Unit Two: Building a New Nation
Timeline
Trigger Words
Three-fifths Compromise
The Founding Fathers agreed that three-fifths of all slaves should be counted for purposes of both deciding a state's obligation for a direct federal tax, and for determining its population for representation in the House of Representatives. Articles of Confederation
The Articles (ratified in 1781) were the United States's first constitution. They sharply limited central authority by denying the national government any coercive power including the power to tax and to regulate trade. The articles set up the loose confederation of states that comprised the first national government from 1781 to 1788. Louisiana Purchase
In 1803 the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleonic France for $15 million. The purchase secured U.S. control of the Mississippi River and nearly doubled the size of the nation. Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established governments in America's northwestern territories, established a procedure for their admission to statehood, and prohibited slavery north of the Ohio River. This legislation passed by Congress under the Articles of Confederation provided the model for the incorporation of future territories into the Union as coequal states. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (or Resolves) were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. The resolutions argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional any acts of Congress that were not authorized by the Constitution. |
Alien and Sedition Acts
In 1798 the Federalist Congress passed the four acts collectively known as the Alien and Sedition Acts to attack the Republican party and suppress dissent against Federalist policies. The Acts curtailed freedom of speech and the liberty of foreigners resident in the United States. Era of Good Feelings
The Era of Good Feeling lasted from 1817 to 1823 in which the disappearance of the Federalists enabled the Republicans to govern in a spirit of seemingly nonpartisan harmony. Land Ordinance
The Ordinance of 1785 provided for the surveying and selling of America's western territories; it created the grid system of surveys by which all subsequent public land was made available for sale. It favored speculative land development companies, but it promoted nationalism. Marbury vs. Madison
In 1803 the Supreme Court ruled the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional. The "Marbury v. Madison" case established the precedent for judicial review of federal laws. Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shays, a veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill, led an armed rebellion of western Massachusetts farmers to prevent state courts from foreclosing on debtors unable to pay their taxes. The rebellion convinced nationalists that to suppress or inhibit such rebellions, the nation needed a stronger national government. War of 1812
The United States and Britain fought this war from June 1812 to January 1815 largely over British restrictions on American shipping. |
American System
Intended to protect domestic manufacturers from foreign competition, the American System was the brainchild of Kentucky Congressman Henry Clay. It involved a political trade-off: In return for eastern support for federal aid to railroad and canal construction, the West would back protective tariffs. This arrangement would stimulate manufacturing and a demand for raw materials, and increase the market for manufactured goods. Embargo Act
The 1807 Embargo Act was provoked by the "Chesapeake" incident and prohibited all exports from U.S. ports. President Jefferson hoped to pressure Britain and France into recognizing neutral rights, but the embargo damaged the economy and was bitterly resented, especially in New England. McCulloch vs Maryland
In 1820, after angry debate in Congress, Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, and Maine was admitted as a free state to preserve the balance of slave and free states in the Union. Also, slavery was banned from that part of the Louisiana Territory north of 36° 30'. Revolution 1800
Repealed sedition/alien acts President and VP run together National Debt reduced Judiciary Act of 1801 Foreign policy is changed Whiskey Rebellion
Western Pennsylvania farmers violently resisted paying the whiskey tax imposed by Hamilton's financial program. In 1794 they threatened to destroy Pittsburgh. Washington and Hamilton marshaled the full force of the army to suppress the rebellion, but the rebels had dispersed by the time the army arrived. |
Alien and Sedition ActsPassed in 1798 by the Federalist party at the height of their power, or shortly after, the Alien and Sedition acts were passed under the pretense of eliminating false hood from the newspaper and protecting the fledgling states from France. They were actually four acts: namely, the Naturalization Act, the Alien act, the Alien Enemies Act, and the Sedition Act. The acts were a bold move on the part of the Federalists and brought many people to support the Democratic-Republicans and Thomas Jefferson. They worried that their rights were already being infringed by their new government, which was taking outrageously tyrannical steps towards the destruction of the freedoms of speech that had been so hard fought for just a few decades earlier. ~Daniel T. The Federalist #21This document is one of the many documents belonging to the The Federalist, which helped to persuade readers into accepting the Constitution. In this certain Federalist paper, Alexander Hamilton critiques and presents the flaws of the Articles of Confederation and how the Constitution either fixes them or addresses these.
He begins with how defected the Articles of Confederation are, as they're compared to a disease and viewed as dangerous one to quite an extent. Hamilton continues to describe one of the biggest flaws of the Confederation, which is its lack of authority in enforcing its laws and lack of punishment for those against it, as if it only expects people to abide but does nothing to make them do so. Hamilton also addresses the "mutual guaranty of the States governments" as a flaw, since if every state has their own set of laws and governments, the federal government can only do so little about it and there is no consistency between the nation. He also criticizes the lack of a standard measurement for national wealth, lack of quota, and no real law to enforce taxing people to generate revenue for the government. The Federalist Papers played a significant role in persuading people to transition from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, by stating how much more improved the Constitution was and explaining why through several sections and papers. Without it, the Constitution may have never gone into effect and the country might very well be run much differently as it is today. This certain Federalist paper is key in presenting the biggest flaws of the Articles of Confederation. By explaining the flaws and how it could hinder the progress of the nation, it gives natural reasons why the Constitution would be a better alternative since it addresses many of the flaws he states in this document. By stating how weak the Articles is in enforcing its laws, it gives a reason as to why the Constitution is more strict and has checks and balances. By stating how the strong state governments could cause inconsistency and disorder, it gives a reason why stronger Federal governments to control the states was a better route. By stating the flaw in the nation's wealth or lack thereof, and its lack of controlling the economy and how there really is no revenue for the government to benefit the nation, it gives an logical reason why taxing is a necessity. ~Ingrid C. |
The Constitution
The Constitution of the United States was created in 1787 by our founding fathers. The Constitution is a collection of ideas to keep the Union balanced and to keep all the states equal. It also keeps the goverment power divided so that no one has more power than the other and that we don't have a king again. The Constitution of the Unites States is important because it unified our Union and kept America from breaking apart and being conquered by the other countries when we were still very weak. It is also important because it sets all the rules for the states and keeps all the power spread out equally ~Kayla M.
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