precedent for judicial review, which allowed for previous court cases to be reviewed overturned under the condition it was ruled unconstitutional. This particular court case set the bar high for the checks and balances policies of our country. [|__http://www.lawnix.com/cases/marbury-madison.html__] [|__http://americanhistory.about.com/od/judicialbranch/p/marbury.htm__]
 * How did this affect our country?**
 * Marbury v. Madison amended the power of the Judicial Branch of government to review and overturn previous cases, declaring them unconstitutional.
 * This ruling broadened our country’s strength of checks and balances
 * Gave more power to the Judicial Branch of government.
 * This ruling would later be used on court cases that made our country what it is today, such as Plessy v. Ferguson and the "separate but equal" clause.
 * Limited the powers of the executive branch and President. This showed our country was truly for a democracy.

Missouri Compromise (1820) Cordon Witherington The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an agreement proposed by the U.S. Senate (mainly Henry Clay) to regulate slave boundaries between Northern and Southern United States. The Compromise stated that slavery would be prohibited in all land north of the 36 30’ north parallel line, with the exception of the state of Missouri. All land south of the parallel would be considered slave states.

How did this come to be? [|**__http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0833427.html__**] [|__http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/missouricompromisedef.ht__]__m__George
 * Slavery had always been a heated topic due to the westward expansion of the U.S. It was undecided whether slavery would be allowed in the newly acquired land.
 * Slavery was the driving force behind the economy of the South. With more slave states, the economy of the South would flourish, and rapidly expand.
 * Missouri wanted to be admitted to the union, but saw slavery as a necessity to their growth and economy.
 * With the rapid expansion of the U.S westward, a law was needed to ensure that the slavery issue would be dealt with in an organized fashion.

George Washington - Courtney Tarter

George Washington is a very important man to the history of the United States. He is commonly known for being the first president of our country, but he was indeed much more than just that. He was in office as president from (1789-1797), for two four-year terms. He set the precedent(ha) of only being in office for two terms for future presidents expemting any Roosevelts, even though it was not a law established for many years. His farewell address is considered one of the most famous ones, because of the situations he warns the future of America about. He was also Senior Officer of the Continental Army and Commander in chief, chosen because of his tall and broad figure which symbolized a leader. George was also a member for the Second Continental Congress which was the Committee that drafted the Constitution for the United States. He experienced many victories on and off the battlefield in his lifetime. He died in 1799 at the age of 67. []

Benjamin Franklin - Joe O'Donnell -

Ben Franklin was born in 1706 and died in 1790. Ben Franklin is one of the founding father of the United States. He proofread one of the drafts Thomas Jefferson sent him and made slight changes that influenced the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had many professions in his lifetime including; scientist, author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, inventor and other things. As a scientist Ben Franklin invented/discovered electricity, with his kite, which pushed America forward as far as technology goes. In his later years Congress was on the topic of slavery. He wrote several letters attempting to convince is readers the importance of abolition of slavery and admitting blacks into society. www.ushistory.org/**franklin**/info/index.htm

Alexander Hamilton - Cordon Witherington

Though Alexander Hamilton was never President of the United States of America, his influences as Secretary of the Treasury left a mark on our country can still be seen today. He helped organize our country’s finances and kept us on our feet. As one of George Washington’s cabinet advisors, he assisted in building the U.S. into the superpower it is now.

Federalist Papers: Alexander Hamilton is credited with being one of the main writers of the Federalist Papers. These papers urged for the declaration of U.S. independence and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton, being the radical federalist he was, was a strong supporter of both of these topics. As a writer of these papers, Hamilton influenced the country to break away from Britain, and to establish the successful government we have through ratification of the Constitution. The Bank of the United States: Alexander Hamilton will always be remembered for his influences on the establishment of the Federal Bank of the United States of America. The Bank of the U.S. was a very controversial topic during the late 18th/early 19th century. Some believed that this power would be too much for a central government, while others argued it was a necessity. Hamilton, having convinced Washington that the newly born country needed a way to organize its debts and taxes, is credited for adding the first federal banking system to America. Some saw this as a violation of the Constitution, believing that what was not written in the Constitution was forbidden. This loose interpretation of the Constitution by Hamilton set a precedent for future Presidents. Rivalry: Hamilton’s radical federalist views working along side Thomas Jefferson’s antifederalist views set the stage for a bitter rivalry. When Hamilton succeeded in establishing the Bank of the United States, Jefferson was infuriated. When Jefferson was elected President, Hamilton was unable to accomplish anything that benefited a strong, central government. The balance of these two’s radical views kept our country’s government at a moderate setting between too powerful and too weak. [|__http://www.ushistory.org/brandywine/special/art08.htm__] [|__http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h367.html__][|__http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/ham/hamilton.html__]
 * Hamilton’s Influences**

Thomas Jefferson- Joe O'Donnell - Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 and died in 1826. Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He served from 1801-1809 as a Democratic-Republican. Thomas Jefferson organized the Democratic-Republican party. He is considered one of the founding fathers of the United States, along with Ben Franklin and many others. Jefferson is the principle author of the Declaration of Independence. As President Jefferson believed in a strict interpretation of the constitution and that the government at the federal level should be weak. He purchased Louisiana, which is signifcant to his presidency because it went against his politcal views of a strict interpretation of the constitution. Jefferson expanded the country and moved the U.S. forward during his presidency. [|www.monticello.org/site/**jefferson**/brief-biography-**thomas**-**jeffers**]on

John Adams - Ellen Tootoo John Adams was the second President of the United States. He served as president for four years and played a large role as one of the Founding Fathers. He is also known for defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre and sacrificing his pride in doing so. John Adams is also important because he helped draft the Declaration of Independence, helped create the Treaty of Paris, and unify the North and South during the Revolutionary War. [|www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/**johnadams**]

James Madison - Ellen Tootoo James Madison was the fourth President of the United States. He served as president for eight years and is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution." He also helped write the Bill of Rights, was a coauthor of the Federalist Papers, and helped develop the Virginia Plan. His main contribution to the United States was his plan on what to put in the constitution which became one of the most important documents ever written. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**James**_**Madison**

Henry Clay - Courtney Tarter

Henry Clay was one of the most intelligent men back in the day. He was known as the great compromiser of his time. He created the American System which planned to make the American economy self-sufficient. He helped create the Missouri Compromise which admitted two more states into the union. Henry Clay is also given the majority of the credit to the success of the Compromise of 1850. Many claim that compromise withheld the civil war for as long as a decade. Henry Clay was a Democratic-Republican and took place in various positions in our government, including the Senator of Kentucky, Speaker of the house, and Secretary of State. He had a major part in molding our early government.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**Henry**_**Clay**

Andrew Jackson - Cordon Witherington Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States (1829-1837). Some consider him our worst, while others our best leader our country has ever had. His presidency was very controversial due to his abuse of power, whether it was for the better or worse. Jackson was notorious for doing things how he wanted them done, no matter who he had to go through and whether those around him agreed or not. This earned him his aggressive and forceful reputation. The National Bank: Jackson’s opposition to the National Bank earned his support from many of his southern followers. He believed the bank was only beneficial to the wealthy, and was controlled by a few select families in the country. Jackson, having been born in the south, was naturally opposed to the idea of a federal banking system which favored the higher class citizens of America. Jackson succeeded in abolishing the Bank of the U.S. when he vetoed the Banks re-charter in 1832. Spoils System: Jackson’s abuse of the spoils system is credited towards earning him his assertive presidency. Soon after the election of 1824, Jackson had fired nearly 1/5 of the Government officials he dealt with. He then re-hired them with friends and those he believed earned these high-ranking jobs due to favors for Jackson in the past. Many believed these less-qualified officials were going to devastate our country. Indian Removal: Andrew Jackson’s method of dealing with Native Americans earned him his title of one of the mot controversial Presidencies in our country’s history. Jackson enforced the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forced Cherokee Native Americans from south-eastern North America as far west as Wisconsin on the infamous Trail of Tears. Thousands of Indians were killed on this journey. However, the Trail of Tears was not Jackson’s only encounter of Indians. Despite the assimilation into American culture of certain tribes, Jackson still demanded they be relocated. When the Indians appealed this demand for relocation, Jackson was furious. He ordered American soldiers to force these Indians west, without approval from Congress. Jackson’s abusive authority towards Native Americans was debatably the worst policy of any American President. Tariffs of Abomination: Theses incredibly high tariffs passed by Jackson were imposed on the country in 1828. Southeastern states became strongly opposed to these taxes, claiming it was hurting their economy while helping the state around them. Vice President John C. Calhoun led the state of South Carolina in a protest against these tariffs, creating a bitter rivalry between himself and Jackson. These tariffs also contributed to the South’s opposition to the North, adding to the sense of sectionalism in the U.S. These tariffs were abolished in 1832. [|__http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/andrewjackson__] [|__http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h154.html__]
 * What issues did Jackson face in his presidency?**

John Marshall - Mckayla Zupan John Marshall is the longest serving chief justice of the United States. He dominated the Court for over three decades and played a significant role in the development of the American legal system (Supreme Court of the United States). John Marshall established Judicial Review which gave the power to the Supreme Court to be able to declare any law unconstitutional. Before his great success as chief justice, John Marshall, had been a leader of the Federalist Party in Virginia and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1800. He also was Secretary of State under President John Adams from 1800 to 1801. Some of Marshall’s most famous court cases are: 1803 Marbury vs. Madison, Gibbons vs. Ogden, McCullough vs. Maryland, and Worcester vs. Georgia. All of these court cases have been extremely influential and important pieces in American History. Even though the Marshall Court cemented the Judiciary Review as an independent political branch of government, he made several important decisions affecting the balance between the federal government and the states. Marshall confirmed the supremacy of federal law over state law, and supported the enumerated powers. www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/**marshall**.html

James Monroe - Mckayla Zupan James Monroe was the 5th president, and the last of the Founding father of the United States to be a president. Before becoming the president, Monroe studied law under the teachings of Thomas Jefferson, and played a huge role as a delegate in the Continental Congress. Monroe was an anti-federalist at the time, and became popular and well-liked by Americans when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over 80 percent of the electoral vote and becoming the last president during the First Party System era of American politics. He served for two terms. Monroe is most known for his proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, which stated that the United States would not tolerate further European intervention in the Americas. He believed that the United States needed to stay isolated and get away from foreign affairs. His presidency was marked by an Era of Good Feelings but ended on a bad note, Panic of 1819, a fierce national debate over the admission of the Missouri Territory. www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/**monroe**.html