Bell Ringer:
What characteristics make a good
president? Why
How important do you
think the president is to
the course of American
History? Why?
Activating Strategy:
What do you know about George
Washington?
1) Write down all that you know about him in 1
minute.
2) For 1 minute, use a give-one/get-one activity to
compare your list with others around the room.
I. Starting the Government
A. George Washington –
elected unanimously
B. Vice president –
John Adams
C. GW set many precedents
1. serving only two terms
2. setting up a team of advisors (cabinet)
D. Congress set up three executive departments
1. Department of State:
Thomas Jefferson
2. Department of the Treasury:
Alexander Hamilton
3. Department of War:
Henry Knox
E. Judiciary Act passed
1. Set up federal court
system
2. Allowed for 1 Chief
Justice (John Jay)
and 5 Associate
Justices.
F. Bill of Rights added to
the Constitution
Discussion Point:
What should the current policy of
the United States be toward
foreign nations?
Why do you think this?
II. Early Troubles
A. Foreign Policy
1. French Revolution (1789) begins 20
years of war in Europe
French
King
Louis
XVI
&
Queen
Marie
Antoin
ette
Storming
the
Bastille
Attack on
the Royal
Palace
2. America decides to remain neutral
a. Many supported it at first, but the violence
turned most away from helping
b. Neutrality Proclamation was passed – no aid
to either side
Execution of
the King and
Queen of
France
B. National Problems
1. state debts – who should pay?
a. northern states owe more than southern
state
b. National Government was in debt with
bonds – money borrowed from citizens
c. Compromise – national government pays
off all state debts, but the nation’s
capital is moved south to Washington,
D. C.
2. Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
a. easier to haul whiskey than the corn it was made
from
b. government begins to tax whiskey
c. farmers in western PA rebel
Tax Bill for the
Whiskey Producers
d. GW sends in the militia – rebellion over
C. New Government Remains STRONG
1. Bank of the United States of America
a. Congress needed a place to store the tax money
collected
b. Bank issued money, made loans, and
paid bills
D. Political Parties begin to develop
1. Federalists (led by Hamilton & John Adams)
2. Republicans (led by Jefferson & James
Madison)
Federalist Favor
Republicans Favor
manufacturing
farming
strong federal
government
strong state
governments
loose
interpretation of
the Constitution
strict interpretation of
the Constitution
Britain
France
Wealthy should
lead
Middle classes (normal
people) Should lead
Washington Evaluation
On a blank sheet of paper write 1-2
paragraphs containing the following information:
1) How did Washington perform his job as
president?
2) What important things did he do as
president?
3) What problems did he face and how did he
handle them?
4) Would you have voted to elect or reelect
him? Why or Why not?
III. Foreign Relations
A. War Scare with France
1. France & Britain were at war & tried to
involve the U. S.
2. France interfered with American shipping
3. XYZ Affair
a. an attempt to extort money from American
diplomats
1. $250,000 for Talleyrand and $10
million for France
b. Americans were ANGRY!!!!!!
Talleyrand:
French
Foreign
Minister
4. John Adams solves the problems with diplomacy
a. Builds up U.S. Navy and Army as a show
of strength
b. Continues talks with Talleyrand and wins out
B. Alien & Sedition Acts are enacted
1. Attempts to quiet complaints against the
Federalists
2. Alien Act – Expel any foreigner that is thought to
be dangerous to America, and made it
harder to become American
3. Sedition Act – Citizens could be fined or jailed
for criticizing the government or
officials
4. These laws go against the 1st Amendment
5. Can states ignore laws they believe are
unconstitutional???
a. Jefferson says that states can nullify a law
passed, passed by Virginia and Kentucky
b. Issue left hanging for decades
Bell Ringer:
Why do wars begin?
Are they justifiable, or simply acts
of aggression.
IV. War of 1812
A. New president – James
Madison
B. Britain & France still
trying to involve U. S. in
their war
1.U.S. traders trade with the two and make
profits
2. British navy captured ships and
impressed American sailors
British Press Gangs Taking
American Sailors
C. Diplomatic solutions
1. Embargo Act – banned all imports & exports to
U.S.
a. This hurt them, but hurt us more – smuggling
began
2. Non-Intercourse Act – banned trade with just
Britain & France
D. When diplomatic solutions fail – some Congressmen
want war
1. War Hawks want to obtain Canada
2. U. S. felt it had to prove itself – war declared
June 1, 1812
E. America poorly prepared for war
1. 6000 man Army & state militias
2. Navy – 20 ships vs. 800 British ships
3. Not enough money to fund the war
“War Hawks”
John C. Calhoun
[SC]
Henry Clay
[KY]
F. Course of the War
1. Attempt to conquer Canada failed
2. Naval Victories
a. Battle of Lake Erie (Oliver Hazzard Perry)
b. Battle of New Orleans, 1815 (fought after the war
was over!)
The Battle of New Orleans, 1815
3. Defeats on Land - White House burned in
August 1814
4. National Anthem
a. written by Francis Scott Key (September 1814)
b. witness to the bombardment of Fort
McHenry, near Baltimore
Battle of Fort McHenry,
1814
Oh Say Can You See By the Dawn’s Early Light…
-- Francis Scott Key
Gave proof through the night,
That our flag was still there..
Overview
of the
War
of
1812
Discussion Point:
With the war at an end, what
terms would you try to negotiate
for with the British?
G. War ends in a stalemate (Treaty of Ghent,
1814) – nothing changed!
V. “The Era of Good Feelings”
A. James Monroe elected 5th
president
B. Problems with Britain
solved diplomatically
C. Monroe Doctrine
1. Latin American nations become independent
of Spain
2. Some European nations want to help
Spain regain power
3. U. S. tells Europe not to interfere in
Latin America
What is Manifest Destiny?
“American Progress” by John Gast, 1872
“Manifest Destiny”
 First used by newspaper editor, John O’Sullivan in 1845.
 ".... the right of our manifest destiny to over spread and
to possess the whole of the continent which Providence
has given us for the development of the great experiment of
liberty and federal development of self-government
entrusted to us. It is right such as that of the tree to the
space of air and the earth suitable for the full expansion of
its principle and destiny of growth."
 A myth of the West as a land of romance and adventure emerged.
VI. Manifest Destiny:
belief that America had
the right to Expand to
the West coast.
A. Louisiana Purchase
1. Napoleon & France
owned the Louisiana
Territory
2. Americans want access
to New Orleans
3. Napoleon needs money to
fight wars in Europe
a. 500 million acres of land purchased
b. $15 million – 3¢ an acre!
c. Size of the U. S. is doubled
d. Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
1. sent by Jefferson to explore the new territory
2. Sacajawea – guide, interpreter (young Indian
woman)
e. Zebulon Pike – explored the Plains & Rocky
Mountains
Bell Ringer:
What should have been the
policy/relationship toward the
Native Americans?
B. Conflict with Native Americans
1. Fighting in Ohio by the
Miami Indians
a. Anthony Wayne sent to
stop it
b. Treaty of Greenville
c. Gave up the Ohio Territory to U.S.
d. $20,000 to
Indians and
more if they
kept the
peace
2. Tecumseh’s Confederation
a. Unite the tribes and live the old
ways and force white settlers
out of their land
b. Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)
1. William Henry Harrison
marched forces into the
Indian
town at
Tippecanoe
and the
battle became
a stalemate
Battle of
Tippecanoe
Death of
Tecumseh
Legend transmits that after the historic
battle of Tippecanoe, Tecumseh released
prisoners with a prophetic message for General
William Henry Harrison -- a prophecy that has
come to be known as -- "Tecumseh's Curse."
"'Harrison will win next year to be the
Great Chief….... He will die in his office….. I
who caused the Sun to darken and Red Men
to give up firewater tell you Harrison will die.
And after him, every Great Chief chosen
every 20 years thereafter will die. And when
each one dies, let everyone remember the
death of our people."
Tecumseh’s Presidential
Curse
William Henry Harrison: elected 1840, after long inaguration address in the cold and rain and
died from it in 1841. (1 month)
Abraham Lincoln: elected 1860, assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.
James Garfield: elected 1880, assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau in 1881.
William Mckinley: elected in 1900, assassinated by Leon F. Czolgosz in 1901.
Warren G Harding: elected 1920, died of a stroke in 1923.
Franklin D. Roosevelt: elected 1940, died of a brain hemorrhage in 1945.
John F. Kennedy: elected in 1960, assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.
Ronald Reagan: elected in 1980, attempted assassination by John Hinckley, but survived.
George W. Bush: elected in 2000,attempted assassination by Vladimir Arutinian 2005 in
Georgia (Former part of Russia), the grenade did not go off.
C. Election of 1828 – Jackson vs. Adams
1. Jackson elected: first president from west of
the Appalachian Mountains
2. Three times as many people voted!
a. Changes in suffrage laws
1. property owning qualifications lowered or
eliminated
2. Western States set voting age at 21 years
3. Women, Slaves, and Native Americans = no
vote
b. Jackson seen as a “common
man”
Voting Requirements in the Early 19c
Expert Group Activity:
In your groups, you will present information about the following
events to the class dealing with Andrew Jackson. (pgs 224-239)
1. The Spoils System
2. Trail of Tears
3. Bank War
4. Indian Removal Act
5. Nullification Crisis
CP Expert Group Activity:
In your groups, you will present information about the following
events to the class dealing with Andrew Jackson.
1. The Spoils System
2.Indian Removal
3. Nullification Crisis
4. Bank War
3. Spoils System
a. Jackson rewards
supporters with
political
appointments
b. Cabinet
Members: Most
not qualified
1. Kitchen
Cabinet:
unofficial
advisors who
were qualified
4. New political parties formed
a. Whigs
1. Wanted economic growth and protection for
industry
2. Mostly businessmen, federalists, and some
plantation owners
b. Democrats
1. Wanted better living and working conditions for
whites
2. Party of the “common man”
Bell Ringer:
Look at the following painting and then
answer the following:
1) What types of people are in shown in the
painting?
2) What is the overall emotional tone of the
painting?
3) Why are these people moving and where do
you think they are going?
4) What was the trip like based on the painting?
(problems, conditions, length, etc…)
D. Jackson’s Native American Policy
1. Indians in Southeast wanted peace with US
a. lived on good land – South wanted it to grow
cotton on
2. Jackson set land aside west of the Mississippi
River
a. Tribes encouraged or forced to leave
b. Cherokee refused to move from Georgia, so
state tried to force them out
1. Supreme Court said no: Natives were their
own country, not part of the state
The Cherokee Nation After 1820
3. Jackson and Congress passed the Indian Removal Act
a. Forced all Indians of the Southeast US to leave
b. Trail of Tears: Cherokee removal, many died on the
way west or died after
c. Seminole War: Refused to leave and fought the
army who came after them
1. Fought for 7 years, Cost: 3,000 lives and $20
million
E. New Lands
1. Gain Oregon Territory from the British
a. attracts “mountain men” and traders to the
area first
b. Followed by farmers and settlers on the Oregon
Trails
Trails Westward
The Doomed Donner Party
April, 1846 – April, 1847
 Of the 83 members of the
Donner Party, only 45
survived to get to
California!
The Mormons
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Joseph Smith
(1805-1844)

1823  Golden
Tablets

1830  Book of
Mormon

1844  Murdered in
Carthage, IL
Violence Against Mormons
The Mormon “Trek”
The Mormons
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
 Deseret community.
 Salt Lake City,
Utah
Brigham Young
(1801-1877)
“American Progress” by John Gast, 1872
2. The Mexican War (1846-1848)
a. Causes
1. American desire for more territory
a. 1845 annexation of Texas
1. Texans moved to Mexico for land
2. Mexico ended slavery in Texas and
required them to speak Spanish and be
Catholic
Texas Declaration of Independence
Key Figures in Texas Independence, 1836
Sam Houston
(1793-1863)
Steven Austin
(1793-1836)
The Republic of Texas
Remember the Alamo!
The Battle of the Alamo
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna Recaptures the Alamo
Davey Crockett’s Last Stand
b. U. S. wanted to annex California
2. Boundary dispute (Rio Grande vs. Nueces River)
b. Outcome
1. U. S. victory
2. Mexico ceded territory (California, etc.)
3. Mexico lost 1% of its population, but 50% of its
territory
The Mexican War (1846-1848)
General Zachary Taylor at Palo Alto
“Old Rough and Ready”
The Bombardment of Vera Cruz
General Scott Enters Mexico City
“Old Fuss and Feathers”
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848
Nicholas Trist,
American Negotiator
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848
 Mexico gave up claims to Texas above the Rio
Grande River.
 Mexico gave the U. S. California, Arizona,
and New Mexico.
 U. S. gave Mexico $15,000,000 and agreed to
pay the claims of American citizens against
Mexico (over $3,500,000).
The Mexican Cession
Territorial Growth to 1853
Ticket Out the Door:
What effect did Manifest Destiny
have on the United States and its
relations with other nations?