Early US Politics and Economy

For DEUS; Dr. Z! TBH, the answers are a little long to be super good flashcards, but use them as best you can! If what's on here doesn't match up with the test... blame the study guide.

Traditions/Precedents set during the Washington Administration

• The early tradition of presidents only serving up to two terms (led to the Two Term Limit)

• The creation of a presidential cabinet

• Neutrality in foreign affairs

• Enforcing Federal Law

How foreign policy concerns (re: Britain and France) impacted the new republic

The signing of the Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) had the United States caught in the middle of the during the French Revolution — Federalists favored Britain while Democratic-Republicans favored France

It says the President's assembling a cabinet
And that I am to be the ____ great!

And that I'm already Senate-approved
I just got home and now I'm headed up to New York

Secretary of State

Federalists:

• Led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton

• Believed in: a loose interpretation of the Constitution

• Promoted: mercantile economy, National Bank, and Jay’s Treaty

  • a.k.a Treaty of Amity (peace between U.S. & Britain)

Democratic-Republicans

• Led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

• Believed in: a strict interpretation of the Constitution

• Promoted: agrarian economy and French alliance

Marbury v. Madison (its significance)

Judge John Marshall

Established the idea of judicial review and made the Judicial Branch an equal partner to the Executive and Legislative

• judicial review: the supreme court’s power to declare laws/actions of the gov’t unconstitutional

Set a precedent for the court’s authority to interpret the constitution

Alien and Sedition Acts

Acts enacted by John Adams outlawing criticism of the government

• Jefferson and Madison responded with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, deeming the Acts unconstitutional

The precedent set by the election of 1800

Power in the US can and will shift properly from one president to another; the electoral system must evolve to maintain fair and uphold a functioning democracy

Major Causes of the War of 1812:

1. Impressment of American Sailors

   1. The British Navy captured American sailors and used them for labor

2. Trade Restriction

   1. France and Britain at war => tried to block American trade, hurting the economy

3. British support of Native American uprising

4. Desire for expansion

   1. Many Americans (especially Congressmen) wanted to expand further into Canada and Florida (under the belief war was the only way)

5. American Nationalism

   1. The threat of British oppression led to growing American pride and a want to defend

Monroe Doctrine (its significance)

Established the United States’ role as the protector of the Western Hemisphere

Declared that European nations should not interfere with their own affairs in the US:

• No new colonies were to be re-claimed nor formed

• In return for their compliance, the US would stay out of European affairs

Political changes that characterized the period of "Jacksonian Democracy"

1. Universal White Male Suffrage

   1. Property requirements were dropped in almost all states, allowing all WHITE men to vote, not just the landowners. This expanded democracy and gave more political power to regular citizens

2. Rotation in office

   1. Spoils System:

      1. Andrew Jackson believed that government jobs should be open to the common man, not just the elites in America.

The policy of the Jackson administration towards Native Americans and its effects

Indian Removal Act of 1830: authorized the government to relocate Native Americans from the Mississippi River to modern day Oklahoma

Effect: led to the forced migration of thousands of Native Americans (Trail of Tears), where thousands of Cherokee + other tribes would die from disease, hunger, and exhaustion. The policy cleared land for white settlement and caused immense suffering of the Indigenous peoples

Seneca Falls Convention (its significance)

The first women’s rights convention that set the groundwork for future women’s suffrage movements

Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott

Produced the Declaration of Sentiments which called for the equal rights of all women + the right to vote

The impact of early industrialization in the Northeast on the U.S. economy

The U.S. went from agricultural dependence to an industrial, mercantile economy

Factories (mainly textiles) boosted the economy and led to an extreme overhaul of transportation (canals, railroads to move goods quicker and cheaper) and rapid urbanization

Led to the Northeast becoming the economic center of the country and encouraged industrialization

Major components of the American System:

1. Protective Tariffs

   1. Taxes on imported goods to protect American manufacturers from competition and encourage domestic industry

2. National Bank

   1. A second bank in the US to stabilize the currency, provide credit, and foster economic growth.

3. Internal Improvements

   1. Federal funding for modes of transportation to promote trade and expansion

Why the American System low-key sucked for regional interests:

Not everyone benefited from the American System: many farmers found that their crops wouldn’t earn the same amount of revenue, and their region wouldn’t be as protected/valued as others

Instead of the American System bringing regions together, it fostered animosity and further competition

Eli Whitney’s major innovations and their impact

1. Cotton gin

   1. The cotton gin, Whitney’s more popular, made picking cotton incredibly efficient, turning it into a valuable cash crop; this bolstered the economy, but increased the need for slave labor

2. Interchangeable parts

   1. Interchangeable parts, mostly for weapons, revolutionized manufacturing by making production cheaper and more efficient, laying the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution

How the rise of cotton impacted slavery in the U.S.

As the demand for cotton [as a cash crop'] increased, so did the need for more slaves on plantations so that the economy would continue growing and plantation owners could meet the demand for cotton

The Second Middle Passage

The internal forced migration of more enslaved African Americans, particularly in the southern states (Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.) , expanding slavery and fueling economic growth

• Cotton as a cash crop led to increased labor demand. Tens of thousands of enslaved people were sold and transported under horrible conditions.

How African Americans resisted the expansion of slavery early on

African Americans would revolt and against their masters, rallying other enslaved people to hopefully overcome their masters and their families so that they could escape and be free in another state. Free/Non-Free African Americans used the courts and petitions to challenge slavery or seek out freedom for others/themselves. Enslaved people would use their own culture against the White people to form their community and present themselves as a strong front against their masters who tried to erase their culture entirely

For the SAQs:

Focus on the development of the first political parties

Focus on characteristics of the Jacksonian Democracy

Focus on the relationship between Industrialization and the rise of cotton as a cash crop