1783-1820

=Significant Events:=


 * //Treaty of Paris (1783) (John Chavez)//**

//What caused it?// //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * Dwindling support from the British citizens; it grew unfavorable in their eyes
 * Battle of Saratoga: Turning point of the war and persuaded France to give the colonists support
 * Battle of Yorktown: General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington that ended the Revolution
 * Declaration of Independence: Listed the grievances of the colonists and officially separated themselves from Great Britain
 * Increase of patriotism in the colonies due to influential pamphlets that advocated for independence
 * It was the British recognition of American independence
 * It extended the territory of the United States to the Mississippi River
 * It gave the United States valuable fishing rights off of New Foundland in Canada
 * It gave the United States independence from Great Britain
 * It gave the United States more territory to which many Americans eventually emigrated

//**Northwest Ordinance of 1787 (1787) (Thomas Bumbalo)**//

//What caused it?// //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * Treaty of Paris of 1783 - resulted in new land for the United States
 * Articles of Confederation ratified in 1777 - the government of the United States from 1777-1788 approved
 * Land Ordinance of 1784 - previous land ordinance
 * Proclamation of 1763 - prohibited colonial expansion past the Appalachians, infuriating colonists
 * Colonial desire to expand past the Appalachian mountains for new land
 * It created the first organized territory, the Northwest Territory, outside of the original 13 colonies for the United States
 * It was later admitted as a fundamental tenet to the US Constitution in 1789, albeit with some slight changes
 * The decision to establish the territory as free territory made the Ohio River the boundary between slave and free states between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River
 * It set a precedent for the admission of new territories and states to the Union
 * It helped sow the seeds of division between the free states of the North and the slave states of the South
 * It pushed the Native Americans of the region further west


 * The United States Constitution (1787-1788) (Cody Beitel)**

//What caused it?// //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * A weak government in the form of the Articles of Confederation
 * Shay's Rebellion making many realize that a more powerful government was needed
 * The meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
 * The Treaty of Paris of 1783 which gave the United States its freedom from Great Britain
 * The monumental amount of debt that was accrued as a result of the American Revolution and could not be paid due to the Articles of Confederation
 * Supreme law of the United States of America
 * Established a significantly more powerful federal government
 * Created a government with three separated branches of power: the judicial, the executive, and the legislative
 * Allowed for a system of amending itself in the future
 * It was, and still is, used as a guideline for the United States government
 * It is used by the judicial branch of government to determine the constitutionality of legislative and executive actions and laws
 * Its system of amendments allowed for key reforms, such as the abolition of slavery, to be passed

= //Ratification of the Bill of Rights (1791) (Tirthna Badhiwala) // =

// What caused it? // //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * The Anti-Federalists were afraid that a powerful government would transition into something more monarchical: They believe the Constitution allowed for the federal government to have too much control.
 * The Anti-Federalists also pointed out that the Constitution outlined the rights of the federal government but not of the people being governed: The Federalists’ promise of a Bill of Rights would solve this problem.
 * Some of the ideas of John Locke were incorporated into the Bill of Rights: Locke argued that people are free and equal in the “state of nature”, which was something that James Madison proposed when presenting the amendments.
 * June 17th, 1789 James Madison presented the Bill of Rights to the 1st Congress, originally as nine articles containing twenty amendments: They were reworked and adopted by both houses.
 * Both versions of the bill went to the Joint Committee, and the Senate version was adopted. It still needed the ¾ majority vote from the States: New Jersey was the first state to ratify it, and Virginia was the last state to ratify it on December 15th, 1791.
 * The Bill of Rights limited the government’s role by giving individuals rights that the government could not infringe upon. The Constitution was originally written without one, and many didn’t approve of it since they feared the federal government would become too powerful.
 * The Bill of Rights preserved the satisfaction of the Constitution that was being threatened by the Federalist and Anti-Federalist conflicts. These first ten amendments were (and still are) the key in protecting the basic rights and freedoms of the people.


 * //Whiskey Rebellion (1794) (John Chavez)//**

//What caused it?// //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * As part of Alexander Hamilton's economic plan to get the United States out of its slump, he suggested to impose an excise tax on liquor, particularly whiskey.
 * The availability and the ease of creating whiskey made it a favorite among the citizens, making it that much harder for them to abide by the excise tax
 * The Articles of Confederation didn't have the power to tax the citizens in the first place so a national tax on liquor came as a shock to them
 * Many farmers operated distilleries at the side as an extra source of income so when the tax was imposed, small distilleries suffered while the bigger, more stable distilleries who could afford to pay the flat tax (the other way to pay the tax was per gallon, and that's what small distilleries had to do)
 * People in the west used whiskey as a method for payment due to scarce physical money, so the excise tax simultaneously served as income tax for some individuals
 * It was an example of sectionalism, as the excise tax that caused the rebellion was imposed upon western farmers by eastern legislature
 * The western farmers were not represented in Congress, and so many of their grievances were similar to those that led to the American Revolution
 * It was a test of federal authority and power
 * It displayed the newly acquired powers of the United States government, and more specifically the executive branch, to put down revolts of the present and future
 * It widened the division between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, who argued that it misinterpreted and misused the powers granted to them by the Constitution and that the government had too much power.

//**Alien & Sedition Acts (1798) (Cody Beitel)**//

//What caused it?// //Why is it important?//
 * A federal administration led by John Adams led to liberal use of government power
 * Political conflicts between the Democratic Republicans and Federalists
 * Fear of the French Revolution spreading from Europe to the United States
 * Animosity from Federalists towards immigrants, who were primarily Democratic Republican
 * A naval war of a sort between the United States and France


 * Resulted in four laws being passed, all of which either extended federal power over immigrants or limited freedom of speech and freedom of the press

//How did it help shape the United States?//
 * Infuriated Democratic-Republicans, deepening political tensions
 * Signed into law by then Pres. John Adams
 * Acts were meant to guard against threats of anarchy
 * Democratic-Republicans denounced them as being unconstituntional
 * Major political issue in 1798 and 1800 elections
 * Opposition resulted in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves, authored by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

// **Marbury v. Madison (1803) (Thomas Bumbalo)** //

//What caused it?// //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * Judiciary Act of 1789 - established the Supreme Court
 * Appointment of Midnight Judges - the appointment of several last minute Supreme Court justices by President John Adams
 * Philidelphia Convention - convention that drafted the US Constitution
 * Jefferson ordering Secretary of State James Madison to not deliver the presidential commissions to the Federalist Judges appointed by Adams
 * William Marbury, a midnight judge, suing for his commission
 * It established the doctrine of judicial review, or the determination of the constitutionality of an executive or legislative action, for the judicial branch of government
 * It was the first time an executive or legislative action was determined to be unconstitutional
 * It increased the power of the judicial branch of government
 * A precedent was established from this ruling which was the basis of most of the rulings regarding Constitutional law throughout the rest of United States history
 * It paved the way for other landmark cases like Gibbons v. Ogden, all of which increased the power of the federal government

= //Louisiana Purchase (1803) (Tirthna Badhiwala) // =

// What caused it? // //Why is it important?// //How did it help shape the United States?//
 * In 1802 an army sent by Napoleon arrived on the island to restrain the Haitian rebellion. The French lost thousands of soldiers and Napoleon had to abandon Hispaniola: Louisiana was no longer useful to France because they only needed it for Hispaniola.
 * France was at war with Great Britain, so Napoleon couldn't afford to spare troops to defend Louisiana: He was low on funds and needed money.
 * Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston to Paris to negotiate navigation of the Mississippi River/a small area of land by the river: The French offered the entire Louisiana territory, instead.
 * Purchasing Louisiana would double the size of the US, be open to settlement, and allow for free navigation of the Mississippi River: Jefferson thought the land had a lot of potential, he was **//jubilant//**.
 * Jefferson knew purchasing the land would go against the idea of a strict interpretation of the Constitution, but he decided to do so, anyway: The benefits of the purchase clearly outweighed the “violation”.
 * It allowed for states to have a passage that was free of tariffs to ship goods via the Mississippi River.
 * Europeans no longer confined the US to just east of the river, and the land mass of the country was practically doubled.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Prior to this purchase, Thomas Jefferson was considered to be a strict constructionist. He discarded that concept for the benefits of the nation. This was a precedent for future presidents like Lincoln and FDR in terms of increasing the elasticity of the Constitution’s interpretation.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">It added vast new lands to United States' territories, doubling the size of the nation prior to the purchase

//** War of 1812 (1812-1815) (Dawson Bristol) **//

// What caused it? // //Why is it important?// // How did it help shape the United States? //
 * Impressment: the British navy was seizing US ships and soldiers, searching American merchant ships because the US backed Napoleonic France and the Brits forbade neutral trade with France.
 * American politicos wanted a settlement of "the Indian question" (the Indian presence, their support for Britain and all its implications) and hawks portrayed another War with Britain as a sort of second Revolutionary War to secure American independence and get rid of British influence in the continent.
 * The threat against Britain of another American war made Britain revoke the authorization for these seizures, thereby ending them, but this supposed cause really had so little influence it wound up going unmentioned in the final peace treaty.
 * The Chesapeke Incident: a British frigate, the Leopard, stops the US Chesapeke, and began to fire on it when the Chesapeke refused to let them board; the Chesapeke surrenders. This stirs up pro-war sentiment in the states.
 * Jefferson passed the Embargo Act as economic coercion against the British but it fails
 * Madison got a formal declaration of declaration of war on June 1, 1812. The British blockade the US coast. The US tried to invade Canada, led by General Hull, but the British push him back to Detroit. During the Chesapeke Campaign of blockades and attacks, the British marched on Washington, burning the White House and the Capitol. They did the same to Baltimore. Most fighting took place in the Northeast, especially the divided Maine.
 * The Treaty of Ghent ended the war and restored most territorial claims back to their pre - war conditions ('status quo antebellum'), and it returned to the US all slaves that had escaped to Canada.
 * After the Treaty passed but before it reached General Andrew Jackson in the South, he led a defeat of the invading British army at The Battle of New Orleans, resulting in Jackson becoming a national hero.
 * Ultimately, the War of 1812 led to intense patriotism with the belief that the war was a victory, an economic boom with the resultant peace in the Atlantic, and the war stimulated the manufacturing industry in the North as the war increased demand.
 * The Hartford Convention which took place during the war resulted in the demise of the Federalist party

//** Adams-Onis Treaty (1819) (Dawson Bristol) **//

//What caused it?// // Why is it important? //
 * In the Treaty of Paris 1783, Britain ceded Florida back to the Spanish. Spain motivated settlers with land grants, even letting the native Seminole Indians establish farms as a buffer between Florida and Georgia.
 * This Spanish colony offered refuge to runaway slaves; this attracted American slaveowners to petition the government to pursue their lost property.
 * Native Americans and runaway slaves had been trading weapons with the British in Spanish Florida throughout the early 1800s and aided the British in the War of 1812.
 * In 1817, the US invaded Florida; the series of battles between the US and the Seminole Indians resulted in the First Seminole War.
 * Andrew Jackson led an army of 3,000 against the Seminole and runaway slaves; he ended up also attacking Spanish settlements and eventually seized two Spanish forts in St. Marks and Pensacola.

//How did it help shape the United States?//
 * Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and Spanish Foreign Minister Luis de Onís y Gonzalez-Vara signed the Adams-Onis (or the Florida) Treaty in Washington on February 22, 1819 and it took effect two years later, ceding all of Spanish Florida
 * It established a new boundary between the US and Spain’s American empire along the Sabine, Red, and Arkansas rivers, up to the 42nd parallel
 * This was an early use of military strength by the US and also established a clear Southern border
 * Florida today accounts for over 5% of total US GDP

=Important People:=


 * Lewis and Clark (Thomas Bumbalo)**

//Why are they important?// //Why are they significant to United States history?//
 * They are the explorers who mapped the Louisiana Territory purchased by President Jefferson
 * They made several scientific accomplishments through their discovery of previously unknown flora and fauna of the region
 * They showed that overland travel to the Pacific coast was an achievable feat
 * The venture of Lewis and Clark from the Atlantic to the Pacific encouraged the idea of Manifest Destiny
 * They proved that the purchased land could be easily inhabited


 * Tecumseh (Thomas Bumbalo)**

//Why is he important?// //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * He was a Native American chief of the Shawnee tribe and several others
 * He opposed The Americans during the War of 1812 and a war of his own (called Tecumseh's War)
 * He supported the establishment of a Native American nation separate from the United States
 * With his death in 1813, most dreams of a Native American nation east of the Mississippi died
 * His support of the British in the War of 1812 and his own war established an American animosity towards Native Americans that was displayed in further expansion west


 * John Marshall (John Chavez) **

//Why is he important?//
 * Chief Justice of the United States who helped shape the Judicial branch as well as the law through his court decisions
 * Some of his notable court decisions:
 * Marbury vs Madison (1803): Judicial review - the power of the Supreme Court to decide if actions by Congress or the President is Constitutional
 * Fletcher vs Peck (1810): States couldn't impair a contract
 * McCulloch vs Maryland (1819): States cannot tax the Bank of the US
 * Dartmouth College vs Woodward (1819): Displayed how the Supreme Court can overrule state rulings
 * Cohens vs Virginia (1821): Strengthened the right of the Supreme Court to review decisions of the state supreme courts
 * Gibbons vs Ogden (1824): Congress has control over interstate commerce

//Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * Asserted the Judicial branch's position and increased its influence over the other branches, and made it so that it was "independent" and acted on its own
 * The Federalist that he is, he also helped strengthen the Federal government as a whole


 * James Madison (John Chavez) **

//Why is he important?// //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * The Father of the Constitution as well as the main proponent for the Bill of Rights
 * Fourth President of the United States
 * Aided in the making and circulation of the Federalist Papers, among with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
 * Although he was a Federalist prior the Constitution, he soon became a Democratic-Republican
 * Wrote the Virginia Resolution, along with Jefferson's Kentucky Resolution, in order to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts
 * The Nonintercourse Act of 1809: Prevented trade with Britain and France but allowed trade with other nations. This led to French and British ships attacking American vessels and impressing American sailors into the French or British navy
 * Macon's Bill #2: Napoleon professed to be neutral so American ships began trading with them, except the French persisted on capturing American ships
 * War of 1812
 * Caused by British violations of American neutrality rights in the seas and fighting with them on the west
 * Treaty of Ghent ended the war, led to the Hartford Convention which decided that a 2/3 vote must be required in Congress before America can go to war. It also led to the demise of the Federalist party
 * It displayed the weakness of the American army and navy, so Madison in turn became a champion for a stronger military


 * John Adams (Dawson Bristol) **

// Why is he important? // //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * John Adams graduated Harvard to become a prominent Boston lawyer. He joined the outcry against the Writs of Assistance and also resisted the Stamp Act. He was first elected to the Massachusetts Assembly and then represented Massachusetts at the First Continental Congress. At the Second Continental Congress he worked with over 90 committees and chaired 25.
 * Fervent backer of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, himself having offered a similar resolution to the Congress.
 * Ambassador to France.
 * Helped frame the Massachusetts State Constitution
 * Helped developed the Treaty of 1783.
 * Elected Vice President in 1789 and President in 1793 (set precedent of VP becoming President). Major policies:
 * Alien and Sedition Acts (violation of first amendment)
 * Judiciary Act of 1801: created federal court system, stuffed with Federalist judges ('Midnight Judges').
 * Quasi-War with France where US mercenaries fought French privateers.


 * Thomas Jefferson (Dawson Bristol) **

//Why is he important?// //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * Thomas Jefferson served as a representative in the VA House of Burgesses, the Second Continental Congress, and the Congress of the Confederation; he penned the Declaration of Independence, served as Minister of France, Secretary of State, Vice President to Adams, and President for two terms.
 * His ideas and ideals contributed hugely to colonial independence, determined US relations with France for decades, and laid down some of the most persistent ideas of limited government and military power that still guide much of American policy.
 * Bon in 1743, Thomas Jefferson inherited high standing, 5,000 acres of land, and scores of slaves from his father. He served as a lawyer for the Virginia elite, and later a representative of his county in the House of Burgesses, introducing him to the political arena. He developed radical ideas about colonial self-government in the House.
 * He represented Virginia in the Second Continental Congress - plagued by public speaking problems, he served as the 'silent member' of Congress, conveying most of his ideas through writing. This included him penning the Declaration of Independence, one of the most famous documents in US and world history, which legally proclaimed American independence.
 * His ideas and ideals contributed hugely to colonial independence, determined US relations with France for decades, and laid down some of the most persistent ideas of limited government and military power that still guide much of American policy.
 * Served as Minister of France and Secretary of State while supporting the French Revolution, even through the Reign of Terror.
 * Served as Vice President to John Adams.
 * Elected first Democratic-Republican president in 1800: major policies included
 * Abolition of Whiskey Tax
 * Reduced spending, including army spending (opposed standing army), but maintained a strong navy
 * the Louisiana Purchase (size of US x2)
 * Embargo Act (cut off exports to demonstrate American importance, did quite the opposite)


 * Ranks an average 4th on presidential ranking studies (usually consist of historians and political scientists)


 * Alexander Hamilton (Tirthna Badhiwala) **

//Why is he important?//
 * Served in the American Revolutionary War
 * Created the National Bank
 * NY delegate at the Constitutional Convention

//Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * Founded the Federalist Party
 * Helped the fledgling industry of the United States with his financial plan
 * Secretary of Treasury for Washington's first Cabinet
 * Major author of "The Federalist Papers," which helped in the ratification process of the Constitution

**George Washington (1732-1799) (Cody Beitel)**

//Why is he important?// //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * First President of the United States, served from 1789 to 1797
 * Led the Americans to victory in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief and
 * Presided over the writing of the Constitution in 1787
 * He set many precedents for future leaders of the country, such as two-term presidency
 * Attempted to bring rival factions together to unify the nation
 * Avoided war with Great Britain and guranteed a decade of peace by securing the Jay Treaty in 1795
 * Warned, in his farewell address, of:
 * Foreign affairs
 * Permanent alliances
 * Political parties
 * Sectionalism




 * John Jay (Tirthna Badhiwala) **

//Why is he important?// //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * Helped broker "Jay Treaty," which resolved several issues with Great Britain and helped facilitate peaceful trade
 * Washington appointed him to be the Chief of Justice of the United States
 * Wrote "The Federalist Papers," along with Madison and Hamilton, which helped in the ratification process of the Constitution
 * Emancipated slaves in New York in 1799

**Eli Whitney (1765-1825) (Cody Beitel)**

//Why is he important?// //Why is he significant to United States history?//
 * An American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin
 * Helped mold the economy of the South with his invention
 * The cotton gin was one of the key inventions of the industrial revelution
 * The cotton gin made cotton into a profitable crop and, by extension, made slavery profitable, eventually resulting in southern reliance on slaves
 * It could be argued that this invention was one of the primary causes of the Civil War

Link for Xtranormal Presentation: []

Sources:

Class Notes for all topics

[] Used for the Whiskey Rebellion

[] Used for John Marshall

[] Used for James Madison

[] [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay#Federalist_Papers_1788] Used for John Jay

[] Used for Alexander Hamilton

[] [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights#The_Ideas_of_John_Locke] [] Used for Ratification of Bill of Rights

[] [] Used for Louisiana Purchase

[] Used for Alien and Sedition Acts

[] Used for Eli Whitney

[] Used for George Washington

[] [] Used for United States Constitution

[] Used for Thomas Jefferson

[] Used for John Adams

[] Used for War of 1812

[] Used for Adams-Onis Treaty

[] Used for Marbury v. Madison

[] Used for Northwest Ordinance of 1787

[] Used for Tecumseh

[] Used for Lewis and Clark