Dr. Murray
AP U. S. History, 2008-09
STUDY GUIDE FOR UNIT 4: POLITICS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS, 1789-1824
Major Issues
What challenges did the new nation face in its first years under the new constitution?
How did Hamilton’s vision of the future of the American republic differ from Jefferson’s? How did the
two men differ in their understanding of the role of the national government in American life?
How did the French Revolution help to polarize American society and contribute to the emergence of the
nation’s first political parties, the Federalists and the Republicans, in the mid-1790s? How did America’s
economic dependence on Europe—combined with the outbreak of European war—worsen the conflict
between the parties?
In retrospect, how successful a president was George Washington? What was his main legacy?
What was the significance of the Alien and Sedition Acts? Given the circumstances at the time, were the
acts justified? How would you evaluate the Republicans’ response, the Kentucky and Virginia
Resolutions?
What were the major accomplishments of Jefferson’s first term as president? How do they compare with
the frustrations of his second term?
Given that it failed to settle any of the major issues dividing the United States and Great Britain, what was
the significance of the War of 1812?
How were the related themes of nationalism and nation-building reflected in the Adams-Onis Treaty, the
Monroe Doctrine, the “American System,” and the decisions of the Marshall Court?
Joseph J. Ellis, Founding Brothers, “The Silence” (Chapter 3), 81-88
Why were the representatives from Georgia and South Carolina so upset by the Quaker petitions of
February 1790? In their view, what had been decided at the Constitutional Convention regarding slavery
and the slave trade? How do the northern views of slavery presented in the debate differ from the southern
views? To what extent do they correspond to the views presented at the Constitutional Convention in
1787?
Joseph J. Ellis, Founding Brothers, “The Silence” (Chapter 3), 96-119
When the committee was ready to present its report to the U.S. House of Representatives in March 1790,
how did James Jackson of Georgia and William Loughton Smith of South Carolina respond? What
arguments did they use to justify slavery and to undermine calls for emancipation? According to Ellis, why
were these speeches so significant? Why does Ellis introduce the data from the 1790 census? What is its
significance for the practicality of emancipation? According to Ellis’ analysis, was emancipation practical
in 1790? Which of the associated problems would have been most difficult to solve? Why did Franklin’s
advocacy of the antislavery position ultimately fail to persuade the House to take up the issue of putting
slavery on the road to extinction? What role did James Madison take in the debate? What was the final
outcome? Why, from the antislavery perspective, was the outcome worse than if nothing at all had been
done?
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The Federalist Ascendancy, 1789-1800: Hamilton’s Revenue Program (Text, Chapter 7, 125-31)
How would you describe Washington’s style as president? What did the Judiciary Act of 1789 do? What
was the Tariff of 1789?
How did Hamilton’s vision of America’s future differ from Jefferson’s? How did the two men’s views on
human nature differ? On government power? On the role of the people in a republican society?
What were Hamilton’s recommendations regarding the funding of the debt? What were Hamilton’s
reasons for doing this? Why did Madison and others criticize this decision? Why did Hamilton
recommend having the national government assume the state debts? Why was this controversial? How
was it finally passed? Why did Hamilton recommend the creation of a national bank? Why did Jefferson,
Madison, and others oppose this decision? How did Hamilton use Article I, section 8 of the Constitution to
justify the creation of the bank? What is the doctrine of implied powers? What were the recommendations
contained in Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures? On what grounds did Madison and Jefferson attack the
recommendations? What was the ultimate outcome of Hamilton’s proposals?
"Hamilton vs. Jefferson on Popular Rule," "Jefferson vs. Hamilton on the Bank," "The Clash over
States' Rights," "The Spectrum of Disagreement," American Spirit, Vol. I, 148-150, 154-155, 158161
Compare Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s views on the following subjects: human nature, the relative value of
liberty and order, the role of the people in government, whether America should be primarily commercial
or agrarian, the role of the wealthy in government, the desirability of a national debt, the balance of power
between the states and the central government, whether or not a national bank is constitutional.
The Federalist Ascendancy, 1789-1800: European Revolution, War, and Neutrality (Text, Chapter
7, 131-36)
Why did Federalists like Hamilton generally advocate a closer relationship with Great Britain? Why did
Republicans like Jefferson prefer France? What was the controversy surrounding Edmund Genet? What
were John Jay’s objectives when he negotiated with Britain in 1794? What did Jay’s Treaty actually give
the United States? What was the impact of the treaty on politics back home? What was the Treaty of
Greenville (1794)? What was Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)?
What were the causes and consequences of the Whiskey Rebellion? What is the significance of
Washington’s Farewell Address?
"The French Revolution: Conflicting Views" and "A President Bids Farewell," American Spirit, 16264, 168-70
Why does Hamilton dislike the French Revolution? How does Jefferson respond to the Revolution? On
what grounds does Washington defend a policy of strict neutrality?
The Federalist Ascendancy, 1789-1800: Adams and the Attack on Civil Liberties (Text, Chapter 7,
136-42
What do Hamilton’s various attempts to manipulate the presidential elections of 1796 and 1800 suggest
about divisions within the Federalist party? What was the significance of the XYZ Affair? How did the
Federalists respond to it? What was the ostensible reason for creating an army? What was the real reason?
What was Adams’ attitude toward the army? What was his attitude toward the “Quasi-War” with France?
What exactly were the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)? What is the connection between the Alien and
Sedition Acts and the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions? What is the doctrine of nullification, and why is
it significant? How did Adams end the Quasi-War with France? What happened in the presidential
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election of 1800? What did the outcome of the election suggest about the Federalist party’s level of
support nationwide?
Timothy Pickering Upholds the Repressive Laws" and "The Virginia Legislature Protests,"
American Spirit, Vol. I, 195-97
On what grounds does Pickering justify the Alien and Sedition Acts? Which arguments (if any) do you
find most persuasive?
How persuasive do you find the criticism of the Alien and Sedition Acts put forward by the Virginia
Resolutions? What do you make of the “compact theory” presented in the second paragraph? Are there
any dangers inherent in the idea that the states may declare federal laws unconstitutional and therefore
unbinding on their citizens?
John Marshall, "Report of the Minority on the Virginia Resolutions," The Founders' Constitution
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/
Would you agree or disagree with John Marshall’s statement that it makes no sense to punish people for
actively resisting the government and not to punish those who publish opinions encouraging people to
resist? Shouldn’t it be illegal to publish “malicious slander” that deprives the government of the
“confidence and affection of the people”—and that therefore makes rebellion more likely? If I can be sued
for libeling an individual, despite the First Amendment, shouldn’t I be punished for libeling the
government?
Jefferson's Domestic Program & Political Troubles (Chapter 8, 146-55)
What did Jefferson do about the national debt? What did he do about military spending? How did
Jefferson address the problem of the large number of Federalist officeholders? What factors contributed to
the decline of the Federalist party during Jefferson’s first term? How and why did Jefferson carry out the
Louisiana Purchase? What were his constitutional objections to the arrangement? To what extent did
Jefferson’s domestic programs—including the Louisiana Purchase--reflect his classical republican
principles?
How did Jefferson end up in a confrontation with the judicial branch? Why did the Republicans want to
repeal the Judiciary Act of 1801? On what grounds did the Federalists oppose their attempts to repeal it?
What was the significance of Marbury v. Madison (1803)? What was the significance of the unsuccessful
attempt to remove the Federalist Samuel Chase from the Supreme Court? How did it contribute to the
development of an independent judiciary? Who were the Quids, and what did their appearance suggest
about divisions within the Republican party? What is the significance of Fletcher v. Peck (1810)? How
did the Burr treason case contribute to the development of civil liberties?
Richard Hofstadter, “Thomas Jefferson: The Aristocrat as Democrat,” The American Political
Tradition, 34-51 (excerpt)
According to Hofstadter, how radical was Jefferson? Was he the dangerous visionary that his Federalist
opponents claimed he was? What was his vision of the future of America? What social groups did he
favor? Why did Jefferson believe that a democracy was not possible in an industrial and urban
environment? Where exactly did Jefferson differ from Hamilton? Why, when he became president, did he
not destroy the Hamiltonian system? Why was he content to trim “carefully at the edges” of the system?
What does Hofstadter mean when he says that the policy of Jefferson and his party “was not anticapitalist
but antimercantilist”?
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European Turmoil and the Failure of Neutrality (Text, Chapter 8, 156-63)
How did Britain’s “Orders in Council” (1806) and Napoleon’s imposition of the “Continental System”
worsen the situation? Why did Jefferson hesitate to declare war on Britain when the British ship Leopard
fired upon a U.S. warship in 1807? What was the thinking behind Jefferson’s Embargo Act (1807)? Why
was the Embargo a miserable failure? Is it fair to compare Jefferson’s heavy-handed response to violations
of the Embargo Act with Hamilton’s heavy-handed response to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794? Which, in
your opinion, was worse? How did the unpopularity of the Embargo contribute to a brief revival of the
Federalist party—and to talk of nullification in New England? How did the presidential election of 1808
demonstrate the increasing weaknesses of the Republicans? How was Madison outwitted by both London
and Paris when he tried to enforce the Non-Intercourse Act (1809) and Macon’s Bill Number Two (1810)?
In addition to neutrality and national pride, what other issue encouraged the so-called “War Hawks” to
pressure Madison to go to war against the British?
Why were New Englanders not supportive of the War of 1812? How did the Jeffersonian values of the
“War Hawks” undermine the U.S. war effort? How successful were the Americans in battle? What was
the strategy of the British in 1814, when Napoleon’s defeat made it possible for them to focus attention on
the American war? Why, according to the text, was the Battle of New Orleans significant, even though it
occurred just as a peace treaty was being prepared? Given that the Treaty of Ghent (1814) decided
virtually nothing, what is the ultimate significance of the War of 1812? What was discussed and decided at
the Hartford Convention, and how did it contribute to the death of the Federalist Party?
The Politics of Nation-Building after the War of 1812 (Text, Chapter 9, 166-71, 177-82)
What changes in Europe around 1815 allowed Americans to shift their attention to the expansion and
development of U.S. territory? How did the U.S. acquire the territory known as East Florida? What were
the terms of the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819? What do the events leading up to the signing of the treaty
suggest about how the U.S. will behave in future boundary disputes? What parts of the West received the
most attention between 1815 and the 1840s? How would you describe the attitude of most white
Americans toward the Indian inhabitants of the Trans-Appalachian West? To what extent were Jefferson’s
sentiments an exception? What did the Federal government do to encourage Indians to leave their ancestral
lands? What did the southern states do to hasten the process? What myths about western settlement does
the textbook challenge?
According to the text, what was the “common theme” of government policy during the years between the
War of 1812 and the age of Andrew Jackson? By 1815, how had the beliefs of the Republican party
changed? What was Henry Clay’s “American System”? To what extent did the Federal government enact
such as system? Why was the attempt to finance internal improvements the least successful part of the
system? What developments challenged Monroe’s aim to promote an “era of good feeling”? What were
the issues that separated North and South during the Missouri crisis? How did the Missouri Compromise of
1820 resolve these issues? Why did Jefferson refer to the Missouri crisis as “a fire bell in the night”? What
were the common themes of the Supreme Court decisions that were issued during this period? How did
these decisions affect the role of the Court? How did they affect individual rights, especially property
rights? How did they affect the balance of power between the Federal government and the state
governments? What was decided in the Dartmouth College v. Woodward case? What was its significance?
What about the McCulloch v. Maryland case? The Gibbons v. Ogden case? How was “the new spirit of
nationalism” reflected in foreign affairs during this period? What was the main diplomatic challenge that
the U.S. faced during the Monroe years? Why did Secretary of State John Quincy Adams oppose the
British proposal of joint Anglo-American action against the Latin American designs of the Grand Alliance?
What were the principles of the so-called Monroe Doctrine?