APUSH Entrance Ticket Notes
2-4 (1500s)
basically the british and the spanish were like this 🤞and they were both devout catholic so they were like besties and then the spanish were like colonizing america and england was like “yeahh we’re not gonna mess with you lol”
then england’s tweaking out and there’s religious conflict everywhere cause the king was like “yeah we’re just gonna separate ourselves from the roman catholic church” (protestant reformation, people questioned the pope’s authority, sought to eliminate the selling of indulgences, and encouraged translation of the Bible to Latin)
causes the rivalry between spain and england :( no more frenship
catholic ireland starts tweakin out too and is like “hey bro im lowkey kinda scared of you!” to protestant england and catholic ireland goes to catholic spain for helpsies and then gets absolutely destroyed by england
2-5 (1580s)
queen elizabeth I sends english buccaneers to spread protestantism and seize spanish treasures/raid spanish settlements in the americas
spain & england were at peace tho
sir francis drake of england returned from the spanish americas with spanish treasures
queen elizabeth I knighted him on his ship
newfoundland was the first english attempt at colonization
organized by sir humphrey gilbert who died trying the effort
his half-brother, sir walter raleigh, tried again in warmer climates
lands in roanoke islands off the coast of north carolina
woah… north carolina…. raleigh
mysteriously vanishes 🤔
perhaps by the environment
perhaps by the native people
england’s failure to create a settlement in the americas enriched spain
philip II of spain (who hated the protestant reformation) created an armada of ships to invade england (the spanish armada)
didn’t go well for them cause the british ships were swifter, more maneuverable, and more aptly manned, and inflicted heavy damage
spanish empire declines over 300 more years
spanish got cocky and were like “yeah we own the americas” and had much of the peruvian and mexican silver, and yet were declining
england slowly gets control of the oceans
william shakespeare comes in??
england & spain sign a treaty of peace in 1604
english wanted to plunge into the new world
2-6
3 million in 1550 → 4 million in 1600
landlords “enclosed” croplands for sheep grazing
forced farmers off the land
Puritanism caused many to immigrate to americas
economic depression caused homelessness and unemployment
primogeniture - oldest son inherits all family property/land
joint-stock company - short term partnership between multiple investors to fund a commercial enterprise
sir walter raleigh - queen elizabeth’s devoted servant, secretly married her maid of honor, was beheaded for treason
2-7
BOOM two years later babyyy >:3 (1606)
spain and england are at peace, england turns attention towards virginia
joint-stock company (aka virginia company) from london gets a charter from london (who could’ve seen that coming) from king james I for a settlement in the americas
promised gold
virginia company was only supposed to last a few years before the stockholders liquidated it for big bucks :p
few investors thought about long-term colonization; just wanted the resources/land and then get out of there
no one thought that a nation would emerge
charter - legal document granted by a govt. to some group/agency to implement a stated purpose & spelling out all rights and obligations
charter of the virginia company is significant to US history cause they were like “yeah you have all the rights you have back home!!” and then a century and a half later they were like “no!!! our rights!!!!!!”
virginia company’s three ships land off the coast of chesapeake bay, james river (named after the king)
easy to defend from spaniards
mosquito-infested
unhealthful
all ~100 men landed and disembarked may 24th, 1607
called the place jamestown, the first permanent english settlement
early years of jamestown were nightmarish
forty would-be colonists died during the initial voyage
another expedition lost a lot in a wreckage off the coast of bermuda
in virginia, dozens died by disease, malnutrition, and starvation
many men died by not taking care of themselves (e.g. looking for gold instead of food)
captain john smith
“he who shall not work shall not eat”
kidnapped in december 1607
subjected to a mock execution by Pocahontas’s father, Powhatan
Pocahontas “saves” him
was supposed to impress john smith
native americans wanted a peaceful relationship with the english settlers, and this helped preserve a “shaky peace and to provide needed foodstuffs”
pocahontas
ambassador, hostage, convert to christianity
entered a “political marriage” with englishman john rolfe
was then taken to england but died preparing to return
infant son ultimately reaches virginia
colonists
died in droves, starved, desperation
reduced to eating dogs, cats, rats, and mice
even corpses
one man exhumed and ate his deceased wife
he was executed :p
of the 400 settlers who made it to virginia, only 60 survived the starvation winter of 1609-1610
remaining colonists tried to go home but met the new english gov’na, “lord de la warr,” who forced them to 😭go back to jamestown 😭 😭 and imposed a harsh military regime and became aggressive to the native americans
2-8
english landed in 1607
Powhatan dominated the native people (over 100 villages, over 24,000 people), aka Powhatan’s Confederacy
starving colonists raided native american food supply
lord de la warr carried out orders from the virginia company which eventually led to a declaration of war against the native americans
used irish war tactics against them, aka torching/pillaging villages, confiscating provisions, and torched cornfields
peace settlement ended this First Anglo-Powhatan War (oh god there’s more), sealing the deal with the marriage of john rolfe and pocahontas
respite follows (8 whole years) until the native americans get sick of these guys’ european diseases and hunger, then all of a sudden there are like 347 settlers just deceased, including john rolfe
in response the virginia company is like “yo nuh uh” so then they strip the native americans of their rights and demand a war against them without peace or truce
raids push the native people back and drove the survivors westward
Second Anglo-Powhatan War - last-ditch effort by the native peoples to dislodge virginia settlements; resulting peace treaty formally separates white & Indian areas of settlement
native americans try one final push in 1644
doesn’t go well for them
the peace treaty of 1646 denies the native people access to their ancestral lands, peaceful coexistion, or assimilation
by 1669 a census reveals that the native population was under 10% of what it was in 1607
by 1685 the Powhatan people were extinct
Powhatans fell to the three Ds:
disease
disorganization
disposability
Powhatans served no purpose to the english settlers economically
the natives were pretty much disposable to the virginians
natives were pretty much also just a blockade to more land
3-1 - VIRGINIA
no treasures in virginia!
settlers were like “yo what do we do”
found tobacco!
john rolfe was the father of the tobacco industry, “economic savior” of the virginia colony
tobacco rush in europe and americas
tobacco was a driving factor to the europeans who wanted more land
took land from the indians
virginia’s richness was based solely on tobacco
tobacco ruined soil when planted excessively
enchained virginia to tobacco and tobacco only
1619 - dutch warship appeared off jamestown
sells ~20 africans
no one knows if they were slaves or servants with limited years
this plants the seeds of north american slavery
enslaved africans were too expensive for white colonists to have
1650 - census counts 300 people of african descent, but by 1700, african people made up 14% of the colony’s population
house of burgesses - representative parliamentary assembly created to govern virginia
king james I distrusted them
revoked the charter
made virginia a royal colony under his control
3-2 MARYLAND
founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore.
he was from a rich family
founded for religious catholic refuge
200 settlers found maryland at st. mary’s on chesapeake bay
basically lord baltimore was like “yo im gonna give all my family members a mansion in the forests of maryland” and the colonists were like “yeahh sure but we want in too”
tensions between the protestant and catholic maryland colonists were really high
baltimore family loses rights <3
maryland was prospering anyway due to acres and acres of tobacco
Act of Toleration - guarantees tolerations to all christians (protestants, catholics), but decreed the death penalty to those who didn’t believe in christ
3-4 CAROLINAS
civil war in england <3 (1640s)
king charles I basically ended parliament in 1629, recalled it in 1640, people were mad, he gets beheaded
people looked to this puritan-soldier named oliver cromwell, he rules for around a decade
English Civil War - armed conflict between royalists and parliamentarians, pro-parliament wins, king charles I gets executed
colonization gets interrupted, after ECW ends, colonization resumes with greater intensity
carolina (named after charles II), created in 1670, after the king give his Lords Proprietors permission to take the entire continent to the pacific ocean
these founders hoped to grow foodstuffs to supply the sugar plantations in barbados and to export wine, silk, and olive oil
carolina prospers after developing relations with the flourishing sugar islands of the english west indies (all caribbean islands)
many carolina settlers emigrated from barbados, bringing their slave system with them
establishes a slave system within carolina (savannah indians)
lords proprietors were like “yo we don’t really want slavery here” but they were ignored
native americans were a top export
~10k native americans were dispatched to lifelong labor in west indian canefields and sugar mills, others sent to new england
1707 - savannah indians end their alliance with the carolinians, migrates to maryland and pennsylvania where the quakers promised better relations
carolinians were enraged
annihilation of the savannah indians
rice was the major export crop of carolina
exotic for england
rice was grown in africa tho!!!
carolinians bought africans experienced in rice cultivation
charles town becomes busiest seaport in the south, becomes diverse in religion
in florida, catholic spaniards were like “yooo we hate these protestant guys” so they would fight a lot with the carolinians, but carolina was too strong to be wiped out
3-5 THE EMERGENCE OF NORTH CAROLINA
poverty-stricken, church-of-england-hating virginians were like “yo we hate virginia bro we’re coming down there”
were usually squatters (frontier farmers who illegally occupied land owned by others or not yet officially opened for settlement)
raised tobacco & other crops on small farms, no need for slaves
north carolina gained a reputation of housing pirates and irreligion (bad)
isolated from other colonies due to cape hatteras, the “graveyard of the atlantic” and by thick forests
spirit of resistance to authority
1712 - friction caused the carolinas to split
north carolina didnt import slaves at first, but both carolinas massacred a bunch of native americans
tuscarora indians were crushed by north carolinians and south carolinians in the tuscarora war (began with an indian attack on new bern, n. carolina. after the tuscaroras were defeated, remaining indian migrated northward, eventually joining the iroquois confederacy)
north carolinians sold hundreds of tuscarora indians into slavery, many migrated northward to seek refuge in the iroquois confederacy
became 6th nation in the iroquois confederacy
lead to another war 4 years later
south carolinians defeat and disperse the yamasee indians (defeated by the south carolinians in the war of 1715-6. devastated the last of the coastal indian tribes [by 1720])
cherokee, creek, and choctaw tribes remained for another 50 or so years
3-6 LATE-COMING GEORGIA: THE BUFFER COLONY
georgia was formally founded in 1733
last of the 13 colonies
126 years after virginia (1st)
52 years after pennsylvania (12th)
england wanted georgia to serve as a buffer (a territory between two antagonistic powers, minimizing conflict between them) between english america and spanish america
protected the more valuable carolinas against vengeful floridian spaniards
georgia suffered a lot, esp. when wars broke out between mainland england and spain
was compensated! yippee!
founded by a high-minded group of philanthropists
determined to create a haven for people imprisoned for debt and to keep slavery out of georgia (at first)
main founder guy / military leader - james oglethorpe
repelled spanish attacks
imperialist/philanthropist
saved the “charity colony” by energetic leadership and heavily mortgaging his own fortune
german lutherans/scottish highlanders, all christian worshippers except catholics enjoyed religious toleration (catholics were salty)
missionaries with bibles and hope arrived in savannah to work among debtors and natives
john wesley - missionary that returned to england and founded the methodist church
georgia grew slowly and was perhaps the least populous of the colonies
development of the plantation colony was thwarted by unhealthy climate, early restrictions on black slavery, and by demoralizing spanish attacks
3-7 THE PLANTATION COLONIES
england’s southern mainland colonies - maryland, virginia, north carolina, south carolina, and georgia were broad-acred, and in some degree devoted to exporting commercial agricultural products
tobacco and rice (to a lesser extent in north carolina)
slavery was found in all plantation colonies
only after 1750 in georgia
few people had a lot of acreage, created a strong aristocratic atmosphere (except in north carolina again) (to some extent in debtor-tinged georgia)
scattering of farms regressed the growth of cities and made establishment of churches and schools difficult and expensive
all plantation colonies permitted some religious toleration
3-8 THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION PRODUCES PURITANISM
german guy martin luther was like “yo! im gonna spread my religion :3” and created a different one
declared that the bible was god’s will
religious devotion, not wealth, shaped the earliest settlements
john calvin ayyyy
Calvinism - dominant theological credo of New England Puritans based on the teachings of John Calvin. Calvinists believed in predestination, that only “the elect” were destined for salvation
calvinism became the dominant credo of not only the new england puritans but also:
scottish presbyterians
french huguenots
communicants of the dutch reformed church
“god is all-powerful and all-good” - john calvin
“humans are weak and wicked” - john calvin
“god is all-knowing” - john calvin
predestination - Calvinist doctrine that God has foreordained some people to be saved and some people to be damned. Though their fate was irreversible, Calvinists sought to lead sanctified lives in order to demonstrate that they were, in fact, members of the “elect.”
the “elect” cannot lead lives of wild, immoral abandon. people worried about their status at the pearly gates
conversion - intense religious experience that confirmed an individual’s place among the “elect,” or the “visible saints.” calvinists who experienced conversion were then expected to lead sanctified lives to demonstrate their salvation
thought to be an intense, identifiable experience in which god revealed the elect to their heavenly destiny
expected to lead sanctified lives, proving that they were among the “visible saints”
these ideals swept england as king henry VII broke ties with the RCC (roman catholic church) in the 1530s
king henry VII appointed himself the head of church
actions powerfully stimulated english religious reformers to “purify” england
puritanssss - english protestant reformers who sought to purify the church of england of catholic rituals and creeds. some of the most devout puritans believed that only “visible saints” should be admitted to church membership
calvinism fed social unrest, provided spiritual comfort to the economically disadvantaged
puritans eventually got sick of waiting around for the protestant reformation to take hold, was super excited to see the church of england wholly de-catholicized
most devout puritans, including those who settled new england, believed that only “visible saints” should be admitted to church
church of england enrolled everyone tho, which meant that the “saints” had to share spaces with the “damned”
separatists - small group of puritans who sought to break away entirely from the church of england. initially settled in holland, a number of separatists made their way to plymouth bay, massachusetts, in 1620
king james I, head of the church and state from 1603 to 1625, realized that if his subjects could defy him spiritually, they could defy him politically. threatened to harass the separatists
3-8 THE PILGRIMS END THEIR PILGRIMAGE AT PLYMOUTH
before making it to plymouth, the separatists were not very happy about the “dutchification” of their children.
wanted to find a haven to live and die as separatists
separatists in holland were like “yeahh let’s leave” so they left on the mayflower (1 casualty, 1 birth), and missed their destination, arriving off the coast of new england
fewer than half the party were separatists
one guy, myles standish (captain shrimp), rendered indispensable service as an anti-native-american fighter/negotiator
pilgrims didnt make their initial landing at plymouth bay, but worked their way there
this area was outside the domain of the virginia company
were without legal right to the land and were without specific authority to establish a govt.
before disembarking, pilgrims drew up and signed the mayflower compact - agreement to form a majoritarian govt. in plymouth, signed aboard the mayflower
was a precedent to many constitutions, but wasn’t a constitution itself
compact was signed by 41 adult men
pact was a promising step towards genuine self-govt.
pilgrims’ first winter of 1620-1621 was harsh, only 44/102 survived
when they were headed back to england, no separatist left
“god made his children prosperous” - pilgrims
1621 autumn, brings bountiful harvests and first thanksgiving day
beaver and the bible kept sustenance for the body and soul
pilgrims were extremely fortunate in leaders
william bradford - self-taught scholar who read hebrew, greek, latin, french, and dutch. chosen governor 30 times in annual elections
was worried that non-puritan settlers would “corrupt” his experiment in the wilderness
plymouth was never economically important economically or numerically, but was big morally and spiritually
3-10 THE BAY COLONY BIBLE COMMONWEALTH
separatist pilgrims were considered “extremists” (aka the purest puritans)
more “moderate” puritans sought to reform the church of england from within
resented by bishops and monarchs, but slowly gained support, especially in parliament
charles I dismisses parliament (1629), sanctions anti-puritan persecutions
many puritans saw catastrophe
1629 - puritans (non-separatists) secured a royal charter to form the MBC (massachusetts bay company)
massachusetts bay colony - established by non-separating puritans, it soon grew to be the largest and most influential of the new england colonies
eleven vessels carried nearly 1k immigrants, starting the colony off larger than any other english settlements
great english migration - migration of 70k refugees from england to the north american colonies, primarily new england and the caribbean. the ~20k migrants who came to massachusetts largely shared a common sense of purpose – to establish a model christian settlement in the new world
not all were puritans
most puritans went to barbados
when the mainland colonies declared independence in 1776, they hoped that the caribbean islands would join them, but the islands depended too much on the british navy to protect them against the slaves that far outnumbered them
john winthrop -
MBC’s first governor
had a “calling from god”
served for 19 years
helped massachusetts prosper
fur trading
fishing
shipbuilding
3-11 BUILDING THE BAY COLONY
puritan adult males, aka “freemen”, aka the Congregational Church
unchurched men and just straight up women could not vote
⅖ of all men could vote
town governments were more inclusive
provincial governments were “liberal” but not a democracy
governor winthrop (remember this guy?) feared and distrusted democracy (“meanest and worst” forms of government)
according to the doctrine of the covenant, the whole purpose of government was to enforce god’s laws
religious leaders wielded enormous influence in the massachusetts “bible commonwealth”
john cotton
immigrated to massachusetts to avoid persecution for criticism of the church of england
devoted his learning at cambridge to defending the government’s duty to enforce religious rules
congregations had rights to fire/hire ministers and to set his salary
clergymen were banned from holding formal political office
3-15 PURITANS AND INDIANS
spread of english settlements clashed with the native people (why cant we just be peaceful bro)
native people were weak in new england
1620 - english people epidemic (ewwww)
more than ¾ of the native population died !
local wampanoag tribe befriends english
tisquantum (aka squanto by the english [double ewww])
learned english from a captain that kidnapped him a few years prior
massasoit (wampanoag chieftain)
signed treaty with the plymouth pilgrims in 1621
helped celebrate first thanksgiving
pequot war of 1637 - first between british colonists & native americans
killed nearly 300 native american men, women, and children
had peace after the pequot people were slaughtered
but that doesn’t last long ofc
more non-native people = more conflict
pequot war - series of clashes between the english settlers and the pequot indians in the connecticut river valley. ended in the slaughter of the pequot indians by the puritans and their narragansett indian allies
then the english started getting yelled at by their families back home 💀 so they tried converting the remaining indians to christianity as an “apology” (????)
native americans banded together against the english
1675 - massasoit’s son, metacom, (aka king philip by the english [what the falcon is up with these nicknames])
hit the english hard on the frontiers
made them retreat back to boston :3
1676 - war ends, 52 puritan towns were attacked, 12 destroyed entirely
however this was not all awesome sauce because more indians than english were dead
metacom’s wife & son were sold into slavery
metacom himself was executed and his head paraded around on a stick for years
metacom’s war (aka king philip’s war - series of assaults by metacom, or king philip, on english settlements in new england. the attacks slowed the westward migration of new england settlers for several decades)
unfortunately this would become more of a loss for the native americans due to the fact that they became scattered and disorganized, only becoming somewhat of a threat to the english settlers
3-16 ENGLISH INTERFERENCE AND NEGLECT
earliest n. american colonies werent really loved by london </3
left to their own devices in the 1640s
in 1643, 4 puritan colonies banded together to form the new england confederation - weak union of the colonies in massachusetts and connecticut led by puritans for the purposes of defense and organization; an early attempt at self-government during the benign neglect of the english civil war
meant primarily to serve as a military alliance against the native americans, dutch, and french
charles II ascends to the engish throne (BOOOOO) in 1660
crown looks at the colonies like this 😫😫😫😫😫
colonists were like “EWWWW OLD MANNNN”
massachusetts bay colony was like “we’re independent :3”
charles II was like “be jealous”
gives rival connecticut a sea-to-sea charter grant!
rhode island gets one too!
m̴͍̊ą̶̧̛s̸͎̻̿s̶͍̓á̵̛̫c̸̩͌h̶̯̿̕ṷ̶̺͆͗s̷̙͆e̶̯͂t̴͓̉t̸̺̹̾͠s̴̨͖͗̓ ̷̝̇͌ͅg̴͉̽e̶̼͝ṭ̸̉͠s̸͍͓͘͠ ̶͕̔i̶͎̦̇t̴͚͝s̷͎̣̆̏ ̸͖̈́c̶̙̬̅͊ḣ̷͓̑a̴͓͝r̷̞̽t̵͇̏̉ë̶͉̦r̷͍̊ͅ ̷̻͋ṛ̴̫̋͂e̴̲̿v̶̺͆̊o̸̰͗k̶͓̕è̸͓d̴͓͖̅ (massachusetts gets its charter revoked 🎀”
charles II’s heir, his brother james II enforced the navigation laws - series of laws passed, beginning in 1651, to regulate colonial shipping; the acts provided that only english ships would be allowed to trade in english and colonial ports and that all goods destined for the colonies would first pass through england
these acts resulted in a century of smuggling :3
james II would be short lived :p
dethroned due to beinG CATHOLICCCC
protestant rulers of the netherlands, dutch william III and english mary II, james II’s daughter ruled instead
dominion of new england - administrative union created by royal authority, incorporating all of new england, new york, and east and west jersey. placed under the rule of sir edmund andros, who curbed popular assemblies, taxed residents without their consent, and strictly enforced navigation laws. its collapse after the glorious revolution in england demonstrated colonial opposition to strict royal control
sir edmund andros - english commander
created resentment in northern colonies
suppressed town meetings, courts, the press, and schools >:(
english overthrow james II, a boston mob tries to drive andros back to england. bro tries to flee wearing women’s clothing but his boots give him away
glorious revolution - overthrow, in 1688, of the catholic king james II of england. rebellious english nobles invited the protestant william of orange to replace james II in a relatively bloodless coup. the event affirmed england’s constitutional balance between parliament and the crown
this brings king william III and queen mary II to the throne
unrest rocked new york and maryland from 1689 to 1691
new monarchs relaxed the royal grip on colonial trade
salutary neglect - unofficial policy of relaxed royal control over colonial trade and only weak enforcement of navigation laws. lasted from the glorious revolution to the end of the french and indian war in 1763
4-1 THE UNHEALTHY CHESAPEAKE
life in the ‘murican wilderness was harsh
malaria, dysentery, typhoid cut 10 years off the average lifespan of english settlers
half the people born in early virginia & maryland didn’t survive to see their 20th birthdays
few of the remaining half lived to see their fortieth/fiftieth birthdays
majority of immigrants from england were young men (late teens/early 20s), and mainly died shortly after arrival
6:1 men to women (they were YEARNING for these women.) in 1650
by the end of the century 3:2 men to women
most men could not find partners, most marriages were destroyed by the death of a partner
hardly any child hit adulthood with both parents; nearly no one knew a grandparent
weak familial ties reflected in pregnancies in unmarried young girls
in maryland, more than 1/3 of all brides were pregnant by the time they got married
of course, then the settlers developed resistances to these illnesses that wiped most of their predecessors out
by 1700s, virginia became the most populous colony at 59,000 people
maryland was 3rd largest after massachusetts
4-2 THE TOBACCO COMPANY
chesapeake colonies were hospitable to tobacco cultivation
profit-hungry settlers were like “yo,,, what if we just make tobacco” and then forgot to plant corn to feed themselves
this! was not good! because as we know, over-farming tobacco is bad for soil!
it was, indeed, bad for soil.
this caused the settlers to grow hungry literally and hungry for more land
they took more and more land from the native americans
ships had taken over 1.5 million pounds of tobacco out of chesapeake bay by the 1630s and almost 40 million pounds a year by the end of the century
england still had a “surplus” of displaced workers and farmers; who then boarded ships for america as indentured servants (migrants who, in exchange for transatlantic passage, bound themselves to a colonial employer for a term of service, typically between 4 and 7 years)
in exchange they received transatlantic passage and “freedom dues,” including an axe and a hoe, corn, clothes, and perhaps a small parcel of land
headright system - employed in the tobacco colonies to encourage the importation of indentured servants, the system allowed an individual to acquire fifty acres of land if he paid for a laborer’s passage into the colony
both virginia and maryland implemented this system to encourage the importation of servant workers
masters, not servants, reaped benefits
chesapeake planters brought over 100,000 indentured servants to the area by 1700
were over ¾ of all the european immigrants
indentured servants wanted their jobs to be over with as soon as possible and get land, but due to the huge influx of indentured servants, sometimes that did not happen!
some masters would be like “yo you screwed up, im extending your contract”
some masters would also be like “i dont want to give you land”
4-3 FRUSTRATED FREEMEN AND BACON’S REBELLION
most single young white men were frustrated by not being able to acquire land or a damsel ☹
virginia’s governor william berkeley - “how miserable you lot are :( / How miserable that man is that governs a people where six parts of seven at least are poor, endebted, discontented, and armed.”
~1000 virginians went absolutely mad in 1676, led by 29-year-old planter nathaniel bacon
they resented berkeley’s policies towards the native americans (monopolizing the fur trade between the native americans and the white settlers)
berkeley eventually ends up refusing to respond to an attack led by the native americans, so bacon and his followers took things into their own hands
bacon and his followers killed many native americans and chased berkeley from jamestown, setting the capital on fire
virginia’s civil war continued, even as bacon died from illness
berkeley then crushed the rebellion with brutal cruelty, hanging more than 20 rebels
bacon’s rebellion - uprising of virginia backcountry farmers and indentured servants led by planter nathaniel bacon; initially a response to governor william berkeley’s refusal to protect these backcountry farmers from indian attacks, the rebellion eventually grew into a broader conflict between impoverished settlers and the planter elite
bacon’s uprising shook the colony
new regulations took hold, making virginia’s white men still poor, but would at least enjoy the same privileges as their neighbors
5-1 A CONTINENT IN FLUX
european colonies were mainly on the east coast
native americans villages/tribes, even far inland, had been hit and demolished by european disease.
other native american groups, who weren’t quite as touched by disease, were pushed westward
inland native american tribes were not happy about this.
(there were a lot of clashes)
european goods changed native american culture; the introduction of horses and muskets made the IAs more powerful
when the spanish govna of 1718 met the caddo people in texas, they were armed with guns, more so than the spanish 😭
arkansas - osage basically manipulated their way into trade with the french by… forcing them colon three
chickasaw in the southeast raided the choctaw by teamin with the fench to secure their own weapons
borderlands - places where two or more nations or societies border each other, and where power is dispersed among competing actors, resulting in fluid social relations, hybrid cultures, and the absence of firmly agreed sovereignty. were often places where european empires and native american societies engaged each other, including the great lakes and missouri valley regions.
in 1700, the iroquois had peace with both the english and the french, and being situated between both (and were strong enough to threaten both), held a neutral power in north america
cherokee fought both with and against the british during the early 1700s and 7 of them traveled to london to agree to friendly relations with the british
this would give them access to trade and english goods but also smallpox. (ominous music)
5-2 CONQUEST BY THE CRADLE
native american population when europeans arrived 📉
european population in americas when they arrived 📈
1700 - fewer than 300,000, ~20,000 were black
1775 - 2.5 million, 500,000 were black
colonists were doubling their numbers every 25 years
average age in 1775 was 16
1700 - 20 english subjects : 1 american colonist
1775 - 3 english subjects : 1 american colonist
90% of the population lived in rural areas
virginia → massachusetts → pennsylvania → north carolina → maryland (population high to low)
major cities - philadelphia, new york, boston, charleston
5-3 A MINGLING OF CULTURES
people from many ethnicities and backgrounds lived in british north america
germans - 6% of the total population of british north america (150,000 by 1775).
totaled 1/3 of pennsylvania’s colony
no deep-rooted loyalty to the english crown
splendid stone barns
scots-irish - 7% of the total population of british north america (175,000 by 1775).
important non-english group.
not irish at all, instead scots lowlanders
weren’t happy in scotland
early 1700s - bitter scots-irish people came to british north america
went further west; squabbled with native americans and white colonists
would build temporary, flimsy homes and move on
were experienced and superb frontiersmen (who didn’t like the native americans)
didn’t love the british :p
paxton boys - armed march on philadelphia by scots-irish frontiersmen to protest against the quaker establishment’s lenient policies on native americans
Regulator movement - eventually violent uprising of backcountry settlers in north carolina against unfair taxation and the control of colonial affairs by the seaboard elite
andrew jackson was a part of this
~12 future presidents were of scots-irish descent
~5% of the colonial population consisted of other european groups
african people were nearly 20% of the colonial population in 1775 & were heavily concentrated in the south
every culture mixes
5-4 AFRICANS IN AMERICA
deep south - slavery was extremely severe
climate was harsh
labor life-draining
widely-scattered south carolina rice & indigo plantations housed mostly male africans
only fresh shipments of slaves could sustain the slave population since the africans were dying so often; they couldn’t reproduce
chesapeake region - somewhat easier
tobacco was less physically demanding
tobacco plantations were closer together than rice/indigo plantations, allowing slaves to socialize and have contact with friends and relatives
1720 - african women population begins to grow
this led to the overall slave population to grow
was one of the first slave societies ever to grow by itself
imports dropped significantly because of this
northern colonies counted ~48,000 slaves right before the american revolution
african-american culture starts to flourish
off the coast of south carolina, these new african-americans evolved a unique language, gullah, a mixture of english and several african languages (yoruba, igbo, hausa)
by early 1700, laws surrounding slaves tightened
american-born slaves outnumbered the african-born
enslaved women were forced to perform double hours (eg. spinning, weaving, sewing clothes for themselves and their families)
enslaved women also lived in fear of being assaulted by their masters
slave religion
slaves became a mixture of african beliefs and western traditions
new york slave revolt - uprising of approximately two dozen enslaved africans that resulted in the deaths of nine whites and the brutal execution of twenty one participating blacks
south carolina slave revolt - uprising, aka the stono rebellion, of more than fifty south carolinian blacks along the stono river. they attempted to reach spanish florida, but were stopped by the south carolina militia
5-5 THE STRUCTURE OF COLONIAL SOCIETY
1700s british america seemed like a land of opportunity and equality; save for slavery
colonists, even if they were a former indentured servant, could rise the social ladder
armed conflicts in the 1690s and early 1700s allowed merchant princes into new england/middle colonies
these elites, atop the social ladder, imported rich english goods, such as clothing and china/silverware
by midcentury 10% of bostonians and philadelphians owned nearly 2/3rds of the taxable wealth in those cities
war created widows and orphans. poor people were large in number, but incomparable to the 1/3 of english people living in poverty
descendants of the original settlers subdivided the lands, shrinking the average size of farms
the children of these settlers (usually sons, but sometimes daughters) were forced to hire out as wage laborers or to seek out fresh soil past the appalachian mountains
in the south, riches created by slavery were not evenly distributed to the whites (aka put in hands of the largest slaveowners)
two lower-class citizens (indentured servants) signed the declaration of independence
~50k “jayle birds” (jailbirds) including robbers, rapists, and murderers were involuntarily shipped to america
some of these people became highly respectable citizens
enslaved blacks were the least fortunate, enjoying no equality with whites and never even touched the “ladder of opportunity”
5-6 WORKADAY AMERICA
agriculture employed ~90% of the people
tobacco was staple crop
wheat cultivation spread through the chesapeake region
fishing (and whaling) wasn’t quite as popular as agriculture but it was still rewarding
exported shipments of dried cod to europe
popular in new england with all the shipbuilders
commercial ventures and land speculation were the best routes to get rich quick
yankee seamen
provisioned the caribbean islands w/ food and forest products
hauled spanish gold, wine, and oranges to london
triangular trade - exchange of rum, slaves, and molasses between the north american colonies, africa, and the west indies. a small but immensely profitable subset of the atlantic trade
workers would get ahead by tilling the rich soil
“kill devil” rum were distilled in rhode island and pennsylvania
“elect of the lord” people were like woah <3
smoking iron forges (including pennsylvania’s valley forge) were numerous in 1775, but smaller than england’s forges
beaver hats were manufactured even tho the british said “NOOO I DONT WANT THAT 😡👹”
household manufacturing (including spinning and weaving by the women) was also profitable
lumbering was the most important manufacturing activity
by 1770 ~400 vessels were “splashing down the ways” every year
1/3 of the british merchant marine was american-built
colonial naval stores, such as tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine were highly valued
london offered generous bounties for production of these items
strains appeared in the atlantic economy as early as the 1730s
americans demanded more and more british products
trade imbalance raised the question, “how could the colonists sell said goods to make the money to buy what they wanted from the brits?”
by seeking non-britain markets of course!
chesapeake tobacco was makin bank in france and other european nations (though the brits managed to take some for themselves too)
molasses act - tax on imported molasses passed by parliament in an effort to squelch the north american trade with the french west indies. it proved largely ineffective due to widespread smuggling
5-7 CLERICS, PHYSICIANS, AND JURISTS
christian ministry was the most honored profession
1775 - clergy wielded less power than in the Early Days™ but still had high ranks
first medical school established in 1765
bloodletting and bleeding were a favorite (and fatal) “remedy” for physicians
when physician not there, barber come!
epidemics were constant
smallpox - 1/5 people
powdered dried toad was a favorite prescription/inoculation
diptheria was also deadly, taking the lives of thousands at one point in the 1730s
5-8 HORSEPOWER AND SAILPOWER
america had a scarcity of money and workers (major skill issue i have all the money)
roads weren’t established between major cities until the 1700s (america)
roman highways in the days of julius caesar were more efficient (2000 years prior)
news of the declaration of independence reached charleston from philadelphia 29 days after independence
roads were dust in summer, mud in winter
philadelphia → new york? haha pray
nature-made waterways were the goat
population clustered around water
taverns were breaks for entertainment (bowling alleys, pool tables, bars, and gambling <3)
gossip gathered at taverns
crystallized public opinion even though they mostly spread lies and defamation
boston tea party was planned at green dragon tavern
intercolonial postal system established !!
some mail handed on credit
slow and infrequent
no secrecy :(
mail carriers would sometimes get bored and read the mail
5-9 DOMINANT DENOMINATIONS
2 tax-supported churches were conspicuous in 1775
anglican
church of england (anglicans) - official faith in georgia, N & S carolina, virginia, maryland, and part of new york
less fierce
sermons were shorter
hell was less scorching
amusements (eg. virginia fox hunting) were less scorned
college of william and mary was founded in 1693 to better train anglican clerics (they just sucked)
congregational
grown out of the puritan church
formally established in all new england colonies (except rhode island)
massachusetts taxed all residents to support congregationalism
most people didn’t worship any church, surprisingly
presbyterianism (close with congregationalism) was never made official in any colony
ministers of the gospel fought with burning political issues
speech of rebellion against the british occurred in sermons
presbyterianism, congregationalism, and rebellion became a neo-trinity
anglican clerics - supported king
roman catholics were generally discriminated against
religious toleration had great strides in america
5-10 THE GREAT AWAKENING
religion was less intense in the 18th century compared to the 17th century
puritan churches had two burdens
their elaborate theological doctrines
their compromising efforts to liberalize membership requirements
liberal ideas challenged old-time religion
most threatening to calvinist doctrine was arminianism - (belief that salvation is offered to all humans but is conditional on acceptance of god’s grace)
arminianism - named after dutch theologian jacobus arminius
stage was set for the great awakening - (religious revival that swept the colonies. participating ministers, most notably jonathan edwards and george whitefield, placed an emphasis on direct, emotive spirituality)
first ignited in northampton, massachusetts
jonathan edwards proclaimed that believing in salvation through good works and affirmed the need for complete dependence on god’s grace
believed that hell was “paved with the skulls of unbaptized children”
“sinners in the hands of an angry god” - one of his most famous sermons
george whitefield had a different style of evangelical preaching
revolutionized the spiritual life of the colonies
former alehouse attendant
“human helpnessness; divine omnipotence”
reduced jonathan edwards to tears lol
countless sinners professed conversion, hundreds of the “saved” rolled in snow from excitement
old lights (orthodox clergymen who rejected the emotionalism of the GA in favor of a more rational spirituality)
skeptical of emotionalism, theatrics
new lights (ministers who took part in the revivalist, emotive religious tradition pioneered by george whitefield during the GA)
defended the awakening
congregationalists and presbyterians split over this issue
8-4 CREATING A CONFEDERATION
second continental congress was without authority 😔
after the revolutionary war, congress was like “ok you guys over there, write us a constitution” and then the guys were like “ok”
this became the articles of confederation - (first american constitution that established the US as a loose confederation of states under a weak national congress, which was not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes. the articles were replaced by a more efficient constitution in 1789)
western lands were all the hype
six jealous states, like pennsylvania and maryland, were like “yo we want some :(“ cause they had no lands west of the appalachias
seven were not jealous because they got a bunch of land
when the six jealous states realize that the other seven could sell their lands to pay off their debt, they got mad >:(
articles of confederation had to be unanimously signed
land-starved maryland was like “why would i do that” and held out for like five years lol
gave in when new york surrendered land and virginia was about to surrender western lands as well
8-5 THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: AMERICA’S FIRST CONSTITUTION
people called the articles of confederation “articles of confusion” because of how loose it was :P
basically was friendship is magic </3
no executive branch cause the colonists were traumatized from the king of england
congress was dominant but shaky (each state had a single vote, even though the numbers were really skewed [rhode island - 68k people, virginia - ~680k])
congress was weak; designed to be weak
states were suspicious of the congress cause they had just won control over their taxes and trades and were kind of gatekeeping that from congress
two handicaps of congress (crippling)
no power to regulate commerce
left the states free to run wild pretty much; conflicted with each others’ laws
no enforcing its tax-collecting program
basically
was lucky if they got ¼th of their quota per year
national government in philadelphia could do the 3 a’s
advise
advocate
appeal
could not do the 3 c’s to the independent states
command
coerce
control
could not protect itself skull emoji
in 1783 pennsylvania soldiers were rioting cause they didn’t get paid soon enough, and then congress got scared and fled to princeton college 😭
thomas jefferson was like “yeah man i like the new constitution better” and “its like comparing heaven and hell lol”
overall the AoC were a big step to the present constitution cause it made people learn 💀
8-6 LANDMARKS IN LAND LAWS
AoC granted congress the rights to trade with native americans, but the individual states straight up said “no”
until the constitution, individual states retained power over native american land sales n stuff
then everyone was freaking out because the constitution was like “yeah you can take indian land lol”
people took land (duh)
the government was like “omg oopsies let’s still have peace guys”
then congress was like “ok guys lets have peace we’re gonna enact some laws :3”
old northwest - territories acquired by the federal government from the states, encompassing land northwest of the ohio river, east of the mississippi river, and south of the great lakes. the well-organized management and sale of the land in the territories under the land ordinances of 1785 and 1787 established a precedent for handling future land acquisitions
land ordinance of 1785 - provided for the sale of land in the old northwest and earmarked the proceeds toward repaying the national debt
old northwest was to be surveyed before sale and settlement, preventing confusion and lawsuits !! yay!!!
northwest ordinance - created a policy for administering the northwest territories. it included a path to statehood and forbade the expansion of slavery into the territories
this was makin the king back in england scratch his head for eel
was now makin the americans scratch their heads
compromise!!!
temporary guardianship
would be under the government’s rule
permanent equality
perhaps would reach statehood if the area could handle 60k+ people
8-8 THE HORRID SPECTER OF ANARCHY
the system of raising money for the government from the states was like hardcore falling apart lol
some states straight up refused to pay
individual states were tweaking over state boundaries and had many minor battles over them
some states were tweaking so hard they were imposing taxes on their neighbor’s goods (eg. new york taxed cabbages from new jersey and firewood from connecticut)
shays’s rebellion - armed uprising of western massachusetts debtors seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosures. though quickly put down, the insurrection inspired fears of “mob rule” among leading revolutionaries
revolutionary war veterans were losing their farms through foreclosures and taxes
a veteran of the revolution, captain daniel shays, led the rebellion
massachusetts authorities respond, supported partly by wealthier citizens
at springfield, 3 rebels were killed, 1 wounded
movement collapses lol 💀
growing majority of people wanted a strong central govt
america could’ve gotten away with amended AoC, but that’s like doing the bare minimum on a project
8-11 HAMMERING OUT A BUNDLE OF COMPROMISES
delegates were like “let’s not have the AoCs cause those kinda suck”
congress was like “bro just revise it”
delegates were like “no”
“large-state plan”, aka the virginia plan (“large state” proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral congress. the plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation)
basically it gave larger states an advantage
new jersey was like “??? what the falcon bro” so they countered the virginia plan with the new jersey plan (“small-state plan” put forth at the philadelphia convention, proposing equal representation by state, regardless of population, in a unicameral legislature. small states feared that the more populous states would dominate the agenda under a proportional system)
basically gave equal representation regardless of size/population
then the girls were fighting 😔
then the girls were not fighting!
great compromise - popular term for the measure that reconciled the new jersey and virginia plans at the constitutional convention, giving states proportional representation in the houes and equal representation in the senate. the compromise broke the stalemate at the convention and paved the way for subsequent compromises over slavery and the electoral college
large states were conceded representation by population in the house of representatives
smaller states were appeased by equal representation in the senate
each state, no matter how poor/small, would have two senators
final constitution was short, grew out of the anglo-american common law (laws that originate from court rulings and customs, as opposed to legislative statutes. the US constitution grew out of the anglo-american common law tradition and thus provided only a general organizational framework for the new federal govt)
made it unnecessary to be specific about every conceivable detail
was flexible
original constitution was like. 7 articles and 10 pages long
civil law - body of written law enacted through legislative statutes or constitutional provisions. in countries where civil law prevails, judges must apply the statutes precisely as written
for example, india’s civil law constitution is ~400 articles and nearly 200 pages
new constitution provided for a robust executive in the presidency
president would have broad authority
however this power would be far from absolute
people were freaking out about whether or note a slave counted as a person
three-fifths compromise - determined that each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning taxes and representation. the compromise granted disproportionate political power
8-12 SAFEGUARDS FOR CONSERVATISM
usually the delegates would be civil, see eye-to-eye, and were in basic agreement
“powerful president” was to be indirectly elected by the electoral college (mechanism for electing presidents of the US. each state has a number of electors equal to its total number of senators and representatives. these electors are chosen by the voters, and they in turn select the president — creating “indirect” presidential elections)
just elects the pres
new charter contained democratic elements
only legit govt was based on the consent of the governed
“we the people”
only 42 of the original 55 members remained to sign the constitution
3/42 refused to do so
remaining celebrated the toast-worthy occasion
no members were completely happy 3:
8-13 THE CLASH OF FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS
people who created the constitution knew that acceptance of the constitution would not be easy to get
majority rules vote
antifederalists - opponents of the 1787 constitution, cast the document and antidemocratic, objected to the subordination of the states to the central govt., and feared encroachment on individuals’ liberties in the absence of a bill of rights
didn’t want the strong govt
federalists - proponents of the 1787 constitution, favored a strong national govt, arguing that the checks and balances in the new constitution would safeguard the people’s liberties
wanted the strong govt
most federalists lived along the seaboard instead of the antifederalist backcountry
most federalists were also wealthier than the antifederalists
over 100 newspapers were published in america; only around a dozen were antifederalist centered
they started beefing hardcore
9-14 JOHN ADAMS BECOMES PRESIDENT
hamilton was the most well-known member of the federalist party
he kinda had some weird financial policies so no one really wanted him as pres 💀
now that washy (george washington 😭) was out of office, chaos ensues within the political world cause no one can live up to him
federalists referred to “jeffersonians” as “fire-eating salamanders, poison-sucking toads”
federalists and democratic-republicans basically segregated themselves 😭😭 (they drank in separate pubs)
john adams, mostly supported in new england, barely won the electoral college (71 - 68)
jefferson, runner-up, became VP
john adams was regarded as “sharp-featured, bald, relatively short (five feet seven inches [☹]), and thickset”
he was impressive to outsiders looking in; he seemed like a stubbornly devoted man
was actually a “tactless and prickly individual aristocrat, with no appeal to the masses and with no desire to cultivate any”
adams had stepped right into washington’s shoes, that really no one could ever fill
hamilton hated adams lol
the girls are fighting!!!!
hamilton resigned from the treasury in 1795
led the war faction of the federalist party called “high federalists”
“secretly” plotted against adams with certain members of the cabinet
adams called hamilton “the most ruthless, impatient, artful, indefatigable and unprincipled intriguer in the united states, if not in the world”
oh and adams wanted war with france lol
9-15 UNOFFICIAL FIGHTING WITH FRANCE (who could’ve seen that coming?)
the french were not yippee-ki-yay with jay’s treaty
(jay’s treaty relieved tensions between the US and britain 👹)
france was freaking out over the US like “oh nuh uh you’re besties with britain now??”
thought the treaty was violating the franco-american treaty of 1778
french warships seized defenseless american merchant ships
~300 by mid-1797
the french refused to hear the americans out 😭 toxic relationship who
‘murica was mad
adams was mad but ❄🧊let it go⛄❄
steered clear of war!!!!
appointed a diplomatic commission of three men
one of which was john marshall (future chief justice he’s probably important later)
secret french go-betweens (X, Y, and Z) demanded an unneutral loan of $10mil + a bribe of $250k for straight up talking with the french foreign minister
the americans were NOT payin allat just to talk🙏🙏😭😭😭
XYZ Affair - diplomatic conflict between france and the united states when american envoys to france were asked to pay a hefty bribe for the privilege of meeting with the french foreign minister. many in the US called for war against france, while american sailors and privateers waged an undeclared war against french merchants in the caribbean
slogan of the hour - “millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute”
federalists were ecstatic ???
jeffersonians were not 💔 french weren’t on their side anymore 😔
war preparations were pushed out realllll fast even though the jeffersonians were like “guys don’t do this!!!1 it isn’t you 😔😔</3 </3”
creation of the navy department
US marine corps was reestablished (originally created in 1775, disbanded at the end of the revolutionary war)
bloodshed was confined to the seas, mainly in the west indies
in 2.5 years of undeclared hostilities (1798-1800), american privateers and men-of-war of the new navy captured over 80 armed french vessels
several hundred american ships were captured by the french :(
9-16 ADAMS PUTS PEACE ABOVE PARTY
france didn’t want a war with their bestie/lover/friend/pal/situationship overseas cause they’re already tense with the rest of europe lol
quasi-war with france - undeclared naval conflict between the US and its former allies, the french. diplomatic tension led to mutual attacks on shipping, and between french and american naval vessels. both sides sought peace, and the convention of 1800 ended the brief conflict
adams was like “yo bros we are ❌ NOT ❌ going to war. we’re still weak bros”
adams unexpectedly was like “yo what if we send another minister over to france”
hamilton and his war-hungry faction were not happy :3
the people were like “yeah let’s not have war. we support!”
ambitious “little corporal” napoleon bonaparte, had recently seized dictatorial power :33
he wanted to free france of the american threat so he could redraw borders in europe (all french.)
convention of 1800 - agreement to formally dissolve the US’s treaty w/ france, originally signed during the revolutionary war. the difficulties posed by america’s peacetime alliance with france contributed to americans’ long-standing opposition to entangling alliances w/ foreign powers
america agreed to pay the damage claims of american ships
9-17 THE FEDERALIST WITCH HUNT
remember how the federalists were ecstatic about the “war” with france?
well they’re makin laws now!!! these laws were to shut up the democratic-republicans lol
these laws were super oppressive and the european immigrants (no money ): ) were scorned by the federalists
this included raising the residence requirements for aliens from 5 years to 14 of them años!
alien laws - acts passed by a federalist congress raising the residency requirement for citizenship to fourteen years and granting the president the power to deport dangerous foreigners in times of peace
these laws were never enforced
sedition act - enacted by the federalist congress in an effort to clamp down on jeffersonian opposition, the law made anyone convicted of defaming government officials or interfering with government policies liable to imprisonment and a heavy fine. the act drew heavy criticism from republicans, who let the act expire in 1801
was a direct slap at two priceless freedoms guaranteed in the constitution (freedom of speech and freedom of press)
many jeffersonians were indicted under the sedition act, 10 brought to trial
all were convicted
some were harmless, among them was a congressman named matthew lyon (“the spitting lion”) who gained fame by spitting in a federalist’s face :3
the sedition act was in direct conflict with the constitution, but the supreme court, dominated by federalists, was not about to change all that
made many converts from jeffersonian 😔
9-18 THE VIRGINIA (MADISON) AND KENTUCKY (JEFFERSON) RESOLUTIONS
jeffersonians were ❌ NOT ❌ going to stand for the alien and sedition acts.
jefferson himself feared that the federalists were going to turn the US into a dangerous one-party dictatorship
so he secretly wrote a series of resolutions, which kentucky approved in 1798 and 1799
his friend, virginian james madison, drafted something similar, which virginia approved in 1798
jefferson & madison stress the “compact theory” (basically like the states were the final judges of whether their agent had broken the “compact” [contract] by overstepping the original authority)
jefferson’s kentucky resolution concluded that Yes! they had overstepped
no other state fell into line tho 3:
virginia and kentucky resolutions - statements secretly drafted by jefferson and madison for the legislatures of kentucky and virginia. argued that states were final arbiters of whether the federal government overstepped its boundaries and could therefore nullify, or refuse to accept, national legislation they deemed unconstitutional
basically campaign documents designed to crystallize opposition to the federalist party and to unseat it in the upcoming election
9-19 FEDERALISTS VERSUS DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS
as the presidential election of 1800 approached, federalists and democratic-republicans were tweaking with each other
hamiltonians were the tweakingest (distrusted full-blown democracy, feared the “swayability” of the untutored common folk)
hamiltonian federalists
advocated a strong central govt with the power to crush rebellions (such as shays’ rebellion)
protect the lives and estates of the wealthy
subordinate the soverignty-loving states
promote foreign trade
few hamiltonians dwelled farther inland
hinterland was almost strictly anti-federalist aka (democratic) republican territory
leader of the republicans was none other than! jefferson 🎊 🎉
bro’s rivalry w hamilton defined the stereotypical american conflict 🙄
jefferson became a master political organizer through leading people rather than driving them
major audience - middle class, “underprivileged” (“dirt” farmers, laborers, artisans, shopkeepers)
he called the slave system a “hideous blot” on the republic, yet he owned 600 other people!
had a relationship with one of his slaves, sally hemings, whom he had several children with!
jeffersonians demanded a weak central government, believed that the best governments were the ones that governed the least (???)
also insisted that there were to be no special privileges for special classes, particularly manufacturers
agriculture was super duper uper important to the economy
most of his followers were agrarians from the south and southwest
advocated the rule of the people, but did not (!!) propose thrusting ballots into every adult white male
in jefferson’s eyes, landlessness was just as dangerous as illiteracy
hamilton → outward, eastward (foreign trading; strong national government, british “boot-licker”)
jefferson → inward, westward (protect, strengthen democracy, pro-french 😍)
10-1 FEDERALIST AND REPUBLICAN MUDSLINGERS
federalist alien and sedition acts angered a bunch of people!
most of these people were jeffersonians anyway
hamiltonians split with the adams party
hamilton attacked adams in a private press pamphlet
jeffersonians posted it ecstatically
federalists were mad that adams didn’t give them an american-french war
federalist war preparations were useless now and they looked like fools
federalists turned to attacking jefferson and accusing him of 1.) robbing a widow and her kids of a trust fund and 2.) having kids with his own slave (this is true!)
jefferson had felt the wrath of the orthodox clergy through successfully separating church and state in virginia
10-2 THE JEFFERSONIAN “REVOLUTION OF 1800”
jefferson won by a majority of 73-65 votes
jefferson and aaron burr turned new york to jefferson
because of the three-fifths compromise (you remember that?), jefferson won the election due to the southern slaves
northern critics were not happy :3
however! jefferson and aaron burr tied for the presidency
house of representatives had to break the tie except they were all LAME FEDERALISTS with NO SENSE OF HUMOR
john adams was the last federalist president of the united states of murica
revolution of 1800 - electoral victory of democratic republicans over the federalists, who lost their congressional majority and the presidency. the peaceful transfer of power between rival parties solidified faith in america’s political system
~250 votes would have switched the presidency from jefferson to adams
10-3 RESPONSIBILITY BREEDS MODERATION
jefferson inaugurated on march 4, 1801, in the new capital of washington
was a US minister to france (fluent in french) and was a sophisticated, cosmopolitan “citizen of the world,” but never lost his common touch
“the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail” jefferson declared
“HOWEVER. that will must be fair” pretty much what he said word for word
in the capital, jefferson established the rule of “pell-mell” at official dinners (seating without regard to rank) and people (*COUGH COUGH* the british *coUGH*)
jefferson would sometimes be really really unconventional (answering callers in a dressing gown and heelless slippers)
jefferson would also contradict himself a lot, going against a lot of his own beliefs
however! he did become able to prove that he was a good politician
sometimes had to rely on his charm tho…
10-4 JEFFERSONIAN RESTRAINT
jefferson was determined to undo the french slander that the federalists had appointed
pardoned the “martyrs” who were serving sentences
reduced the residence requirement of 14 years back down to 5 years
repealed the taxes that hamiltonians made
cost about a millie (million)
otherwise that was about all he did to undo the federalist stuff!
10-11 THE HATED EMBARGO
basically the US was getting walked all over by european nations (who were beefing with themselves)
US was being used for foodstuffs and raw materials
jefferson was then like “ok well i dont want war” so he cut off the exports!!! this was to make sure that the warring european nations respected the US
embargo act (1807) - enacted in response to the french and british mistreatment of american merchants, the act banned the export of all goods from the US to any foreign port. the embargo placed great strains on the american economy, while only marginally affecting its european targets, and was therefore repealed in 1809
“peaceful coercion!” said jefferson
if the act worked: the embargo would clear the name of neutral nations, point to a new way of conducting foreign affairs
if the act failed: US would die/get eaten into the war
american economy was obviously struggling
jeffersonian republicans hurt the commerce of new england (which they were trYING to protect 🙄)
farmers in the south and west suffered just as much as new england
alarmed by all the unexportable goods such as tobacco, grain, and cotton
jefferson was pretty much waging war on his own people instead the actual war overseas lol
the embargo even revived the federalist party 😭
1804 federalists - 14/176
1808 federalists - 47/175
3 days before jefferson retires, congress substitutes the embargo act with the non-intercourse act (passed alongside the repeal of the embargo act, it reopened trade with all but two of the belligerent nations, britain and france. the act continued jefferson’s policy of economic coercion, still with little effect)
napoleon was like “yeah lol we’re still stealing american ships and we’re gonna say that we’re helping the embargo thing that the crusty american president has going on”
10-12 MADISON’S GAMBLE
jefferson steps down after two terms (like washington)
madison takes his place
small of stature
light of weight
bald of head
weak of voice
unable to dominate congress like jefferson 😔
congress dismantled the embargo completely with a bargaining measure known as macon’s bill no. 2 (aimed at resuming peaceful trade with britain and france, the act stipulated that if either britain or france repealed its trade restrictions, the US would reinstate the embargo of the nonrepealing nation. when napoleon offered to lift his restrictions on british ports, the US was forced to declare an embargo on britain, thereby pushing the two nations closer toward war
macon’s bill no. 2 practically admitted to the whole world that the US was nothing without its commercial allies
napoleon saw macon’s bill no. 2 and was like “oh i can manipulate mansplain malewife rn” so he did 🎀
madison gambled and reestablished the embargo against britain D:
means war is approaching.
10-13 TECUMSEH AND THE PROPHET
not all of madison’s party was reluctant to fight lol teehee
recent elections had swept away all of the crusty old men
now we have crusty younger men from the south and west!
aka war hawks - democratic-republican congressmen who pressed james madison to declare war on britain. largely drawn from the south and west, the war hawks resented british constraints on american trade and accused the british of supporting indian attacks against american settlements on the frontier
western war hawks also wanted to fight native americans
two shawnee brothers, tecumseh and tenskwatawa (aka the prophet) concluded that the white people sucked and that native americans could no longer stand as equals to the growing powers in the americas
the brothers band together all the native americans east of the mississippi to fight a last-ditch battle against the whites
“never cede land to whites unless all indians agree”
people were tweaking and were like “those canadians are influencing these indians!!!11!”"
william henry harrison (govna of indiana territory) gathered his army and enclosed on tecumseh’s hq
tecumseh was off recruiting supporters in the south, but his brother attacked harrison’s army
the prophet and his small army were defeated and their settlement burned
battle of tippecanoe - resulted in the defeat of shawnee chief tenskwatawa, “the prophet,” at the hands of william henry harrison in the indiana wilderness. after the battle, the prophet’s brother, tecumseh, forged an alliance with the british against the US
tecumseh fought fiercely with the brits until his death in 1813
with him died the dream of an indian confederacy
10-14 MR. MADISON’S WAR
by 1812, madison believed war with britain was definitely happening lol
british had armed the native americans
war hawks were egging him on
a representative (felix grundy of tennessee, whose 3 brothers were killed in altercations with indians) stated that there was only one way to remove the indian menace: wipe out their canadian base
madison turned to war to restore confidence
democratic republicans tried to steer clear of war, but that only ended in internal strife and international mockery
madison asked congress to declare war on june 1, 1812
congress obliged 2 weeks later, the first of just 5 times in all american history
house of reps: 79-49 for war
congress: 19-13 for war
support for war came from the south and west, but also from virginia and pennsylvania
federalist farmers sent huge quantities of supplies to canada, enabling british armies to invade new york
new england governors stubbornly refused to permit their militias to fight outside their own states
in a way, america had to fight both old england and new england
barely united, the US began war with britain
11-1 ON TO CANADA OVER LAND AND LAKES
war of 1812 - fought between britain and the united states largely over the issues of trade and impressment. though the war ended in a relative draw, it demonstrated america’s willingness to defend its interests militarily, earning the young nation newfound respect from european powers
on the eve of the war of 1812
regular army was ill-trained
regular army was ill disciplined
regular army was widely scattered
regular army had to be supplemented by the even more poorly trained militias
canada was then an important battleground in the war of 1812 cause the british couldn’t handle the cold lol
a SUCCESSFUL. american offensive might have squashed british influence among the native americans and gained new land for the US
but alas, the US’ frontal cortex is a wee bit underdeveloped
if the americans captured montreal, maybe the tides would have changed a bit…
however, the canadians and the british were very energetic!! and positive!! and rainbows and smiles and kittens!!!
early in the war, they captured the american fort of michilimackinac (commanded the upper great lakes and the indian-inhabited territories to the south and west)
inspired by british general isaac brock and assisted by “general mud” and “general confusion”
when american attempts to take canada failed, americans took to the waters, where they fared better
american ships were just overall better than british ships
overall were more skillfully handled
had better gunners
were manned by non-press-gang crews who were burning to avenge numerous indignities
american ships, notably the constitution (aka “old ironsides” ?? ok ig) had
thicker sides
heavier firepower
larger crews (1/6 sailors was a freed black)
controlling the great lakes was crucial
oliver hazard perry
managed to build a fleet of ships on the shores of lake erie
captured a british fleet
said “we have met the enemy and they are ours”
however, despite successes, in late 1814 america still struggled to fight back the british
napoleon was vanquished mid-1814???
temporary!
british prepared for a crushing blow to new york
HOWEVER!!! a weaker american fleet stood in the way,,,
thomas macdonough challenges the british.
HE WINS??????
11-2 WASHINGTON BURNED AND NEW ORLEANS DEFENDED
a second british force (~4k people) landed in chesapeake bay in august of 1814
invaded washington
invaded the capitol
invaded the white house
wait! i’m getting a call
THEY BURNED WASHINGTON??
THEY BURNED THE CAPITOL???
THEY BURNED THE WHITE HOUSE???
while washington was on fire, the american forces at baltimore held steady
british fleet hammered on fort mchenry, but could not take the city
francis scott key, an american imprisoned onboard a british ship, wrote the star-spangled banner!
a third british force, aimed this time at new orleans, menaced the entire mississippi valley :DDD
andrew jackson, armed with only 7k mixed defenders, wins the fight against ~8k battle-seasoned veterans
british lost over 2k, killed and wounded in half an hour
americans lost ~70
battle of new orleans - resounding victory of american forces against the british, restoring american confidence and fueling an outpouring of nationalism. final battle of the war of 1812!!
andrew jackson became a national hero
peace treaty signed at ghent, belgium, two weeks before the battle??
11-3 THE TREATY OF GHENT
tsar alexander I of russia, did NOT want his bf, britain, to waste their strength over in murica
already proposed mediation between britain and the US way back in 1812 lolll
tsar alexander brought 5 american peacemakers to ghent, belgium in 1814
led by john quincy adams, son of john adams
he didn’t like the night owl that was his colleague henry clay
britain made demands for a neutral indian buffer state in the great lakes region/control of the great lakes, and a good part of conquered maine
americans said "no?? ._.”
britain was WEARYYY 😩 (more willing to compromise)
congress of vienna - convention of major european powers to redraw the boundaries of continental europe after the defeat of napoleonic france
treaty of ghent - ended the war of 1812 in a virtual draw, restoring prewar borders but failing to address any of the grievances that first brought america into the war
signed on christmas eve, 1814
both sides agreed to stop fighting & to restore conquered territory
11-4 FEDERALIST GRIEVANCES AND THE HARTFORD CONVENTION
new england was still a problem 👎 yet it still prospered because of illegal trade w/ enemies in canada and cause there was no british blockade there until 1814
new england extremists were becoming a riot!
a small minority of them proposed secession from the union
“blue light” federalists supposedly flashed lanterns on the shore to alert blockading british cruisers would be alerted to the attempted escapes of american ships
hartford convention - convention of federalists from five new england states who opposed the war of 1812 and resented the strength of southern and western interests in congress and in the white house
late 1814
massachusetts calls for a convention at hartford, connecticut
massachusetts, rhode island, connecticut dispatched full delegations
new hampshire and vermont sent partial representation
26 total delegates met in secrecy for 3 weeks
hartford convention actually demanded:
financial assistance from washington to compensate for lost trade
proposed constitutional amendments requiring a two-thirds vote in congress before an embargo could be imposed/new states admitted/war declaration
these demands reflected fed fears that new england was falling to the newer, agrarian south and west
delegates sought to:
abolish the 3/5ths clause
limit presidents to a single term
prohibit the election of two successive presidents from the same state
three envoys from massachusetts carried these demands to burned-down washington, just in time to hear about the victory in new orleans and the treaty in ghent
11-5 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR
war of 1812 was small, left ~6k americans killed/wounded
if the war of 1812 had no clear winner, it had a loser — the native americans
the once powerful iroquois remaining neutral reflected that their numbers were declining and so was their influence
tecumseh and his allies aided the british, but their numbers (especially after the battle of tippecanoe) could not tip the scales in their favor
tecumseh’s message (even after his death) lived on in the south, with the creeks in alabama
creeks started beefing with other creeks who had pretty much whitewashed themselves
militant creeks, aka “red sticks” started beefing with the US army!
creek war - conflict fought by “red stick” creeks against fellow creeks, cherokee, and american militias. ended with the treaty of fort jackson, imposed by andrew jackson, in which the creek were forced to cede hundreds of thousands of acres of land
andrew jackson made the creeks cede over 20 million acres of territory, including half of alabama.
US spills over into the middle of north america, native americans east of the mississippi succumbed to the US’s hunger for land
overall the war rendered america less dependent on europe
canada felt betrayed by the treaty of ghent, and the failure to secure an indian buffer state/mastery on the great lakes
rush-bagot agreement - signed by britain and the united states, it established strict limits on naval armaments in the great lakes, a first step in the full demilitarization of the US-canadian border, completed in the 1870s
napoleon had his final defeat at waterloo in june 1815, and europe began a new era of peace
america was unaffected by europe’s developments
faced westward
11-6 NASCENT NATIONALISM
most impressive byproduct of the war of 1812 - heightened nationalism
may not have gone into the war as one nation, but emerged as one nation
textbooks in schools were now written by americans, for americans
revived bank of the US was voted into existence by congress in 1816
washington revived itself into a better capital
army expanded to 10k men
11-7 "THE AMERICAN SYSTEM”
nationalism is evolving into… pikachu manufacturing!!
american cities were still small compared to european cities
HOWEVER!!! american cities introduced mechanization
textile mills were built along rivers to capture water power to turn american-grown cotton to american-made shirts/drapes
artisans and their apprentices slowly start being taken over by machinery
british manufacturers were like “man we hate them americans” so they dumped the contents of their stuffed warehouses onto the US
cut their prices so that the baby american factories would die lol
to many red-blooded americans, it seemed that the redcoats failed to crush the americans on the battlefield, so they were now taking the fight to the marketplace
tariff of 1816 - first protective tariff in american history, created primarily to shield new england manufacturers from the inflow of british goods after the war of 1812
first tariff in american history for protection, not money
roughly 20-25% on the value of dutiable imports — were not enough to provide adequate safeguards
those that were protected wanted more protection
henry clay (he makes a return!) developed a profitable home market behind a scheme called the american system (henry clay’s three-pronged system to promote american industry. clay advocated a strong banking system, a protective tariff, and a federally funded transportation network)
strong banking system - easy and abundant credit
protective tariff - eastern manufacturing would flourish
revenue would eventually lead to:
transportation network - a network of roads and canals, especially in the ohio valley
persistent demands by henry clay + others for better transportation resonated w/ the public
actually was one of the biggest striking aspects of the nationalism inspired by the war of 1812
congress votes in 1817 to distribute $1.5 millie to the states for “internal improvements” but pres madison vetoed cause it was unconstitutional!
11-8 THE SO-CALLED ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS
james monroe was elected for the presidency of 1816 by the republicans
pretty much squashed the federalist opposition (183 - 34 votes)
straddled two generations - founding father age, nationalism age
level-headed, mild-mannered, 6ft guy
went pretty much on tour across the country lol
even federalist new england liked the guy
era of good feelings - popular name for the period of one-party, republican rule during james monroe’s presidency. the term obscures bitter conflicts over internal improvements, slavery, and the national bank
was a misnomer!!!/
issues of the tariff, bank, internal improvements, and sale of public lands were being contested
conflict over slavery was rising
11-9 THE PANIC OF 1819 AND THE CURSE OF HARD TIMES
economic panic 🥰
deflation
depression
bankruptcies
bank failures
unemployment
soup kitchens (??)
overcrowded pesthouses (aka debtors prisons)
first national financial panic since washington
western farmers, with hefty mortgages on overpriced land, were hard hit
bank of the US forced western banks to foreclose mortgages on countless farms
technically legal!
panic of 1819 - severe financial crisis brought on primarily by the efforts of the bank of united states to curb overspeculation on western lands. it disproportionately affected the poorer classes, especially in the west, sowing the seeds of jacksonian democracy
11-10 GROWING PAINS OF THE WEST
between 1791 and 1819, nine frontier states had joined the union
why big expansion?
continuation of the westward movement from the good ol colonizer days!
cheap land — aka ohio fever — pretty much rizzed up the europeans (this is the best way i could possibly put it)
old tobacco states had finally killed the soil, driving people westward
the defeat of many native americans in the war of 1812 by generals jackson and harrison caused people to look westward
built highways! ex. cumberland road (started in 1811, running from maryland to illinois)
although the west had a steady stream of settlers, it was still weak in population and influence
forced to ally itself with other sections
demanded cheap acreage
land act of 1820 - fueled the settlement of the northwest and missouri territories by lowering the price of public land. also prohibited the purchase of federal acreage on credit, thereby eliminating one of the causes of the panic of 1819
80 virgin acres - $1.25/acre
west demanded cheap money, issued by their own banks, and fought the national bank ???
11-11 SLAVERY AND THE SECTIONAL BALANCE
sectional tensions, including rivalry with the slave south/free north over the new west were about to explode in 1819
missouri was like “yo congress can we be a slave state”
tallmadge amendment - failed proposal to prohibit the importation of slaves into the missouri territory and pave the way for gradual emancipation. southerners vehemently opposed the amendment, which they perceived as a threat to the sectional balance between north and south
congress responded “no more slaves for missouri” and “also we’re freeing the children of the slaves you already have lol”
people were mad
southerners managed to defeat the tallmadge amendment
when the constitution was adopted, the north and the south were competing for wealth and population
with every 10 years, the north grew in those respects
increased northern majority in the house of representatives
peculiar institution - widely used term for the institution of american slavery in the south. its use in the first half of the nineteenth century reflected a growing division between the north, where slavery was gradually abolished, and the south, where slavery became increasingly entrenched
11-12 THE UNEASY MISSOURI COMPROMISE
henry clay (he’s back!) played a leading role in the three compromises that had broken the washington deadlock
congress admits missouri as a slave state
at the same time maine is admitted as a state
balance between north and south was kept at 12-12
neither the north nor south were happy but no one was mad
missouri compromise - allowed missouri to enter as a slave state but preserved the balance between north and south by carving free-soil maine out of massachusetts and prohibiting slavery from territories acquired from the louisiana purchase, north of the line of 36°30′
lasted 34 years
11-15 SHARING OREGON AND ACQUIRING FLORIDA
anglo-american convention (signed by britain and the united states, the pact allowed new england fishermen access to newfoundland fisheries, established the northern border of louisiana territory, and provided for the joint occupation of the oregon country for ten years
permitted americans to share newfoundland with canadians! (are we still beefing with them??)
also fixed louisiana’s northern borders along the 49th parallel
revolutions in latin america started happening very very frequently (chile in 1810, venezuela in 1811, and argentina in 1816)
americans were super supportive cause. well. yknow
spain sent so many troops to detain the rebellions from florida to south america
andrew jackson caught wind that hostile seminole indians and fugitive slaves were hiding out in florida
so he secured a commission to punish the native americans, recapture the runaway slaves, and get out of florida, respecting all posts under the spanish flag
was absolutely brutal when he crossed the florida border (hung two indian chiefs without ceremony, executed two british subjects for assisting them, and seized two of the most important spanish posts in the area: st marks and pensacola
clearly exceeds washington’s requests; pres monroe was like “yo! what do we do!” to his cabinet, his cabinet goes “we hate that guy!” except john quincy adams, who demands stuff from spain lol
adams-onis treaty - under the agreement, spain ceded florida to the united states, and the two nations agreed on the southwestern boundary of the louisiana purchase. spain retained the territory from texas to california while abandoning its claims to the oregon country
spain cedes florida + oregon in exchange for texas claims
western boundary of louisiana zigzag northwesterly to the rockies to the 42nd parallel and then turn towards the pacific, dividing oregon
11-16 THE MENACE OF MONARCHY IN AMERICA
after… napoleon… europeans were like “ok lets not let that happen again hahahahaha”
they wanted to get rid of democracy and stamp it out of everywhere lol :p
“world must be made safe from democracy”
crowned monarchists smothered the budding rebellions in italy (1821) and in spain (1823)
there were rumors that russia, austria, prussia, and france sent powerful ships and armies to spanish america to egg on the revolutions
america is freaking out! they were afraid that if european powers entered the new world (again), the security of the US would be endangered
russia was expanding its territory from alaska all the way down to what is now the san francisco bay; americans were like “omg they’re cutting us off from california and the pacific this is bad”
great britain, however, was not like the other girls of europe! they were actually chill??
didnt wanna get involved in another revolution and have their butts kicked again
in august of 1823, george canning, the british foreign secretary, came over to the US with a proposal.
“yo do you guys wanna combine with britain in a joint declaration? its for like. renouncing interest in these latin american revolutions and warn the other european nations to keep their hands to themselves”
american minister thought about it. he ran it to washington.
11-17 MONROE AND HIS DOCTRINE
secretary adams was like “dude what are you thinking. the british are crafty why would they bring us gifts bro”
adams was then like “ohhh the british fear us because we might seize the spanish territory in the caribbeannnnn”
then he was like “well this alliance is like saying we hate ourselves. also it’s really unnecessary”
suspected (correctly) that european powers did not have plans on invading the americas lol
monroe doctrine - statement delivered by president james monroe, warning european powers to refrain from seeking any new territories in the americas. the US largely lacked the power to back up the pronouncement, which was actually enforced by the british, who sought unfettered access to latin american markets
noncolonization
era of colonization in the americas had ended!!
was to russia in the west.
nonintervention
“keep my wife’s [latin america] name out your [european powers] mouth”
11-18 MONROE DOCTRINE APPRAISED
europeans were absolutely not happy with the monroe doctrine!
their hands were tied anyway LOL
educated latin americans even saw the doctrine and went “yeah. this guy isn’t really for us, he’s for his own country and nothing really stands between us and the british navy haha”
tsar of russia retreated from cali before the doctrine in the russo-american treaty (fixed the line of 54°40’ as the southernmost boundary of russian holdings in north america)
monroe doctrine might as well have been called the self defense doctrine
12-1 THE “CORRUPT BARGAIN” OF 1824
four presidential candidates above all others — john quincy adams, henry clay, william h. crawford, and andrew jackson
all four were “republicans”
jackson pretty much had the strongest personal appeal cause he was a war hero
won the popular vote
lost a majority of the electoral vote
henry clay was still a big influence in throwing the election; used process of elimination
crawford had a stroke
clay was beefing with jackson
adams wins!!!!!
adams wins and a few days later, makes clay the secretary of state
corrupt bargain - alleged deal between presidential candidates john quincy adams and henry clay to throw the election, to be decided by the house of representatives, in adams’s favor. though never proven, the accusation became a rallying cry for supporters of andrew jackson, who had actually garnered a plurality of the popular vote in 1824
12-2 A YANKEE MISFIT IN THE WHITE HOUSE
john quincy adams was pretty much a chip off the old block
was one of the best secretaries of state
was one of the least successful presidents
adams entered his term in the white house under charges of “bargain,” “corruption,” and “usurpation”
fewer than a 1/3 of the voters voted for him
during his whole term, he only fired 12 people from the payroll
many adams followers did not like this either
urged congress to construct roads and canals
renewed george washington’s proposal for national university, adams also advocated astronomical observatory
people were NOT happy. “our money’s going to this??”
if meddling in local affairs like education and roads continues, what about slavery???
12-3 LAND AND THE “FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES”
five civilized tribes - collective appellation of the creek, cherokee, seminole, choctaw, and chickasaw peoples of the american southeast. their agricultural practices, receptivity to american missionaries, and relative political cohesion led white americans to dub them “civilized”
these tribes practiced agriculture and animal husbandry
some even acquired slaves
adopted christianity
a disabled cherokee man named sequoyah developed an alphabet for the cherokee language
soon the cherokee wrote a constitution and newspaper
southern states wanted these native americans GONE
georgia wanted them out real bad
12-5 “OLD HICKORY” AS PRESIDENT
andrew jackson basically was tweaking physically a lot
(giant forehead, funny eyebrows, and blue eyes 😭)
was irritable and emaciated due to his many long-term bouts with dysentery, malaria, tuberculosis, and lead poisoning from two bullets that remained inside him 😭😭😭
was often called “mischievous andy” growing up cause he was an orphan boy
had more interest in brawling, cockfighting than for spelling, reading
an anti-jackson newspaper said that his mother was a prostitute who married a mulatto man (😱) and had jackson and his siblings
so he moved “up west” to tennessee and became a judge/member of congress
was a violent guy
got up to duels, stabbings, the occasional violent fray
would get so passionate that he would choke up upon talking about the things he was passionate about
first president from the west, second without a college education (after washington)
when jackson was inaugurated, “hickoryites” poured into the capital, sleeping on hotel floors and hallways, to see their hero take office (and to snag a well-paying job of their own)
for the first time, commoners and nobodies mixed with notables at the white house
12-6 THE SPOILS SYSTEM
spoils system - policy of rewarding political supporters with public office, first widely employed at the federal level by andrew jackson. the practice was widely abused by unscrupulous office seekers, but it also helped cement party loyalty in the emerging two-party system
name came from senator william marcy’s classic remark
jackson defended the spoils system, saying “every man is as good as his neighbor, perhaps equally better”
12-7 THE TRICKY “TARIFF OF ABOMINATIONS”
tariff issue was jqa’s (john quincy adams)’s headaches
now andrew jackson is tweaking because of the tariff
tariffs protect american industry from european influence, drives prices up tho
tariff of abominations - noteworthy for its unprecedently high duties on imports. southerners vehemently opposed the tariff, arguing that it hurt southern farmers, who did not enjoy that protection of tariffs but were forced to pay higher prices for manufacturers
14-1 REVIVING RELIGION
church!
the age of reason - thomas paine’s anticlerical treatise that accused churches of seeking to acquire “power and profit” and to “enslave mankind”
deism - eighteenth-century religious doctrine that emphasized reasoned moral behavior and the scientific pursuit of knowledge. most deists rejected biblical inerrancy and the divinity of christ, but they did believe that a supreme being created the universe
for a while (since puritan times oOoOOh), protestants were like “well do we want free will or human salvation? tough choice”
pictured god as not a stern creator, but a loving father
methodists, baptists, unitarians
presbyterian, congregationalist
social/economic environment was changing too
with the introduction of roads and canals to move around more
with the influx of immigrants to new cities
second great awakening - religious revival characterized by emotional mass “camp meetings” and widespread conversion. brought about a democratization of religion as a multiplicity of denominations vied for members
nearly 25k people would gather at these “camp meetings” for several days
methodists and baptists had the most members
this peter cartwright guy - methodist “circuit riders” (aka traveling frontier preacher)
wasn’t. educated.
moved for 50 years from tennessee to illinois
converted thousands
punched guys that tried to break up his sermons 💪
this charles grandison finney guy - “greatest of the revival preachers”
lawyer originally but converted
held huge crowds
massive revivals in rochester and nyc
innovator
devised the “anxious bench”, where repentant sinners could sit in full view of the congregation
denounced alcohol and slavery
second great awakening was like actually advanced for the times (feminization)
wives and daughters of businessmen made up the majority of the new church members
14-2 DENOMINATIONAL DIVERSITY
revivals also fragmented other religious faiths
burned-over district - popular name for western new york, a region particularly swept up in the religious fervor of the second great awakening
millerites/adventists rose from the burned-over district and interpreted the bible to mean that jesus would return to earth on oct 22, 1844
failure of jesus’ arrival didn’t destroy the movement??
the second great awakening widened the gap between classes & regions
eastern, prosperous, conservative denominations were “less shaken” by the revival (episcopalians, presbyterians, congregationalists, unitarians)
southern/western, newer, less prosperous, less “learned” denominations were the result of the revival (methodists, baptists, other sects)
religious diversity made people ponder when it came to slavery
“first the churches split, then the political parties split, and then the Union split”
14-3 A DESERT ZION IN UTAH
this guy, joseph smith, a visionary, reported that an angel had given him golden plates
deciphering it encoded the book of mormon
mormons - religious followers of joseph smith, who founded a communal, oligarchic religious order in the 1830s, officially known as the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. mormons, facing deep hostility from their non-mormon neighbors, eventually migrated west and established a flourishing settlement in the utah desert
was a native american product/new religion
after establishing control, smith ran into some opps in ohio, missouri, and illinois
in 1844 joseph smith and his brother get murdered and mangled (that’s just what was happening back in them days)
religion was saved by this guy named brigham young!!
only had 11 years months weeks days of schooling!!!
took the religion to utah
brigham young married like 27 women and had like 56 kids
polygamy became a hell of an issue later tho
14-4 FREE SCHOOLS FOR A FREE PEOPLE
tax-supported primary schools had mixed support
some midwestern legislator wanted his tombstone to say “here lies an enemy of public education”
lagged behind in the south
triumphed between 1825-1850
basically, people realized that the future generation was gonna. become voters. so they were like “well we should educate the voters because holy moly the president has to be good??”
famed little red schoolhouse
one room, stove, teacher (usually male), eight grades, stayed open only a few months
teachers were:
too ill-tempered
too ill-paid
too ill-trained
teachers taught the “three Rs”:
readin
ritin
rithmetic
horace mann (1796-1859) (state legislator)
secretary of the massachusetts board of education!!
campaigned for better schoolhouses, longer terms, higher teacher salary, better/expanded curriculum
education was still, unfortunately, an expensive luxury, but things were changin!!!
as of 1860, there were only ~100 high schools with less than a millie white literate americans
black slaves in the south were forbidden to learn reading/writing, and even free blacks (all over the country) were usually excluded from the schools
14-5 HIGHER GOALS FOR HIGHER LEARNING
higher education was kind of taking off!
small liberal arts colleges!
usually didnt teach much and were more for pride
was usually extremely boring
first state-supported universities sprang up in the south
begun w north carolina
university of virginia, founded in 1819, was the “brainchild of thomas jefferson” and he even watched it be built from his house
women’s higher education
frowned upon <3
a woman’s place is in the home, not studying algebra 🙄
teachers of susan b anthony (future feminist) refused to teach her long division
women’s secondary schools became somewhat respected, mostly thanks to emma willard, who established the troy (new york) female seminary
oberlin college admitted female students and black students!!
adults who wanted more learning
went to either private subscription libraries or tax-supported libraries
lyceum - (from the greek name for the ancient athenian school where aristotle taught.) public lecture hall that hosted speakers on topics ranging from science to moral philosophy. part of a broader flourishing of higher education in the mid-nineteenth century
14-6 AN AGE OF REFORM
reform campaigns grew and flourished
although some reformists were a bit insane in the membrane, most were “intelligent, inspired idealists”
the intelligent idealists refined the puritan vision of perfected society: free from crime, war, alcohol, discrimination, and eventually slavery
imprisonment for debt
was still a nightmare!
hundreds of broke people were in ditches, sometimes for owing less than a buck
reformers
succeeded in reducing the number of capital offences
helped eliminate brutal punishments (eg whipping, branding)
believed that discipline, faith, and sympathy (notice how lashing is not on this list?) could help reincorporate good members of society
mentally ill persons
treated with absolute cruelty!!!
concept was that the mentally ill were cursed with unclean spirits
“willfully perverse and depraved”
were chained in jailhouses with sane people
dorothea dix
although she was physically weak, she had “infinite compassion and willpower”
traveled over 60k miles in 8 years to assemble reports on asylums and insanity
described “cells so foul that visitors were driven back by the stench” to the massachusetts legislature
agitation for peace
gained momentum in the pre-civil war years
1828 - american peace society formed
william ladd - spoke until his legs grew too badly ulcerated
campaign against warmongering & the outpouring of sympathy for the nation’s less-fortunate (mentally ill, poor in general) also led to the protest against the mistreatment of native americans
2-4 (1500s)
basically the british and the spanish were like this 🤞and they were both devout catholic so they were like besties and then the spanish were like colonizing america and england was like “yeahh we’re not gonna mess with you lol”
then england’s tweaking out and there’s religious conflict everywhere cause the king was like “yeah we’re just gonna separate ourselves from the roman catholic church” (protestant reformation, people questioned the pope’s authority, sought to eliminate the selling of indulgences, and encouraged translation of the Bible to Latin)
causes the rivalry between spain and england :( no more frenship
catholic ireland starts tweakin out too and is like “hey bro im lowkey kinda scared of you!” to protestant england and catholic ireland goes to catholic spain for helpsies and then gets absolutely destroyed by england
2-5 (1580s)
queen elizabeth I sends english buccaneers to spread protestantism and seize spanish treasures/raid spanish settlements in the americas
spain & england were at peace tho
sir francis drake of england returned from the spanish americas with spanish treasures
queen elizabeth I knighted him on his ship
newfoundland was the first english attempt at colonization
organized by sir humphrey gilbert who died trying the effort
his half-brother, sir walter raleigh, tried again in warmer climates
lands in roanoke islands off the coast of north carolina
woah… north carolina…. raleigh
mysteriously vanishes 🤔
perhaps by the environment
perhaps by the native people
england’s failure to create a settlement in the americas enriched spain
philip II of spain (who hated the protestant reformation) created an armada of ships to invade england (the spanish armada)
didn’t go well for them cause the british ships were swifter, more maneuverable, and more aptly manned, and inflicted heavy damage
spanish empire declines over 300 more years
spanish got cocky and were like “yeah we own the americas” and had much of the peruvian and mexican silver, and yet were declining
england slowly gets control of the oceans
william shakespeare comes in??
england & spain sign a treaty of peace in 1604
english wanted to plunge into the new world
2-6
3 million in 1550 → 4 million in 1600
landlords “enclosed” croplands for sheep grazing
forced farmers off the land
Puritanism caused many to immigrate to americas
economic depression caused homelessness and unemployment
primogeniture - oldest son inherits all family property/land
joint-stock company - short term partnership between multiple investors to fund a commercial enterprise
sir walter raleigh - queen elizabeth’s devoted servant, secretly married her maid of honor, was beheaded for treason
2-7
BOOM two years later babyyy >:3 (1606)
spain and england are at peace, england turns attention towards virginia
joint-stock company (aka virginia company) from london gets a charter from london (who could’ve seen that coming) from king james I for a settlement in the americas
promised gold
virginia company was only supposed to last a few years before the stockholders liquidated it for big bucks :p
few investors thought about long-term colonization; just wanted the resources/land and then get out of there
no one thought that a nation would emerge
charter - legal document granted by a govt. to some group/agency to implement a stated purpose & spelling out all rights and obligations
charter of the virginia company is significant to US history cause they were like “yeah you have all the rights you have back home!!” and then a century and a half later they were like “no!!! our rights!!!!!!”
virginia company’s three ships land off the coast of chesapeake bay, james river (named after the king)
easy to defend from spaniards
mosquito-infested
unhealthful
all ~100 men landed and disembarked may 24th, 1607
called the place jamestown, the first permanent english settlement
early years of jamestown were nightmarish
forty would-be colonists died during the initial voyage
another expedition lost a lot in a wreckage off the coast of bermuda
in virginia, dozens died by disease, malnutrition, and starvation
many men died by not taking care of themselves (e.g. looking for gold instead of food)
captain john smith
“he who shall not work shall not eat”
kidnapped in december 1607
subjected to a mock execution by Pocahontas’s father, Powhatan
Pocahontas “saves” him
was supposed to impress john smith
native americans wanted a peaceful relationship with the english settlers, and this helped preserve a “shaky peace and to provide needed foodstuffs”
pocahontas
ambassador, hostage, convert to christianity
entered a “political marriage” with englishman john rolfe
was then taken to england but died preparing to return
infant son ultimately reaches virginia
colonists
died in droves, starved, desperation
reduced to eating dogs, cats, rats, and mice
even corpses
one man exhumed and ate his deceased wife
he was executed :p
of the 400 settlers who made it to virginia, only 60 survived the starvation winter of 1609-1610
remaining colonists tried to go home but met the new english gov’na, “lord de la warr,” who forced them to 😭go back to jamestown 😭 😭 and imposed a harsh military regime and became aggressive to the native americans
2-8
english landed in 1607
Powhatan dominated the native people (over 100 villages, over 24,000 people), aka Powhatan’s Confederacy
starving colonists raided native american food supply
lord de la warr carried out orders from the virginia company which eventually led to a declaration of war against the native americans
used irish war tactics against them, aka torching/pillaging villages, confiscating provisions, and torched cornfields
peace settlement ended this First Anglo-Powhatan War (oh god there’s more), sealing the deal with the marriage of john rolfe and pocahontas
respite follows (8 whole years) until the native americans get sick of these guys’ european diseases and hunger, then all of a sudden there are like 347 settlers just deceased, including john rolfe
in response the virginia company is like “yo nuh uh” so then they strip the native americans of their rights and demand a war against them without peace or truce
raids push the native people back and drove the survivors westward
Second Anglo-Powhatan War - last-ditch effort by the native peoples to dislodge virginia settlements; resulting peace treaty formally separates white & Indian areas of settlement
native americans try one final push in 1644
doesn’t go well for them
the peace treaty of 1646 denies the native people access to their ancestral lands, peaceful coexistion, or assimilation
by 1669 a census reveals that the native population was under 10% of what it was in 1607
by 1685 the Powhatan people were extinct
Powhatans fell to the three Ds:
disease
disorganization
disposability
Powhatans served no purpose to the english settlers economically
the natives were pretty much disposable to the virginians
natives were pretty much also just a blockade to more land
3-1 - VIRGINIA
no treasures in virginia!
settlers were like “yo what do we do”
found tobacco!
john rolfe was the father of the tobacco industry, “economic savior” of the virginia colony
tobacco rush in europe and americas
tobacco was a driving factor to the europeans who wanted more land
took land from the indians
virginia’s richness was based solely on tobacco
tobacco ruined soil when planted excessively
enchained virginia to tobacco and tobacco only
1619 - dutch warship appeared off jamestown
sells ~20 africans
no one knows if they were slaves or servants with limited years
this plants the seeds of north american slavery
enslaved africans were too expensive for white colonists to have
1650 - census counts 300 people of african descent, but by 1700, african people made up 14% of the colony’s population
house of burgesses - representative parliamentary assembly created to govern virginia
king james I distrusted them
revoked the charter
made virginia a royal colony under his control
3-2 MARYLAND
founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore.
he was from a rich family
founded for religious catholic refuge
200 settlers found maryland at st. mary’s on chesapeake bay
basically lord baltimore was like “yo im gonna give all my family members a mansion in the forests of maryland” and the colonists were like “yeahh sure but we want in too”
tensions between the protestant and catholic maryland colonists were really high
baltimore family loses rights <3
maryland was prospering anyway due to acres and acres of tobacco
Act of Toleration - guarantees tolerations to all christians (protestants, catholics), but decreed the death penalty to those who didn’t believe in christ
3-4 CAROLINAS
civil war in england <3 (1640s)
king charles I basically ended parliament in 1629, recalled it in 1640, people were mad, he gets beheaded
people looked to this puritan-soldier named oliver cromwell, he rules for around a decade
English Civil War - armed conflict between royalists and parliamentarians, pro-parliament wins, king charles I gets executed
colonization gets interrupted, after ECW ends, colonization resumes with greater intensity
carolina (named after charles II), created in 1670, after the king give his Lords Proprietors permission to take the entire continent to the pacific ocean
these founders hoped to grow foodstuffs to supply the sugar plantations in barbados and to export wine, silk, and olive oil
carolina prospers after developing relations with the flourishing sugar islands of the english west indies (all caribbean islands)
many carolina settlers emigrated from barbados, bringing their slave system with them
establishes a slave system within carolina (savannah indians)
lords proprietors were like “yo we don’t really want slavery here” but they were ignored
native americans were a top export
~10k native americans were dispatched to lifelong labor in west indian canefields and sugar mills, others sent to new england
1707 - savannah indians end their alliance with the carolinians, migrates to maryland and pennsylvania where the quakers promised better relations
carolinians were enraged
annihilation of the savannah indians
rice was the major export crop of carolina
exotic for england
rice was grown in africa tho!!!
carolinians bought africans experienced in rice cultivation
charles town becomes busiest seaport in the south, becomes diverse in religion
in florida, catholic spaniards were like “yooo we hate these protestant guys” so they would fight a lot with the carolinians, but carolina was too strong to be wiped out
3-5 THE EMERGENCE OF NORTH CAROLINA
poverty-stricken, church-of-england-hating virginians were like “yo we hate virginia bro we’re coming down there”
were usually squatters (frontier farmers who illegally occupied land owned by others or not yet officially opened for settlement)
raised tobacco & other crops on small farms, no need for slaves
north carolina gained a reputation of housing pirates and irreligion (bad)
isolated from other colonies due to cape hatteras, the “graveyard of the atlantic” and by thick forests
spirit of resistance to authority
1712 - friction caused the carolinas to split
north carolina didnt import slaves at first, but both carolinas massacred a bunch of native americans
tuscarora indians were crushed by north carolinians and south carolinians in the tuscarora war (began with an indian attack on new bern, n. carolina. after the tuscaroras were defeated, remaining indian migrated northward, eventually joining the iroquois confederacy)
north carolinians sold hundreds of tuscarora indians into slavery, many migrated northward to seek refuge in the iroquois confederacy
became 6th nation in the iroquois confederacy
lead to another war 4 years later
south carolinians defeat and disperse the yamasee indians (defeated by the south carolinians in the war of 1715-6. devastated the last of the coastal indian tribes [by 1720])
cherokee, creek, and choctaw tribes remained for another 50 or so years
3-6 LATE-COMING GEORGIA: THE BUFFER COLONY
georgia was formally founded in 1733
last of the 13 colonies
126 years after virginia (1st)
52 years after pennsylvania (12th)
england wanted georgia to serve as a buffer (a territory between two antagonistic powers, minimizing conflict between them) between english america and spanish america
protected the more valuable carolinas against vengeful floridian spaniards
georgia suffered a lot, esp. when wars broke out between mainland england and spain
was compensated! yippee!
founded by a high-minded group of philanthropists
determined to create a haven for people imprisoned for debt and to keep slavery out of georgia (at first)
main founder guy / military leader - james oglethorpe
repelled spanish attacks
imperialist/philanthropist
saved the “charity colony” by energetic leadership and heavily mortgaging his own fortune
german lutherans/scottish highlanders, all christian worshippers except catholics enjoyed religious toleration (catholics were salty)
missionaries with bibles and hope arrived in savannah to work among debtors and natives
john wesley - missionary that returned to england and founded the methodist church
georgia grew slowly and was perhaps the least populous of the colonies
development of the plantation colony was thwarted by unhealthy climate, early restrictions on black slavery, and by demoralizing spanish attacks
3-7 THE PLANTATION COLONIES
england’s southern mainland colonies - maryland, virginia, north carolina, south carolina, and georgia were broad-acred, and in some degree devoted to exporting commercial agricultural products
tobacco and rice (to a lesser extent in north carolina)
slavery was found in all plantation colonies
only after 1750 in georgia
few people had a lot of acreage, created a strong aristocratic atmosphere (except in north carolina again) (to some extent in debtor-tinged georgia)
scattering of farms regressed the growth of cities and made establishment of churches and schools difficult and expensive
all plantation colonies permitted some religious toleration
3-8 THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION PRODUCES PURITANISM
german guy martin luther was like “yo! im gonna spread my religion :3” and created a different one
declared that the bible was god’s will
religious devotion, not wealth, shaped the earliest settlements
john calvin ayyyy
Calvinism - dominant theological credo of New England Puritans based on the teachings of John Calvin. Calvinists believed in predestination, that only “the elect” were destined for salvation
calvinism became the dominant credo of not only the new england puritans but also:
scottish presbyterians
french huguenots
communicants of the dutch reformed church
“god is all-powerful and all-good” - john calvin
“humans are weak and wicked” - john calvin
“god is all-knowing” - john calvin
predestination - Calvinist doctrine that God has foreordained some people to be saved and some people to be damned. Though their fate was irreversible, Calvinists sought to lead sanctified lives in order to demonstrate that they were, in fact, members of the “elect.”
the “elect” cannot lead lives of wild, immoral abandon. people worried about their status at the pearly gates
conversion - intense religious experience that confirmed an individual’s place among the “elect,” or the “visible saints.” calvinists who experienced conversion were then expected to lead sanctified lives to demonstrate their salvation
thought to be an intense, identifiable experience in which god revealed the elect to their heavenly destiny
expected to lead sanctified lives, proving that they were among the “visible saints”
these ideals swept england as king henry VII broke ties with the RCC (roman catholic church) in the 1530s
king henry VII appointed himself the head of church
actions powerfully stimulated english religious reformers to “purify” england
puritanssss - english protestant reformers who sought to purify the church of england of catholic rituals and creeds. some of the most devout puritans believed that only “visible saints” should be admitted to church membership
calvinism fed social unrest, provided spiritual comfort to the economically disadvantaged
puritans eventually got sick of waiting around for the protestant reformation to take hold, was super excited to see the church of england wholly de-catholicized
most devout puritans, including those who settled new england, believed that only “visible saints” should be admitted to church
church of england enrolled everyone tho, which meant that the “saints” had to share spaces with the “damned”
separatists - small group of puritans who sought to break away entirely from the church of england. initially settled in holland, a number of separatists made their way to plymouth bay, massachusetts, in 1620
king james I, head of the church and state from 1603 to 1625, realized that if his subjects could defy him spiritually, they could defy him politically. threatened to harass the separatists
3-8 THE PILGRIMS END THEIR PILGRIMAGE AT PLYMOUTH
before making it to plymouth, the separatists were not very happy about the “dutchification” of their children.
wanted to find a haven to live and die as separatists
separatists in holland were like “yeahh let’s leave” so they left on the mayflower (1 casualty, 1 birth), and missed their destination, arriving off the coast of new england
fewer than half the party were separatists
one guy, myles standish (captain shrimp), rendered indispensable service as an anti-native-american fighter/negotiator
pilgrims didnt make their initial landing at plymouth bay, but worked their way there
this area was outside the domain of the virginia company
were without legal right to the land and were without specific authority to establish a govt.
before disembarking, pilgrims drew up and signed the mayflower compact - agreement to form a majoritarian govt. in plymouth, signed aboard the mayflower
was a precedent to many constitutions, but wasn’t a constitution itself
compact was signed by 41 adult men
pact was a promising step towards genuine self-govt.
pilgrims’ first winter of 1620-1621 was harsh, only 44/102 survived
when they were headed back to england, no separatist left
“god made his children prosperous” - pilgrims
1621 autumn, brings bountiful harvests and first thanksgiving day
beaver and the bible kept sustenance for the body and soul
pilgrims were extremely fortunate in leaders
william bradford - self-taught scholar who read hebrew, greek, latin, french, and dutch. chosen governor 30 times in annual elections
was worried that non-puritan settlers would “corrupt” his experiment in the wilderness
plymouth was never economically important economically or numerically, but was big morally and spiritually
3-10 THE BAY COLONY BIBLE COMMONWEALTH
separatist pilgrims were considered “extremists” (aka the purest puritans)
more “moderate” puritans sought to reform the church of england from within
resented by bishops and monarchs, but slowly gained support, especially in parliament
charles I dismisses parliament (1629), sanctions anti-puritan persecutions
many puritans saw catastrophe
1629 - puritans (non-separatists) secured a royal charter to form the MBC (massachusetts bay company)
massachusetts bay colony - established by non-separating puritans, it soon grew to be the largest and most influential of the new england colonies
eleven vessels carried nearly 1k immigrants, starting the colony off larger than any other english settlements
great english migration - migration of 70k refugees from england to the north american colonies, primarily new england and the caribbean. the ~20k migrants who came to massachusetts largely shared a common sense of purpose – to establish a model christian settlement in the new world
not all were puritans
most puritans went to barbados
when the mainland colonies declared independence in 1776, they hoped that the caribbean islands would join them, but the islands depended too much on the british navy to protect them against the slaves that far outnumbered them
john winthrop -
MBC’s first governor
had a “calling from god”
served for 19 years
helped massachusetts prosper
fur trading
fishing
shipbuilding
3-11 BUILDING THE BAY COLONY
puritan adult males, aka “freemen”, aka the Congregational Church
unchurched men and just straight up women could not vote
⅖ of all men could vote
town governments were more inclusive
provincial governments were “liberal” but not a democracy
governor winthrop (remember this guy?) feared and distrusted democracy (“meanest and worst” forms of government)
according to the doctrine of the covenant, the whole purpose of government was to enforce god’s laws
religious leaders wielded enormous influence in the massachusetts “bible commonwealth”
john cotton
immigrated to massachusetts to avoid persecution for criticism of the church of england
devoted his learning at cambridge to defending the government’s duty to enforce religious rules
congregations had rights to fire/hire ministers and to set his salary
clergymen were banned from holding formal political office
3-15 PURITANS AND INDIANS
spread of english settlements clashed with the native people (why cant we just be peaceful bro)
native people were weak in new england
1620 - english people epidemic (ewwww)
more than ¾ of the native population died !
local wampanoag tribe befriends english
tisquantum (aka squanto by the english [double ewww])
learned english from a captain that kidnapped him a few years prior
massasoit (wampanoag chieftain)
signed treaty with the plymouth pilgrims in 1621
helped celebrate first thanksgiving
pequot war of 1637 - first between british colonists & native americans
killed nearly 300 native american men, women, and children
had peace after the pequot people were slaughtered
but that doesn’t last long ofc
more non-native people = more conflict
pequot war - series of clashes between the english settlers and the pequot indians in the connecticut river valley. ended in the slaughter of the pequot indians by the puritans and their narragansett indian allies
then the english started getting yelled at by their families back home 💀 so they tried converting the remaining indians to christianity as an “apology” (????)
native americans banded together against the english
1675 - massasoit’s son, metacom, (aka king philip by the english [what the falcon is up with these nicknames])
hit the english hard on the frontiers
made them retreat back to boston :3
1676 - war ends, 52 puritan towns were attacked, 12 destroyed entirely
however this was not all awesome sauce because more indians than english were dead
metacom’s wife & son were sold into slavery
metacom himself was executed and his head paraded around on a stick for years
metacom’s war (aka king philip’s war - series of assaults by metacom, or king philip, on english settlements in new england. the attacks slowed the westward migration of new england settlers for several decades)
unfortunately this would become more of a loss for the native americans due to the fact that they became scattered and disorganized, only becoming somewhat of a threat to the english settlers
3-16 ENGLISH INTERFERENCE AND NEGLECT
earliest n. american colonies werent really loved by london </3
left to their own devices in the 1640s
in 1643, 4 puritan colonies banded together to form the new england confederation - weak union of the colonies in massachusetts and connecticut led by puritans for the purposes of defense and organization; an early attempt at self-government during the benign neglect of the english civil war
meant primarily to serve as a military alliance against the native americans, dutch, and french
charles II ascends to the engish throne (BOOOOO) in 1660
crown looks at the colonies like this 😫😫😫😫😫
colonists were like “EWWWW OLD MANNNN”
massachusetts bay colony was like “we’re independent :3”
charles II was like “be jealous”
gives rival connecticut a sea-to-sea charter grant!
rhode island gets one too!
m̴͍̊ą̶̧̛s̸͎̻̿s̶͍̓á̵̛̫c̸̩͌h̶̯̿̕ṷ̶̺͆͗s̷̙͆e̶̯͂t̴͓̉t̸̺̹̾͠s̴̨͖͗̓ ̷̝̇͌ͅg̴͉̽e̶̼͝ṭ̸̉͠s̸͍͓͘͠ ̶͕̔i̶͎̦̇t̴͚͝s̷͎̣̆̏ ̸͖̈́c̶̙̬̅͊ḣ̷͓̑a̴͓͝r̷̞̽t̵͇̏̉ë̶͉̦r̷͍̊ͅ ̷̻͋ṛ̴̫̋͂e̴̲̿v̶̺͆̊o̸̰͗k̶͓̕è̸͓d̴͓͖̅ (massachusetts gets its charter revoked 🎀”
charles II’s heir, his brother james II enforced the navigation laws - series of laws passed, beginning in 1651, to regulate colonial shipping; the acts provided that only english ships would be allowed to trade in english and colonial ports and that all goods destined for the colonies would first pass through england
these acts resulted in a century of smuggling :3
james II would be short lived :p
dethroned due to beinG CATHOLICCCC
protestant rulers of the netherlands, dutch william III and english mary II, james II’s daughter ruled instead
dominion of new england - administrative union created by royal authority, incorporating all of new england, new york, and east and west jersey. placed under the rule of sir edmund andros, who curbed popular assemblies, taxed residents without their consent, and strictly enforced navigation laws. its collapse after the glorious revolution in england demonstrated colonial opposition to strict royal control
sir edmund andros - english commander
created resentment in northern colonies
suppressed town meetings, courts, the press, and schools >:(
english overthrow james II, a boston mob tries to drive andros back to england. bro tries to flee wearing women’s clothing but his boots give him away
glorious revolution - overthrow, in 1688, of the catholic king james II of england. rebellious english nobles invited the protestant william of orange to replace james II in a relatively bloodless coup. the event affirmed england’s constitutional balance between parliament and the crown
this brings king william III and queen mary II to the throne
unrest rocked new york and maryland from 1689 to 1691
new monarchs relaxed the royal grip on colonial trade
salutary neglect - unofficial policy of relaxed royal control over colonial trade and only weak enforcement of navigation laws. lasted from the glorious revolution to the end of the french and indian war in 1763
4-1 THE UNHEALTHY CHESAPEAKE
life in the ‘murican wilderness was harsh
malaria, dysentery, typhoid cut 10 years off the average lifespan of english settlers
half the people born in early virginia & maryland didn’t survive to see their 20th birthdays
few of the remaining half lived to see their fortieth/fiftieth birthdays
majority of immigrants from england were young men (late teens/early 20s), and mainly died shortly after arrival
6:1 men to women (they were YEARNING for these women.) in 1650
by the end of the century 3:2 men to women
most men could not find partners, most marriages were destroyed by the death of a partner
hardly any child hit adulthood with both parents; nearly no one knew a grandparent
weak familial ties reflected in pregnancies in unmarried young girls
in maryland, more than 1/3 of all brides were pregnant by the time they got married
of course, then the settlers developed resistances to these illnesses that wiped most of their predecessors out
by 1700s, virginia became the most populous colony at 59,000 people
maryland was 3rd largest after massachusetts
4-2 THE TOBACCO COMPANY
chesapeake colonies were hospitable to tobacco cultivation
profit-hungry settlers were like “yo,,, what if we just make tobacco” and then forgot to plant corn to feed themselves
this! was not good! because as we know, over-farming tobacco is bad for soil!
it was, indeed, bad for soil.
this caused the settlers to grow hungry literally and hungry for more land
they took more and more land from the native americans
ships had taken over 1.5 million pounds of tobacco out of chesapeake bay by the 1630s and almost 40 million pounds a year by the end of the century
england still had a “surplus” of displaced workers and farmers; who then boarded ships for america as indentured servants (migrants who, in exchange for transatlantic passage, bound themselves to a colonial employer for a term of service, typically between 4 and 7 years)
in exchange they received transatlantic passage and “freedom dues,” including an axe and a hoe, corn, clothes, and perhaps a small parcel of land
headright system - employed in the tobacco colonies to encourage the importation of indentured servants, the system allowed an individual to acquire fifty acres of land if he paid for a laborer’s passage into the colony
both virginia and maryland implemented this system to encourage the importation of servant workers
masters, not servants, reaped benefits
chesapeake planters brought over 100,000 indentured servants to the area by 1700
were over ¾ of all the european immigrants
indentured servants wanted their jobs to be over with as soon as possible and get land, but due to the huge influx of indentured servants, sometimes that did not happen!
some masters would be like “yo you screwed up, im extending your contract”
some masters would also be like “i dont want to give you land”
4-3 FRUSTRATED FREEMEN AND BACON’S REBELLION
most single young white men were frustrated by not being able to acquire land or a damsel ☹
virginia’s governor william berkeley - “how miserable you lot are :( / How miserable that man is that governs a people where six parts of seven at least are poor, endebted, discontented, and armed.”
~1000 virginians went absolutely mad in 1676, led by 29-year-old planter nathaniel bacon
they resented berkeley’s policies towards the native americans (monopolizing the fur trade between the native americans and the white settlers)
berkeley eventually ends up refusing to respond to an attack led by the native americans, so bacon and his followers took things into their own hands
bacon and his followers killed many native americans and chased berkeley from jamestown, setting the capital on fire
virginia’s civil war continued, even as bacon died from illness
berkeley then crushed the rebellion with brutal cruelty, hanging more than 20 rebels
bacon’s rebellion - uprising of virginia backcountry farmers and indentured servants led by planter nathaniel bacon; initially a response to governor william berkeley’s refusal to protect these backcountry farmers from indian attacks, the rebellion eventually grew into a broader conflict between impoverished settlers and the planter elite
bacon’s uprising shook the colony
new regulations took hold, making virginia’s white men still poor, but would at least enjoy the same privileges as their neighbors
5-1 A CONTINENT IN FLUX
european colonies were mainly on the east coast
native americans villages/tribes, even far inland, had been hit and demolished by european disease.
other native american groups, who weren’t quite as touched by disease, were pushed westward
inland native american tribes were not happy about this.
(there were a lot of clashes)
european goods changed native american culture; the introduction of horses and muskets made the IAs more powerful
when the spanish govna of 1718 met the caddo people in texas, they were armed with guns, more so than the spanish 😭
arkansas - osage basically manipulated their way into trade with the french by… forcing them colon three
chickasaw in the southeast raided the choctaw by teamin with the fench to secure their own weapons
borderlands - places where two or more nations or societies border each other, and where power is dispersed among competing actors, resulting in fluid social relations, hybrid cultures, and the absence of firmly agreed sovereignty. were often places where european empires and native american societies engaged each other, including the great lakes and missouri valley regions.
in 1700, the iroquois had peace with both the english and the french, and being situated between both (and were strong enough to threaten both), held a neutral power in north america
cherokee fought both with and against the british during the early 1700s and 7 of them traveled to london to agree to friendly relations with the british
this would give them access to trade and english goods but also smallpox. (ominous music)
5-2 CONQUEST BY THE CRADLE
native american population when europeans arrived 📉
european population in americas when they arrived 📈
1700 - fewer than 300,000, ~20,000 were black
1775 - 2.5 million, 500,000 were black
colonists were doubling their numbers every 25 years
average age in 1775 was 16
1700 - 20 english subjects : 1 american colonist
1775 - 3 english subjects : 1 american colonist
90% of the population lived in rural areas
virginia → massachusetts → pennsylvania → north carolina → maryland (population high to low)
major cities - philadelphia, new york, boston, charleston
5-3 A MINGLING OF CULTURES
people from many ethnicities and backgrounds lived in british north america
germans - 6% of the total population of british north america (150,000 by 1775).
totaled 1/3 of pennsylvania’s colony
no deep-rooted loyalty to the english crown
splendid stone barns
scots-irish - 7% of the total population of british north america (175,000 by 1775).
important non-english group.
not irish at all, instead scots lowlanders
weren’t happy in scotland
early 1700s - bitter scots-irish people came to british north america
went further west; squabbled with native americans and white colonists
would build temporary, flimsy homes and move on
were experienced and superb frontiersmen (who didn’t like the native americans)
didn’t love the british :p
paxton boys - armed march on philadelphia by scots-irish frontiersmen to protest against the quaker establishment’s lenient policies on native americans
Regulator movement - eventually violent uprising of backcountry settlers in north carolina against unfair taxation and the control of colonial affairs by the seaboard elite
andrew jackson was a part of this
~12 future presidents were of scots-irish descent
~5% of the colonial population consisted of other european groups
african people were nearly 20% of the colonial population in 1775 & were heavily concentrated in the south
every culture mixes
5-4 AFRICANS IN AMERICA
deep south - slavery was extremely severe
climate was harsh
labor life-draining
widely-scattered south carolina rice & indigo plantations housed mostly male africans
only fresh shipments of slaves could sustain the slave population since the africans were dying so often; they couldn’t reproduce
chesapeake region - somewhat easier
tobacco was less physically demanding
tobacco plantations were closer together than rice/indigo plantations, allowing slaves to socialize and have contact with friends and relatives
1720 - african women population begins to grow
this led to the overall slave population to grow
was one of the first slave societies ever to grow by itself
imports dropped significantly because of this
northern colonies counted ~48,000 slaves right before the american revolution
african-american culture starts to flourish
off the coast of south carolina, these new african-americans evolved a unique language, gullah, a mixture of english and several african languages (yoruba, igbo, hausa)
by early 1700, laws surrounding slaves tightened
american-born slaves outnumbered the african-born
enslaved women were forced to perform double hours (eg. spinning, weaving, sewing clothes for themselves and their families)
enslaved women also lived in fear of being assaulted by their masters
slave religion
slaves became a mixture of african beliefs and western traditions
new york slave revolt - uprising of approximately two dozen enslaved africans that resulted in the deaths of nine whites and the brutal execution of twenty one participating blacks
south carolina slave revolt - uprising, aka the stono rebellion, of more than fifty south carolinian blacks along the stono river. they attempted to reach spanish florida, but were stopped by the south carolina militia
5-5 THE STRUCTURE OF COLONIAL SOCIETY
1700s british america seemed like a land of opportunity and equality; save for slavery
colonists, even if they were a former indentured servant, could rise the social ladder
armed conflicts in the 1690s and early 1700s allowed merchant princes into new england/middle colonies
these elites, atop the social ladder, imported rich english goods, such as clothing and china/silverware
by midcentury 10% of bostonians and philadelphians owned nearly 2/3rds of the taxable wealth in those cities
war created widows and orphans. poor people were large in number, but incomparable to the 1/3 of english people living in poverty
descendants of the original settlers subdivided the lands, shrinking the average size of farms
the children of these settlers (usually sons, but sometimes daughters) were forced to hire out as wage laborers or to seek out fresh soil past the appalachian mountains
in the south, riches created by slavery were not evenly distributed to the whites (aka put in hands of the largest slaveowners)
two lower-class citizens (indentured servants) signed the declaration of independence
~50k “jayle birds” (jailbirds) including robbers, rapists, and murderers were involuntarily shipped to america
some of these people became highly respectable citizens
enslaved blacks were the least fortunate, enjoying no equality with whites and never even touched the “ladder of opportunity”
5-6 WORKADAY AMERICA
agriculture employed ~90% of the people
tobacco was staple crop
wheat cultivation spread through the chesapeake region
fishing (and whaling) wasn’t quite as popular as agriculture but it was still rewarding
exported shipments of dried cod to europe
popular in new england with all the shipbuilders
commercial ventures and land speculation were the best routes to get rich quick
yankee seamen
provisioned the caribbean islands w/ food and forest products
hauled spanish gold, wine, and oranges to london
triangular trade - exchange of rum, slaves, and molasses between the north american colonies, africa, and the west indies. a small but immensely profitable subset of the atlantic trade
workers would get ahead by tilling the rich soil
“kill devil” rum were distilled in rhode island and pennsylvania
“elect of the lord” people were like woah <3
smoking iron forges (including pennsylvania’s valley forge) were numerous in 1775, but smaller than england’s forges
beaver hats were manufactured even tho the british said “NOOO I DONT WANT THAT 😡👹”
household manufacturing (including spinning and weaving by the women) was also profitable
lumbering was the most important manufacturing activity
by 1770 ~400 vessels were “splashing down the ways” every year
1/3 of the british merchant marine was american-built
colonial naval stores, such as tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine were highly valued
london offered generous bounties for production of these items
strains appeared in the atlantic economy as early as the 1730s
americans demanded more and more british products
trade imbalance raised the question, “how could the colonists sell said goods to make the money to buy what they wanted from the brits?”
by seeking non-britain markets of course!
chesapeake tobacco was makin bank in france and other european nations (though the brits managed to take some for themselves too)
molasses act - tax on imported molasses passed by parliament in an effort to squelch the north american trade with the french west indies. it proved largely ineffective due to widespread smuggling
5-7 CLERICS, PHYSICIANS, AND JURISTS
christian ministry was the most honored profession
1775 - clergy wielded less power than in the Early Days™ but still had high ranks
first medical school established in 1765
bloodletting and bleeding were a favorite (and fatal) “remedy” for physicians
when physician not there, barber come!
epidemics were constant
smallpox - 1/5 people
powdered dried toad was a favorite prescription/inoculation
diptheria was also deadly, taking the lives of thousands at one point in the 1730s
5-8 HORSEPOWER AND SAILPOWER
america had a scarcity of money and workers (major skill issue i have all the money)
roads weren’t established between major cities until the 1700s (america)
roman highways in the days of julius caesar were more efficient (2000 years prior)
news of the declaration of independence reached charleston from philadelphia 29 days after independence
roads were dust in summer, mud in winter
philadelphia → new york? haha pray
nature-made waterways were the goat
population clustered around water
taverns were breaks for entertainment (bowling alleys, pool tables, bars, and gambling <3)
gossip gathered at taverns
crystallized public opinion even though they mostly spread lies and defamation
boston tea party was planned at green dragon tavern
intercolonial postal system established !!
some mail handed on credit
slow and infrequent
no secrecy :(
mail carriers would sometimes get bored and read the mail
5-9 DOMINANT DENOMINATIONS
2 tax-supported churches were conspicuous in 1775
anglican
church of england (anglicans) - official faith in georgia, N & S carolina, virginia, maryland, and part of new york
less fierce
sermons were shorter
hell was less scorching
amusements (eg. virginia fox hunting) were less scorned
college of william and mary was founded in 1693 to better train anglican clerics (they just sucked)
congregational
grown out of the puritan church
formally established in all new england colonies (except rhode island)
massachusetts taxed all residents to support congregationalism
most people didn’t worship any church, surprisingly
presbyterianism (close with congregationalism) was never made official in any colony
ministers of the gospel fought with burning political issues
speech of rebellion against the british occurred in sermons
presbyterianism, congregationalism, and rebellion became a neo-trinity
anglican clerics - supported king
roman catholics were generally discriminated against
religious toleration had great strides in america
5-10 THE GREAT AWAKENING
religion was less intense in the 18th century compared to the 17th century
puritan churches had two burdens
their elaborate theological doctrines
their compromising efforts to liberalize membership requirements
liberal ideas challenged old-time religion
most threatening to calvinist doctrine was arminianism - (belief that salvation is offered to all humans but is conditional on acceptance of god’s grace)
arminianism - named after dutch theologian jacobus arminius
stage was set for the great awakening - (religious revival that swept the colonies. participating ministers, most notably jonathan edwards and george whitefield, placed an emphasis on direct, emotive spirituality)
first ignited in northampton, massachusetts
jonathan edwards proclaimed that believing in salvation through good works and affirmed the need for complete dependence on god’s grace
believed that hell was “paved with the skulls of unbaptized children”
“sinners in the hands of an angry god” - one of his most famous sermons
george whitefield had a different style of evangelical preaching
revolutionized the spiritual life of the colonies
former alehouse attendant
“human helpnessness; divine omnipotence”
reduced jonathan edwards to tears lol
countless sinners professed conversion, hundreds of the “saved” rolled in snow from excitement
old lights (orthodox clergymen who rejected the emotionalism of the GA in favor of a more rational spirituality)
skeptical of emotionalism, theatrics
new lights (ministers who took part in the revivalist, emotive religious tradition pioneered by george whitefield during the GA)
defended the awakening
congregationalists and presbyterians split over this issue
8-4 CREATING A CONFEDERATION
second continental congress was without authority 😔
after the revolutionary war, congress was like “ok you guys over there, write us a constitution” and then the guys were like “ok”
this became the articles of confederation - (first american constitution that established the US as a loose confederation of states under a weak national congress, which was not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes. the articles were replaced by a more efficient constitution in 1789)
western lands were all the hype
six jealous states, like pennsylvania and maryland, were like “yo we want some :(“ cause they had no lands west of the appalachias
seven were not jealous because they got a bunch of land
when the six jealous states realize that the other seven could sell their lands to pay off their debt, they got mad >:(
articles of confederation had to be unanimously signed
land-starved maryland was like “why would i do that” and held out for like five years lol
gave in when new york surrendered land and virginia was about to surrender western lands as well
8-5 THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: AMERICA’S FIRST CONSTITUTION
people called the articles of confederation “articles of confusion” because of how loose it was :P
basically was friendship is magic </3
no executive branch cause the colonists were traumatized from the king of england
congress was dominant but shaky (each state had a single vote, even though the numbers were really skewed [rhode island - 68k people, virginia - ~680k])
congress was weak; designed to be weak
states were suspicious of the congress cause they had just won control over their taxes and trades and were kind of gatekeeping that from congress
two handicaps of congress (crippling)
no power to regulate commerce
left the states free to run wild pretty much; conflicted with each others’ laws
no enforcing its tax-collecting program
basically
was lucky if they got ¼th of their quota per year
national government in philadelphia could do the 3 a’s
advise
advocate
appeal
could not do the 3 c’s to the independent states
command
coerce
control
could not protect itself skull emoji
in 1783 pennsylvania soldiers were rioting cause they didn’t get paid soon enough, and then congress got scared and fled to princeton college 😭
thomas jefferson was like “yeah man i like the new constitution better” and “its like comparing heaven and hell lol”
overall the AoC were a big step to the present constitution cause it made people learn 💀
8-6 LANDMARKS IN LAND LAWS
AoC granted congress the rights to trade with native americans, but the individual states straight up said “no”
until the constitution, individual states retained power over native american land sales n stuff
then everyone was freaking out because the constitution was like “yeah you can take indian land lol”
people took land (duh)
the government was like “omg oopsies let’s still have peace guys”
then congress was like “ok guys lets have peace we’re gonna enact some laws :3”
old northwest - territories acquired by the federal government from the states, encompassing land northwest of the ohio river, east of the mississippi river, and south of the great lakes. the well-organized management and sale of the land in the territories under the land ordinances of 1785 and 1787 established a precedent for handling future land acquisitions
land ordinance of 1785 - provided for the sale of land in the old northwest and earmarked the proceeds toward repaying the national debt
old northwest was to be surveyed before sale and settlement, preventing confusion and lawsuits !! yay!!!
northwest ordinance - created a policy for administering the northwest territories. it included a path to statehood and forbade the expansion of slavery into the territories
this was makin the king back in england scratch his head for eel
was now makin the americans scratch their heads
compromise!!!
temporary guardianship
would be under the government’s rule
permanent equality
perhaps would reach statehood if the area could handle 60k+ people
8-8 THE HORRID SPECTER OF ANARCHY
the system of raising money for the government from the states was like hardcore falling apart lol
some states straight up refused to pay
individual states were tweaking over state boundaries and had many minor battles over them
some states were tweaking so hard they were imposing taxes on their neighbor’s goods (eg. new york taxed cabbages from new jersey and firewood from connecticut)
shays’s rebellion - armed uprising of western massachusetts debtors seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosures. though quickly put down, the insurrection inspired fears of “mob rule” among leading revolutionaries
revolutionary war veterans were losing their farms through foreclosures and taxes
a veteran of the revolution, captain daniel shays, led the rebellion
massachusetts authorities respond, supported partly by wealthier citizens
at springfield, 3 rebels were killed, 1 wounded
movement collapses lol 💀
growing majority of people wanted a strong central govt
america could’ve gotten away with amended AoC, but that’s like doing the bare minimum on a project
8-11 HAMMERING OUT A BUNDLE OF COMPROMISES
delegates were like “let’s not have the AoCs cause those kinda suck”
congress was like “bro just revise it”
delegates were like “no”
“large-state plan”, aka the virginia plan (“large state” proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral congress. the plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation)
basically it gave larger states an advantage
new jersey was like “??? what the falcon bro” so they countered the virginia plan with the new jersey plan (“small-state plan” put forth at the philadelphia convention, proposing equal representation by state, regardless of population, in a unicameral legislature. small states feared that the more populous states would dominate the agenda under a proportional system)
basically gave equal representation regardless of size/population
then the girls were fighting 😔
then the girls were not fighting!
great compromise - popular term for the measure that reconciled the new jersey and virginia plans at the constitutional convention, giving states proportional representation in the houes and equal representation in the senate. the compromise broke the stalemate at the convention and paved the way for subsequent compromises over slavery and the electoral college
large states were conceded representation by population in the house of representatives
smaller states were appeased by equal representation in the senate
each state, no matter how poor/small, would have two senators
final constitution was short, grew out of the anglo-american common law (laws that originate from court rulings and customs, as opposed to legislative statutes. the US constitution grew out of the anglo-american common law tradition and thus provided only a general organizational framework for the new federal govt)
made it unnecessary to be specific about every conceivable detail
was flexible
original constitution was like. 7 articles and 10 pages long
civil law - body of written law enacted through legislative statutes or constitutional provisions. in countries where civil law prevails, judges must apply the statutes precisely as written
for example, india’s civil law constitution is ~400 articles and nearly 200 pages
new constitution provided for a robust executive in the presidency
president would have broad authority
however this power would be far from absolute
people were freaking out about whether or note a slave counted as a person
three-fifths compromise - determined that each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning taxes and representation. the compromise granted disproportionate political power
8-12 SAFEGUARDS FOR CONSERVATISM
usually the delegates would be civil, see eye-to-eye, and were in basic agreement
“powerful president” was to be indirectly elected by the electoral college (mechanism for electing presidents of the US. each state has a number of electors equal to its total number of senators and representatives. these electors are chosen by the voters, and they in turn select the president — creating “indirect” presidential elections)
just elects the pres
new charter contained democratic elements
only legit govt was based on the consent of the governed
“we the people”
only 42 of the original 55 members remained to sign the constitution
3/42 refused to do so
remaining celebrated the toast-worthy occasion
no members were completely happy 3:
8-13 THE CLASH OF FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS
people who created the constitution knew that acceptance of the constitution would not be easy to get
majority rules vote
antifederalists - opponents of the 1787 constitution, cast the document and antidemocratic, objected to the subordination of the states to the central govt., and feared encroachment on individuals’ liberties in the absence of a bill of rights
didn’t want the strong govt
federalists - proponents of the 1787 constitution, favored a strong national govt, arguing that the checks and balances in the new constitution would safeguard the people’s liberties
wanted the strong govt
most federalists lived along the seaboard instead of the antifederalist backcountry
most federalists were also wealthier than the antifederalists
over 100 newspapers were published in america; only around a dozen were antifederalist centered
they started beefing hardcore
9-14 JOHN ADAMS BECOMES PRESIDENT
hamilton was the most well-known member of the federalist party
he kinda had some weird financial policies so no one really wanted him as pres 💀
now that washy (george washington 😭) was out of office, chaos ensues within the political world cause no one can live up to him
federalists referred to “jeffersonians” as “fire-eating salamanders, poison-sucking toads”
federalists and democratic-republicans basically segregated themselves 😭😭 (they drank in separate pubs)
john adams, mostly supported in new england, barely won the electoral college (71 - 68)
jefferson, runner-up, became VP
john adams was regarded as “sharp-featured, bald, relatively short (five feet seven inches [☹]), and thickset”
he was impressive to outsiders looking in; he seemed like a stubbornly devoted man
was actually a “tactless and prickly individual aristocrat, with no appeal to the masses and with no desire to cultivate any”
adams had stepped right into washington’s shoes, that really no one could ever fill
hamilton hated adams lol
the girls are fighting!!!!
hamilton resigned from the treasury in 1795
led the war faction of the federalist party called “high federalists”
“secretly” plotted against adams with certain members of the cabinet
adams called hamilton “the most ruthless, impatient, artful, indefatigable and unprincipled intriguer in the united states, if not in the world”
oh and adams wanted war with france lol
9-15 UNOFFICIAL FIGHTING WITH FRANCE (who could’ve seen that coming?)
the french were not yippee-ki-yay with jay’s treaty
(jay’s treaty relieved tensions between the US and britain 👹)
france was freaking out over the US like “oh nuh uh you’re besties with britain now??”
thought the treaty was violating the franco-american treaty of 1778
french warships seized defenseless american merchant ships
~300 by mid-1797
the french refused to hear the americans out 😭 toxic relationship who
‘murica was mad
adams was mad but ❄🧊let it go⛄❄
steered clear of war!!!!
appointed a diplomatic commission of three men
one of which was john marshall (future chief justice he’s probably important later)
secret french go-betweens (X, Y, and Z) demanded an unneutral loan of $10mil + a bribe of $250k for straight up talking with the french foreign minister
the americans were NOT payin allat just to talk🙏🙏😭😭😭
XYZ Affair - diplomatic conflict between france and the united states when american envoys to france were asked to pay a hefty bribe for the privilege of meeting with the french foreign minister. many in the US called for war against france, while american sailors and privateers waged an undeclared war against french merchants in the caribbean
slogan of the hour - “millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute”
federalists were ecstatic ???
jeffersonians were not 💔 french weren’t on their side anymore 😔
war preparations were pushed out realllll fast even though the jeffersonians were like “guys don’t do this!!!1 it isn’t you 😔😔</3 </3”
creation of the navy department
US marine corps was reestablished (originally created in 1775, disbanded at the end of the revolutionary war)
bloodshed was confined to the seas, mainly in the west indies
in 2.5 years of undeclared hostilities (1798-1800), american privateers and men-of-war of the new navy captured over 80 armed french vessels
several hundred american ships were captured by the french :(
9-16 ADAMS PUTS PEACE ABOVE PARTY
france didn’t want a war with their bestie/lover/friend/pal/situationship overseas cause they’re already tense with the rest of europe lol
quasi-war with france - undeclared naval conflict between the US and its former allies, the french. diplomatic tension led to mutual attacks on shipping, and between french and american naval vessels. both sides sought peace, and the convention of 1800 ended the brief conflict
adams was like “yo bros we are ❌ NOT ❌ going to war. we’re still weak bros”
adams unexpectedly was like “yo what if we send another minister over to france”
hamilton and his war-hungry faction were not happy :3
the people were like “yeah let’s not have war. we support!”
ambitious “little corporal” napoleon bonaparte, had recently seized dictatorial power :33
he wanted to free france of the american threat so he could redraw borders in europe (all french.)
convention of 1800 - agreement to formally dissolve the US’s treaty w/ france, originally signed during the revolutionary war. the difficulties posed by america’s peacetime alliance with france contributed to americans’ long-standing opposition to entangling alliances w/ foreign powers
america agreed to pay the damage claims of american ships
9-17 THE FEDERALIST WITCH HUNT
remember how the federalists were ecstatic about the “war” with france?
well they’re makin laws now!!! these laws were to shut up the democratic-republicans lol
these laws were super oppressive and the european immigrants (no money ): ) were scorned by the federalists
this included raising the residence requirements for aliens from 5 years to 14 of them años!
alien laws - acts passed by a federalist congress raising the residency requirement for citizenship to fourteen years and granting the president the power to deport dangerous foreigners in times of peace
these laws were never enforced
sedition act - enacted by the federalist congress in an effort to clamp down on jeffersonian opposition, the law made anyone convicted of defaming government officials or interfering with government policies liable to imprisonment and a heavy fine. the act drew heavy criticism from republicans, who let the act expire in 1801
was a direct slap at two priceless freedoms guaranteed in the constitution (freedom of speech and freedom of press)
many jeffersonians were indicted under the sedition act, 10 brought to trial
all were convicted
some were harmless, among them was a congressman named matthew lyon (“the spitting lion”) who gained fame by spitting in a federalist’s face :3
the sedition act was in direct conflict with the constitution, but the supreme court, dominated by federalists, was not about to change all that
made many converts from jeffersonian 😔
9-18 THE VIRGINIA (MADISON) AND KENTUCKY (JEFFERSON) RESOLUTIONS
jeffersonians were ❌ NOT ❌ going to stand for the alien and sedition acts.
jefferson himself feared that the federalists were going to turn the US into a dangerous one-party dictatorship
so he secretly wrote a series of resolutions, which kentucky approved in 1798 and 1799
his friend, virginian james madison, drafted something similar, which virginia approved in 1798
jefferson & madison stress the “compact theory” (basically like the states were the final judges of whether their agent had broken the “compact” [contract] by overstepping the original authority)
jefferson’s kentucky resolution concluded that Yes! they had overstepped
no other state fell into line tho 3:
virginia and kentucky resolutions - statements secretly drafted by jefferson and madison for the legislatures of kentucky and virginia. argued that states were final arbiters of whether the federal government overstepped its boundaries and could therefore nullify, or refuse to accept, national legislation they deemed unconstitutional
basically campaign documents designed to crystallize opposition to the federalist party and to unseat it in the upcoming election
9-19 FEDERALISTS VERSUS DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS
as the presidential election of 1800 approached, federalists and democratic-republicans were tweaking with each other
hamiltonians were the tweakingest (distrusted full-blown democracy, feared the “swayability” of the untutored common folk)
hamiltonian federalists
advocated a strong central govt with the power to crush rebellions (such as shays’ rebellion)
protect the lives and estates of the wealthy
subordinate the soverignty-loving states
promote foreign trade
few hamiltonians dwelled farther inland
hinterland was almost strictly anti-federalist aka (democratic) republican territory
leader of the republicans was none other than! jefferson 🎊 🎉
bro’s rivalry w hamilton defined the stereotypical american conflict 🙄
jefferson became a master political organizer through leading people rather than driving them
major audience - middle class, “underprivileged” (“dirt” farmers, laborers, artisans, shopkeepers)
he called the slave system a “hideous blot” on the republic, yet he owned 600 other people!
had a relationship with one of his slaves, sally hemings, whom he had several children with!
jeffersonians demanded a weak central government, believed that the best governments were the ones that governed the least (???)
also insisted that there were to be no special privileges for special classes, particularly manufacturers
agriculture was super duper uper important to the economy
most of his followers were agrarians from the south and southwest
advocated the rule of the people, but did not (!!) propose thrusting ballots into every adult white male
in jefferson’s eyes, landlessness was just as dangerous as illiteracy
hamilton → outward, eastward (foreign trading; strong national government, british “boot-licker”)
jefferson → inward, westward (protect, strengthen democracy, pro-french 😍)
10-1 FEDERALIST AND REPUBLICAN MUDSLINGERS
federalist alien and sedition acts angered a bunch of people!
most of these people were jeffersonians anyway
hamiltonians split with the adams party
hamilton attacked adams in a private press pamphlet
jeffersonians posted it ecstatically
federalists were mad that adams didn’t give them an american-french war
federalist war preparations were useless now and they looked like fools
federalists turned to attacking jefferson and accusing him of 1.) robbing a widow and her kids of a trust fund and 2.) having kids with his own slave (this is true!)
jefferson had felt the wrath of the orthodox clergy through successfully separating church and state in virginia
10-2 THE JEFFERSONIAN “REVOLUTION OF 1800”
jefferson won by a majority of 73-65 votes
jefferson and aaron burr turned new york to jefferson
because of the three-fifths compromise (you remember that?), jefferson won the election due to the southern slaves
northern critics were not happy :3
however! jefferson and aaron burr tied for the presidency
house of representatives had to break the tie except they were all LAME FEDERALISTS with NO SENSE OF HUMOR
john adams was the last federalist president of the united states of murica
revolution of 1800 - electoral victory of democratic republicans over the federalists, who lost their congressional majority and the presidency. the peaceful transfer of power between rival parties solidified faith in america’s political system
~250 votes would have switched the presidency from jefferson to adams
10-3 RESPONSIBILITY BREEDS MODERATION
jefferson inaugurated on march 4, 1801, in the new capital of washington
was a US minister to france (fluent in french) and was a sophisticated, cosmopolitan “citizen of the world,” but never lost his common touch
“the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail” jefferson declared
“HOWEVER. that will must be fair” pretty much what he said word for word
in the capital, jefferson established the rule of “pell-mell” at official dinners (seating without regard to rank) and people (*COUGH COUGH* the british *coUGH*)
jefferson would sometimes be really really unconventional (answering callers in a dressing gown and heelless slippers)
jefferson would also contradict himself a lot, going against a lot of his own beliefs
however! he did become able to prove that he was a good politician
sometimes had to rely on his charm tho…
10-4 JEFFERSONIAN RESTRAINT
jefferson was determined to undo the french slander that the federalists had appointed
pardoned the “martyrs” who were serving sentences
reduced the residence requirement of 14 years back down to 5 years
repealed the taxes that hamiltonians made
cost about a millie (million)
otherwise that was about all he did to undo the federalist stuff!
10-11 THE HATED EMBARGO
basically the US was getting walked all over by european nations (who were beefing with themselves)
US was being used for foodstuffs and raw materials
jefferson was then like “ok well i dont want war” so he cut off the exports!!! this was to make sure that the warring european nations respected the US
embargo act (1807) - enacted in response to the french and british mistreatment of american merchants, the act banned the export of all goods from the US to any foreign port. the embargo placed great strains on the american economy, while only marginally affecting its european targets, and was therefore repealed in 1809
“peaceful coercion!” said jefferson
if the act worked: the embargo would clear the name of neutral nations, point to a new way of conducting foreign affairs
if the act failed: US would die/get eaten into the war
american economy was obviously struggling
jeffersonian republicans hurt the commerce of new england (which they were trYING to protect 🙄)
farmers in the south and west suffered just as much as new england
alarmed by all the unexportable goods such as tobacco, grain, and cotton
jefferson was pretty much waging war on his own people instead the actual war overseas lol
the embargo even revived the federalist party 😭
1804 federalists - 14/176
1808 federalists - 47/175
3 days before jefferson retires, congress substitutes the embargo act with the non-intercourse act (passed alongside the repeal of the embargo act, it reopened trade with all but two of the belligerent nations, britain and france. the act continued jefferson’s policy of economic coercion, still with little effect)
napoleon was like “yeah lol we’re still stealing american ships and we’re gonna say that we’re helping the embargo thing that the crusty american president has going on”
10-12 MADISON’S GAMBLE
jefferson steps down after two terms (like washington)
madison takes his place
small of stature
light of weight
bald of head
weak of voice
unable to dominate congress like jefferson 😔
congress dismantled the embargo completely with a bargaining measure known as macon’s bill no. 2 (aimed at resuming peaceful trade with britain and france, the act stipulated that if either britain or france repealed its trade restrictions, the US would reinstate the embargo of the nonrepealing nation. when napoleon offered to lift his restrictions on british ports, the US was forced to declare an embargo on britain, thereby pushing the two nations closer toward war
macon’s bill no. 2 practically admitted to the whole world that the US was nothing without its commercial allies
napoleon saw macon’s bill no. 2 and was like “oh i can manipulate mansplain malewife rn” so he did 🎀
madison gambled and reestablished the embargo against britain D:
means war is approaching.
10-13 TECUMSEH AND THE PROPHET
not all of madison’s party was reluctant to fight lol teehee
recent elections had swept away all of the crusty old men
now we have crusty younger men from the south and west!
aka war hawks - democratic-republican congressmen who pressed james madison to declare war on britain. largely drawn from the south and west, the war hawks resented british constraints on american trade and accused the british of supporting indian attacks against american settlements on the frontier
western war hawks also wanted to fight native americans
two shawnee brothers, tecumseh and tenskwatawa (aka the prophet) concluded that the white people sucked and that native americans could no longer stand as equals to the growing powers in the americas
the brothers band together all the native americans east of the mississippi to fight a last-ditch battle against the whites
“never cede land to whites unless all indians agree”
people were tweaking and were like “those canadians are influencing these indians!!!11!”"
william henry harrison (govna of indiana territory) gathered his army and enclosed on tecumseh’s hq
tecumseh was off recruiting supporters in the south, but his brother attacked harrison’s army
the prophet and his small army were defeated and their settlement burned
battle of tippecanoe - resulted in the defeat of shawnee chief tenskwatawa, “the prophet,” at the hands of william henry harrison in the indiana wilderness. after the battle, the prophet’s brother, tecumseh, forged an alliance with the british against the US
tecumseh fought fiercely with the brits until his death in 1813
with him died the dream of an indian confederacy
10-14 MR. MADISON’S WAR
by 1812, madison believed war with britain was definitely happening lol
british had armed the native americans
war hawks were egging him on
a representative (felix grundy of tennessee, whose 3 brothers were killed in altercations with indians) stated that there was only one way to remove the indian menace: wipe out their canadian base
madison turned to war to restore confidence
democratic republicans tried to steer clear of war, but that only ended in internal strife and international mockery
madison asked congress to declare war on june 1, 1812
congress obliged 2 weeks later, the first of just 5 times in all american history
house of reps: 79-49 for war
congress: 19-13 for war
support for war came from the south and west, but also from virginia and pennsylvania
federalist farmers sent huge quantities of supplies to canada, enabling british armies to invade new york
new england governors stubbornly refused to permit their militias to fight outside their own states
in a way, america had to fight both old england and new england
barely united, the US began war with britain
11-1 ON TO CANADA OVER LAND AND LAKES
war of 1812 - fought between britain and the united states largely over the issues of trade and impressment. though the war ended in a relative draw, it demonstrated america’s willingness to defend its interests militarily, earning the young nation newfound respect from european powers
on the eve of the war of 1812
regular army was ill-trained
regular army was ill disciplined
regular army was widely scattered
regular army had to be supplemented by the even more poorly trained militias
canada was then an important battleground in the war of 1812 cause the british couldn’t handle the cold lol
a SUCCESSFUL. american offensive might have squashed british influence among the native americans and gained new land for the US
but alas, the US’ frontal cortex is a wee bit underdeveloped
if the americans captured montreal, maybe the tides would have changed a bit…
however, the canadians and the british were very energetic!! and positive!! and rainbows and smiles and kittens!!!
early in the war, they captured the american fort of michilimackinac (commanded the upper great lakes and the indian-inhabited territories to the south and west)
inspired by british general isaac brock and assisted by “general mud” and “general confusion”
when american attempts to take canada failed, americans took to the waters, where they fared better
american ships were just overall better than british ships
overall were more skillfully handled
had better gunners
were manned by non-press-gang crews who were burning to avenge numerous indignities
american ships, notably the constitution (aka “old ironsides” ?? ok ig) had
thicker sides
heavier firepower
larger crews (1/6 sailors was a freed black)
controlling the great lakes was crucial
oliver hazard perry
managed to build a fleet of ships on the shores of lake erie
captured a british fleet
said “we have met the enemy and they are ours”
however, despite successes, in late 1814 america still struggled to fight back the british
napoleon was vanquished mid-1814???
temporary!
british prepared for a crushing blow to new york
HOWEVER!!! a weaker american fleet stood in the way,,,
thomas macdonough challenges the british.
HE WINS??????
11-2 WASHINGTON BURNED AND NEW ORLEANS DEFENDED
a second british force (~4k people) landed in chesapeake bay in august of 1814
invaded washington
invaded the capitol
invaded the white house
wait! i’m getting a call
THEY BURNED WASHINGTON??
THEY BURNED THE CAPITOL???
THEY BURNED THE WHITE HOUSE???
while washington was on fire, the american forces at baltimore held steady
british fleet hammered on fort mchenry, but could not take the city
francis scott key, an american imprisoned onboard a british ship, wrote the star-spangled banner!
a third british force, aimed this time at new orleans, menaced the entire mississippi valley :DDD
andrew jackson, armed with only 7k mixed defenders, wins the fight against ~8k battle-seasoned veterans
british lost over 2k, killed and wounded in half an hour
americans lost ~70
battle of new orleans - resounding victory of american forces against the british, restoring american confidence and fueling an outpouring of nationalism. final battle of the war of 1812!!
andrew jackson became a national hero
peace treaty signed at ghent, belgium, two weeks before the battle??
11-3 THE TREATY OF GHENT
tsar alexander I of russia, did NOT want his bf, britain, to waste their strength over in murica
already proposed mediation between britain and the US way back in 1812 lolll
tsar alexander brought 5 american peacemakers to ghent, belgium in 1814
led by john quincy adams, son of john adams
he didn’t like the night owl that was his colleague henry clay
britain made demands for a neutral indian buffer state in the great lakes region/control of the great lakes, and a good part of conquered maine
americans said "no?? ._.”
britain was WEARYYY 😩 (more willing to compromise)
congress of vienna - convention of major european powers to redraw the boundaries of continental europe after the defeat of napoleonic france
treaty of ghent - ended the war of 1812 in a virtual draw, restoring prewar borders but failing to address any of the grievances that first brought america into the war
signed on christmas eve, 1814
both sides agreed to stop fighting & to restore conquered territory
11-4 FEDERALIST GRIEVANCES AND THE HARTFORD CONVENTION
new england was still a problem 👎 yet it still prospered because of illegal trade w/ enemies in canada and cause there was no british blockade there until 1814
new england extremists were becoming a riot!
a small minority of them proposed secession from the union
“blue light” federalists supposedly flashed lanterns on the shore to alert blockading british cruisers would be alerted to the attempted escapes of american ships
hartford convention - convention of federalists from five new england states who opposed the war of 1812 and resented the strength of southern and western interests in congress and in the white house
late 1814
massachusetts calls for a convention at hartford, connecticut
massachusetts, rhode island, connecticut dispatched full delegations
new hampshire and vermont sent partial representation
26 total delegates met in secrecy for 3 weeks
hartford convention actually demanded:
financial assistance from washington to compensate for lost trade
proposed constitutional amendments requiring a two-thirds vote in congress before an embargo could be imposed/new states admitted/war declaration
these demands reflected fed fears that new england was falling to the newer, agrarian south and west
delegates sought to:
abolish the 3/5ths clause
limit presidents to a single term
prohibit the election of two successive presidents from the same state
three envoys from massachusetts carried these demands to burned-down washington, just in time to hear about the victory in new orleans and the treaty in ghent
11-5 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR
war of 1812 was small, left ~6k americans killed/wounded
if the war of 1812 had no clear winner, it had a loser — the native americans
the once powerful iroquois remaining neutral reflected that their numbers were declining and so was their influence
tecumseh and his allies aided the british, but their numbers (especially after the battle of tippecanoe) could not tip the scales in their favor
tecumseh’s message (even after his death) lived on in the south, with the creeks in alabama
creeks started beefing with other creeks who had pretty much whitewashed themselves
militant creeks, aka “red sticks” started beefing with the US army!
creek war - conflict fought by “red stick” creeks against fellow creeks, cherokee, and american militias. ended with the treaty of fort jackson, imposed by andrew jackson, in which the creek were forced to cede hundreds of thousands of acres of land
andrew jackson made the creeks cede over 20 million acres of territory, including half of alabama.
US spills over into the middle of north america, native americans east of the mississippi succumbed to the US’s hunger for land
overall the war rendered america less dependent on europe
canada felt betrayed by the treaty of ghent, and the failure to secure an indian buffer state/mastery on the great lakes
rush-bagot agreement - signed by britain and the united states, it established strict limits on naval armaments in the great lakes, a first step in the full demilitarization of the US-canadian border, completed in the 1870s
napoleon had his final defeat at waterloo in june 1815, and europe began a new era of peace
america was unaffected by europe’s developments
faced westward
11-6 NASCENT NATIONALISM
most impressive byproduct of the war of 1812 - heightened nationalism
may not have gone into the war as one nation, but emerged as one nation
textbooks in schools were now written by americans, for americans
revived bank of the US was voted into existence by congress in 1816
washington revived itself into a better capital
army expanded to 10k men
11-7 "THE AMERICAN SYSTEM”
nationalism is evolving into… pikachu manufacturing!!
american cities were still small compared to european cities
HOWEVER!!! american cities introduced mechanization
textile mills were built along rivers to capture water power to turn american-grown cotton to american-made shirts/drapes
artisans and their apprentices slowly start being taken over by machinery
british manufacturers were like “man we hate them americans” so they dumped the contents of their stuffed warehouses onto the US
cut their prices so that the baby american factories would die lol
to many red-blooded americans, it seemed that the redcoats failed to crush the americans on the battlefield, so they were now taking the fight to the marketplace
tariff of 1816 - first protective tariff in american history, created primarily to shield new england manufacturers from the inflow of british goods after the war of 1812
first tariff in american history for protection, not money
roughly 20-25% on the value of dutiable imports — were not enough to provide adequate safeguards
those that were protected wanted more protection
henry clay (he makes a return!) developed a profitable home market behind a scheme called the american system (henry clay’s three-pronged system to promote american industry. clay advocated a strong banking system, a protective tariff, and a federally funded transportation network)
strong banking system - easy and abundant credit
protective tariff - eastern manufacturing would flourish
revenue would eventually lead to:
transportation network - a network of roads and canals, especially in the ohio valley
persistent demands by henry clay + others for better transportation resonated w/ the public
actually was one of the biggest striking aspects of the nationalism inspired by the war of 1812
congress votes in 1817 to distribute $1.5 millie to the states for “internal improvements” but pres madison vetoed cause it was unconstitutional!
11-8 THE SO-CALLED ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS
james monroe was elected for the presidency of 1816 by the republicans
pretty much squashed the federalist opposition (183 - 34 votes)
straddled two generations - founding father age, nationalism age
level-headed, mild-mannered, 6ft guy
went pretty much on tour across the country lol
even federalist new england liked the guy
era of good feelings - popular name for the period of one-party, republican rule during james monroe’s presidency. the term obscures bitter conflicts over internal improvements, slavery, and the national bank
was a misnomer!!!/
issues of the tariff, bank, internal improvements, and sale of public lands were being contested
conflict over slavery was rising
11-9 THE PANIC OF 1819 AND THE CURSE OF HARD TIMES
economic panic 🥰
deflation
depression
bankruptcies
bank failures
unemployment
soup kitchens (??)
overcrowded pesthouses (aka debtors prisons)
first national financial panic since washington
western farmers, with hefty mortgages on overpriced land, were hard hit
bank of the US forced western banks to foreclose mortgages on countless farms
technically legal!
panic of 1819 - severe financial crisis brought on primarily by the efforts of the bank of united states to curb overspeculation on western lands. it disproportionately affected the poorer classes, especially in the west, sowing the seeds of jacksonian democracy
11-10 GROWING PAINS OF THE WEST
between 1791 and 1819, nine frontier states had joined the union
why big expansion?
continuation of the westward movement from the good ol colonizer days!
cheap land — aka ohio fever — pretty much rizzed up the europeans (this is the best way i could possibly put it)
old tobacco states had finally killed the soil, driving people westward
the defeat of many native americans in the war of 1812 by generals jackson and harrison caused people to look westward
built highways! ex. cumberland road (started in 1811, running from maryland to illinois)
although the west had a steady stream of settlers, it was still weak in population and influence
forced to ally itself with other sections
demanded cheap acreage
land act of 1820 - fueled the settlement of the northwest and missouri territories by lowering the price of public land. also prohibited the purchase of federal acreage on credit, thereby eliminating one of the causes of the panic of 1819
80 virgin acres - $1.25/acre
west demanded cheap money, issued by their own banks, and fought the national bank ???
11-11 SLAVERY AND THE SECTIONAL BALANCE
sectional tensions, including rivalry with the slave south/free north over the new west were about to explode in 1819
missouri was like “yo congress can we be a slave state”
tallmadge amendment - failed proposal to prohibit the importation of slaves into the missouri territory and pave the way for gradual emancipation. southerners vehemently opposed the amendment, which they perceived as a threat to the sectional balance between north and south
congress responded “no more slaves for missouri” and “also we’re freeing the children of the slaves you already have lol”
people were mad
southerners managed to defeat the tallmadge amendment
when the constitution was adopted, the north and the south were competing for wealth and population
with every 10 years, the north grew in those respects
increased northern majority in the house of representatives
peculiar institution - widely used term for the institution of american slavery in the south. its use in the first half of the nineteenth century reflected a growing division between the north, where slavery was gradually abolished, and the south, where slavery became increasingly entrenched
11-12 THE UNEASY MISSOURI COMPROMISE
henry clay (he’s back!) played a leading role in the three compromises that had broken the washington deadlock
congress admits missouri as a slave state
at the same time maine is admitted as a state
balance between north and south was kept at 12-12
neither the north nor south were happy but no one was mad
missouri compromise - allowed missouri to enter as a slave state but preserved the balance between north and south by carving free-soil maine out of massachusetts and prohibiting slavery from territories acquired from the louisiana purchase, north of the line of 36°30′
lasted 34 years
11-15 SHARING OREGON AND ACQUIRING FLORIDA
anglo-american convention (signed by britain and the united states, the pact allowed new england fishermen access to newfoundland fisheries, established the northern border of louisiana territory, and provided for the joint occupation of the oregon country for ten years
permitted americans to share newfoundland with canadians! (are we still beefing with them??)
also fixed louisiana’s northern borders along the 49th parallel
revolutions in latin america started happening very very frequently (chile in 1810, venezuela in 1811, and argentina in 1816)
americans were super supportive cause. well. yknow
spain sent so many troops to detain the rebellions from florida to south america
andrew jackson caught wind that hostile seminole indians and fugitive slaves were hiding out in florida
so he secured a commission to punish the native americans, recapture the runaway slaves, and get out of florida, respecting all posts under the spanish flag
was absolutely brutal when he crossed the florida border (hung two indian chiefs without ceremony, executed two british subjects for assisting them, and seized two of the most important spanish posts in the area: st marks and pensacola
clearly exceeds washington’s requests; pres monroe was like “yo! what do we do!” to his cabinet, his cabinet goes “we hate that guy!” except john quincy adams, who demands stuff from spain lol
adams-onis treaty - under the agreement, spain ceded florida to the united states, and the two nations agreed on the southwestern boundary of the louisiana purchase. spain retained the territory from texas to california while abandoning its claims to the oregon country
spain cedes florida + oregon in exchange for texas claims
western boundary of louisiana zigzag northwesterly to the rockies to the 42nd parallel and then turn towards the pacific, dividing oregon
11-16 THE MENACE OF MONARCHY IN AMERICA
after… napoleon… europeans were like “ok lets not let that happen again hahahahaha”
they wanted to get rid of democracy and stamp it out of everywhere lol :p
“world must be made safe from democracy”
crowned monarchists smothered the budding rebellions in italy (1821) and in spain (1823)
there were rumors that russia, austria, prussia, and france sent powerful ships and armies to spanish america to egg on the revolutions
america is freaking out! they were afraid that if european powers entered the new world (again), the security of the US would be endangered
russia was expanding its territory from alaska all the way down to what is now the san francisco bay; americans were like “omg they’re cutting us off from california and the pacific this is bad”
great britain, however, was not like the other girls of europe! they were actually chill??
didnt wanna get involved in another revolution and have their butts kicked again
in august of 1823, george canning, the british foreign secretary, came over to the US with a proposal.
“yo do you guys wanna combine with britain in a joint declaration? its for like. renouncing interest in these latin american revolutions and warn the other european nations to keep their hands to themselves”
american minister thought about it. he ran it to washington.
11-17 MONROE AND HIS DOCTRINE
secretary adams was like “dude what are you thinking. the british are crafty why would they bring us gifts bro”
adams was then like “ohhh the british fear us because we might seize the spanish territory in the caribbeannnnn”
then he was like “well this alliance is like saying we hate ourselves. also it’s really unnecessary”
suspected (correctly) that european powers did not have plans on invading the americas lol
monroe doctrine - statement delivered by president james monroe, warning european powers to refrain from seeking any new territories in the americas. the US largely lacked the power to back up the pronouncement, which was actually enforced by the british, who sought unfettered access to latin american markets
noncolonization
era of colonization in the americas had ended!!
was to russia in the west.
nonintervention
“keep my wife’s [latin america] name out your [european powers] mouth”
11-18 MONROE DOCTRINE APPRAISED
europeans were absolutely not happy with the monroe doctrine!
their hands were tied anyway LOL
educated latin americans even saw the doctrine and went “yeah. this guy isn’t really for us, he’s for his own country and nothing really stands between us and the british navy haha”
tsar of russia retreated from cali before the doctrine in the russo-american treaty (fixed the line of 54°40’ as the southernmost boundary of russian holdings in north america)
monroe doctrine might as well have been called the self defense doctrine
12-1 THE “CORRUPT BARGAIN” OF 1824
four presidential candidates above all others — john quincy adams, henry clay, william h. crawford, and andrew jackson
all four were “republicans”
jackson pretty much had the strongest personal appeal cause he was a war hero
won the popular vote
lost a majority of the electoral vote
henry clay was still a big influence in throwing the election; used process of elimination
crawford had a stroke
clay was beefing with jackson
adams wins!!!!!
adams wins and a few days later, makes clay the secretary of state
corrupt bargain - alleged deal between presidential candidates john quincy adams and henry clay to throw the election, to be decided by the house of representatives, in adams’s favor. though never proven, the accusation became a rallying cry for supporters of andrew jackson, who had actually garnered a plurality of the popular vote in 1824
12-2 A YANKEE MISFIT IN THE WHITE HOUSE
john quincy adams was pretty much a chip off the old block
was one of the best secretaries of state
was one of the least successful presidents
adams entered his term in the white house under charges of “bargain,” “corruption,” and “usurpation”
fewer than a 1/3 of the voters voted for him
during his whole term, he only fired 12 people from the payroll
many adams followers did not like this either
urged congress to construct roads and canals
renewed george washington’s proposal for national university, adams also advocated astronomical observatory
people were NOT happy. “our money’s going to this??”
if meddling in local affairs like education and roads continues, what about slavery???
12-3 LAND AND THE “FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES”
five civilized tribes - collective appellation of the creek, cherokee, seminole, choctaw, and chickasaw peoples of the american southeast. their agricultural practices, receptivity to american missionaries, and relative political cohesion led white americans to dub them “civilized”
these tribes practiced agriculture and animal husbandry
some even acquired slaves
adopted christianity
a disabled cherokee man named sequoyah developed an alphabet for the cherokee language
soon the cherokee wrote a constitution and newspaper
southern states wanted these native americans GONE
georgia wanted them out real bad
12-5 “OLD HICKORY” AS PRESIDENT
andrew jackson basically was tweaking physically a lot
(giant forehead, funny eyebrows, and blue eyes 😭)
was irritable and emaciated due to his many long-term bouts with dysentery, malaria, tuberculosis, and lead poisoning from two bullets that remained inside him 😭😭😭
was often called “mischievous andy” growing up cause he was an orphan boy
had more interest in brawling, cockfighting than for spelling, reading
an anti-jackson newspaper said that his mother was a prostitute who married a mulatto man (😱) and had jackson and his siblings
so he moved “up west” to tennessee and became a judge/member of congress
was a violent guy
got up to duels, stabbings, the occasional violent fray
would get so passionate that he would choke up upon talking about the things he was passionate about
first president from the west, second without a college education (after washington)
when jackson was inaugurated, “hickoryites” poured into the capital, sleeping on hotel floors and hallways, to see their hero take office (and to snag a well-paying job of their own)
for the first time, commoners and nobodies mixed with notables at the white house
12-6 THE SPOILS SYSTEM
spoils system - policy of rewarding political supporters with public office, first widely employed at the federal level by andrew jackson. the practice was widely abused by unscrupulous office seekers, but it also helped cement party loyalty in the emerging two-party system
name came from senator william marcy’s classic remark
jackson defended the spoils system, saying “every man is as good as his neighbor, perhaps equally better”
12-7 THE TRICKY “TARIFF OF ABOMINATIONS”
tariff issue was jqa’s (john quincy adams)’s headaches
now andrew jackson is tweaking because of the tariff
tariffs protect american industry from european influence, drives prices up tho
tariff of abominations - noteworthy for its unprecedently high duties on imports. southerners vehemently opposed the tariff, arguing that it hurt southern farmers, who did not enjoy that protection of tariffs but were forced to pay higher prices for manufacturers
14-1 REVIVING RELIGION
church!
the age of reason - thomas paine’s anticlerical treatise that accused churches of seeking to acquire “power and profit” and to “enslave mankind”
deism - eighteenth-century religious doctrine that emphasized reasoned moral behavior and the scientific pursuit of knowledge. most deists rejected biblical inerrancy and the divinity of christ, but they did believe that a supreme being created the universe
for a while (since puritan times oOoOOh), protestants were like “well do we want free will or human salvation? tough choice”
pictured god as not a stern creator, but a loving father
methodists, baptists, unitarians
presbyterian, congregationalist
social/economic environment was changing too
with the introduction of roads and canals to move around more
with the influx of immigrants to new cities
second great awakening - religious revival characterized by emotional mass “camp meetings” and widespread conversion. brought about a democratization of religion as a multiplicity of denominations vied for members
nearly 25k people would gather at these “camp meetings” for several days
methodists and baptists had the most members
this peter cartwright guy - methodist “circuit riders” (aka traveling frontier preacher)
wasn’t. educated.
moved for 50 years from tennessee to illinois
converted thousands
punched guys that tried to break up his sermons 💪
this charles grandison finney guy - “greatest of the revival preachers”
lawyer originally but converted
held huge crowds
massive revivals in rochester and nyc
innovator
devised the “anxious bench”, where repentant sinners could sit in full view of the congregation
denounced alcohol and slavery
second great awakening was like actually advanced for the times (feminization)
wives and daughters of businessmen made up the majority of the new church members
14-2 DENOMINATIONAL DIVERSITY
revivals also fragmented other religious faiths
burned-over district - popular name for western new york, a region particularly swept up in the religious fervor of the second great awakening
millerites/adventists rose from the burned-over district and interpreted the bible to mean that jesus would return to earth on oct 22, 1844
failure of jesus’ arrival didn’t destroy the movement??
the second great awakening widened the gap between classes & regions
eastern, prosperous, conservative denominations were “less shaken” by the revival (episcopalians, presbyterians, congregationalists, unitarians)
southern/western, newer, less prosperous, less “learned” denominations were the result of the revival (methodists, baptists, other sects)
religious diversity made people ponder when it came to slavery
“first the churches split, then the political parties split, and then the Union split”
14-3 A DESERT ZION IN UTAH
this guy, joseph smith, a visionary, reported that an angel had given him golden plates
deciphering it encoded the book of mormon
mormons - religious followers of joseph smith, who founded a communal, oligarchic religious order in the 1830s, officially known as the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. mormons, facing deep hostility from their non-mormon neighbors, eventually migrated west and established a flourishing settlement in the utah desert
was a native american product/new religion
after establishing control, smith ran into some opps in ohio, missouri, and illinois
in 1844 joseph smith and his brother get murdered and mangled (that’s just what was happening back in them days)
religion was saved by this guy named brigham young!!
only had 11 years months weeks days of schooling!!!
took the religion to utah
brigham young married like 27 women and had like 56 kids
polygamy became a hell of an issue later tho
14-4 FREE SCHOOLS FOR A FREE PEOPLE
tax-supported primary schools had mixed support
some midwestern legislator wanted his tombstone to say “here lies an enemy of public education”
lagged behind in the south
triumphed between 1825-1850
basically, people realized that the future generation was gonna. become voters. so they were like “well we should educate the voters because holy moly the president has to be good??”
famed little red schoolhouse
one room, stove, teacher (usually male), eight grades, stayed open only a few months
teachers were:
too ill-tempered
too ill-paid
too ill-trained
teachers taught the “three Rs”:
readin
ritin
rithmetic
horace mann (1796-1859) (state legislator)
secretary of the massachusetts board of education!!
campaigned for better schoolhouses, longer terms, higher teacher salary, better/expanded curriculum
education was still, unfortunately, an expensive luxury, but things were changin!!!
as of 1860, there were only ~100 high schools with less than a millie white literate americans
black slaves in the south were forbidden to learn reading/writing, and even free blacks (all over the country) were usually excluded from the schools
14-5 HIGHER GOALS FOR HIGHER LEARNING
higher education was kind of taking off!
small liberal arts colleges!
usually didnt teach much and were more for pride
was usually extremely boring
first state-supported universities sprang up in the south
begun w north carolina
university of virginia, founded in 1819, was the “brainchild of thomas jefferson” and he even watched it be built from his house
women’s higher education
frowned upon <3
a woman’s place is in the home, not studying algebra 🙄
teachers of susan b anthony (future feminist) refused to teach her long division
women’s secondary schools became somewhat respected, mostly thanks to emma willard, who established the troy (new york) female seminary
oberlin college admitted female students and black students!!
adults who wanted more learning
went to either private subscription libraries or tax-supported libraries
lyceum - (from the greek name for the ancient athenian school where aristotle taught.) public lecture hall that hosted speakers on topics ranging from science to moral philosophy. part of a broader flourishing of higher education in the mid-nineteenth century
14-6 AN AGE OF REFORM
reform campaigns grew and flourished
although some reformists were a bit insane in the membrane, most were “intelligent, inspired idealists”
the intelligent idealists refined the puritan vision of perfected society: free from crime, war, alcohol, discrimination, and eventually slavery
imprisonment for debt
was still a nightmare!
hundreds of broke people were in ditches, sometimes for owing less than a buck
reformers
succeeded in reducing the number of capital offences
helped eliminate brutal punishments (eg whipping, branding)
believed that discipline, faith, and sympathy (notice how lashing is not on this list?) could help reincorporate good members of society
mentally ill persons
treated with absolute cruelty!!!
concept was that the mentally ill were cursed with unclean spirits
“willfully perverse and depraved”
were chained in jailhouses with sane people
dorothea dix
although she was physically weak, she had “infinite compassion and willpower”
traveled over 60k miles in 8 years to assemble reports on asylums and insanity
described “cells so foul that visitors were driven back by the stench” to the massachusetts legislature
agitation for peace
gained momentum in the pre-civil war years
1828 - american peace society formed
william ladd - spoke until his legs grew too badly ulcerated
campaign against warmongering & the outpouring of sympathy for the nation’s less-fortunate (mentally ill, poor in general) also led to the protest against the mistreatment of native americans