LESSON 1.3: POLITICAL
TURNING POINTS
 This
lesson deals with
political turning
points. What do you
think a political
turning point is?
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When an event happens in
history involving political
decision, that changes the
traditional pattern of
politics, it's a turning point.
Lets look at three examples
of political turning points in
our nations early history:
Shays Rebellion
“Revolution” of 1800
Jacksonian Democracy
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What happened?
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising that took place in central
and western Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787. The rebellion was
named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American
Revolutionary War and one of the rebel leaders.
Why?
Financial difficulties brought about by a post-war economic
depression, a credit squeeze caused by a lack of hard currency,
and fiscally harsh government policies instituted in 1785 to solve
the state's debt problems.
Effects:
The Rebellion was crushed, and problems linked to the Articles of
Confederation spur consideration of a new Constitution.
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What happened?
The United States Presidential election of 1800 was the 4th presidential
election, and is referred to as the "Revolution of 1800," Thomas Jefferson
defeated John Adams.
Why is this election considered a “Revolution’?
The election ushered in a generation of Democratic-Republican Party
rule and the eventual demise of the Federalist Party in the First Party
System. It was a long, bitter re-match of the 1796 election between the
pro-French and pro-decentralization Democratic-Republicans under
Jefferson, against incumbent Adams pro-British and pro-centralization
Federalists. In other words, neither party had anything in common, and
despised one another. To make matters worse the election revealed a
flaw in the Constitution regarding presidential elections.
Effects:
The election of 1800 is the first real transfer of power in our nations
history. It proved that, despite strong disagreements among political
parties, power can be transferred peacefully and the democratic process
would overcome political rivalry. Furthermore, the 12th Amendment was
added to the United States Constitution, stipulating that electors make a
discrete choice between their selections for president and vicepresident.
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What is Jacksonian Democracy?
Jacksonian democracy is the political movement toward greater
democracy for the common white man symbolized by American
politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed
the era of Jeffersonian democracy which dominated the previous political
era.
Why is this a big deal?
Andrew Jackson is the first president to come from a modest, common
background. As a result, he despised the aristocracy, and the“career
politician” . During his presidency, Andrew Jackson and his supporters
would move to forge a more democratic nation in which even common
men could take part in the political process.
Effects of Jacksonian Democracy:
Jackson fulfilled his promise of broadening the influence of the citizenry
in government. Jacksonian policies included ending the bank of the
United States, expanding westward, and removing American Indians from
the Southeast. Jackson was denounced as a tyrant by opponents on both
ends of the political spectrum. This led to the rise of the Whig Party.
 List
as many political
turning points that
you can think of in
our nations history,
both in early and
modern history.
Brainstorm with a
partner and be
prepared to present
your list to the class.
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Choosing Washington as first
president
Election of 1860 and 1864
(Lincoln)
19th amendment (Women vote)
WW1
New Deal
WW2
Berlin airlift and cold war
Brown vs. Board of Education
1968 = losing Vietnam, political
turmoil, election
End of the Cold War
Election of 1980 = Reagan
Revolution
Election of 2000 (Gore vs. GW
Bush)
9/11 attacks
Election of 2008 (Obama vs.
McCain)
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_o
f_United_States_history
 Choose 5 turning points for each
category:
 Economic
 Political
 Social
 Military
Respond in your
Journal to the
following:
 What did you learn
today about political
turning points?
 How is Shays Rebellion,
Revolution of 1800, and
Jacksonian Democracy
examples of political
turning points?
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