Period3, Ch9-10 Study Guide
NAME: ____________________________
Building the U.S. (1754-1800), part2:
Independence (Ch. 9-10)
...is about exploring the consequences of the American Revolution as a new country experimented with
the political foundations of the United States in the early years of independence.
What historical “lessons learned” can be drawn from the period, 1754-1800?
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- Humans need to adapt to environments has necessitated technological innovation.
- Cultures spread through syncretism.
- Economic conditions and religion are key components in legitimizing or undermining government.
- Ever intensifying trade is a powerful force for social and political change.l inequality is source of
conflict yet ever-present in civilizations.
Objectives:
1. Analyze the impacts and limitations of the American Revolution.
2. Analyze the historical origins and tensions involved in the creation of the Constitution and Bill of
Rights.
3. Analyze how regional, class, and political differences contributed to an emerging American
identity between 1783 and 1800.
4. Analyze the relationship between governmental politics and the economy.
5. Analyze the impacts of economic, military, and diplomatic initiatives aimed at expanding U.S.
power between 1783 and 1800.
6. Analyze how the republican thought and the Constitution impacted politics and society between
1783 and 1800.
Key Concepts:
Explain the definition, role, and significance of…
Chapter 9
Abigail Adams
Republican motherhood
Articles of Confederation
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Shay’s Rebellion
Constitution
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
Great Compromise
Checks & balances
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Three-fifths Compromise
Anti-Federalists
Federalist Papers
Bill of Rights
James Madison
Chapter 10
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Alexander Hamilton
National Bank
Strict constructionists
Enumerated powers
Loose constructionists
Implied powers
Whiskey Rebellion
Democratic-Republicans
Jeffersonians
Federalists
Conservatives
Hamiltonians
French Revolution
Neutrality Proclamation
Chief Little Turtle
Battle of Fallen Timbers
John Jay
Jay’s Treaty
Pinckney’s Treaty
Farewell Address
John Adams
Executive Privilege
XYZ Affair
Alien and Sedition Acts
Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions
The American Revolution’s democratic and republican ideals fostered experiments and debate in government.
The American Revolution was not a radical transformation like the French or Russian revolutions, but
it did produce political innovations and some social change in the direction of greater equality and democracy.
Many new state constitutions and the national Articles of Confederation, reflecting republican fears of both
centralized power and excessive popular influence, placed power in the hands of the legislative branch and
maintained property qualifications for voting and citizenship. Difficulties over trade, finances, and interstate
and foreign relations, as well as internal unrest, led to calls for significant revisions to the Articles of
Confederation and a stronger central government. After experiencing the limitations of the Articles of
Confederation, American political leaders wrote a new Constitution. Compromise on a number of important
issues was required in order to create the new federalist system with a separation of powers. Utilizing great
political skill and persuasive writing, the founding fathers crafted a Bill of Rights and continued their debates
about the proper balance between liberty and order. As the first national administrations began to govern under
the Constitution, continued debates about such issues as the relationship between the national government and
the states, economic policy, and the conduct of foreign affairs led to a wider political conflict between
Hamiltonian Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans: the first political parties in America. Federalists
supported a strong central government, a "loose" interpretation of the Constitution, and commerce.
(Democratic) Republicans supported states' rights, a "strict" interpretation of the Constitution, and agriculture.
However, the federal Constitution ultimately represented a moderately conservative reaction against the
democratic and decentralizing effects of the Revolution and the Articles of Confederation. In effect, it
embedded the revolutionary ideals of liberty and popular government within a strong framework designed to
advance national identity and interests against the dangers of fragmentation and disorder.
While the new United States continued to limit rights to some groups, ideas promoting selfgovernment and personal liberty reverberated around the world – inspiring future rebellions in France, Haiti,
and Latin America. The French Revolution’s spread throughout Europe and beyond helped fuel Americans’
debate not only about the nature of the United States’ domestic order but also about its proper role in the
world. Although George Washington’s Farewell Address warned about the dangers of divisive political
parties and foreign alliances, European conflict and tensions with Britain and France fueled increasingly bitter
debates between Federalists and Republicans. The continued presence of European power in North America
challenged the United States to find ways to safe guard its borders, maintain neutral trading rights, and
promote its economic interests. Still, American isolationist tradition prevailed as a result of Washington's
strong neutrality stance and his farewell warnings. The foreign-policy crisis and domestic political divisions of
the 1790s culminated in the bitter election of 1800, but in the end power passed peacefully from Federalists to
Republicans.
New voices for national identity challenged tendencies to cling to regional identities, contributing to
the emergence of distinctly American cultural expressions. Women gained new importance in American
political culture as a result of women’s contribution to the Revolution and the Enlightenment, which called on
“republican motherhood” to teach republican values within the family. Increased awareness of the inequalities
in society motivated some individuals and groups to call for the abolition of slavery and greater political
democracy in the new state and national governments. Instead the constitutional framers postponed a solution
to the problems of slavery and the slave trade for national unity, setting the stage for recurring conflicts over
these issues in later years. The expansion of slavery in the lower South and adjacent western lands, and its
gradual disappearance elsewhere, began to create increasingly distinctive regional attitudes toward the
institution.
As migrants streamed westward from the United States, interactions among different groups resulted
in competition for resources, shifting alliances, and cultural blending. Migrants from within North America
and around the world continued to launch new settlements in the West, creating new distinctive backcountry
cultures and fueling tensions with Native Americans. The Constitution’s failure to precisely define the
relationship between American Indian tribes and the national government led to problems regarding treaties
and Indian legal claims relating to the seizure of Indian lands. But, policies like the Northwestern Ordinance
extended republican institutions by admitting new states, promoting public education, protecting private
property, and restricting slavery in the Northwest Territory. As western settlers sought free navigation of the
Mississippi River, the United States forged diplomatic initiatives to manage the conflict with Spain and to deal
with the continued British presence on the American continent. West of the Mississippi, Spanish cultural
blending continued as they expanded their mission settlements into California.