"Other historians relate facts to inform us of facts. You relate them to excite in our hearts an intense hatred of lying, ignorance, hypocrisy, superstition, tyranny; and the anger remains even after the memory of the facts has disappeared."
Diderot, writing of Voltaire

“ Men, by their constitutions, are naturally divided into two parties:
(1) Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes; (2) Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise, depository of the public interests. . . .
The appellation of Aristocrats and
Democrats is the true one, expressing the essence of all .”
Thomas Jefferson

“ What to the American slave is your Fourth of July?
I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass-fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.
There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour. . . . Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old
World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a
1852 rival.” Frederick Douglass, July 4,

By: Howard Zinn
I propose a set of criteria for the description "democratic" which goes beyond formal political institutions, to the quality of life in the society (economic, social, psychological), beyond majority rule to a concern for minorities, and beyond national boundaries to a global view of what is meant by "the people," in that rough, but essential correct view of democracy as "government of, by, and for the people."
Let me list these criteria quickly, because I will go on to discuss them in some detail later:
1.
To what extent can various people in the society participate in those decisions which affect their lives: decisions in the political process and decisions in the economic structure?
2. As a corollary of the above: do people have equal access to the information which they need to make important decisions?
3.
Are the members of the society equally protected on matters of life and death - in the most literal sense of that phrase?

4.
Is there equality before the law: police, courts, the judicial process - as well as equality with the law enforcing institutions, so as to safeguard equally everyone's person, and his freedom from interference by others, and by the government?
5.
Is there equality in the distribution of available resources: those economic goods necessary for health, life, recreation, leisure, growth?
6.
Is there equal access to education, to knowledge and training , so as to enable persons in the society to live their lives as fully as possible, to enlarge their range of possibilities?
7.
Is there freedom of expression on all matters, and equally for all to communicate with other members of the society?
8.
Is there freedom for individuality in private life, in sexual relations, family relations, the right of privacy?
9.
Do education and the culture in general foster a spirit of cooperation and amity to sustain the above conditions?
10. As a final safety feature: is there opportunity to protest, to disobey the laws, when the foregoing objectives are being lost - as a way of restoring them?

Chapter Review Questions
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The US faced economic and political problems as a new nation in a world dominated by war between Britain and France. How successful were the efforts by the Jefferson, Madison, and
Monroe administrations to solve these problems?
The anti-European cast of Jefferson's republican agrarianism made it appealing to many Americans who wished to believe in their nation's uniqueness, but how realistic was it in the real world of politics during Jefferson's administration?
Some Federalists opposed the Louisiana Purchase, warning of the dangers of westward expansion. What are arguments for and against expansion?
The confrontations between Tecumseh's alliance and soldiers and settlers in the Old Northwest reveal the contradictions in American Indian policy. What were these contradictions? Can you suggest solutions to them?
What did the War of 1812 accomplish?

Chronology
1790s Second Great Awakening begins
1800 Thomas Jefferson elected president , Gabriel’s conspiracy
American ships carry 95% of US-British trade
1801 Cane Ridge [Kentucky] revival
1802 Russian-American company headquarters at Sitka, Alaska
1803 Louisiana Purchase / Marbury v. Madison / Ohio admitted to the Union
1804 Lewis and Clark expedition begins / Thomas Jefferson reelected president / Russians reestablish Sitka following the
Tlingit Revolt
1807 Chesapeake-Leopard incident / Embargo Act
1808 James Madison elected president / Int. slave trade illegal
1809 Tecumseh forms military alliance among northwest confederacy peoples
1811 Battle of Tippecanoe
1812 War of 1812 begins / James Madison reelected president /
Louisiana admitted to the Union
1814 Hartford Convention / Treaty of Ghent

Chronology
1815 Battle of New Orleans
1816 James Monroe elected president / Congress charters Second Bank of the United States /
Indiana admitted to the Union / American
Colonization Society founded / African Methodist
Episcopal Church founded
1817 Mississippi admitted to the Union
1818 Illinois admitted to the Union / Andrew Jackson invades FLA
1819 Panic of 1819 / Adams-Onis Treaty
1819-20 Missouri Crisis and Compromise
1820 James Monroe reelected president / Maine admitted to Union
1821 Missouri admitted to Union as slave state
1823 Monroe Doctrine

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Gary B. Nash, Forging Freedom: The Formation of
Philadelphia’s Black Community, 1720-1840 (1988). This study of the struggles of Philadelphia’s African-American population (both enslaved and free) to build a community in the early republic includes discussions of work, religion, class, and the responses of the African-
American community to growing white hostility .
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of
Martha Ballard, Based of her Diary, 1785-1812 (1990). A
20-year-long diary provided the primary source for this careful examination of the work, family events, and daily social interactions of a midwife in rural Maine in the early
Republic .

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Henry Adams, The United States in 1800
Walter LaFeber, John Quincy Adams and the
American Continental Empire (1965)
Carey McWilliams, North From Mexico: the
Spanish-Speaking People of the US (1948)
David Weber, The Spanish Frontier in North
America (1993)
Biography VHS: Lewis and Clark Expedition

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Lewis and Clark visited the Mandan villages in what is now North Dakota.
The Mandan lived by agriculture and hunting and lived in matrilineal clans.
The male chiefs met with Lewis and Clark who offered them a military and economic alliance.
Americans established Fort Clark as a trading base.
Americans brought diseases like smallpox that wiped out the vast majority of Mandans.

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To protect their interests against Russian and British expansion, the Spanish had established a chain of missions throughout California.
The Spanish also controlled New Orleans, though in
1800 it was:
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 a polyglot, French-dominated society that was half black; and an international port.
Americans were concerned that whomever controlled
New Orleans could choke off commerce along the
Mississippi River.
East and West Florida dominated the Gulf of Mexico, and
Spain opened the area to American immigration.

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The Caribbean posed strong challenges because of the sugar industry.
The Caribbean slave societies were jolted by the successful slave revolt in Haiti.

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The heart of British North America was the former French colony of Quebec. Loyalists comprised most of the other settlers.
The American Revolution caused Great
Britain to create a national legislature under strict executive control.

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Russian settlements in Alaska were an extension of its conquest of Siberia.
The Russia established Sitka in 1804.
Russia established new settlements in
California, including Fort Ross .

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In 1800, the United States was surrounded by European colonies.

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The trans-Appalachia west was the most rapidly growing region of the United States.
By 1800, 500,000 Americans lived in Trans-
Appalachia.
Cincinnati served as major trading center for the
Ohio River Valley .
River traffic to and from New Orleans increased annually, though Westerners were concerned over who controlled the city.

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Only 3 percent of Americans lived in cities
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Boston, and
New York dominated trade.
Each city had its own distinct economy and culture.
These cities led the nation socially, politically, and economically.
Those with the greatest ties to the trans-
Appalachian West thrived.

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Most Americans lived in rural, agricultural communities.
Northerners were generally self-sufficient.
The plantation regions of the South were heavily involved in marketing crops overseas, but demand for tobacco and rice only rose to pre-
Revolutionary levels.

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In 1790, American shipping had been hurt by the end of ties with Great Britain.
The outbreak of war in Europe and American neutrality vast expanded trade, fueling the growth of American coastal cities.
The economic boom included:
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American entry into the Northwest fur and China markets;
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 an active shipbuilding industry; and trade stimulated the rise of insurance companies, banks, and brokers catering to the international market.
By 1820, the United States was building a strong, diversified national economy.

“. . . if all Bibles are to be destroyed, what is the use of bringing yours to me?”
“It will be perfectly safe with you. They’ll never think of looking in the house of a
Democrat for a Bible.”

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Thomas Jefferson emerged as a strong president with strong party backing.
Jefferson's ideal was an agrarian republic of roughly equal yeoman farmers.
America’s abundant land allowed Jefferson to envision a nation of small family farms.

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Jefferson's promise to reduce the size of the federal government was fulfilled by:
 cutting internal taxes; and
 reducing the size of army, navy, and government staff.
The unfinished state of the nation’s capital reflected the emphasis on local communities.
While removing Federalist officeholders, Jefferson provoked a landmark Supreme Court decision.
Marbury v. Madison did not restore William Marbury to his post, but it established the principle of judicial review and an independent judiciary.

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The conflict between France and Britain threatened American security.
Napoleon's acquisition of the Louisiana Territory threatened American access to the Mississippi
River.
Jefferson attempted to buy New Orleans, but accepted the French offer to buy the entire territory.
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the
United States, fulfilling Jefferson's desire for continued expansion.

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The French customs of Louisiana conflicted with the English-derived
American traditions were derived from
England.
The solution was to maintain aspects of
French institutions in Louisiana.

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Acquisition of Louisiana put the United
States in conflict with Spain.
Spain's involvement in the Napoleonic
Wars caused its American empire to slip away.
Several populist revolts fueled a strong independence movement in Mexico.
[Alamo of 1830s in future chapter.]

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In his second term, Jefferson faced problems protecting
American neutrality.
British ships seized American vessels trading in the
French West Indies and impressed sailors into the Royal
Navy.
Congress first imposed a boycott and then passed the
Embargo Act on foreign commerce that:
 did not change British policy;
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 caused a deep depression; and led to widespread smuggling.
During the presidency of James Madison, the Embargo
Act was repealed,
Other similar acts passed later also proved ineffective.

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Indian affairs remained among the most difficult foreign problems.
Western tribes resisted American incursion into their territory.
Jefferson hoped that Indians would either be converted to white civilization or moved across the Mississippi River. Neither policy won much
Indian support.

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The Shawnee emerged as the leading force of Indian resistance in the Ohio Valley. Tecumseh led a band that attempted to escape contact with whites.
His brother, Tenskwatawa, The Prophet , called for a rejection of white ways and built a pan-Indian religious movement.
Tecumseh formed a pan-Indian confederacy was initially defensive but soon advocated military resistance.
While Tecumseh was in the South, a American army defeated Tenskwatawa’s followers at Tippecanoe.
In response, Tecumseh formally allied with the British.

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Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun were leaders of a new generation of War Hawks from the South and West that supported war as a means of expansion.
Madison’s declaration of war received no Federalist support.

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American efforts to capture Canada failed due to
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New England opposition;
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 the strength of the British-Indian forces; and the resistance of Canadians.
The Americans won the Battle of the
Thames, at which Tecumseh was killed.

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Continued opposition from New England led to the Hartford Convention.
Federalists demanded redress of grievances though they dropped talk of secession.
Andrew Jackson and Indian allies defeated the
Creek Indians and invaded Florida.
The British navy established a strong blockade and burned Washington.

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The Treaty of Ghent ended the war without addressing the major grievances, but the British did agree to evacuate the western forts.
Andrew Jackson’s victory at New Orleans saved American pride.
The war also ended lingering feelings of
American colonial dependency.
The Indians were the only clear losers.

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Peace brought widespread Indian removal that opened lands and enabled Americans to resume their westward migration.

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Northern migrants traveled the Genesee
Turnpike.
Middle States settlers went west on the
Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Turnpike and the
National Road.
The Wilderness and Federal Roads were southern migration routes.

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Overpopulated farmland in the east pushed
Americans to cheap land in the west. Easterners brought the culture and values of their home regions with them.
The Old Northwest shared New England values.
The Old Southwest was based on plantation slavery.

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Revolving around the camp meeting, the
Second Great Awakening :
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 further strengthened east-west relations; and helped Westerners create new institutions.

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James Monroe presided over the post-war “era of good feelings.”
Monroe brought former Federalists into his cabinet.
Embracing most of Henry Clay’s American
System that updated many of Hamilton’s ideas, the Monroe administration:
 established the Second Bank of the United
States:
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 passed a protective tariff; but would not subsidized roads and canals--the third part of the American System.

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Secretary of State John Quincy Adams laid the foundation for continued expansion. Two treaties with Britain established a demilitarized Canadian border and provided for the joint occupation of
Oregon.
The Adams-Onis Treaty turned over Florida to the United States and relinquished claims to
Louisiana.
Adams defined the response of the United
States to emerging nations in the western hemisphere by designing the Monroe Doctrine.

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New problems emerged as Americans moved westward.
A land boom was financed by speculative buying and easy credit.
The Panic of 1819 was triggered by the Second
Bank of the United States foreclosing on loans that led to six years of depression.
The Panic of 1819 hurt urban workers suffering from the decline in trade and manufacturing failures.
Manufacturers pressed for higher protective tariffs, angering Southerners.

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Effort to admit Missouri into the Union as a slave state created a crisis.
Northerners opposed the creation of new slave states because it would tip the balance between slave and free states.
Southerners sought to expand slavery and were concerned that Congress would even consider the matter.
Henry Clay forged a compromise that maintained the balance between free and slave states.
Maine was admitted as a free slave state and slavery was barred north of Missouri’s southern boundary.

“Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government” http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotatio ns/

Containing over 2,700 quotes from Thomas
Jefferson, this site contains, in his own words,
Jefferson’s thoughts on the theory and structure of Republican government, citizens’ rights, and judicial review. Also, this site offers numerous links to other resources that contain additional writing of Jefferson.