People

Thomas Jefferson

• Significant Action: Wrote the Declaration of Independence; completed the Louisiana Purchase.

• Impact: Defined U.S. democratic ideals and expanded its territory.

• Beliefs: Supported liberty and states’ rights but was pragmatic in governance.

John Locke

• Significant Action: Wrote Two Treatises of Government.

• Impact: Inspired U.S. founding principles, especially natural rights and government by consent.

• Beliefs: Advocated for life, liberty, and property as natural rights.

Eli Whitney

• Significant Action: Invented the cotton gin.

• Impact: Revolutionized agriculture but entrenched slavery in the South.

• Beliefs: Focused on technological progress and economic growth.

Andrew Jackson

• Significant Action: Advocated for the “common man” and signed the Indian Removal Act.

• Impact: Expanded democracy for white men but displaced Native Americans.

• Beliefs: Opposed elites and supported westward expansion.

John Calhoun

• Significant Action: Championed states’ rights and slavery.

• Impact: Influenced Southern secessionist ideas.

• Beliefs: Defended slavery as a “positive good” and prioritized state sovereignty.