FSOT: Early Republic

Washington’s Presidency

Remembered for shaping the role of the U.S. presidency, setting enduring precedents, and embodying the ideals of the new nation.

Came after serving as the commander and chief of the continental army during the revolutionary war.

His vision encompassed a politically strong and economically independent nation that was respected in the eyes of the world.

His guiding charter was the US Constitution, and he worked to establish the efficacy and authority of it throughout his administration.

Tasked with lowering national debt, establishing a viable banking system, appointing the supreme court, and establishing treaties with Native Americans that would open the west for American expansion.

He believed the federal government should be the embodiment of all of the people and states in the union should be supreme.

He established a cabinet of trusted advisors who were experienced men with diverse views.

One of his primary goals as president was to establish a national character of the US free of sectional differences (partisanship).

He wanted to step down after his first term, but his cabinet decided that wouldn’t be a good idea due to his popularity.

His second administration was defined by foreign affairs and growing partisanship within his administration.

He saw the US’s future economic success came from commerce and westward expansion.

Hamilton v. Jefferson

Hamilton (federalists) advocated for a strong central government, a national bank (similar to the Bank of England), and an economy focused on manufacturing and commerce while Jefferson (Democratic Republican Party) advocated for a limited government, states’ rights, agrarian-based economy (centered around agriculture/farming), and allyship with France; their rife led to the birth of US’s two-party system.

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 US acquisition of about 828,000 square miles from France for $15 million, doubling the nation’s size and securing control of the Mississippi River and New Orleans.

The purchase nearly doubled the territorial size of the United States and fostered the westward expansion of the young republic.

War of 1812

A conflict between the United States and Great Britain, fought over trade restrictions (allowing the US to trade with only Great Britian and no other European countries), forced servitude of American sailors, and westward territorial expansion; it lasted from 1812 to 1815.

Also saw the political rise of Andrew Jackson — who led US forces to victory in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.

Monroe Doctrine

Articulated in 1823, it established a US policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas and asserting that any intervention by foreign powers in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a threat to US. It was declared in response to Latin American nations who were gaining independence from European colonial powers. The US was concerned about potential European attempts to re-establish control over these newly independent nations.

Jacksonian Democracy

The political ideology associated with Andrew Jackson and the rise of mass democratic participation; it began with the election of 1828 reshaping US politics by shifting power toward ordinary white male voters and away from aristocrats (high-class, educated, taxpayers, property-owners, etc.)

Westward Expansion

The 19th-century movement of settlers across the United States, driven by land acquisition, economic opportunity, and the ideology of Manifest Destiny; began in the 1810s and ended in 1893.

It also saw the decrease in land and buffalos for Native Americans during war as well as boarding schools that forced Native American children to assimilate to white western standards and rid their native cultural, familial and religious identities.

Neutrality Proclamation

George Washington’s decision to keep the United States impartial in the conflict between France and Great Britain (also known as the French Revolution) in 1793.

What was George Washington’s greatest accomplishment?

Keeping the US free of war, allowing it to grow in strength while establishing the principle of neutrality that would shape US foreign policy for years to come.

The Compromise of 1790

A historic agreement between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

Hamilton secured the federal government absorbing states’ debt and the support of constructing a national bank, while Jefferson obtained the placement of the U.S. capital along the Potomac River, benefiting southern states.

British Impressment

The forcible recruitment of American sailors into the Royal Navy, often using press gangs to meet manpower shortages during wartime; Ended after the Napoleonic War in 1814.

The Treaty of Ghent

Ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain; it restored pre-war borders and initiated long-term peace; it established the US as an independent nation and a player on the world stage.

The role of Native Americans in the War of 1812

Played a crucial role primarily as allies of the British, led by Tecumseh, in an effort to resist American expansion and protect their lands. But it ended in devastating losses for them — in both causalities and territory.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of Native American tribes from the southeastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River. It was driven by US westward expansion and the Indian Removal Act in 1830.

Between 1830 and 1850, about 100,000 Native Americans moved west — tens of thousands of them died along the way from disease before reaching their destinations.

Manifest Destiny

President Thomas Jefferson’s ideology that promoted the idea that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, spreading democracy and civilization; had devastating effects on Native Americans, who were displaced from their ancestral lands.

Homestead Act

1862: Provided settlers with free or low-cost land to encourage westward settlement

Lewis and Clark Expedition

(1804–1806): Explored western lands and documented natural resources and Native nations.

Closing of the Frontier

In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner declared the frontier closed, citing the 1890 census as evidence, and with that, the period of westward expansion ended.