Creating a New Nation
Virginia Statute on Religious
Freedom
• 1786 law written by Thomas Jefferson and passed
by the Virginia legislature
• First law in the United States that required the
separation of church and state
• Passed after a bill that would have assessed a
general tax to support churches—a bill written by
Patrick Henry and George Washington—was
defeated
• Followed by similar laws in New Jersey and New
York and, a few years later, by the First Amendment
to the Constitution (as part of the Bill of Rights
authored by James Madison)
Constitutional Convention
• Meeting convened in Philadelphia in 1787
• Delegates from 12 states met to discuss the
problems inherent in the articles of confederation
• Delegates chose to create a new government by
drafting the constitution
• Drafting process was long and arduous, with
significant conflicts and compromises, including the
early clash between advocates of the New Jersey
Plan and advocates of the Virginia Plan, as well as
the crucial agreement to the Great Compromise
• James Madison, who drafted most of the
constitution and is therefore known as the “father of
the constitution,” was a major figure
George Washington
• Virginian
• Leader of the Continental Army during the
American Revolution; important participant in
the First Continental Congress, the Second
Continental Congress, and the Constitutional
Convention.
• First president of the United States (1789-1797)
• Close friend of Alexander Hamilton and a
supporter of his economic policies, including the
chartering of the First National Bank
• Retired rather than seek a third term as president,
thus setting the two-term precedent, which was not
broken until Franklin D. Roosevelt won a third
term in 1940
Whiskey Rebellion
• 1792 uprising by Western Pennsylvania farmers
displeased with the excise tax on whiskey that was
one of Alexander Hamilton’s economic policies
• Raising cries echoing the French Revolution, the
farmers attacked tax collectors.
• George Washington sent 15,000 federal troops to
quash the rebellion, proving that the federal
government would not be threatened, but also
raising complaints from the Anti-Federalists,
who were vigilant for signs of tyranny under the
new Constitution
Virginia Plan
• Introduced the Constitutional Convention by
James Madison
• Called for a government much like the one
outlined by the Constitution
• Competed with the New Jersey Plan, which was
seen more favorably by small states
• Adapted to accommodate the feelings of the New
Jersey Plan’s supporters in the Great
Compromise.
Great compromise
• Name for the agreement on state
representation in Congress reached by the
Constitutional Convention
• To strike a balance between large states
(who sought equal representation based
on population), and small states (who
sought equal representation for all states),
the Great Compromise agreed upon a
bicameral legislature, with a House of
Representatives dividing representation
by population and a Senate giving equal
representation to every state
Shay’s Rebellion
• Grew out of economic distress following the
American Revolution
• Consisted of a group of debt ridden farmers in
western Massachusetts protesting against high taxes
• During the winter of 1786-1787, cold weather and a
lack of supplies led to the uprising’s disintegration
• Highlighted problems with the Articles of
Confederation and increased momentum for the
Constitutional Convention
James Madison
• Virginian; known as the “Father of the Constitution” because he was the
primary architect of the system of checks and balances
• Was the primary advocate of the Virginia Plan and the Constitutional
Convention
• One of the authors of the Federalist Papers
• Leading congressional critic of the First National Bank
• Co-author of the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
• Served as secretary of state during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency
• Defendant in the seminal Supreme Court case Marbury vs. Madison
• Negotiated the Louisiana Purchase
• Was president from 1809-1817
• President during the war of 1812, which was also known as Mr.
Madison’s War by his critics
• Advocate of strict construction and a leader of the DemocraticRepublican party
Constitution
• The document that provides the supreme law for the
United States
• Written at the Constitutional Convention in 1787,
when the Articles of Confederation was no longer
effective
• Ratified in 1789
• Written by James Madison, known as “the father” of
this
• Crafted a strong federal government with powers
limited by the system of checks and balances
• Divides federal government into three branches:
executive, legislative, and judiciary
• Has been amended 26 times (the first ten
amendments are called the Bill of Rights) to date
Balance of Powers
•Term for the constitutional
system wherein different
powers are delegated to the
three branches of
government: executive (the
president), legislative
(Congress), and judicial
(the Supreme Court)
System of Checks and Balances
• The underlying theory behind the Constitution
• Uses three branches of the federal government – the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches - to
balance one another and prevent any one branch
from gaining too much power
• Designed by James Madison
Judiciary Branch
• One of the three branches on the government
created by the Constitution as part of the system
of checks and balances.
• Consists of the entire federal court system, of
which the highest court is the Surpreme Court.
• Keeps the other branches of government in check
by applying the principle of judicial review.
Executive branch
• One of three branches of the government
created by the Constitution as part of the
system of checks and balances
• Headed by the president and vice president
• Includes all members of the Cabinet
Legislative Branch
• One of three branches of the government created by the
Constitution as part of the system of checks and balances
• Also known as the Congress
• Comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate;
bicameral, meaning it is made up of two houses
• Bears responsibility for passing laws, declaring war,
ratifying treaties, and providing a national budget
House of Representatives
• The lower house of the bicameral Legislative
branch established by the Constitution
• As a result of the Great Compromise,
membership in the house of Representatives is
proportional based upon the population of each
state
• The house of Representatives currently has 435
members
Senate
• The upper house of the bicameral legislative branch
established by the Constitution
• As a result of the Great Compromise, membership
in the Senate is divided equally among all states
• The Senate currently has 100 members
The Federalist Papers
• Name for a large collection of essays written
pseudonymously by James Madison, John Jay, and
Alexander Hamilton
• These essays, published in a New York newspaper
and widely circulated thereafter laid out a strong
case for ratification of the Constitution and against
many of the arguments put forward by the AntiFederalists
Federalists
• Initially those who supported ratification of the
Constitution and the creation of a stronger central (federal)
government than the Articles of Confederation allowed
• Under the influence of Alexander Hamilton, many
Federalists formed a political party, the Federalist party,
during the years of George Washington’s presidency
• This party was largely centered in the New England and
controlled by aristocrats
• The party split (those who left the party formed the
Democratic Republican party) because of disagreement
over federal power and the First National Bank
• The party lost power to Thomas Jefferson and the
Democratic-Republican party in the election of 1800 (also
known as the Revolution of 1800), and they never regained
power
• The party dissolved during the president of James
Madison, in the wake of the Hartford Convention
Loose Construction
• A philosophy of interpreting the Constitution
broadly and thereby enlarging the scope of the
federal government’s power beyond the specific
enumerated powers
• Opposed by the Democratic-Republicans, who
preferred a philosophy of strict construction
Strict Construction
• A philosophy of interpreting the Constitution
narrowly and thereby limiting the scope of the
Federal government’s power to those powers
specifically enumerated
• Popular with the Democratic-Republican Party
• Unpopular with the Federalist Party, who preferred
loose construction
Alexander Hamilton
• New York financier who served as treasury
secretary during George Washington’s
presidency
• He designed the economic development of the
united states, beginning the first National Bank
• Primary leader of the Federalist party
• He also served as one of the pseudonymous
authors of The Federalist Papers
• Was killed in duel by Vice President Aaron Burr
Electoral College
• A body mandated by the Constitution
• Electors, representing each state, choose the
president based upon the popular vote within their
state
• When the electoral college cannot reach a decision,
a final decision is made by the House of
Representatives
• Until the passage of the 12th Amendment in 1804,
the electoral college named the candidate with the
second most electoral votes as the vice president
• This caused trouble when Federalist John Adams
was elected president and Democratic-Republican
Thomas Jefferson was elected vice president
(1796)
Bill of
Rights
• Collective name for the first ten
amendments to the Constitution
• These amendments guarantee
individual rights and liberties are
protected from the federal
government
• Many states would not ratify the
Constitution until this was promised
• Written by James Madison
Land Ordinance of 1785
This established a plan by which
the federal government surveyed
the land and sold it to settlers at
affordable prices.
3/5ths Compromise
Southern States wanted their slaves
to count as part of their population
so that they could have greater
representation in the House of
Representatives, the Northern
states did not agree with this
because they did not have very
many slaves. How was this matter
resolved?
Northwest Ordinance
• 1787 ordinance dividing the American
northwest into three to five territories
• Banned slavery in those territories
• Provided that money raised by the
sale of land in the territories be used
to fund public education; set out
requirements for territories to become
states
Anti-Federalists
• Name for those opposed to
ratification of the Constitution.
• Were opposed to the creation of a
strong federal government.
• Supported vesting more power in
the states and argued that a strong
federal government would lead
back to tyranny.
Judiciary Act of 1789
This law established a national
court system
First National Bank (First Bank of
the United States)
• Chartered by Congress in response to a request from
Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during
George Washington’s presidency
• Vociferously opposed as unconstitutional by James
Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who resigned his
post as secretary of state because of the bank
disagreement
• Disagreement over the bank led to the split between
the Federalists and the Democratic-Republican
Party
• Helped the national economy develop
Democratic-Republican Party
• Political party that developed in opposition to the
Federalists after the chartering of the First
National Bank
• Led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
• Advocated a central government empowered to
carry out only those functions explicitly
enumerated in the Constitution
• Fractured after the “corrupt bargain” in the
election of 1824
John Adams
Second President of the United
States?
Alien and Sedition Acts
• Laws passed during John Adam’s
presidency.
• Restricted naturalization of
immigrants and made publishing
material critical of the government a
crime.
• When Thomas Jefferson became
president, he pardoned everyone
imprisoned under the acts and chose
not to renew the legislation.
Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions
• Written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson,
respectively
• Passed by the state legislatures of these two states
• Resolutions argues that the Alien and Sedition Acts were
unconstitutional and therefore “unauthoritative, void, and of
no force”
• Further argued that the Constitution gave the federal
government only as much power as was derived from a
compact among sovereign states
• Served as basis for states’ rights arguments in the
Nullification Crisis and leading up to the Civil War.
XYZ Affair
• President John Adams sent diplomats to France to
negotiate a settlement to trade disagreements between
France and the United States
• Following the triumph of the democratic French
Revolution, public sympathy for France was very high in
the United States
• Adams changed the tide of public opinion by alleging that
three French diplomats- whom he identified only as X,Y,
and Z– had demanded a bribe from American diplomats
before even sitting down to negotiate
• The resulting furor over the XYZ Affair led America to the
brink of war with France
Eli Whitney
In 1793 Invented the Cotton Gin.
In 1798, found a new way to make
goods by using interchangeable
parts
“Midnight Judges”
• A large number of judicial
appointments made by John Adams
the night before Thomas Jefferson’s
inauguration in the so called
Revolution of 1800
• James Madison refused to certify a
large number of the appointments,
leading to the Marbury v. Madison
court decision, which established the
principle of Judicial Review
“Revolution of 1800”
• Nickname for the transfer of power from the
Federalists to the Democratic Republicans
following the election of Thomas Jefferson over
John Adams in 1800
• Also known as the bloodless revolution because
the government managed to change hands without
violence or serious strife
• Biggest controversy in the transfer of power was
the “midnight appointments” made by John
Adams
John Marshall
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1801
(when he was appointed by John Adams after the
election of Thomas Jefferson, but before Jefferson’s
inauguration) to 1835
• Established the principle of judicial review (in the
famous case Marbury v. Madison), thereby
creating an important role for the judiciary branch
in the system of checks and balances
• Followed as chief justice by Roger Taney
Marbury V. Madison
• Lawsuit brought against James Madison in his capacity as
secretary of state during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency
• Marbury was a “midnight appointment” made by John
Adams just before Jefferson’s inauguration in the so-called
Revolution of 1800
• When Madison refused to certify Marbury’s appointment,
Marbury sued
• Chief Justice John Marshall, an ardent Federalist, used the
case to establish judicial review
• Marshall ruled that Marbury deserved his appointment but
also that the Supreme Court lacked the authority to force
Madison to certify the appointment
• According to Marshall, the Supreme Court lacked the
authority because the Judiciary Act of 1789, which ascribed
this power to the Supreme Court, was unconstitutional
Judicial review
• The role of the Supreme Court in
determining whether of not laws passes by
Congress are constitutional (permitted by
the Constitution)
• First exercised by Chief Justice John
Marshall in Marbury v. Madison
Louisiana Purchase
• 1803 agreement with France to buy all of
Louisiana (the French name for all of the land in
the Mississippi River Valley) for $15 million
• Doubled the size of the United States
• Negotiated by James Monroe
• Approved by Thomas Jefferson in a massive
departure from his usual adherence to strict
construction
• Explored by Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark
• Two explorers (Merriwether Lewis and William
Clark) sent by Thomas Jefferson to map and
document land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase
• Expedition lasted from 1804 – 1806
• Journeyed west from St. Louis all the way to the
Pacific Ocean and back
• Received assistance from Indian guide Sacagawea
(who is commemorated on the new dollar coins)
Tecumseh
Native American leader who organized
a confederacy of Native Americans to
fight for land in the Northwest territory
James Madison
fourth president of the United States
War of 1812
• War fought between the United States and Britain
from 1812-1814
• Fought over trade rights
• Called Mr. Madison’s War by critics, who blamed
President James Madison for the war’s failures;
led critics to meet at the Hartford Convention
• Occasion for the composition of “The Star
Spangled Banner”
• Ended on a high note for Americans after the
Battle of New Orleans
“Star
Spangled
Banner”
• Written by Francis Scott Key during the
War of 1812 as a battle took place over Fort
McHenry near Baltimore
• Later adopted as the National Anthem of the
United Sates of America
Treaty of Ghent
The treaty that ended the War of
1812
Battle of New Orleans
• Fought in 1814
• Last battle in the War of 1812
• Fought two weeks after the British
and the Americans had agreed to a
treaty.
• Massively outnumbered Americans
routed an immense British army while
sustaining almost no casualties.
• Vaulted General Andrew Jackson to
national fame
Era of good feeling
• Nickname for the years during during James
Monroe's presidency
• Known this way because America was at peace and
had only one political party (the federalists having
dissolved)
• Not an entirely accurate moniker for a period with
its share of problems, including those that led to the
issuance of the Monroe Doctrine
Monroe
Doctrine
• Foreign policy position during James
Monroe’s presidency
• Declared that the United States would not
brook European interference in affairs of
the Americas, just as the United States
would not muddle in European affairs
• Greeted by most European nations with
silence, which the United States
interpreted as acquiescence
• Later served as the basis for the
Roosevelt Corollary
Second National Bank (Second Bank
of the United States)
2nd
• An institution similar to the First National Bank chartered
during James Monroe’s presidency
• Opposed by agricultural interests in the south and west
• Strongly opposed by Andrew Jackson
• Jackson vetoed the renewal of the bank’s charter, becoming
the first president willing to veto a bill for reasons other
than questions about its constitutionality (this was one way
in which Jackson strengthened the presidency)
• Still unsatisfied and insistent on shutting the bank down
before its charter expired, Jackson ordered his treasury
secretary to withdraw all federal funds from the bank
• When his treasure secretary refused, Jackson appointed
another and then another until he appointed his close friend
Roger Taney, who did as Jackson wished and was rewarded
with an appointment as chief justice of the Supreme Court
in 1835
Hartford convention
• A gathering of delegates from the New England
states in Hartford, Connecticut in late 1814
• Delegates were unhappy about the way the war of
1812 was progressing and about the decline of the
Federalists and the influence of New England as a
region
• Delegates demanded significant revisions to the
constitution, but their request were undercut by the
American victory at the Battle of new Orleans,
which ended general discontent
Tariff of 1816
As part of the plan known as the
American System, President
Madison proposed this tariff.
The tariff increased the cost of
foreign-made goods and thus make
American goods more attractive.
McCulloch v. Maryland
>
State Law
Federal Law
• 1819 Supreme Court decision in
which Chief Justice John
Marshall asserted the supremacy
of federal law over state law
• Decision barred the state of
Maryland from levying state taxes
on the Second National Bank
Adams-Onís Treaty
Treaty that settled a border dispute
between Spain and US.
Spain handed over Florida to the
United States in the treaty.
Gibbons v. Ogden
In 1824, the Supreme Court ruled
in,_______ v. _________, that
Congress – not the states – had the
power to regulate interstate trade.
“corrupt bargain”
• Nickname for the back-room agreement that allowed John Quincy
Adams to win the presidential election of 1824
• When none of the four candidates received a majority of the votes in
the electoral college, the final decision fell to the house of
representatives
• Henry clay, who had received the fewest votes of the four candidates,
threw his support to the second-place finisher, John Quincy Adams,
giving Adams enough votes to defeat the first-place finisher, Andrew
Jackson
• Adams then appointed Clay to be his secretary of state, a powerful
post from which the last four presidents had advanced to the
presidency
• Jackson’s supporters cried foul, labeling the machinations the “corrupt
bargain”
• The outcry weakened Adams and Clay, preventing Adams from
accomplishing any thing as president, and preventing clay from
mounting a credible campaign to become president
John Quincy Adams
6th President of the United States
• Why were the American political
leaders fearful of creating a strong
central government after the
American Revolution?
• fear of a powerful central government
• fear of another monarchy
• fear of a few powerful states
dominating all others
• fear of power in the hands of all citizens
• What was the first written
form of laws for our
government called?
• Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution
• Bill of Rights
• Articles of Confederation
• The Articles of Confederation
called for a
• weak national government
• powerful national government
• no national government
• weak state government
• The Articles of Confederation
gave Congress_______to tax
or regulate commerce between
states.
• too much power
• no power
• some power
• all power
• The Constitution balanced power
between the large and small states
by creating a two house
legislature. On what is state
representation for the House of
Representatives based?
• land size of the state
• when the state joined the union
• population of the state
• income of the state
• The Articles of Confederation
provided for________common
currency.
• no
• federal
• state
• none of the above
• The Articles of Confederation
gave each state
• votes regarding to size.
• votes regarding to population
• one vote.
• votes regarding to state size and
population.
• Which branch of government
was permitted in the Articles of
Confederation?
• executive
• legislative
• judicial
• Supreme Court
• The Constitution balanced
power between the large and
small states by creating a two
house legislature. Which
house has equal representation
from each state?
• Senate
• House of Representatives
• The Constitution made
________ law the supreme law of
the land, and otherwise gave
the__________considerable
leeway to govern themselves.
• state, government
• democratic, people
• federal, states
• no, citizens
• The Constitution placated the
Southern states by counting slaves
as___________of the population
when determining representation in
the
.
• 1/5, Senate
• 3/5, House of Representatives
• 3/4, Senate
• 4/5, House of Representatives
• The Constitution avoided a too
powerful central government by
establishing three co-equal
branches. Which of the following
is NOT correct?
a) The executive branch enforces the
laws.
b) The legislative branch creates the
laws.
c) The judicial branch interprets the laws
to make sure they are constitutional.
d) The executive branch is made up of
the Senate and House of
Representatives.
• Each branch is overseen by the
other two branches -what term is
used for this method of making
sure one branch does not
dominate?
• checks and balances
• power to oversee
• domination
• patronage
• Who was the chairman of the
Constitutional Convention?
• John Hancock
• Benjamin Franklin
• George Washington
• James Madison
• Who is known as "the Father of
the Constitution" because of
his many debates and wellscripted notes of the meetings?
• George Washington
• John Jay
• Alexander Hamilton
• James Madison
• What plan did Madison propose
at the Convention?
• Richmond Plan
• New Jersey Plan
• Virginia Plan
• New York Plan
• Who authored much of the Bill
of Rights?
• James Madison
• Alexander Hamilton
• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson
• Who proposed a federal
government with three separate
branches, which became the
foundation for our government
today?
• James Madison
• Alexander Hamilton
• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson
• Which group believed a republic
could survive in a country as large
as the United States because the
number of political factions would
check each other?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• Which group favored a strong
central government that shared the
power with the states?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• Which group believed a strong
central government was necessary
to facilitate interstate commerce,
manage foreign trade, and national
defense?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• Which group believed a national Bill
of Rights is necessary?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• Which group argued that a Bill of
Rights would be redundant because
the Constitution provided for basic
rights?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• Which group believed a strong
central government would take
over the powers of the state
governments, thereby
concentrating too much power at
the national level and too little at
state and local levels?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• Which group argued for the checks
and balances so no one branch
becomes predominant?
• Anti-federalists
• Federalists
• Both Anti-federalists and Federalists
• Neither Anti-federalists or Federalists
• What became the first order of
business of the new
government established by the
Constitution....to create
• the Constitution
• Bill of Rights
• Preamble
• Declaration of Independence
• From which state's documents
did James Madison borrow
when writing the Bill of Rights?
• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Virginia
• Georgia
• Who wrote the Virginia Statute
of Religious Freedom?
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Mason
• Who wrote the Virginia
Declaration of Rights?
• James Monroe
• George Mason
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• Who was the first president of
the United States?
• Thomas Jefferson
• John Hancock
• George Washington
• Alexander Hamilton
• What political party led by John
Adams and Alexander Hamilton
believed in a strong national
government and an industrial
economy with support from the
wealthy in the North?
• Anti-federalists
• Democrat-Republicans
• Federalists
• Whigs
• Which political party led by Thomas
Jefferson believed in a weak
national government and an
agricultural economy with support
from the farmers in the South?
• Anti-federalists
• Democrat-Republicans
• Federalists
• Whigs
• Who won the election of 1800
which was the first presidential
election that peacefully saw the
exchange of political party power?
• Thomas Jefferson
• Alexander Hamilton
• Aaron Burr
• John Adams
• Who served a Supreme Court
Chief Justice for 30 years and
established the principle of
judicial review?
• Roger Taney
• John Marshall
• John Hancock
• John Jay
• Which court case established
the principle of judicial review?
• McCulloch v. Maryland
• Gibbons v. Ogden
• Marbury v. Madison
• Dred Scott v. Sandford
• Which court case prohibited states
from taxing agencies of the federal
government - power to tax is the
power to destroy?
• McCulloch v. Maryland
• Gibbons v. Ogden
• Marbury v. Madison
• Dred Scott v. Sandford
• Which president is responsible
for the Louisiana Purchase?
• George Washington
• John Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Monroe
• From which country did the
United States purchase the
Louisiana Territory?
• Great Britain
• Canada
• Mexico
• France
• Who led the expedition to
explore the new territories
west of the Mississippi River?
• Lewis and Clark
• Sacco and Vanzetti
• Houston and Crockett
• Sherman and Clayton
• What Indian guide served as
an interpreter for the
expedition west?
• Squanto
• Pocahontas
• Sacajawea
• Tonto
• Who won the War of 1812?
• Great Britain
• France
• United States of America
• Republic of Texas
• What land claim did the
Americans receive as a result
of the victory in the War of
1812?
• Mississippi
• California
• Texas
• Oregon
• What document in 1823 said the
American continents should not
be considered for future
colonization by European powers
and nations in the western
hemisphere are inherently
different from those in Europe?
• Monroe Doctrine
• Roosevelt Corollary
• Popular sovereignty
• Containment