Short Answers Questions
Judiciary Act of 1789: This act set up a Supreme Court with a chief justice and 5
associate judges, 3 federal court circuits and 13 federal district courts throughout
the country, and allowed for state court decisions to be appealed to a higher court
when constitutional issues were raised. This made federal laws “the supreme law
of the land.
To help the Executive Branch govern, Congress created 3 divisions of the
Executive Branch: the Department of State, Department of War, and Department of
the Treasury.
Conflict occurred within Washington’s cabinet between Jefferson and Hamilton
over the economic plan as well as the way the government should run.
This ultimately led to the
two-party system in which
Hamilton led Federalists
and Jefferson led
Democratic-Republicans.
Adams sent diplomats to meet with the French foreign minister Talleyrand and
they were bribed by 3 low-level officials, later called “X,Y and Z,” for $250,000.
This led to anti-French sentiments in the U.S. and the Alien & Sedition ActsThe Alien Acts: raised residence requirements from 5 to 14yrs for citizenship and
allowed the president to deport or jail any alien considered undesirable.
The Sedition Act: set fines and jail terms to anyone trying to undermine the
government. This led to several Democratic-Republicans being jailed as well as
outrage.
Jefferson and Madison
react with the VA & KY
resolutions which
asserted state’s rights to
nullify an act passed by
Congress if deemed
unconstitutional or a
misuse of power.
Jefferson wanted to bring back the republican spirit of 1776 and to do so he
replaced several Federalists with Democratic-Republicans.
He acted as a common man by doing subtle acts such as walking to his
inauguration (as opposed to riding in a carriage) and he dressed plainly and did
not wear a powdered wig.
To simplify things more, he reduced the navy, cut internal taxes, and reduced the
B.U.S’s power. He believed in free trade.
Adam’s tried to maintain Federalist control in the Judicial Branch by enacting the
Judiciary Act of 1801 which increased the number of federal judges by 16.
Adam’s appointed Federalists to these positions.
This led to the monumental Marbury v. Madison case.
Marbury argued that the Supreme Court was required to
order the delivery of his papers, but the court ruled
against this, affirming the principle of judicial review,
which was the ability of the Supreme Court to declare an
act of Congress unconstitutional.
Several issues led to the War of 1812:
(1) British blockade and impressment
(2) Chesapeake Incident
(3) British arming Native Americans
The U.S. Navy did well against the
British initially since their ships were
faster, but the superior number of
British ships were able to bottle the
American ships into the harbors.
The U.S. had burned down the
governmental buildings in Canada
during the Battle of York, and in
retaliation the British burned down
the new capital building in D.C.
The War of 1812 was ended with an
armistice at the Treaty of Ghent in
1814. This was a cease fire, and laid
the groundwork for peaceful relations
between Britain and the U.S.
Andrew Jackson won a major victory
against the British at the Battle of New
Orleans. The irony was that the Treaty
of Ghent had been established two
weeks prior to this victory.
Why did the trades or bargains between Indians and the English colonist not
work out?
Native Americans required larger area of lands for their nomadic lifestyle, and
they also viewed the idea of ownership differently.
The English bargained with the Indians for ownership of the land since they
were farmers and lived in one area (sedentary lifestyle), but Natives thought
they were offering goods to share the land. They did not believe in ownership
of the Earth.
When Natives tried to hunt on the land they
thought they were sharing, disputes broke out
since they had misunderstood the English
intent.
The English also had a prejudice view towards
Indians, which led to them taking land and
going to war with an “inferior” race.
What led to the success of Jamestown?
Several factors led to Jamestown’s success:
1) The leadership of John Smith– “he that does not work, shall not eat”
2) John Rolfe’s strain of tobacco that could grow in colder climates.
3) The Headright System which brought in more settlers/servants.
4) The labor of indentured servants working the fields.
Explain the events in Bacon’s rebellion. Why did it begin, and how did it end?
Who were the primary agents involved?
Native American attacks on the western farms of Virginia led to the poor farmers
seeking help from Governor William Berkeley. Berkeley had been levying
higher taxes for personal gain, and did nothing to help the lower class.
Bacon raised an army to fight the natives in 1676, but Berkeley declared his
army illegal. Angered with his ruling, Bacon marched into Jamestown with his
army to confront colonial leaders about several issues.
The mob turned violent and led to
Berkeley fleeing the settlement. Bacon
died shortly after of dysentery, but the
Governor was recalled to England and
this became an example of the power in
the solidarity of the lower class.
PURITANS
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Wanted to purify the Church of
England.
Did not believe in equality and
required you to be a member of
the church to vote.
Did not allow religious freedom.
Meeting house still had seating
based on wealth and a pulpit.
Fought several wars with
Natives over land.
QUAKERS
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Believed the God’s “inner
light” was in all of us.
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Egalitarian society
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Pacifists
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Religious toleration
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Peace with Natives for 50yrs.
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Meeting house had no
hierarchy, anyone could
speak.
Failure to enslave natives and the
decrease of indentured servants led to
African slaves becoming a cheaper
option.
Slaves were branded, beaten, and stuffed
into the holds of ships. Starvation and
disease, as well as suicide led to the
deaths of several slaves in transit.
Africans were part of the transatlantic
slave trade also known as the triangular
trade. Merchants carried rum and other
goods from New England to Africa where
they would pick up enslaved people who
would then be brought to the West Indies
in exchange for sugar and molasses.
Most slaves worked in the field starting at the age of 12 and continuing on till
unfit to work. Some were domestic servants and lived in the house of their
masters. They were beaten, restricted by slave codes, and women were sexually
abused.
Long, deep rivers that allowed for plantations to
ship their goods without the need of docks and port
cities, fertile soil and longer growing seasons led to
a plantation based society in the South.
Farmers saw the economic benefits of growing
one crop for greater profits. This became known
as specialization and caused the South to develop
differently then the North.
The North did not rely on cash crops since they had rocky soil. Northerners
prospered from ship building and merchants became wealthy from trade.
Northern distillers also produced rum. The North relied on ports to ship goods
and cities were formed around these ports.
The witch trials began with the testimony
of two girls who fell into hysteria after
their slave “cast a spell,” this resulted in
the hanging of 19 and 1 man being
crushed to death.
The accused were generally outcasts or
seen as acting strange. The trials ended
once the Governors wife was accused.
Causes included: Immigrants and population growth led to social tensions.
The new charter granted to Massachusetts after 1689 undercut Puritan dominance
in the region.
Native American attacks kept the Puritans in constant fear and paranoia.
Religious fanaticism coupled with the constraints placed on women led to women
using the church as a forum for public outcry.
The British were losing the war at first due to the guerilla warfare tactics utilized
by the French and Natives. Their formal line style of fighting was useless against
this type of warfare.
Following the war, the Native Americans took the biggest loss since they now
had to deal with the English who refused to negotiate with them for land, and
they had lost the protection of both the Spanish and French.
The colonist’s opinions of the British
were drastically changed by the war.
They no longer saw the British as
invincible, and were angered by the
Proclamation of 1763 and Sugar Act
which followed the Treaty of Paris.
They felt unfairly taxed and wanted to
settle the land acquired through the
war.
March, 1765: George Grenville persuades Parliament to
pass the Stamp Act.
This act requires colonists to purchase special stamped
paper for every legal document, license, newspaper,
pamphlet, and almanac. The special “duties” were also
imposed on dice and playing cards.
This was a direct tax, which colonists reacted to with
boycotts and violence against customs officials. Tarring and
feathering were common.
Although the British repealed the Stamp
Act, they issued the Declaratory Act which
asserted that Parliament had the right to
create laws in the colonies.
the Townshend Act was indirect. It taxed materials such as
glass, lead, paint and paper. It also placed a three-penny tax
on tea. Colonists would again boycott British goods by
making their own tea, clothing, and forgoing the purchase of
British luxuries.
The Declaration stated that people had “natural,
unalienable” rights. Jefferson called these rights “Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Jefferson also declared that the government derived its
power from the consent of the governed. This also meant that
people had the right to alter or abolish a government they
felt was encroaching on their rights.
Jefferson took these ideals from John Locke’s essays which came from the
Enlightenment. Locke argued that life, liberty, and private property should be
under the protection of the government elected by the people.
Unfortunately, the marginalized population was left
out of the Declarations clauses. These were the
women, Native Americans, and African-Americans
(free and enslaved).
The Revolutionary promise only applied to the white
males in the colonies, and this contradicted the “all
men are created equal,” statement.
The revolution effected all levels of society, especially the
economy.
The Congress ran out of gold and silver and had to
borrow money through selling bonds to investors and
foreign governments.
They printed paper money, called Continentals, to pay troops. But massive
amounts of paper money being printed without gold to back it led to inflation.
Equipment was also in short supply due to the naval blockade, and some
agencies engaged in profiteering. This was the sale of goods of poor quality
for a profit.
Congress appointed Robert Morris as superintendent of finance and he, with
the help of Haym Salomon, raised money from a variety of sources to pay the
troops in specie (gold coin).
Society was also impacted by the loss of workforce since
males went to war, as well as the southern loss of over
100,000 slaves that escaped during this time. Women in
particular, felt the effects of war.
Wives were left at home to manage farms, businesses, and
raise children.
Women also volunteered their services by mending and
washing clothes, and making ammunition out of silverware.
And some brave women went to war to support their
husbands. The most famous was “Molly Pitcher” who was a
noncommissioned officer.
Many African Americans escaped to freedom, while others
joined the fight. They generally joined the side that offered
freedom, and some became famous. James Armistead was
one such African American who acted as a double spy and
aided our victory at Yorktown.
Native Americans remained neutral for
the most part, while some fought for the
British. They feared the colonial
advancement into their territories if the
British lost the war.
Three questions needed to be answered by the Congress to establish the
National government:
First, they needed to decide whether representation in congress should be by
population or by state. This was due to argument between large and small
states.
Second, the question of how supreme powers could be divided was an issue.
The delegates discussed how national and state powers could coexist.
Third, the states discussed who would get the lands west of the Appalachian
Mountains. This resulted in all states giving up land claims so that Maryland would
approve the Articles of Confederation.
The questions were problematic since many
states did not want a central government for
fear of losing state powers or not being
heard over larger states.
Shays’s Rebellion was in response to the courts taking the lands of debt
ridden farmers following the Revolutionary War. Shays led a militia of
farmers to the courts to shut them down, and then on to an arsenal.
This forced the government to see the
weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation,
which allowed for states to overtax its citizens.
Many other states began fearing similar
rebellions since they all had debt ridden
farmers that could revolt at any time.
In response to this rebellion, delegates met to
discuss the issues raised by Shays and this
ultimately led to the drafting of our
Constitution.
JAMES MADISON’S
VIRGINIA PLAN
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Proposed a bicameral
legislature with membership
based on state population.
Voters would elect members
of the lower house who in turn
would elect the members of
the upper house.
WILLIAM PATTERSON’S
NEW JERSEY PLAN
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Proposed a single
house legislature in
which each state
would have one vote.
Was supported by the
smaller states.
The two plans of big and small states became deadlocked over how the
representation should be handled.
Roger Sherman from CT suggested what came to be known as the Great
Compromise. This plan offered a two-house Congress to satisfy both big
and small states.
The upper house, or Senate, would have equal
representation by state. The lower house, or House of
Representatives, would have representation based on
population.
This plan pleased those who favored government by the
people as well as defended states rights.
FEDERALISTS
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Supporters of the Constitution.
Favored a balance of power
between national and state
governments.
Insisted that the division of power
and system of checks and
balances would protect from
tyranny.
Included George Washington,
James Madison, and Alexander
Hamilton.
Supported by urban centers,
small states, and those with weak
economies… why?
ANTI-FEDERALIST
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Opponents of the Constitution.
Feared a strong central
government, and believed it
would lead to an abuse of power.
Privileged minority would overrule the rights of the majority.
Leading argument centered on
the Constitution lacking
protection for individual rights.
Included Patrick Henry, Samuel
Adams, and Richard Henry Lee.
Supported by rural areas, large
states, and those with strong
economies… why?