Constitution
Westward Expansion
Late 1700s
Early 1800s
VS.6a-c
Articles of Confederation
First plan of government for the new nation,
United States
Written at the Second Continental Congress
Did not work because it lacked a strong
central government
Constitutional Convention
May – September 1787
55 delegates from all states except Rhode
Island
Main purpose was to amend (change) the
Articles of Confederation
Instead, created a new plan for government,
the US Constitution
Important Documents
VA Declaration of
Rights
Written by George
Mason
States that all
Virginians should have
certain rights
Basis for the Bill of
Rights
VA Statute of
Religious Freedom
Written by Thomas
Jefferson
States that all people to
be free to worship as
they please
Basis for the first
amendment
The US Constitution
Preamble – an introduction to the
Constitution
The Body of the Constitution – lists the
laws of the land
The Bill of Rights – the first ten
amendments
Amendments – changes and additions to the
Constitution
Important People
George Mason
Wrote VA Declaration of Rights
George Washington
President of Constitutional Convention
1st President of the US
“Father of Our Country”
Important People (continued)
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote Declaration of Independence
1779-wrote the VA Statute for Religious Freedom (basis
for 1st amendment)
3rd President
Founded UVA
James Madison
“Father of the Constitution”
4th President
War of 1812 – Britain and France didn’t want each other
trading with America, when Britain took over an
American ship, Congress declares war on Britain
Important People (continued)
James Monroe
5th President
Monroe Doctrine – no further colonization in
North America by foreign countries
Era of Good Feeling – no wars
Meriwether Lewis & William Clark
Explored Louisiana Purchase
1st explorers to explore land all the way to the
Pacific Ocean – did not find an all water route to
the Pacific
Louisiana Purchase
During Jefferson’s presidency
French owned land west of Mississippi River
Port of New Orleans was owned by France –
not usable by US
This port was needed and important
Jefferson sent J. Monroe to France to
negotiate the Louisiana Purchase
US purchased the land for $15 million
Doubled the size of the US
Westward Expansion
New ways to travel
Turnpike - roads
Railroads – steam
powered locomotives
Canals – man built
waterway
Rivers & Canals –
Steam boats & flat
bottom boats
New inventions
Steam engine – boats
and trains
Fertilizer – helps plants
grow
Cyrus McCormick’s
reaper
Flour Mills- where
grain is ground into
flour
Westward Expansion
the movement of people into western parts
of the US
Cyrus McCormick invented the reaper,
horse pulled machine to cut wheat = more
wheat with less workers
Daniel Boone led exploration through the
Cumberland Gap,a gap in the Appalachian
Mountains, the main route for the westward
movement