Term
| What was the attitude of the leaders of the new republic toward political parties? |
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Definition
| The leaders of the new republic wanted to avoid political parties. These individuals believe that it was of utmost importance to maintain "political harmony." Parties were considered divisive and disloyal. |
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Term
| What was the first step in Hamilton's financial program? |
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Definition
| Step 1: Establish the new nation's credit-worthiness by creative conditions under which persons would loan money to the government by purchasing its bonds, confident that they would be repaid. |
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Term
| What was the second step of Hamilton's financial program? |
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Definition
| Step 2: Creation of a new national debt. The old debts would be replaced by new interest bearing bonds issued to the governments creditors. This would allow for nation stability. |
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Term
| What was the third step of Hamilton's financial program? |
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Definition
| Step 3: Creation of a bank of the United States, modeled on the Bank of England. Would serve as the nation's main financial agent. |
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Term
| What was the fourth step of Hamilton's financial program? |
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Definition
| Step 4: Tax on whiskey to raise revenue. |
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Term
| What was the fifth step of Hamilton's financial plan? |
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Definition
| Step 5: Imposition of a tariff (a tax on imported goods) and government subsidies to encourage the development of factories that could manufacture products currently purchased from abroad. |
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Term
| Why was there such opposition to Hamilton's ideas? |
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Definition
| Farming and agricultural individuals thought this nation was striving to be different than England but Hamilton seemed to want it to be the same. To Madison and Jefferson, the future lay in westward expansion, not connections with Europe. The goal was a republic of independent farmers marketing grain, tobacco, and other products freely to the world. They could have cared less about manufacturing. People did not see liberty in Hamilton's plans. It was believed the bank would just lead to more corruption as Britain had already seen. Also the tax on whiskey seemed to target back country farmers since whiskey was made from grain. |
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Term
| What was the impact of the French Revolution on American politics? |
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Definition
| To begin with, most Americans welcomed the French Revolution. But events in France soon became a bitter subject in America. Some believed French was being awesome (Hamilton and his crew) but to Washington there seemed nothing but to draw closer to Britain. Shaped early American politics. When America tried to help out France, Britain seized many U.S. ships. American-French alliance was canceled. The war led directly to the formation of an organized opposition party. |
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Term
| What was the Federalist party all about? |
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Definition
| Federalists were supporters of the Washington administration. They favored Hamilton's economic program and wanted close ties with Britain. Made up of prosperous merchants, farmers, lawyers, and established political leaders (especially outside the South). Generally and elitist outlook. Public office is reserved for men of economic substance—the “rich, the able, and the well-born.” Freedom rested on deference to authority. Federalists feared “the spirit of liberty” unleashed by the Revolution was degenerating into anarchy and “licentiousness.” |
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Term
| What was the Republican party all about? |
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Definition
| Led by Madison and Jefferson. More sympathetic to France than the Federalists and had more faith in democratic self-government. Drew support from an unusual alliance of wealthy southern planters and ordinary farmers throughout the country. Far more critical than the Federalists of social and economic inequality. But were more accepting of broad democratic participation as essential to freedom. |
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Term
| How did the party divisions of the 1790s expand what Foner calls the “public sphere?” |
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Definition
| More and more citizens attended political meetings and became avid readers of pamphlets and newspapers. 1,000 post offices = wider circulation of personal letters and printed materials. Overall, more everyday people could keep track of everyday news. |
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Term
| What is the main argument contained in the Address of the Democratic-Republican Society on page 286? |
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Definition
| Freedom of opinion is supposedly the right of every American citizen so says the constitution. We should not take criticism of Washington so strongly. |
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Term
| How did the debate over women's rights develop in the 1790s? |
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Definition
| Mary Wollstonecraft published “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” which asserted that “the rights of humanity” should not be “confined to the male line.” She called for greater access to education and paid employment which would enable single women to support themselves and married women to perform more capably as wives and mothers. She briefly stated that women “ought to have representation” in the government but did not go into detail on this. A short lived women's rights magazine was published in NYC in 1795. Many women started to publish their own thoughts. Some used pen names like “The Gleaner” which was Judith Sargent Murray who wrote lots of stuff! |
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Term
| What does the election of 1796 tell us about the development of the first party system? |
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Definition
| There was fierce competition. Intense campaigning took hold. The loser got to be vice president.... Hmm... |
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Term
| What were the main issues in the presidency of John Adams? |
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Definition
| Adams was less cautious in domestic affairs than foreign affairs. Unrest continued in many rural areas. |
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Term
| Why were the Alien & Sedition Acts so controversial? |
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Definition
| Alien act allowed the deportation of persons from abroad deemed “dangerous” by federal authorities and the Sedition Act authorized the prosecution of virtually any public assembly or publication critical of the government. This meant that all opposition editors could be prosecuted for almost any political comment they printed. People wanted more liberty than this. |
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Term
| What was the point of the Virginia & Kentucky resolutions? |
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Definition
| Both set out to destroy the Sedition Acts. Said that laws of congress violated the Constitution. It was a broad revulsion against the Alien and Sedition Acts. |
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Term
| What are the most important features of the election of 1800? |
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Definition
| Republicans had developed effective techniques to mobilize voters (printing pamphlets, handbills, and newspapers) which the Federalists were unable to match. This helped Jefferson to trump his competition (Adams). Both Jefferson & his running mate had matching votes so the election was thrown into the House of Representatives. Hamilton's support for Jefferson tipped the balance. Soon it was said that seperate votes must be cast for president and vice president. 4 years later, Burr killed Hamilton in a duel. |
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Term
| What does the map on page 294 tell us about the election of 1800? |
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Definition
| Much of the North Eastern states remained Federalists whereas The Westerners away from the coast were Republican. |
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Term
| In what way does Foner think the slavery issue was “lurking behind the political battles of the 1790s?” |
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Definition
| Jefferson received every electoral vote in the south in the 1790s, however, had three-fifths of the slaves not been counted in apportionment, John Adams would have been reelected in 1800. The issue of slavery would not go away. |
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Term
| Why was Gabriel's Rebellion important? |
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Definition
| Gabriel's Rebellion – Some slaves wanted to march on the capital but their plan was discovered and twenty-six slaves, including Gabriel, were hanged and dozens more transported out of state. Showed that slaves possessed the love of freedom just as much as everyone else. They sought freedom as good and claim it as a right. This tightened reigns over slavery. The door to emancipation thrown open during the American Revolution was slammed shut. |
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Term
| What did Jefferson hope to do as president? |
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Definition
| Jefferson wanted economy in government, unrestricted trade, freedom of religion and the press, friendship to all nations but “entangling alliances” with none. Hoped to dismantle as much of the Federalist system as possible. Wanted to pardon those imprisoned under the Sedition Act. |
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Term
| What constitutional principles did Marshall announce in Marbury v. Madison and Fletcher v. Peck? |
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Definition
| Marshall established the Court's power to review laws of Congress and the states. Power known as “Judicial Review.” Used the power of congress as outlined in the Constitution and therefore made the arguments void. |
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Term
| Why does Foner think the Louisiana Purchase was the “greatest irony” of Jefferson's presidency? |
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Definition
| Jefferson had to abandon his conviction that the federal government was limited to powers specifically mentioned in the Constitution, since the document said nothing about buying territory from a foreign power. Admitted that he had done his work beyond the constitution but believed the benefits justified the transgression. |
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Term
| Looking at the main geographical features of the map on page 298, and considering that water transportation was only 1% as expensive as land transportation, why was control of New Orleans so important to the U.S.? |
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Definition
| It was important to be able to trade freely through New Orleans. Were afraid that France might try to interfere with American commerce in New Orleans. |
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Term
| Why was the Lewis & Clark expedition important? |
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Definition
| Jefferson hoped that Lewis & Clark would both establish trading relations with western Indians and locate a water route to the Pacific Ocean...An updated version of the old dream of a Northwest Passage that could facilitate commerce with Asia. The journey demonstrated the possibility of overland travel to the Pacific coast. The success of their journey helped to strengthen the idea that American territory was destined to reach all the way to the Pacific. |
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Term
| What happened to the status of blacks in Louisiana after the U.S. Took over? |
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Definition
| French and Spanish law accorded free blacks, many of whom were the offspring of unions between white military officers and slave women, nearly all of the rights of white citizens. Slave women had even had the right to go the the courts if they were raped by their masters. Free blacks suffered a steady decline in status. Also a slave code was passed in the South, forbidding blacks to “ever consider themselves the equal of whites.” |
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Term
| How did the Jefferson administration react to British & French interference with American neutral trade? |
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Definition
| To Jefferson, the economic health of the US required freedom of trade with which no foreign government had a right to interfere. Jefferson persuaded Congress to enact the Embargo, a ban on all American vessels sailing for foreign ports. Hoped this would lead Europeans to stop their interference with American shipping and also reduce the occasion for impressment. This didn't work as neither country took notice, and American ports suffered major economic loss. |
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Term
| What were the “War Hawks” trying to accomplish? |
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Definition
| War Hawks – A group of younger congressmen, mostly from the West, were calling for a a war with Britain. Came of age after the winning of independence and were ardent nationalists. Spoke passionately of defending the national honor against British insults, but they also had more practical goals in mind, notably the annexation of Canada. Unimpeded access to overseas markets was essential if the agrarian republic were to prosper. |
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Term
| Why were Tecumseh & Tenskwatawa important figures in Indian history? |
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Definition
| Tecumseh – A chief who had refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. Tenskwataw – A religious prophet who called for complete separation from whites, the the revival of traditional Indian culture, and resistence to federal policies. These two Indians were brothers. Called for attacks on American settlements. |
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Term
| What were the major events of the War of 1812? |
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Definition
| Britain invaded the US and burned the White House while the government fled for safety. America defeated the British warship Guerriere. Francis Scott Key composed “The Star-Spangled Banner” which became the national anthem. The Treaty of Ghent, ended the war. |
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Term
| Looking at the map on page 305, what were the three major theatres of war? |
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Definition
1. Near the coast or waterports. New England coasts.
2. Around the Great Lakes.
3. Near New Orleans. |
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Term
| What were the results of the War of 1812? |
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Definition
| These results made Jackson a national hero. Completed the conquest of the area east of the Mississippi river. Britain's defeat of Napolean inaugurated a long period of peace in Europe. American's sense of separateness from the old world grew even stronger. Strengthened a growing sense of nationalism in Canada, based in part on separateness from the United States. |
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Term
| Why was the Hartford Convention important? |
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Definition
| A group of New England Federalists gathered at Hartford to give voice to their party's long-standing grievances, especially the domination of the federal government by Virginia presidents and their own region's declining influence as new western states entered the Union. Wanted to eliminate the three-fifths clause to get rid of Southern power. Federalist party no longer existed. |
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Term
| What was The Whiskey Rebellion? |
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Definition
| 1794. Backcountry Pennsylvania farmers sought to block collection of the new tax on distilled spirits, reinforced this conviction. Rebels held signs saying “liberty or death.” The only time in history an American president commanded an army in the field. |
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