Treaties and Events

Judiciary Act of 1789

• Made the branch into 3 levels

1. 6 Supreme Court judges

   1. different today cus now it’s 9 not 6

2. 13 District Courts

3. 3 Circuit Courts of Appeals

• You could appeal if you felt your trial was unfair

Whisky Rebellion

• Hamilton instituted a 25% tax on whiskey

• Mainly affected farmers in the West

• When farmers rebelled in July of 1794

  • Washington sent 13,000 militia to protests

Washington’s Presidency

Jay’s Treaty

• British continued to ship-attack and occupied forts to the west

• Washington sent John Jay to negotiate

• Senate ratified the treaty in June, 1795

• Americans criticized the treaty

Washington’s Presidency

Pinckney’s Treaty

• Aka The Treaty of San Lorenzo’s (between Spain + US)

• Decided southern border of US at 31 degrees N latitude (Florida)

• Allowed US ships to freely navigate on the Mississippi River  

Washington’s Presidency

XYZ Affair

• Adams wanted to improve relations with France and protect shipping

  • French foreign minister refused to meet US

  • agents X,Y,Z demand a lot of money from the US

  • US agents refuse and go home

Adams’ Presidency

Alien/Naturalization Act

• Allows president to kick out any foreigners he thought were dangerous

• makes immigrants wait 14 years to be naturalized

Adams’ Presidency

Sedition Act

• Forbid anyone to publish/voice criticism of the federal government

• goes against First Amendment rights

Adam’s Presidency

Midnight Judges

• Adams appointed judges to many open positions (Midnight Judges) before leaving

  • John Marshall appointed (Jefferson’s hated cousin) → Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1801-1835)

    • Ruled on Marbury v. Madison

      • First person is suing the second person

    • Secretary of State James Madison did not deliver court papers to William Marbury

Almost Jefferson’s Presidency (End of Adams’)

Louisiana Purchase

• Doubled size of U.S. 

  • Federalists did not want to expand

  • $15 million to France, also buy Mississippi River

• Lewis & Clark - hired by Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Territory 

  • Met Sacagawea

Jefferson’s First Term

Embargo Act

• During Jefferson’s 2nd term

• France and Britain were impressing people (kidnapping/indoctrinating sailors  to be in their Navy)

• Embargo: to stop all foreign trading

• Stopped trading with the whole world

  • Nobody liked this act (dambargo!!)

• British seized 500 American ships, French seized 300 (between 1803 and 1807)

• President Jefferson: “This one is a den of pirates, the other is a den of robbers.”

11th Amendment

You can’t sue if you aren’t a citizen

12th Amendment

• Dumb idea to have first place President and second place Vice President for elections

• Ensures that Pres. and VP are from the same political party

Liberation Movements in South America

• Bolivar, who led revolutions in South America, was inspired by the French and American revolutions

  • Moved down the west coast to Peru

• Jose de San Martin - started revolution against Spain in Argentina

• Jose + Bolivar met & liberated Peru 

• Miguel Hidalgo: started independence movement in Mexico (failed at first, but considered the father of Mexican independence

Era of Good Feelings

• when the Democrats were in the presidency with near no opposition since John Adams

• Strong sense of nationalism and patriotism after the War of 1812

• Henry Clay’s American System: promoted national improvements 

  • Civil (roads/canals)

  • Economic (Bank of U.S./protective tariffs)

• Brought an end to the Federalist party

  • The U.S. is now under one party: the Democratic-Republican Party

  • Monroe was the last American President to run unopposed in 1820

Indian Removal Act of 1830/Trail of Tears

• Granted unsettled land west of Mississippi River to Indian tribes in exchange for their homelands in the south 

• White settlers wanted access to the Indian lands in the south

  • E.g. gold was found on Cherokee land

• Trail of Tears: Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw tribes were forced to relocate

  • American troops sent to carry this out

  • Natives faced deadly diseases and starvation 

• Cherokee Trail of Tears

  • In 1838, 7000 US troops sent to force Cherokee off their land

  • ~4000 Cherokee members died from starvation, violence, and disease

  • Harsh winters (little warm clothing), deadly diseases (smallpox), starvation (not enough food provided by US govt), violence (troops killed Natives that resisted)

Texas Revolution

• Mexico gets independence from Spain in 1821

• Empresario program

  • To encourage population growth in Northern Mexico

  • Stephen F. Austin brings 300 American families to Texas to live

  • Great migration to Texas

  • Many Americans brought slaves with them even though slavery was illegal in Mexico

• Santa Anna becomes president of Mexico in 1833

• New laws passed in 1835 that stopped American migration to Texas

1. All Texans had to become Mexican citizens

2. All Texans had to become Catholic because that was Mexico’s major religion

3. All Texans would have to pay taxes to the Mexican government

   1. Taxation without representation

• Texans demanded to become a state so they could take part in law-making

Revolution starts in October of 1835

The Alamo

• Texans take over the Mexican Mission

• Santa Anna’s army kills ~300 men after giving them 13 days to surrender

• Located in San Antonio, Texas

Massacre at Goliad

Santa Anna considered Texans to be “traitors” and executed 400 of them at Goliad

Battle of San Jacinto

• Sam Houston + Texan army surprised and defeated Mexican army

• Texans won

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

• Texas wins the war against Mexico

  • Capture Santa Anna and force him to sign a treaty for Texan independence

  • Independent country

• Established the areas of New Mexico + Texas

Annexing Texas

• Sam Houston

  • Previous Tennessee senator

  • First president of the Republic of Texas

• Citizens of the republic were in favor of becoming a state

  • Motivated by the fact that Mexico tried to reestablish dominance

• Whigs and Democrats were divided over whether Texas would be a free or slave state

• President John Tyler made the annexation a priority

  • Congress voted to make Texas

  • It wouldn’t become a state until Polk became president

Mexican-American War

• Texas was independent for 9 years

• US was divided over whether Texas should be a slave or a free state

  • Eventually admitted as a slave state

• Annexation contributed to the Mexican-American War

  • Disagreement over which river was the border 

• US insisted the border is the Rio Grande

Results of the War:

• US won

• The border of Mexico was established at the Rio Grande

• US gained California, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming

Reign of Terror Against Blacks

• 1868-1872: Southern Republicans were threatened by secret societies like the KKK (“Invisible Empire of the South”)

  • Hoped to restore the “old South”

  • Sought to restrict black voting

  • Opposed Republican state governments

• KKK, unfortunately, successful through violence/terror

Black Voter Suppression

• Literacy tests

  • Administered orally by white local officials

  • Controlled who passed and who failed

    • Absurd questions restricted people from voting

  • Not administered to white voters

• Poll taxes - required all citizens to pay in order to vote 

  • Small amounts, but restricted poorer demographics

• Grandfather Clause (“Grandfathered in”)

  • Literacy tests and poll tax did not apply if your grandfather or relative voted before the Civil War

    • Definitely excluded all slaves

• Democrats published names of all Republican voters

  • Allowed lawyers to decide whom to fire or not hire

  • Deterred African Americans from the polls.

  • Kept the Democrats in office

Force Acts (“KKK Acts”) passed by Congress in 1870

• Made interference in elections a federal crime

• Gave the president military power to protect polling places

• Allowed for a high black turnout + Republicans victories in 1872

Corruption in Grant’s Presidency

• Grant’s Vice President and other political figures were ruined by Credit Mobilier scandal

  • Railroad stock in exchange for political favors

• Grant’s Secretary of War (William Worth Belknap) impeached 

  • Attorney General resigned due to corruption 

Compromise of 1877

• Compromise of 1877 (“Second Corrupt Bargain”) for Hayes to become President:

  • Hayes would withdraw Federal troops from the South 

  • Appoint a southerner into the cabinet

  • END OF RECONSTRUCTION