Unit 4: The Early Republic

Republicanism

Political philosophy based on government by consent of the governed, civic virtue, and limited power under the rule of law.

Republican Motherhood

Belief that women had a civic duty to instill republican virtue and liberty in their children, linking family life to politics.

Federalists

Political party led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton that favored a strong central government, commercial economy, and ties with Britain.

Democratic-Republicans

Political party led by Thomas Jefferson that supported limited federal power, agrarianism, states' rights, and sympathy for France.

Washington's Farewell Address

1796 message warning against sectionalism, foreign alliances, and political factions.

XYZ Affair (1797-1798)

Diplomatic scandal in which French agents demanded bribes from U.S. negotiators, leading to anti-French sentiment but no war.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Federalist laws expanding presidential power to deport foreigners and criminalizing criticism of the government, violating First Amendment principles.

Naturalization Act

Increased the residency requirement for citizenship from 5 to 14 years, targeting immigrant support for Democratic-Republicans.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Written by Jefferson and Madison, arguing that states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws based on the compact theory of the Constitution.

Nullification

The idea that a state has the right to invalidate a federal law it deems unconstitutional.

Election of 1800

Bitter contest between Adams and Jefferson that ended in an electoral tie between Jefferson and Burr; resolved by the House after Hamilton's intervention.

Revolution of 1800

Term for the peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans—an unprecedented event in modern politics.

12th Amendment (1804)

Created separate ballots for president and vice president to prevent electoral ties like that of 1800.

Thomas Jefferson's Political Philosophy

Advocated limited government, reduced taxes and debt, and faith in agrarianism and states' rights.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

U.S. acquisition of French territory for $15 million, doubling national size but challenging Jefferson's strict constitutional interpretation.

Strict vs. Loose Construction

Debate over how literally to interpret the Constitution; Jefferson favored strict interpretation but expanded power through the Louisiana Purchase.

Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)

Jefferson-commissioned exploration of the Louisiana Territory to map land, study resources, and establish U.S. presence.

Impressment

British practice of seizing American sailors and forcing them into the Royal Navy, a major cause of the War of 1812.

Embargo Act of 1807

Jefferson's policy banning all U.S. trade with foreign nations to pressure Britain and France; it backfired, crippling the U.S. economy.

"Peaceable Coercion"

Jefferson's attempt to use economic pressure instead of war to secure respect for American neutrality.

Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa

Shawnee brothers who led a Native confederacy resisting U.S. expansion and rejecting assimilation into American culture.

Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)

Conflict between U.S. forces and Tecumseh's confederacy; weakened Native resistance before the War of 1812.

Causes of the War of 1812

British impressment of sailors, interference with trade, and support for Native resistance.

Hartford Convention (1814-1815)

Meeting of New England Federalists opposed to the War of 1812; proposed constitutional changes that discredited the party.

Treaty of Ghent (1814)

Ended the War of 1812, restoring pre-war boundaries with no territorial gains for either side.

Battle of New Orleans (1815)

Post-treaty victory led by Andrew Jackson that boosted national pride and American identity.

Post-War Nationalism

Surge of unity and pride following the War of 1812; decline of Federalists and rise of domestic economic policy.

American System

Henry Clay's plan for economic independence: national bank, protective tariffs, and internal improvements.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

U.S. policy warning Europe against further colonization in the Americas; symbolized growing national confidence and hemispheric influence.

John Adams's Legacy

Avoided war with France, defended the rule of law, and oversaw the first peaceful transfer of power, but damaged popularity with repressive laws.

Jefferson's Legacy

Strengthened executive power through the Louisiana Purchase, emphasized limited government ideals, and struggled with neutrality in foreign policy.

Expansionist Legacy

European exploration set a precedent for continual westward movement—reflected in the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Atlantic World Economy

The interconnected system of trade linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas laid the foundation for the U.S. debates over commerce, manufacturing, and agriculture.

Land and Expansion

Early colonization fueled the American belief that land equaled freedom—an idea that persisted in Jefferson's push for the Louisiana Purchase.

Native Displacement

Conflicts between settlers and Native nations began in the colonial era and continued as U.S. expansion under Jefferson displaced Indigenous communities.

Atlantic Revolutions

A term describing the interconnected series of uprisings (American, French, Haitian, Latin American) that spread Enlightenment ideals and redefined the meaning of freedom and government in the Atlantic world.

American Response to Global Revolutions

U.S. leaders tried to balance sympathy for liberty abroad with the need to protect economic interests and avoid entangling alliances, echoing Washington's and Jefferson's warnings.

Impact of the Napoleonic Wars on the U.S.

Britain and France both violated U.S. neutrality by seizing American ships; Britain's impressment of sailors became a major cause of the War of 1812.

Impact of the Haitian Revolution on the U.S.

The rebellion inspired fear among U.S. slaveholders but also convinced Napoleon to sell the Louisiana Territory, making Jefferson's 1803 purchase possible.

Mercy Otis Warren

Writer and political thinker who used her plays and pamphlets to promote the Patriot cause during the Revolution, and voiced opinion over ratification of the Constitution; symbolized the growing political voice of women in the new republic.

Warren's Contribution to Republican Ideals

advocated that civic virtue and moral responsibility (traits often cultivated by women) were essential to preserving liberty in the republic.

Women and the Early Republic

Though denied formal political rights, women like Mercy Otis Warren and Abigail Adams expanded public roles through writing, education, and reform, shaping the concept of Republican Motherhood.

Changing Definition of Citizenship

The Early Republic saw a gradual expansion of civic participation and political debate, influenced by revolutionary thinkers like Mercy Otis Warren, who connected virtue, education, and active citizenship.

Legacy of Mercy Otis Warren

helped define early American political discourse and demonstrated that intellectual engagement (not just voting)was a form of citizenship and patriotism.

Religious and Civic Virtue

Early colonial ideals of moral citizenship evolved into republican virtue—the belief that citizens must act for the common good in the new republic.

Pre-Emption

the right of a government to seize or appropriate (distribute/negotiate) something (as property)

Monroe Doctrine

1823 - Declared that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the U.S. It also declared that a New World colony which has gained independence may not be recolonized by Europe. (It was written at a time when many South American nations were gaining independence). Mostly just a show of nationalism, the doctrine had no major impact until later in the 1800s.

Effects of the War of 1812

• increased patriotism, weakened Native American resistance

• increased manufacturing

• Because the war interrupted trade, Americans were forced to make many of the goods they had previously imported. This encouraged the growth of U.S. manufacturing.

Effects of the Embargo Act of 1807

1. hurt US economy and American businesses 2. anger arose against Jefferson 3. all imports and exports were banned

John Adams

America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained."

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence

Causes of the War of 1812

1812-1815

*British impressment of American sailors

*The United States suspected the British of encouraging Native American rebellion

"War Hawk" Congressional leaders, such as Henry Clay and John Calhoun, pressed for intervention

*American frontiersmen wanted more free land, as the West was held by Native Americans and the British

*War Hawks also wanted to annex Canada and Florida

*Despite the Embargo Act and Non-Intercourse Act, hostilities could not be cooled

*Eventually, the United States sided with France against Britain