January 8
Standard 1
Conflicts between regional and
national interest in the development
of democracy in the United States.
1.1
• Varying regional characteristics
– Religious
– Social
– Political
– Economic
14 slides
British Colonies
• 3 Colonial Regions
– New England
• Massachusetts
– Mid-Atlantic
• Pennsylvania
– Southern
• Virginia and South Carolina
• Varying motivations for
settlement impacted each
region
• First successful English
settlement was Jamestown,
VA in 1607
– Settled for economic benefit
– In search of gold
Colonial Religion
• Not every colony was founded
for religious purposes
– Most people came to improve
economic and social standing
• “Religious Freedom” did not
have the same meaning as
today
– Pilgrims and Puritans came for
freedom for themselves, not for
all religions
• Colonial religious intolerance
was a prime factor in
establishing the principle of
separation of church and state
after the American Revolution
Colonial Religion
New England
• Very little religious tolerance
• Puritans wanted to create a
“city on the hill”, a community
that England could look to as
a model of godliness
• The community couldn’t be
defiled by people with other
beliefs
• Exiled dissenters
– Roger Williams- Believed the
government couldn’t force
religion
– Anne Hutchinson- Believed
individuals could interpret the
Bible
Colonial Religion
Mid-Atlantic
• More religious diversity and
tolerance
• Pennsylvania was founded
by Quakers (William Penn)
• Everyone had a inner light
which fostered tolerance
• Act of Toleration- Lord
Baltimore of Maryland
promoted the Act in order
to protect the rights of
Catholics in the colony
Colonial Religion
Southern
• Religion did not play a
large role until the Great
Awakening (1730s)
– Revival meetings where
1,000s would attend
– Placed an emphasis on
higher education
• The Church of England
was the established
church of the South
Colonial Society
New England & Mid-Atlantic
• Society was centered
around religious beliefs
• Increased immigration
from various countries
caused class distinctions
• The church fostered the
development of towns
and educational
institutions
Colonial Society
Southern
• A hierarchical social structure was
created due to the South's reliance
on indentured servants and later on
slaves
– Indentured Servant- agrees to serve 47 years to pay off a debt (usually the
cost of transportation to the colonies)
– Slave- originally came from Africa to
Barbados then to the colonies
• The plantation system impeded the
development of towns and schools
due to their large land holdings
• All southern colonies became
reliant on slaves
January 9
Colonial Politics
• Colonial political development was
impacted by the colonists experiences
in England
– Magna Carta (Medieval bill of rights)
and Parliament (representatives)
• Distance from England fostered the
development of colonial governments
• Civil War in England (1600s) and
salutary (beneficial) neglect helped
undermine the authority of the king
– Increased the importance of colonial
assemblies, which were able to control
the royal governor appointed by the
king
• British subjects in the colonies were
loyal to the Crown
– Believed that only their colonial
assemblies had the power to tax them
Colonial Politics
New England
• Town Meetings
– Representatives were sent
from each town
• Due to the emphasis on
mercantilism and
banking, political power
was more diverse
– Merchants and bankers
had the most power
Colonial Politics
Southern
• Virginia’s House of
Burgesses
– Only landowners could vote
• Dependence on slavery and
the plantation economy
meant those with the most
land had the most power
• Coastal planters had more
political power than
ordinary farmers
Colonial Economics
• Economic development
depended on
geographic location,
natural resources, and
human capital
(population & money)
available
Colonial Economics
• The three colonial
regions developed an
interdependent
network of trade
– Coastal trade
• New England- Boston
• Mid-Atlantic- New York
• Southern- Charlestown
– British Caribbean
– Africa
– Europe
Colonial Economics
New England
• Rocky soil, cold winters, and short
growing seasons
– Subsistence farming
• Large forests
– Shipbuilding
• Vast river systems and harbors/seas
– Fishing
– Merchants
• They were not dependent on slavery
Mid-Atlantic
• Fertile soil, moderate climate, and
large families
– Exported crops
• They were not dependent on slavery
Colonial Economics
Southern
• Vast land, rivers, fertile
soil, and slave labor
– Cash crops (grown on large
scale for sale)
• Tobacco
• Rice
• Indigo
– Shipped to New England
to be sent back to Europe
• Cotton was not produced
on a large scale until the
late 1700s
January 10
1.2
9 slides
• Representative Government and Political
Rights in the Magna Carta and English Bill of
Rights
• Conflict between the Colonial Legislatures and
British Parliament over taxation
Colonial Government Influences
• The Magna Carta recognized the
rights of Englishmen
– Consulted on the levying of taxes
– Rights were protected by a jury of peers
• The rule of law is a principle that
states every member of society
must obey the law, even the king
– Rules are clear, well-understood, and
fairly enforced
• The English Bill of Rights reinforced
previous beliefs and introduced new
freedoms
– Consultation of levying of taxes
– The power of the king is limited by the
Parliament
– Religious freedom
Early Representative Governments
• Virginia House of Burgesses
– Maintained order in the colony and attracted new
colonists
– Because only property owners could vote, it created a
social elitist society
– The appointment of a royal governor in the 1620s
further limited democracy in Virginia
• Mayflower Compact
– Exemplified the principle that a government derives
its authority from the people
– Puritan ideology supported democracy in
Massachusetts Bay and spread with the Puritan faith
– Puritan church was governed by male members and
ruled through town meetings
– Each town sent representatives to the General Court
in Boston
• Originally, only Puritan members attended but it was later
expanded to include non-Puritan property owners
Politics in England
• English Civil War
– The English government left the
colonies alone to develop their own
governments
• Glorious Revolution
– Due to 100 years of struggle between
the King and Parliament
– King James was overthrown by
William and Mary
• Agreed to abide by the English Bill of
Rights
• Recognized the supremacy of Parliament
and its right to levy taxes
Politics in England
• John Locke
– Natural Rights
• Life, liberty, and property
– Social Contract Theory
• The government governs with the
consent of the governed (power
comes from the citizens)
• Salutary Neglect
– Colonists governed themselves
– Little or no interference from
England
– Colonial assemblies had the
power to tax the citizens
– Ignored tariffs and smuggled
goods into and from port
– The ending of this policy is what
fueled colonial revolt against the
Crown
The French and Indian War
• 1754-1763, The English fought
the French and many of the
Native American tribes over
control of North America
• English won control of land
east of the Mississippi River
• The Proclamation of 1763
banned colonists from settling
west of the Appalachian
Mountains
• Caused the Crown to go into
extreme debt
January 13
Actions and Reactions
• Sugar Act- 1764
– Established admiralty courts which
violated the right to a trial by jury
– Colonists reacted by protesting and
increased smuggling
• Stamp Act- 1765
– Direct tax on official documents
– Colonists reacted by
• Protest
– “no taxation without representation”
• Creation of the Sons and Daughters of
Liberty
– Organized and supported protests
• The Stamp Act Congress
– Declaration of Rights and Grievances
• Boycott
Actions and Reactions
• Stationing of British Troops- 1763
– Leftover from the French and Indian War
– Troops stationed in Boston were taunted
by an angry mob, and retaliated by firing
shots into the crowed, killing five
colonists (Boston Massacre, 1770)
• Townshend Acts- 1767
– Taxed certain imports and stationed
troops at major colonial ports
– Colonists continued to boycott
• Tea Act- 1773
– The Crown gave the East India Company a
monopoly on the tea trade which caused
prices to decrease in the hopes of
lessening boycotts
– Colonists reacted by dumping 18,000 lbs.
of tea into the Boston Harbor (Boston Tea
Party)
Actions and Reactions
• Coercive “Intolerable” Acts- 1774
– Due to the Boston Tea Party, King George III and
Parliament wanted to punish the colonists
• Shut down the Boston Harbor
• Quartering Act- allowed British solders to stay in
vacant private homes and buildings
• Martial Law- Boston was forced to obey rules
imposed by military forces
– Colonists reacted by forming the First
Continental Congress
• 54 delegates drafted a declaration of colonial rights
• Stated colonists could fight back if the British used
force
• Lexington and Concord- 1775
– “shot heard ‘round the world”
– First shots of the Revolutionary War between
British soldiers and Colonial Minutemen
Colonists’ Goals
• The colonists were not protesting against the taxes
because they thought the taxes were too high nor were
they attempting to form a new kind of government
• The colonists were trying to hold onto the government
that they had developed during the time of salutary
neglect
• The colonists did not want to have representation in
Parliament because they would have been outvoted
• The colonists wanted British recognition that only their
colonial legislatures had the right to impose taxes on
the colonial citizens
January 14
1.3
4 slides
• Impact of the Declaration of Independence
and the American Revolution
The Declaration of Independence
• The Declaration was written to
further the cause of the
colonists’ fight with Britain,
which was already in its 2nd year
– Addressed to those within the
colonies who remained loyal to
the king or were uncommitted to
the cause of independence
• Based on the ideas of John
Locke
– Principles of equality
– Natural rights
• Life, liberty, and pursuit of
happiness
The Declaration of Independence
• Outlined the idea of limited government
– The purpose of a government is to secure
rights
– It is the right of the people to alter or abolish
the government if those rights aren’t
protected
• Blamed King George III, not Parliament,
for violating the rights of the colonists
– Lists actions that “He” did to the colonists
– Try and break the bonds between the King
and the loyalists
• Unify the new nation against a common
enemy
– The charges listed are the events that led to
the outbreak of war
The Declaration of Independence
• By declaring independence,
America was able to enter into an
alliance with France
– The French king did not support the
ideals of democracy
– Started supporting America after its
victory at Saratoga
– Wanted to defeat its historical enemy
• The alliance provided French naval
support and supplies
– Made the American victory at
Yorktown possible
Post War Impact
• States began to put the principles
of the Declaration into practice
– Passed laws that gradually
emancipated slaves (North)
– Freedom of religion
– Property-owning male suffrage
• “all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable
rights… [to] life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness”
– Rally cry for those denied their
rights
January 15
1.4
13 slides
• Dissatisfactions with the Confederation
government
• Improvements in the Constitution of 1787
• Compromises of the Philadelphia Convention
and the ratification of the Constitution
The First form of Government
• The Articles of
Confederation was
designed to protect the
rights Americans had
fought for during the
Revolution
The Confederation Government
• Created by the Continental
Congress, the Articles of
Confederation established a
weak central government
– Created as a direct result of the
experiences that led to the
Revolution
• Americans were fighting to preserve
the rights of their colonial assemblies
• They believed sovereignty rested in
their state governments
– The Confederation government was
unable to meet the needs of the
nation
Confederation Government Successes
• Large and small states disputed
over land claims in the west
– The Confederation absorbed all land
claims and created the national
domain
• The Land Ordinances established a
method for distribution of this land
• The Northwest Ordinances set a
precedent for the creation of new states
and declared slavery illegal in the old
Northwest Territory
– First effort of the government to
prohibit slavery
Confederation Government Successes
• The Confederation
government under the Second
Continental Congress proved
effective during the Revolution
– States had a common cause
• The Confederation was
satisfactory at the state level
– States wrote new constitutions
and passed laws that met their
needs
Confederation Government Successes
• The Confederation effectively
negotiated the Treaty of Paris 1783
(peace treaty after the Revolution)
• When the fighting and common
cause ended, Americans found that
the Confederation government was
too weak to meet the needs of the
growing nation
– 54 delegates met at the Philadelphia
Convention to fix the Articles of
Confederation
– They ended up starting from scratch and
created the Constitution of 1787
– Founders/Framers/Founding Fathers
January 16
Confederation Government Problems
1. No Standing Army
• Trade between Britain and America halted
after the Revolution which meant many
Americans were unable to pay their
mortgages and state taxes
– Led to Shays Rebellion in Massachusetts (1787)Farmers marched to close the local courts and
prevent foreclosure proceedings on farms
– This frightened many of the elite and prompted
their support for a stronger national government
that could preserve peace
Constitution:
• The national government was given the
power to levy taxes so they could afford an
army and protect US interests
Confederation Government Problems
2. No Federal Taxation
• The Confederation did not
have the power to tax the
states
– Unable to support a standing
army
• The government could request
money from states but they
were not obligated to pay
anything
Constitution:
• The national government was
given the power to levy taxes
Confederation Government Problems
3. No Single National Currency
• The Confederation could not
resolve conflicts between states
over interstate trade, currency, or
boundaries nor was there a judicial
branch to resolve conflicts
Constitution:
• The new national government was
given the exclusive power to
control interstate trade and the
currency
• A judicial branch of government
was established with the right to
resolve disputes between states
Confederation Government Problems
4. No Executive Leadership
• States attempted to negotiate with
foreign powers independently
• The Confederation government had a
lack of power and was unable to solve
the nation’s problems
– The states had more power and refused to
acknowledge the federal government
Constitution:
• The federal government was given the
exclusive right to make treaties with
foreign powers
– Gave the US diplomatic power
• Set up a federal system which shared
power between the states and the
national government
Confederation Government Problems
5. Required unanimous vote
to amend
• Complete inability to
correct the Confederation
government’s failures
Constitution:
• Made it easier to fix any
unforeseen problems by
including a provision for
amendment by ¾ of the
states
Confederation Government Problems
6. Each state had equal vote in Congress
• The Confederation Congress consisted of one house and each state
delegation had one vote, no matter how big or small the population
– Georgia (23,375) v. MA (235,308)
Conflicts in Philadelphia:
• Virginia Plan- large states wanted representation based on population
• New Jersey Plan- small states wanted to have equal representation
• Slaves- southern states wanted to count slaves in the population,
northern states did not
Constitution:
• The Connecticut “Great” Compromise- A bicameral legislature was
created that included the House of Representatives (population) and the
Senate (equal)
• 3/5ths Compromise- slaves were to count as 3/5 of a person for the
purposes of representation and taxation
Limiting Popular Power
• Due to the belief in “We, the people”
and “no taxation without
representation”, the Constitution gave
the House of Representatives the
power to create taxes because they
were directly elected by voters
• The Framers were fearful of too much
popular influence on the government
– They created a system for indirect election
of Senators
– Supreme Court justices had to be
nominated by the president and
confirmed by the Senate
– The electoral college was created as a
buffer between the people and the
election of the president
Ratification of the Constitution
• Federalists- supported the
Constitution and wanted a
strong national government
– James Madison, Alexander
Hamilton, and John Jay wrote The
Federalist Papers, which were a
series of essays that provided an
understanding of the intentions of
the Framers of the Constitution
• Anti-Federalists- opponents of
the Constitution and wanted
stronger state governments
– Called for a bill of rights to protect
the common person from the
elitist who would control the
government
January 17
1.5
7 slides
• The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Limited
Government
– Democracy
– Republicanism
– Federalism
– Separation of Powers
– Checks and Balances
– Individual Rights
Limited Government
• Limited government is
based on the idea that the
government must be
controlled so that it
cannot infringe upon the
rights of the people
– The Constitution effectively
limited the power of the
national government
Democracy
• The fundamental principle of
democracy is that the government
derives its power from the consent of
the governed
– Under the Articles of Confederation,
sovereignty belonged to the states
– Under the Constitution, the authority to
govern comes from the people
• “We the People…do ordain and establish this
Constitution”
• The US was not a true democracy from
the start due to its failure to recognize
the right to vote of several classes of
people
– The small percentage of voters controlled
the government
Republicanism
• Republicanism is a form of
government where voters are
represented by elected
legislators
• The legislators make decisions in
the interests of the voters
• Initially, only the House
members were from a direct
election (now Senators are too)
Federalism
• Federalism is designed to limit the
powers of the government by only
delegating it some powers
– Exclusive Powers
• Raising an army, Post offices, Foreign
diplomacy, Printing and coining money
• Other powers are reserved for the
states
– Reserved Powers
• Traffic laws, Public schools, Conducting
elections, Marriage laws
• Some powers are shared by the
states and the national government
– Concurrent Powers
• Creating courts, Taxes, Borrowing money
Separation of Powers
• The Constitution divided
the federal government
into three branches
– Executive
• President
– Legislative
• Bicameral Congress
– The House of
Representatives
– The Senate
– Judicial
• Supreme Court and Federal
courts
Checks and Balances
• Checks and balances ensure the
power of each branch is limited due
to competing powers in other
branches
– Congress passes laws but the president
can veto them
– Congress can override a veto with a
supermajority vote
– The president has the power to make
treaties but the Senate must ratify them
– The president and judges can be
impeached but it must pass both
houses of Congress
Individual Rights
• The addition of a Bill of Rights
to the Constitution limited the
national government from
infringing on the rights of the
people
– Freedom of speech, religion,
assembly, and press
– Protections against unfair trials
and unreasonable search and
seizure
– Right to bear arms
January 21
1.6
10 slides
• Development of the two-party system
• Controversies over domestic and foreign
policies
• Regional interests of the DemocraticRepublicans and the Federalists
The Two-Party System
• The two-party system developed
as a result of political differences
between Alexander Hamilton
and Thomas Jefferson during
George Washington’s first term
– Both men agreed about the
ratification of the Constitution and
both supported Washington
– They differed regarding Hamilton’s
(then Secretary of Treasury)
economic plan
• Hamilton became a Federalist
• Jefferson became a DemocraticRepublican
Hamilton v. Jefferson
• Hamilton proposed that the
government pay off the debt left
from the Revolution by issuing
new bonds (individual
investments in the government)
• Jefferson (then Secretary of
State) opposed this because he
believed it would give wealthy
investors more power in the
federal government
• Congressed approved the plan
Hamilton v. Jefferson
• Hamilton proposed that the national
government assume the debts of the
states
– Northern states supported this because
they had outstanding debts
– Southern states (except SC) opposed this
because they had already paid off their
debts
• Northern and Southern Congressmen
compromised by agreeing to assume
the debt, but also moving the US
capital to a southern state
– The District of Columbia was carved out
of Maryland and Virginia
Hamilton v. Jefferson
• Hamilton proposed that Congress
establish a national bank
– The bank would hold the nation’s revenue
and supply loans for economic growth
• Jefferson objected based on the
exclusive powers given to the federal
government in the Constitution
– The Constitution did not specifically list that
Congress had the power to establish a bank
• Hamilton argued that the bank was
“necessary and proper” to establish a
national currency and regulate trade
– This ‘elastic clause’ was included in the
Constitution to allow it change with the
needs of the nation
• Congress and Washington approved the
establishment of the First Bank of the US
Hamilton v. Jefferson
• Hamilton proposed Congress establish a
protective tariff
– The protective tariff would set a high tax on
imported goods to encourage Americans to buy
goods made in the US
– This would protect America’s emerging
industries
• Jefferson believed that democracy was
dependent on farmers and did not want to
promote industry
– Southern planters feared European nations
would buy less crops from the US because
Americans were buying few foreign made
goods
• Congress did not pass the protective tariff
Hamilton v. Jefferson
• Hamilton proposed an excise tax on whiskey
– Excise tax- tax on the production of a product;
sellers would make up the money by increasing
the cost of the product
– He wanted to control the drinking habits of
Americans and raise revenue for the federal
government
• Jefferson opposed the excise tax because
western farmers turned their grain into
whiskey to transport it more easily across the
Appalachian Mountains
• The “Whiskey Tax” led to the Whiskey
Rebellion of western Pennsylvania farmers
– This was the first challenge to the authority of
the new national government
– The Rebellion quickly ended when troops led by
President Washington marched into the state
• The Rebellion showed the seriousness of the
split between the two political groups
Federalists v. Democratic-Republicans
• The two-party system developed as a result of
varying political positions on economic issues
• Federalists
–
–
–
–
Supporters of Hamilton
Strong central government
Loose interpretation of the Constitution
Wealthy merchants and emerging industrialists
(North)
– Few southern elites
• Democratic-Republicans
–
–
–
–
Supporters of Jefferson
Limited central government
Strict interpretation of the Constitution
‘the common man’, rural northerners, southerners,
backcountry folk
January 22
Conflict over France
• Jefferson supported the
French Revolution because
France’s Declaration of the
Rights of Man and the Citizen
was similar to the Declaration
of Independence
• Hamilton supported the
British because of long
tradition and trade relations
– The British were facing attack
from French forces during the
French Revolution
Conflict over France
• The disagreement over France was
heightened
– The Citizen Genet incident- Genet was
a French ambassador urging Americans
to support France. He was required to
stop by the US government because it
showed favoritism over Britain
– Jay’s Treaty- Removed British troops
from frontier forts on US soil but
allowed British traders to trade fur on
the US side of the US-Canadian border
– XYZ Affair- French officials demanded a
bribe from US diplomats
Limiting Freedoms
• Issues over foreign diplomacy led
to the creation of the Alien and
Sedition Acts
– The Alien and Sedition Acts were
designed to silence the outspoken
and slanderous opposition of the
federal government
• Jefferson and Madison wrote the
Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions opposing the Acts
– The Resolutions declared that state
legislatures could nullify an act of
Congress
• The controversy contributed to
Jefferson’s election in 1800
1.7
4 slides
• Expansion of the power of the national
government
• Influential Supreme Court decisions under
Chief Justice John Marshall
The Supreme Court
• American’s ideas about
democracy have been shaped
by the Supreme Court
• Chief Justice John Marshall
strengthened the principles of
the Constitution and the
power of the national
government through the
decisions made under his
leadership
The Supreme Court
• The Judiciary Act of 1789
established the court system
because the Constitution did not
set guidelines
• The first chief justices presided
over a very weak court
• President John Adams appointed
Federalist John Marshall because
of their similar political beliefs
• Marshall is credited for
strengthening the power and role
of the court system in the US
The Marshall Court
• Marbury v. Madison (1803) began the precedent of judicial
review as a vital part of the checks and balances system
– Federalist President Adams lost to Democratic-Republican
Jefferson
– Adams appointed Federalists to open judicial spots before he
left office (‘midnight’ judges)
– Democratic-Republican Secretary of State James Madison
refused to approve William Marbury’s commission
– Marbury appealed to the Supreme Court
– Chief Justice Marshall reviewed the appeal and ruled that the
Supreme Court did not have the power to force Madison to
approve the commission
• This was the first case that the Court claimed the right to
determine the constitutionality of a law or action
The Marshall Court
• The Marshall Court continued to
strengthen the role of the federal
government
– Gibbons v. Ogden
• The Court ruled that only the federal
government could control interstate
commerce
– Dartmouth v. Woodward
• The Court upheld the sanctity of contracts
against state government
– McCullough v. Maryland
• The Court ruled that the sate of Maryland
could not inhibit the operations of the
Bank of the US by imposing a tax
– Worcester v. Georgia
• The Court denied the right of the state of
Georgia to limit the rights of the individual
in a case related to Indian reservations
January 23
Standard 1 Test