People, Places and Events
in American History
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/explorer.htm
l
Early Exploration
Motivating forces for
exploration
Economic – gold, natural
resources, trade,
searching for a water
route to Asia
Religious – Spread of
Christianity
Obstacles to
Exploration
Poor maps and
navigational tools
Exchanged goods and
ideas: Columbian
Exchange
Disease/starvation
Fear of unknown
Lack of adequate supplies
Competitions for empire
and belief in superiority
of own culture
Effects of exploration
Improved navigational
tools and ships
Claimed territories and
established colonies
Destruction of Aztec and
Incan Empires
Introduction of slavery
Christopher Columbus
Discovered the West Indies and the Caribbean Sea
Sailed for Spain 1492-1504
Sailed westward to find route to
China, found the New World.
He was not the first European to
find North America. The
Vikings had come to northern
North America hundreds of
years earlier. However,
Columbus is important
because his explorations made
Europeans much more aware
of the New World and helped
to encourage more exploration
of North and South America in
the 1500s.
Columbian Exchange
A major consequence of Columbus' voyages was the eventual exchange of
goods between the Old World (Europe) and he New World (the
Americas). Listed on the map are some of the goods that were shared in
this "Columbian Exchange" between the continents.
Ponce de Leon
First European to explore land in present-day U.S.
Sailed for Spain 1513
In 1493, Ponce de León sailed
with Christopher Columbus on
Columbus' second voyage to the
Americas.
In 1506 he discovered an island
that he later named Puerto
Rico. He returned to the island
in 1508 on orders from the king
of Spain to explore and colonize
the island. He was the island's
governor for two years until the
king replaced him with
Columbus' son.
In late March of 1513, his ships
landed on Florida's east coast
near present-day St. Augustine.
He claimed this beautiful land
for Spain. He named it La
Florida (LAH flow REE dah) or
"place of flowers."
M
A
G
E
L
L
A
N
Sailed for Spain 1519 First to sail around the world - around South America
Magellan was sure that he could get to the riches of the Far East quicker by
sailing westward, but he had no idea how far it really was from Europe to the
Far East.
Getting the voyage ready took more than a year. The voyage began on
September 20, 1519. After many deadly encounters, on September 6, 1522,
the remaining crew members reached Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain,
nearly three years after the voyage started.
http://library.thinkquest.org/4034/magellan2.html
Coronado
Sailed for Spain 1540
The Spanish Conquistador who
explored the Southwestern
part of the United States.
Although he failed in his
quest for treasure to enrich
the Spanish empire,
Francisco Vázquez de
Coronado led one of the
most remarkable European
explorations of the North
American interior.
http://floridahistory.com/coro
nado.html
Cortéz
Sailed for Spain 1519
Hernándo Cortés was a
Spanish explorer who is
famous mainly for his
march across Mexico and
his conquering
Montezuma and the
Aztec Empire in Mexico.
He claimed vast amounts
of gold from the Aztecs.
http://library.thinkquest.org/4034/cortes.ht
ml
Henry Hudson
Sailed for England 1607-1611
English explorer and sea
captain who made four
voyages in an attempt to
discover a northern route
between Europe and Asia
(the so-called Northwest
Passage). Although he
never found such a passage,
he sailed farther north than
any previous explorer. He
also explored three North
American waterways that
were later named for him -the Hudson River, Hudson
Bay, and Hudson Strait.
La Salle
Robert de LaSalle
(November 21, 1643 –
March 19, 1687) was a
French explorer. He
explored the Great Lakes
region of the United
States and Canada, the
Mississippi River, and the
Gulf of Mexico. La Salle
claimed the entire
Mississippi River basin
for France.
Sir Walter Raleigh
Sailed for England 1585
Founded and lost the first English
colony in North America
Sir Walter Raleigh is best known
for his plan to colonize the
Colony of Virginia, which at
that point covered the lands
now found in the states of
North Carolina and Virginia in
the United States. He made
several voyages to the New
World. His first expedition to
Roanoke in 1585 failed when
the settlers deserted the
colony after getting on the bad
side of the natives.
Capt. John Smith
Jamestown, Virginia May 1607
Smith is largely responsible for the
ultimate success of the first
permanent English colony in North
America at Jamestown, Virginia . He
was a leader of the Virginia Colony
(based at Jamestown) between
September 1608 and August 1609,
and led an exploration along the
rivers of Virginia and the
Chesapeake Bay.
Jamestown historians like to point out
that the settlement of Jamestown,
in May 1607, came 13 years before
the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth,
Mass., in 1620.
Smith was credited with keeping the
first Jamestown colonists alive with
the edict no work, no food.
John Rolfe
John Rolfe (c. 1585 – 1622)
He was one of the early
English settlers of North
America. He is credited with
the first successful
cultivation of tobacco as an
export crop in the Colony of
Virginia and is known as the
husband of Pocahontas,
daughter of the chief of the
Powhatan Confederacy.
No one knows what Rolfe
looked like; all portraits of
him were made well after
his death, and no
descriptions of his
appearance are extant.
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (c. 1612 – August
1672), served as the last Dutch
colonial governor of the colony of
New Netherland who tried to
resist the English seizure of the
colony after which it was
renamed New York. He was a
major figure in the early history
of New York City.
Stuyvesant's accomplishments as
director-general included a great
expansion for the settlement of
New Netherland beyond the
southern tip of Manhattan.
Among the projects built by
Stuyvesant's administration were
the protective wall on Wall
Street, the canal that became
Broad Street, and Broadway.
Roger Williams
Founder of the colony of Rhode
Island in America and pioneer of
religious liberty-After being kicked out of
Massachusetts for his religious
beliefs Williams, with four
companions, who had joined him,
founded the first settlement in
Rhode Island, in June 1636 to
which, in remembrance of "God's
merciful providence to him in his
distress", he gave the name
Providence.
He was the first and the foremost
supporter of an individual’s
freedom of religion. Rhode Island
was the first colony consistently
to apply this principle in practice.
Roger Williams is depicted in the snowy
woods. He founded Rhode Island in 1636
after he was exiled from the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. Williams'
colony was an early American experiment
with the separation of church and state.
Anne Hutchinson
Court’s Verdict
"Mrs. Hutchinson, the sentence of the court
you hear is that you are banished from out of
our jurisdiction as being a woman not fit for
our society, and are to be imprisoned till the
court shall send you away."
In 1638, Anne Hutchinson
was expelled from the
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Three years after arriving
in Boston, she found
herself the first female
defendant in a
Massachusetts court. She
was banished from the
colony for holding prayer
meetings for both men
and women in her home.
Along with her family and
60 followers, she moved
to Rhode Island where she
and her husband helped
found Portsmouth. After
her husband died, she
moved to New York,
where she perished in an
Indian raid.
Lord Baltimore
Founder of Maryland Colony
Maryland was founded in March
1634 by Lord Baltimore to be a
haven for Roman Catholics. It
would be a place where
different religions were
tolerated and both Catholics
and Protestants worshiped
freely and lived peacefully
together. It would remain an
independent colony up until
the American Revolutionary
War when it united with the
other colonies in rebellion
against England.
William Penn
Pennsylvania founded in 1682
William Penn’s Treaty with
Lenape Chiefs at
Shackamaxon 1682
William Penn founded Pennsylvania with a
land grant. His goal was to create a colony
that allowed for freedom of religion due to
his desire to protect himself and fellow
Quakers from persecution. Quakers were
known as the Society of Friends.
Pennsylvania played an important role
throughout the American Revolutionary
War. The Declaration of Independence was
written and signed there, many who led
the fight for independence (Benjamin
Franklin) were from there. The First and
Second Continental Congresses were held
there and the Constitutional Convention.
However, Quakers refused to take sides in the
American Revolutionary War. They did not
believe that it was right to fight, no matter
what the reason was. Some people
thought that Quakers were traitors.
James Oglethorpe
George was founded in 1732 by
James Oglethorpe as a place
for debtors and to serve as a
buffer colony between
Spanish Florida and English
Carolina. It was named for
King George II. Oglethorpe
envisioned the province as a
location for the resettlement
of English debtors and "the
worthy poor", although no
debtors or convicts were part
of the organized settlement
of Georgia.
Plymouth and Pilgrims
The Pilgrims left England to seek
religious freedom, or simply to
find a better life. They wanted to
separate from the Church of
England. They founded a colony
at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in
December, 1620. Many of the 102
passengers who sailed from
England aboard the Mayflower
died. The survivors formed the
Plymouth Colony. Forty-one male
passengers signed the Mayflower
Compact, an agreement that said
they would follow "just and equal
laws for the general good of the
colony.“ Among the leaders of the
Plymouth Colony were William
Bradford and Miles Standish.
They faced great hardship but made
friends with neighboring Native Americans.
Squanto showed them how to fish and
grow corn, squash, and pumpkins.
Massasoit was the Chief of the
Wampanoags.
Puritans
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Puritans left England for the
New World for looking for
freedom and religion. The
Puritans were a strict group
of Christians. They got their
name because they wanted
to “purify” the Church of
England. They settled in
Massachusetts Bay so that
they could worship freely,
but they denied freedom to
all who lived in
Massachusetts. Puritans did
not allow anything that
would distract from worship.
Singing and laughing on
Sunday was punished.
Christmas was outlawed.
Geographic Differences Colonies
Middle Colonies
(Mid-Atlantic)
Southern Colonies
Moderate summers, cold winders:
New England had a short growing
season and rocky soil. Colonists took
advantage of other opportunities in
the region.
Mild winters and moderate climate,
wide and deep rivers: The longer
growing season of the Middle
Colonies–the “breadbasket
colonies”–allowed farmers to grow
cash crops of grain.
Humid climate with mild winters
and hot summers: The South had a
nearly year-round growing season.
The use of enslaved Africans allowed
Southern planters to produce cash
crops of tobacco and rice.
Geographic Features
Appalachian Mountains, Boston
harbor, hilly terrain, rocky soil, jagged
coastlines
Geographic Features
Appalachian Mountains, coastal
lowlands, harbors and bays
Geographic Features
Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont,
Atlantic Costal Plain, good harbors,
and rivers
Regional Exports
Dried Fish
Whale Oil
Shipbuilding industry
Wood Products
Regional Exports
Grain
Fish
Wood Products
Regional Exports
Tobacco
Cotton
Rice
Bread, flour, grain (other than rice)
Indigo
Commerce
New England was distinguished by its
small farming towns and profitable
fishing and trade.
Farms and Cites
Middle Colony farms produced large
cash crops that fueled trade in its
coastal cities.
Plantations & Slavery
The South’s plantation economy and
large number of enslaved Africans
made it different from the other
regions.
New England
John Adams
A prominent Boston lawyer
who first became famous
for defending the British
soldiers accused of
murdering five civilians in
the Boston Massacre.
Adams was a delegate from
Massachusetts in the
Continental Congresses,
where he rejected
proposals for reconciliation
with Britain. He served as
vice president to George
Washington and was
president of the United
States from 1797 to 1801.
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was a fierce
patriot, passionate, rebellious
and rabble-rousing. He was an
intelligent man, whose ideas
are woven into the Declaration
of Independence and the
Constitution. He was a founder
and leader of the Boston Sons
of Liberty, which included Paul
Revere and his second cousin
John Adams (who later
became the second President).
The Sons were semi-secret
groups that existed
throughout the colonies with
little or no central
organization, and were known
as radicals; they were among
the earliest advocates of
independence.
Loyalists
The Sons of Liberty tarring and
featherings a tax collector underneath
the Liberty Tree
Loyalists were about
1/3 of the
colonists and did
not support the
Declaration of
Independence.
They believed the
colonies should
stay loyal or
faithful to the
king.
At the time the Declaration of
Independence was written, about
1/3 of the colonists wanted
independence. They were called
Patriots. They agreed with ideas
and arguments in the Declaration
of Independence. The Sons of
Liberty were Patriots.
Betsy Ross
joined the
Fighting
Quakers after
her husband
died. Unlike
the traditional
Quakers these
were for the
war--Patriots
Patriots
One of the most well-known
Patriots of the Revolutionary War
was Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
whose legendary words, "Give me
liberty or give me death," motivated
the colonists into supporting the
Revolutionary War.
Ben Franklin
A Philadelphia printer,
inventor, and patriot.
Franklin drew the
famous “Join or Die”
political cartoon for the
Albany Congress. He was
also a delegate for the
Second Continental
Congress and a member
of the committee
responsible for helping
to draft the Declaration
of Independence in
1776.
King George III
King of Great Britain during the
American Revolution. George
III inherited the throne at the
age of twelve. He ruled Britain
throughout the Seven Years'
War, the French and Indian
War, the American Revolution,
the Napoleonic Wars, and the
War of 1812. After the
conclusion of the French and
Indian War, his popularity
declined in the American
colonies. In the Declaration of
Independence, Thomas
Jefferson vilifies George III and
argues that his neglect and
misuse of the American
colonies justified their
revolution.
Anyone who
does not
agree with me
is a traitor and
a scoundrel!
Patrick Henry
A radical colonist
famous for his “Give
me liberty or give
me death” speech.
Henry openly
advocated rebellion
against the Crown in
the years prior to
the Revolutionary
War. Loyalist accused
him of treason.
Thomas Jefferson
Virginian planter and lawyer who eventually became president of the United
States. Jefferson was invaluable to the revolutionary cause. In 1776, he
drafted the Declaration of Independence, which justified American
independence from Britain. Later, he served as the first secretary of state
under President George Washington and as vice president to John Adams.
Jefferson then was elected president himself in 1800 and 1804.
Thomas Paine
“These are the times that try men’s souls.”
He was a famous writer whose words
greatly influenced the leaders of the
American Revolution.
Born in England, he became friends with
Benjamin Franklin who encouraged
him to go to America.
He wrote and published the pamphlet
“Common Sense" which demanded
complete independence from Great
Britain. It also stated a strong case
against the monarchy and inherited
privilege. It was the most widely
distributed pamphlet in American
history at that time - popular with
the highly educated as well as the
common man.
After “Common Sense," he published a
series of pamphlets called "The
Crisis," which begins with the words,
"These are the times that try men's
souls." Washington read these
pamphlets to his troops, which gave
them great encouragement during
the hardest times of the war.
•
George Washington
A Virginia planter and militia
officer who eventually became
the first president of the
United States. Washington
participated in the first
engagement of the French and
Indian War in 1754 and later
became commander in chief
of the American forces during
the Revolutionary War. In
1789, he became president of
the United States. Although
Washington actually lost most
of the military battles he
fought, his leadership skills
were unparalleled and were
integral to the creation of the
United States.
Lord Cornwallis
Battle of Camden
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown
Lord Cornwallis is best
remembered as one of the
leading British generals in the
American War of
Independence. His surrender
in 1781 to a combined
American and French force
led by General Washington at
the Siege of Yorktown ended
significant hostilities in North
America. Cornwallis,
apparently not wanting to
face Washington, claimed to
be ill on the day of the
surrender, and sent another
officer in his place.
Hessians
The Hessians were mercenary
soldiers-for-hire brought to
America from Germany to
fight for the British during the
American Revolution. As in
most armies of the eighteenth
century, the men were mainly
recruits, debtors, or had been
forced into the army; some
were also petty criminals. Pay
was low; some soldiers
apparently received nothing
but their daily food. Some
Hessian units were respected
for their discipline and
excellent military skills.
Hessians made up about onequarter of the British forces in
the Revolution.
Battle of Trenton
Marquis de Lafayette
Washington Marquis de Lafayette
Valley Forge Winter Camp
Lafayette was a 19 year old officer
in the French Royal Army in
1775, when he first learned of
the American Revolution. He
was so inspired by the rebellion
of the colonists against the
British that he left France to
serve in the Continental Army
saying that, “the welfare of
America is intimately
connected with the happiness
of all mankind.” He served
without pay. He soon
developed a close friendship
with General Washington.
Lafayette, a Major-General,
was at Yorktown in 1781 with
General George Washington
when the British surrendered
Mercy Otis Warren
Mercy Otis Warren was born in
1728 into a family of all boys,
and there were many of them.
She was born in
Massachusetts. Mercy became
a Patriot writer, and she wrote
plays, poems and lots of other
writings that supported
independence. She used her
writing to display her ideas.
Her ideas and writings
convinced many people in
Massachusetts to become
Patriots. Of all the people
writing to support the patriotic
cause, Mercy Otis Warren was
the only woman who published
plays, books, and poetry.
“Our situation is truly delicate &
critical. On the one hand we are in
need of a strong federal government
founded on principles of the colonies.
On the other we have struggled for
liberty & made costly sacrifices at
her shrine and there are still many
among us who revere her name to
much to relinquish (beyond a certain
medium) the rights of man for the
dignity of government.”
Mercy Otis Warren
Triangular Trade
The Triangular Trade consisted of
three journeys. It's name is
from the three routes that
formed a triangle.
The first route carried fish, lumber,
and other goods from New
England to the West Indies.
In the West Indies they picked up
sugar and molasses which is a
dark brown syrup product made
from sugar cane. This was used
to makes rum.
From the West Indies merchants
carried the rum, along with
guns, gunpowder, and tools to
West Africa. Here, they traded
these items for slaves, they
carried the slaves to the West
Indies where they were sold.
Traders would take the profits
and buy more molasses.
French and Indian War
A war fought in North
America from 1754 to
1763. The British and
American colonists
fought in the war
against the French
and their Native
American allies, hence
the American name
for the war. After the
war, the British
emerged as a strong
European power. The
Treaty of Paris of 1763
ended the war and
France gave all its land
east of the Mississippi
River Great Britain.
Proclamation of 1763
Despite his previous promise to award western lands to all colonial militiamen who
fought in the French and Indian War, after the war King George III issued the
Proclamation Line of 1763 prohibiting all settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The Stamp Act
The 1765 Stamp Act
required certain goods to
bear an official stamp
showing that the owner
had paid his or her tax.
Many of these items
were paper goods, such
as legal documents and
licenses, newspapers,
leaflets, and even playing
cards. The Stamp Act was
passed in order to pay for
the increased British
troop presence in the
colonies. Colonists
feared that the troops
were there to control
them.
The Stamp Act ignited an angry
response from the colonists,
Left, a tax collector is tied to a
pole by an unruly crowd. A
British loyalist is secured at
bottom of pole.
The Boston Massacre
To prevent serious disorder,
Britain dispatched 4,000
troops to Boston in 1768—the
soldiers' presence in the city
only made the situation
worse.
Bostonians, required to house the
soldiers in their own homes,
resented their presence greatly.
Tensions mounted until March
5, 1770, when a mob of angry
Bostonians began throwing
rocks and sticks at the British
troops who were occupying the
city. The troops shot several
members of the crowd, killing
five. Patriots throughout the
colonies dubbed the incident a
“massacre” and used it to fuel
anti-British sentiment.
Boston Tea Party
An incident that took place
on December 16, 1773,
when a band of 60 men
led by the Sons of Liberty
disguised themselves as
Native Americans and
destroyed chests of tea
aboard ships in the
harbor. The Tea Party
prompted the passage of
the Intolerable Acts to
punish Bostonians and
make them pay for the
destroyed tea.
Boston Tea Party Document
First Continental Congress
A meeting convened in Philadelphia in
late 1774 that brought together
delegates from twelve of the thirteen
colonies (Georgia abstained) in order
to protest the Intolerable Acts.
Colonial leaders stood united against
these and other British acts and
begged Parliament and King George
III to repeal them. The Congress also
created an association to organize
and supervise a boycott on all British
goods. Although the delegates did
not request home rule or desire
independence, they believed that the
colonies should be given more power
to legislate themselves.
This is the Carpenter's Hall, which
was used by the local carpenter's
guild. It was the site for the First
Continental Congress in 1774.
Quartering Act
In 1765, Parliament
passed the Quartering
Act, which required
residents of some
colonies to feed and
house British soldiers
serving in America. This
act outraged colonists.
British Soldiers Plundering an American
Colonist's Home under the Quartering
Act
Winter at Valley Forge
Winter of 1777-1778
In Pennsylvania the Continental
Army suffered worst time of
the war. 2,500 men died of
starvation, cold, and disease.
With the British Army secure
in Philadelphia, the American
army settled into winter
quarters at Valley Forge. It
was a winter of hardship and
suffering for the troops. It was
also a winter of training, in
which the American troops
were taught how to be
professional soldiers.
Battle of Yorktown
Virginia, 1781
Marked the end of the Revolution
Fortified by the Franco-American
Alliance, the Americans
maintained an impasse with the
British until 1781, when the
Americans laid siege to a large
encampment of British forces
under Lord Charles Cornwallis at
Yorktown, Virginia. Scattered
battles persisted until 1783, but
the British, weary of the
stalemate, decided to negotiate
peace. This was the last major
battle of the Revolutionary War.
The Intolerable Acts
The Boston Tea Party had mixed results: some Americans hailed
the Bostonians as heroes, while others condemned them as
radicals. Parliament, very displeased, passed the Coercive Acts
in 1774 in an effort to punish the colonists and restore order.
Colonists quickly renamed these acts the Intolerable Acts.
Albany Congress
A congress convened by British
officials in 1754 promoting a
unification of British colonies in
North America for security and
defense against the French.
Although the Albany Congress
failed to foster any solid
colonial unity, it did bring
together many colonial leaders
who would later play key roles
in the years before the
Revolutionary War. To support
the congress, Benjamin
Franklin drew his famous
political cartoon of a
fragmented snake labeled “Join
or Die.”
Battle of Lexington and Concord
“The shot heard around the world”
”Don’t fire unless fired upon”
Two battles, fought on April
19, 1775, that opened the
Revolutionary War. When
British troops engaged a
small group of colonial
militiamen in the small towns
of Lexington and Concord,
Massachusetts, the
militiamen fought back and
eventually forced the British
to retreat, harrying the
redcoats on the route back to
Boston using guerrilla tactics.
more unlikely.
The battle sent shockwaves
throughout the colonies and the
world, as it was astonishing that
farmers were able to beat the
British forces. This battle
marked a significant turning
point because open military
conflict made reconciliation
between Britain and the
colonies all the more unlikely.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
On the night of April
18/April 19, 1775, when
Paul Revere and William
Dawes were instructed by
Dr. Joseph Warren to ride
from Boston to Lexington
to warn John Hancock
and Samuel Adams of the
movements of the British
Army, which was
beginning a march from
Boston to Lexington,
ostensibly to arrest
Hancock and Adams and
seize the weapons stores
in Concord.
Battle of Saratoga
A 1777 British defeat
that was a major
turning point in the
Revolutionary War—
The defeat allowed Ben
Franklin to convince
the French to ally
themselves with the
United States and
enter the war against
Britain. Most
historians agree that
without help from
France, the United
States could not have
won the war.
British general John
Burgoyne earned the
nickname "Gentleman
Johnny" for his love of leisure
and his tendency to throw
parties between battles. His
surrender to American forces
at the Battle of Saratoga
marked a turning point in the
Revolutionary War.
Declaration of Independence
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee
of Virginia introduced a
resolution in the Second
Continental Congress that said,
“These United colonies are, and
of right ought to be, free and
independent States.” A
committee of 5--Benjamin
Franklin, John Adams, Robert
Livingston, Roger Sherman and
Thomas Jefferson-- were selected
to write a formal declaration
explaining the reasons for
independence. Thomas Jefferson
was the primary author.
Jefferson kept the Declaration
relatively short and to explain why
the colonists wanted to be free.
The document that he wrote
describes the basic principles
(beliefs or rules) about how to
behave.
Declaration of Independence
Basic ideas about people and government
1. All people are created
equal
2. They are born with
certain inalienable rights
that no one take away
– Life
– Liberty
– Pursuit of happiness
3. The purpose of
government is to protect
these rights.
Declaration of Independence
Why they had a right to be free from British rule
1. Power of the
government comes
from the consent of
the people
2. If a government
violates the rights of
its people, they can
change the
government or get rid
of it and create a new
one.
Declaration of Independence
Complaints against the British King
These complaints are based on
the idea that government
should protect the rights of
the people and serve the
common good.
1. He refused to approve laws
made by the colonists that
were necessary for common
good.
2. He closed the colonists’
legislatures when the
opposed his violation of the
rights of the people.
3. He kept a standing army in
the colonies even though
there was no war.
4.
5.
6.
He stopped the colonists’
trade with other countries
He taxed the colonists without
representation (consent)
He took away the colonists
right to a trial by jury.
This was the first plan of government for
the United States. The Articles set up a
loose union of states with equal powers.
We call such a union a confederation.
The Founding Fathers faced two problems
when they wrote the Articles:
1. People feared a strong national
government
2. People feared some states would have
more power than others.
3 Solutions to people’s fears:
1. Set up a weak national government
with limited powers.
2. Power to Congress but limited—no
president
3. Each state had one vote in Congress-Had to have approval of states to do
anything important
Articles of
Confederation
What was accomplished under the
Articles of Confederation?
1. Kept the states
together during the
war against Great
Britain
2. Winning the war for
independence
3. Making peace treaty
with Great Britain
4. Preventing each state
from conducting its
own foreign affairs,
making treaties, and
declaring war
Why did the Articles of Confederation
fail? The primary answer to the
question was that the federal
government was given important
responsibilities but no real power. The
federal government was relatively weak
because most of the law making power
was given to the states.
Treaty of Paris 1783
Ends American Revolution
The Treaty of Paris was signed on
September 3, 1782 by American
representatives Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams and John Jay. It was
ratified on April 17, 1783. It officially
recognized American independence.
Terms of the Treaty
• Britain recognized the
independent nation of the
United States of America.
• Britain agreed to remove all of
its troops from America.
• The treaty set new borders for
the United States including all
land from the Great Lakes on the
north to Florida on the south,
and from the Atlantic Ocean to
the Mississippi River.
• The United States agreed to
allow British troops still in
America to leave.
• The United States agreed to pay
all existing debts owed to Britain.
• The United States agreed not to
persecute loyalists still in
America, and allow those that
left America to return.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
An ordinance is an order or law
made by a government. This
government order was a plan
for adding new states. It allow
people living in the Northwest
Territories—the land between
the Mississippi River and the
Great Lakes and the Ohio
River—to organize their own
governments. When a territory
had a large enough population,
it could join the Union as equals
of the original states, not
colonies. They had to provide
land for public schools and
slavery was unlawful
Dramatic event in Massachusetts
that convinced people of the need
for a strong central government
Many farmers could not trade their
products in other states or
countries. They couldn’t pay their
bills and lost their farms or went to
prison as a result. People protested
the unfairness. In November 1786
more than 1000 angry farmers led
by Daniel Shays were ready to fight
the Massachusetts government.
They tried to take weapons the
arsenal in Springfield to use, but
the State troops stopped Shays’
rebellion. The rebellion frightened
many property owners who feared
similar problems might arise in
their states
Shays’ Rebellion
Shays Rebellion shut down the courts to
prevent the government from taking
their property and jailing them.
U.S. Constitution
6 Goals listed in the Preamble
1.
2.
3.
To form a more perfect union.
States should work together as
one united nation.
To establish justice. Laws and
rights must be the same for all
the people.
To ensure domestic tranquility.
The national, state and local
government needed the power to
keep the peace.
4.
5.
6.
To provide for common defense.
Military power would prevent
further attacks by foreign
nations.
To promote the general welfare.
The national government has the
power to take care of the
peoples’ needs.
To secure the blessings of liberty.
Liberty is the freedom to live as
you would like, as long as you
follow and obey the laws of the
country, and respect the rights of
others.
Goals of the Preamble
A Closer Look
Preamble
Explanation
•
Form a more perfect Union
•
•
Establish justice
•
•
Insure domestic tranquility
•
•
Provide for the common defense
•
Safeguard the country against
attack
•
Promote for the general welfare
•
Contribute to the happiness and
well-being of all the people
•
Secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity
•
Make sure future citizens remain
free
Create a nation in which states
work together
Make laws and set up courts
that are fair
Keep peace within the country
Preamble
What does it mean?
The preamble is the
introduction to the
Constitution.
It outlines the general goals
of the framers: to create a
just government, insure
peace, provide an adequate
national defense, and
promote a healthy, free
nation.
The Supreme Court held
in 1905 (in Jacobson v.
Massachusetts) that the
preamble is not a source
of federal power or
individuals’ rights.
With its first three words, “We
the People,” the preamble
emphasizes that the nation is to
be ruled by the people - not a
king or dictator, not the
president, Supreme Court
Justices, members of Congress
or state legislators.
All rights and powers
are set out in the
articles and
amendments that
follow.
U.S. Constitution
Supreme Law of the Land
Principals of the Constitution
•
Popular Sovereignty – the final
power and authority of the government
comes from the people.
•
Republicanism – a system of
government in which representatives
are elected by the people.
•
Federalism – the constitutional
system that share power between the
national and state governments.
Some powers are concurrent (ex: the
ability to tax).
•
Separation of Powers – the national
government is divided into three
separate branches, each with its own
power : Executive, Legislative and
Judicial.
•
Checks and Balances – the system
that allows each branch of government
to limit the powers of the other
branches.
•
Limited Government – The people
are protected by a system of
Constitutional laws that limit the power
of the government.
•
Individual Rights – The Bill of Rights
and laws insure personal freedoms ,
equality in treatment and protection to
all individuals.
Great Compromise
Solution to Representation: Two Houses in Congress
The Senate
Each state, large or small, would
have two representatives in the
Senate.
House of Representatives
The number of representatives
from each state would be
based on the number of
people living in that state.
Three Branches of Government
The legislative branch is to
write, debate, and pass
bills, which are then passed
on to the President for
approval.
The executive branch
makes sure that the
laws of the United
States are obeyed.
The judicial branch is made up of the
court system. The Supreme Court is
the highest court in the land. Courts
decide the meaning of laws and
whether they break the rules of the
Constitution.
Ratification
Three-fourths of the 13 states (9) had to agree to the
Constitution before it would become law.
Anti-Federalists
•
•
•
•
•
Opposed the ratification of the
Constitution
Wanted important political powers to
remain with the states
Wanted the legislative branch to have
more power than the executive
Feared that a strong executive might
become a king or tyrant
Believed a bill of rights needed to be
added to the Constitution to protect
people’s right
Leaders:
George Mason
Samuel Adams
Richard Henry Lee
Patrick Henry
Mercy Otis Warren
Federalists
•
•
•
•
•
Supported the ratification of the
Constitution
Wanted the voters to ratify the
Constitution
Supported removing some powers
from the states and giving more
powers to the national government
Favored dividing powers among three
branches of government
Proposed a single person to lead the
executive branch
Leaders:
George Washington
John Adams
Alexander Hamilton
James Madison
Ben Franklin
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the name for the
first ten amendments to the United
States Constitution and was adopted
four years after the original
Constitution was adopted.
When the Constitution was written, many
Founding Fathers were worried that
the rights of the people were not
protected enough. They said a Bill of
Rights had to be added before they
would help ratified the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights was introduced by
James Madison to the First United
States Congress in 1789 and came
into effect as Constitutional
Amendments on December 15, 1791,
through the process of ratification by
three-fourths of the States.
First Ten Amendments
1.
Freedom of religion, speech, press,
assembly, and petition.
2.
Right to keep and bear arms in order
to maintain a well regulated militia.
3.
No quartering of soldiers.
4.
Freedom from unreasonable
searches and seizures.
5.
Right to due process of law, freedom
from self-incrimination, double
jeopardy.
6.
Rights of accused persons, e.g.,
right to a speedy and public trial.
7.
Right of trial by jury in civil cases.
8.
Freedom from excessive bail, cruel
and unusual punishments.
9.
Other rights of the people.
10. Powers reserved to the states.
Louisiana Purchase
The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–
1806) was the first United States
transcontinental expedition and second
overland journey to the Pacific coast,
following the 1793 expedition by the
Scotman Alexander Mackenzie, who
reached the Pacific from Montreal.
Commissioned by President Thomas
Jefferson following the acquisition of vast
western territories from France known as
the Louisiana Purchase, the expedition,
called the Corps of Discovery, was led by
Captain Meriwether Lewis, a
frontiersman and personal secretary of
Jefferson, and Second Lieutenant
William Clark of the United States Army.
The expedition sought to provide details
about the newly acquired lands,
specifically if the Mississippi-Missouri
river system shared proximate sources
with the Columbia River in the Pacific
Northwest. During the two-year overland
journey, the explorers discovered some
300 new species, encountered 50
unknown Indian tribes, and confirmed
that the Rocky Mountain chain extended
thousands of miles north from Mexico.