deblas final exam flashcards

Test Format:

• 40 multiple choice (31 seen before)

  • 5 about Sectionalism

    • Cession

    • Dred Scott

    • Five parts of some kind of election

  • 4 about the Civil War

• 3 of 5 short answers (all seen before)

• 1 of 3 long answer

Free Response Topics:

• Push and pull factors

  • Push Factors (reasons migrants leave their home countries)

    • Violence and Insecurity

    • Political Corruption

    • Gender Inequality

    • Enviornmental Degradation and Climate Change

    • Limited Access to Education and Healthcare

  • Pull Factors (attractions to the U.S.)

    • Economic Opportunities

    • Family Reunification

    • Improved Quality of Life

    • Perceived Safety and Stability

  • While push and pull factors influence migration, recent trends suggest that push factors are increasingly the primary drivers 

• Jamestown colony and its development (1618)

  • Founded 1607 - in VA, on James River - first permanent settlement in North America - founded by Virginia Company (joint-stock company) for profit and expansion of English territory

  • Early Struggles

    • Harsh conditions / “Starving Time” (1609-1610) 80% of colonists died / Native relations (intially helped by Powhatan Confederacy, but tensions grew

  • Recovery and Growth

    • John Smith’s leadership: enforced discipline

    • Tobacco cultivation (1612): cash crop -> economic boom

  • Major Development by 1618

    • Headright System (1618): land grants (50 acres per person) to attract settlers

    • Labor source: indentured servants from England increased

    • Self-government: move towards more local control, leading to the 1619 creation of House of Burgesses (first legislative assembly in the colonies)

• Colonization

  • Formation of Colonies

    • New England Colonies: formed for religious freedom 

      • ex.) Plymouth 1620 & Massachusetts Bay 1630

    • Middle Colonies: mix of economic and religious motives 

      • ex.) Pennslyvania & New York

    • Southern Colonies: profit-driven, agriculture-based 

      • ex.) Jamestown 1607 & Carolina 1670s

    • Charter types:

      • Royal: controlled by the crown

      • Proprietary: granted to individuals (ex. William Penn - PA)

      • Self-governing: more independence (ex. Rhode Island)

  • Self-Government

    • Mayflower Compact (1620): first written framework of self-government (Plymouth)

    • Town meetings: local democracy, especially in New England

    • House of Burgesses (1619): Virginia, first elected legislature body in the colonies

    • Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639): first written constitution in the colonies

  • Education

    • New England: valued literacy for Bible reading (Puritan influence)

      • ex.)  Massachusetts School Law (1647) - required public education

      • ex.) Harvard College (1636) - first college

    • Middle/Southern Colonies: less emphasis; private tutors or church-based

  • Religious Toleration

    • New England: mostly Puritan; limited toleration

    • Rhode Island (1636): founded by Roger Williams for full religious freedom

    • Maryland (1649): Toleration Act allowed freedom for Christians

    • Pennsylvania: founded by Quaker William Penn - most tolerant colony

  • Economic Development

    • New England: small farms, shipbuilding, fishing, trade

    • Middle Colonies: “Breadbasket” (wheat, corn), trade, moderate slavery

    • Southern Colonies: plantation economy (tobacco, rice, indigo), heavy slave labor

    • Mercantilism: colonies existed to benefit the mother country (England)

• Indentured servitude and the development of slavery

  • Indetured servants

    • workers (usually poor Europeans) signed contracts to work 4-7 years in exchange for passage to the New World

    • Common in 1600s in VA and MD

    • Work: farm labor, especially tobacco plantations

    • Servants were freed after completing their terms and sometimes rewarded with land or money

    • Decline: by late 1600s, fewer Europeans willing to indenture, and freed servants demanded land

  • Develoment of slavery

    • By late 1600s, laws began to permanently enslave Africans and their children

    • Slave codes: laws passed to control enslaved people and define slavery as lifelong and hereditary

    • Slavery became essential to plantation agriculture in Southern economy (tobacco, rice, cotton later)

  • SUMMARY - indentured servitude came first, but economic demand and social tensions led to permanent slavery; slavery became race-based, legal, and central to the Southern colonial economy

• Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) - Virginia Colony (by Jamestown)

  • WHO

    • Nathaniel Bacon (wealthy VA planter)

    • Gov. William Berkeley (Colonial governor of VA)

    • Frontier settlers & former indentured servants ( poor whites + some Africans joined Bacon)

    • Native American tribes (targeted by settlers during conflict)

  • WHAT

    • Violent rebellion against VA’s colonial gov., led by Bacon + frontier settlers -> protested Gov. Berkeley’s refusal to protect frontier settlers from NA attacks + his favoritism towards wealthy elites

    • Result: Bacon and followers burned Jamestown and attacked NA tribes

  • WHY (causes)

    • Economic Inequality - former indentured servants wanted land

    • Government Corruption - Berkeley favored the elite

    • NA Conflict - settlers wanted harsher policies and more land taken from tribes

    • Class Tension - poor whites and Blacks united against elite

  • Outcome & Significance

    • Bacon died suddenly -> rebellion collapsed

    • Elite responded - shifted from indentured servants to African slavery to prevent future unity among poor whites and Blacks

    • Marked a turning point toward race-based slavery and tightening of colonial control

• Compare and contrast New England and the Southern colonies in multiple ways

  • New England

    • Religion-centered, community-based, small-scale economy, more education

    • Rocky soil, short growing season, cold winters

    • Small farms, shipbuilding, fishing, trading

    • Family labor, few enslaved people

    • Purita-based strictly

    • Town meetings, self-rule, compact communities

    • Education highly valued

  • Southern Colonies

    • Profit-driven, plantation economy, dependent on slavery, less education for general public

    • Fertile soil, long growing season, warm climate

    • Plantation agriculture: tobacco, rice, indigo

    • Heavy use of enslaved Africans on plantations

    • Anglican Church dominant, more religious freedom later

    • County governments, dominated by landowning elite

    • Education less emphasized; tutors for wealthy, few schools

• MERCANTILISM

  • Mercantilism was an economic theory that dominated the 16th-18th centuries, where nations tried to build wealth and power by controlling trade and accumulating gold and silver

  • Key Principles

    • Colonies exist to benefit mother country (England)

    • Export more than you import - favorable balance of trade

    • Raw materials (like tobacco, lumber, cotton) sent from colonies to England

    • Manufactured goods sent from England back to colonies for profit

    • Navigation Acts: English laws requiring colonies to trade mainly with England

  • Impact on Colonies

    • Limited trade freedom - colonies couldn’t trade freely with other countries

    • Encouraged smuggling when colonists wanted better deals

    • Tensions grew between colonies and England -> contributed to American Revolution later

  • Main Takeaway

    • Mercantilism made colonies part of a system where England grew richer by controlling colonial trade, setting the stage for future conflict over economic independence

• French and Indian War (1754-1763)

  • WHO

    • France and its NA allies vs Britain and its American colonists + Iroquois Confederacy

  • WHAT

    • A war over control of land and trade in North America, especially the Ohio River Valley

    • Part of the larger Seven Years’ War (global conflict between Britain and France)

  • WHERE

    • Primarily in the Ohio River Valley, Great Lakes, and upstate New York

    • Extended to other parts of North America and globally (as part of the Seven Years’ War)

  • WHY

    • Territorial Competition: Britain and France both wanted to extend westward

    • Control of fur trade and key rivers

    • Native tribes allied with the side that best served their interests (mostly France at first)

  • Main Outcomes & Effects

    • Britain won and gained French Canada and land east of the Mississippi 

    • France lose most of its North American territory

    • Colonial unity increased

    • Huge British debt -> led to taxing the colonies (ex. Stamp Act)

    • Sparked tension between Britain and the colonies - a cause of the American Revolution

    • SUMMARY - The French and Indian War gave Britain control of more land, but created debt and conflict that led directly to the American Revolution.

• 1763 and the Proclamation

  • 1763

    • Turning point in colonial history because…

      • French and Indian War ended with the Treaty of Paris 

      • Britain gained control of French lands east of the Mississippi River

      • Britain was in massive debt from the war

      • To avoid further conflict with NA, the British issued Proclamation of 1763

  • Proclamation of 1763

    • WHAT

      • A royal order by King George lll

      • Prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

    • WHY

      • To prevent conflict with NA, especially after Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763 NA uprising)

      • To make western land easier to control under British authority

    • Colonial Reaction

      • Colonists were angry - they had just fought for that land and wanted to expand west

      • Many ignored the Proclamation and moved west anyway

      • Increased tension between colonists and Britain

    • SUMMARY - The Proclamation of 1763 limited colonial expansion and marked the start of growing resentment toward British control - setting the stage for the American Revolution.

• ACTS (starting in 1764) up to fighting

• EVENTS leading to the Revolutionary War

  • Proclamation of 1763 / Sugar Act / Stamp Act / Quatering Act / Townshend Acts / Boston Massacre / Tea Act / Boston Tea Party / Intolerable Acts / Lexington and Concord

  • Over 12 years, rising tensions over taxation, control, and British military presence turned protests into open warfare, as colonists demanded independence

• Phases of the American Revolution

  • Phase  1: New England Phase (1775-1776)

    • Key Focus: early fighting in the North, especially in MA

• Phase 2: Middle Colonies Phase (1776-1778)

  • Key Focus: British try to cut off New England by controlling NY & PA

• Phase 3: Souther Phase (1778-1781)

  • Key Focus: British shift to South, hope to win with Loyalist support

• War Ends (1783)

  • Treaty of Paris: Britain recognized American independence

  • U.S. gained land east of the Mississippi River

  • Loyalists promised protection (though often ignored)

• Main Takeaway

  • The war moved from New England -> Middle Colonies -> South

  • Turning point: Saratoga brought French support

  • Victory: Yorktown, with French help, ended the war

• Treaty of Paris (1783)

  • Peace treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War between GB and US - signed September 3, 1783 - Key Negotiators: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay

  • Main Terms of the Treaty

    • GB recognized US independence

    • US borders were set + GB gave up claims to US territory

    • Americans agreed to pay debts owed to British creditors + Loyalists were supposed to be treated fairly and have their property restored, though often ignored

  • Effects of the Treaty

    • US became an independent nation

    • Huge territorial expansion for US

    • Tensions remained with GB over issues like forts and trade

    • Spain regained Florida & NA lost land and protection from British allies

  • STUDY TIP

    • “I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.T.”

      • Independence recognized

      • New borders set

      • Debts to British paid

      • Expansion westward

      • Property rights promised to Loyalists

      • Enemy troops to leave

      • Native Americans ignored

      • Diplomacy by Franklin, Adams, Jay

      • E—--

      • N—--

      • T—--

• AOC - good and bad (division of power between state and federal power)

  • Main Idea

    • First US government after independence - created a weak national government with most power in the states

  • Division of Power

    • States had most power (independent, made their own laws, taxes, money)

    • Federal government had very limited power 

      • Could declare war, make treaties, run a postal service

      • Could NOT tax, enforce laws, or regulate trade

  • Strengths (the Good)

    • Won the Revolutionary War / Negotiated Treaty of Paris / Passed Northwest Ordinance (1787);  set rules for adding new states

  • Weaknesses (the Bad)

    • No power to tax = no money

    • No army or way to enforce laws + no control over trade between states

    • Each state had 1 vote, regardless of size

    • Needed 13/13 states to amend  = almost impossible

    • Led to Shays’ Rebellion, showing weakness

  • Why It Ended

    • Too weak to keep the country united -> replaced by the US Constitution in 1789

• Federalists vs Democratic-Republicans

• Big Picture

  • Federalists = order, industry, strong national government

  • Democratic-Republicans = liberty, farming, power to the people/states

• Constitution Format, Structure, and Ratification

  • Preamble

    • Intro statement of goals: “We the people…” / Purpose: establish justice, ensure peace, defend the nation, promote well-being, secure liberty

  • 7 Articles

    • Article I - Legislative Branch

    • Article II - Executive Branch

    • Article III - Judicial Branch

    • Article IV - State powers and relationships

    • Article V - Amendment process

    • Article VI - Federal power is supreme (Supremacy Clause)

    • Article VII - Ratification process

  • Amendments

    • 27 total

    • First 10 =  Bill of Rights (guarantees individual freedoms)

  • Ratification

    • Needed 9 out of 13 states to approve (supermajority) 

    • Federalists supported ratification (strong central government)

    • Anti-Federalists opposed it (wanted a Bill of Rights)

    • Ratified in 1788, the Bill of Rights was added in 1791 to win over Anti-Federalists

  • Quick Tip to Remember

    • P.A.A. = Preamble, Articles, Amendments

• Federalists vs Anti-Federalists and their role in the Constitution 

  • Federalists

    • Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, then became the BOR

    • Wanted a strong national government to keep order and unity

    • Believed the Constitution fixed the AOC’s weaknesses

    • Thought the checks and balances would prevent tyranny

    • Didn’t see the need for the Bill of Rights (thoguth the Consitituion already limited government)

  • Anti-Federalists

    • Thought the constitution granted too much power to the government

    • Did not want a strong central government

    • Mostly farmers, debtors, and people in the back country (poor)

    • They did not like the dropping of annual elections for congressional representatives, the creation of a federal stronghold, the creation of a standing army, and the process of ratifying the Constitution, which only required nine of the states

    • Wanted a Bill of Rights protecting individual rights

    • We were eventually persuaded when they said there would be a BOR

    • Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and Richard Lee

• Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

  • Series of 4 laws passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress under President John Adams

  • Alien Acts: made it harder for immigrants to become citizens (increased wait from 5 to 14 years) and allowed the president to deport “dangerous” non-citizens

  • Sedition Acts: made it illegal to criticize the government, especially targeting Democratic-Republican newspaper editors

  • Significance:

    •  Seen as an abuse of power and violation of the First Amendment (free speech & press)

    • Increased tensions between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans & reflected fear of foreign influence and internal dissent during the Quasi-War

  • Response:

    •  Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798-99)

      • Written secretly by Jefferson and Madison

      • Argued that states could nullify federal laws they believed were unconstitutional

    • Sparked a major debate over states’ rights vs federal power

    • Helped rally opposition to the Federalists, contributing to Jefferson’s victory in the 1800 election

• Thomas Jefferson 

  • The Good

    • Author of Declaration of Independence

    • Louisiana Purchase (1803) - doubled the size of the US, access to Miss River and New Orleans, promoted westward expansion

    • Promoted democracy and limited government

    • Cut national debt

    • Supported education and individual rights

  • The Bad

    • Owned enslaved people

    • Embargo Act of 1807 - hurt the US economy badly by stopping all trade with Europe

    • Contradictions - spoke against federal power, but the LA Purchase and Embargo ACt both used broad federal authority

    • Racial views - held and published racist beliefs

• Development of foreign policy and the War of 1812

  • Early US Foreign Policy

    • GW’s Neutrality Proclamation (1793)

      • US stayed neutral in European wars + set a long-term precedent of avoiding foreign alliances

    • Jay’s Treaty (1794)

      • Tried to settle issues with Britain -> unpopular with many Americans who thought it gave too much to GB

    • XYZ Affair (1797)

      • French officials demanded bribes to negotiate with US diplomats -> caused anti-French feelings leading to Quasi-War (undeclared naval war with France)

    • Embargo Act (1807)

      • Jefferson banned all foreign trade to avoid war with Gb and France -> hurt US economy, especially merchants

  • War of 1812 (1812-1815)

    • Causes:

      • British impressment of American sailors + British interference with US trade

      • British support of NA attacks on US settler in Northwest Territory

      • Pressure from War Hawks 

    • Key Events:

      • US invaded Canada - failed

      • Britished burned Washington, DC (1814)

      • US victories like Battle of Lake Erie and Battle of New Orleans (led by AJ)

    • Effects:

      • Treaty of Ghent (1814): ended the war (that’s it)

      • Boost in US nationalism - seen as a “second war for independence”

      • Decline of the Federalist party 

      • Encouraged American manufacturing and westward expansion

    • Overall Significance: the US began asserting itself more on the global stage and it strengthened national identity & confirmed independence from GB

• Cause and effect of 19th-century immigration

  • Causes

    • Push Factors

      • Famine (Irish Potato Famine)

      • Political unrest or persecution

      • Poverty and lack of land in Europe

      • Religious persection 

    • Pull Factors

      • Job opportunities

      • Cheap land

      • Freedom of religion and speech

      • The “American Dream” 

  • Effects

    • Positive

      • Rapid population growth

      • Labor force for growing industies

      • Cultural diversity 

      • Helped build major infrastructure

    • Negative

      • Overcrowding in cities -> poor living conditions

      • Job competition

      • Rise of nativism (Know-Nothing party)

      • Discrimination

  • Overall Significance: 19th century immigration transformed American society - fueling economic growth, but also causing social tensions and debates about American identity 

• US Industrial Revolution (mid-1800s)

  • WHO

    • Inventors such as Eli Whitney and Samuel Morse, factory owners and entrepreneurs, immigrant and child laborers, women in textile mills

  • WHAT

    • A major shift from handmade goods and agriculture to machine-made goods and factory work

    • Rise of mass production, urbanization, and transportation networks

  • WHERE

    • Northeast US, especially in New England

    • Spread to Midwest and later the South (after Civil War)

  • WHY

    • Causes

      • New inventions, War of 1812, natural resources, growing population=labor force & consumers, improved transportation 

    • Effects

      • Growth of cities and factories

      • Poor working conditions

      • Rise of labor unions

      • Transportation revolution

      • US became an industrial power

  • Summary: The US industrial revolution changed how people worked, lived, and moved, but also brought serious social challenges.

• 2nd Great Awakening

  • A major religious revival in the early 1800s that focused on personal faith, emotional preaching, and individual salvation

  • Main Message: people could choose to be saved and improve their own lives and society

  • Led by preachers like Charles Grandison Finney

  • Effects:

    • Increased church membership, inspired reform movements like aboltion, temperance, women’s rights, and education reform, encouraged belief in moral responsibility and social change

  • Why it matters: the Second Great Awakening helped shape American values and sparked movements that changed the country socially and politically

• Various reform movements of the 19th century

  • Abolition Movement (anti-slavery)

    • Goal: end slavery in the US

    • Key People: Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman

    • Tactics: Newspapers, speeches, Underground Railroad

    • Impact: increased tensions over slavery; helped lead to the Civil War

  • Women’s Rights Movements

    • Goal: gain equal rights for women, especially voting (suffrage)

    • Key Evemt: Seneca Falls Convention (1848) 

    • Leaders: Elizabeth Cady 

• “Cotton kingdom” and its impact on the South

  • “Cotton Kingdom”

    • Cotton became dominant crop of the south which drew planters to South where there was profitable land -> planters brought more slaves and land to grow more cotton

    • American South produced more than half of the entire world’s supply of cotton

    • “Cotton was King, the gin was his throne, and the black bondsmen were his vassals”

  • Impact on the South

    • Fully aware that GB was tied to South by cotton -> gave South sense of power

    • Made good profits

• Texas independence and the eventual Mexican-American War

  • Texas Independence

    • American settlers in Mexican Texas wanted more freedom and to keep slavery, which Mexico had outlawed

    • Tensions led to a revolt against Mexico, led by figures like Sam Houston

    • Key Event: Battle of the Alamo became a symbol of resistance

    • Texas won at the Battle of San Jacinto, and Mexico was forced to recognize Texas’s independence

    • 1836, Texas became an independent republic and was annexed by the US in 1845

  • Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

    • Caused by a border dispute and US desire to fulfill Manifest Destiny

    • President Polk pushed for expansion into California and the Southwest

    • War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848

    • US gained a large area of land, Mexican Cession, including California, Arizona, and New Mexico

    • Raised new tensions over slavery in the new territories

• Civil war strengths/weaknesses, strategies, and how they played out

  • Union (won)

    • Strengths:

      • More people

      • Most of the natural resources, factories, and railroad system

      • Lincoln’s leadership

    • Weaknesses: 

      • Bad military leadership

    • Strategy: 

      • Anaconda Plan: blockade Southern ports, take control of Mississippi River (split the CSA), capture Richmond (capital)

    • How it Played Out:

      • Despite early struggles and leadership changes, their strengths helped the Union win decisive battles and ultimately the war

  • CSA (lost)

    • Strengths:

      • Good military leadership

      • Fighting a defensive war and more of a will to fight

      • Home field advantage  

    • Weaknesses: 

      • Less people 

    • Strategy: 

      • “Trade space for time” and find a foreign ally for weapons and manufactured goods

    • How it Played Out:

      • Their weaknesses outweighed their strengths, leading to their surrender in 1865

• Civil War: 4 most important events (in your opinion) and all the W’s involved

  • Capture of New Orleans (1862)

    • Union won - great port to have control over + close to the 2nd part of the Anaconda Plan (blockade Southern ports)

    • New Orleans was a vital port city and trade center on the Mississippi River -> capture choked off Confederate supplies and Union accessed Deep South

  • Seige of Vicksburg (1863)???????????????

    • Union won -Visburg is the key (need it in their pocket) - symbolic and strategic

    • Led to the fall of Port Hudson; five days later, control of the Mississippi River, and the boosting of Grant's reputation and his appointment as General of Union

    • General Grant vs CSA forces - prolonged military blockade and assualt - split the Confederacy in two -> Completed the Anaconda Plan

  • Battle of Gettysburg (1863)

    • Union won - Most decisive battle of the war

    • 23,000 Union losses and 28,000 CSA losses -> CSA would never fully recover (bloodiest battle of Civil War)

    • General Meade vs General Lee - turning point of the war -> Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, redefining the war as a fight for equality and unity

  • Battle of Atlanta (1864)

    • Union won - victory at Atlanta allowed Sherman to begin using total war tactics to destroy Southern infrastructure + Atlanta was a vital CSA railroad and industry hub for Confederates -> capturing it would cripple the Southern supply + boost Northern morale

    • General Sherman vs CSA - turning point in the war -> further weakened the south

Long Answers:

• British Policies and Reaction (1763 to 1776)

  • Main Idea

    • Growing tensions between the British government and the American colonies over taxation, representation, and control led to increasing colonial resistance and, eventually, the American Revolution.

  • Key Policies and Events:

    • Proclamation of 1763:

      • Banned colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflict with NA -> colonists were angry + felt entitled to land after helping win the French and Indian War

    • Sugar Act (1764):

      • Taxed sugar and other goods to raise revenue for GB -> colonists saw it as taxation without representation

    • Stamp Act (1765):

      • Direct tax on paper goods -> sparked massive protests, boycotts, and the creation of the Stamp Act Congress

      • Repealed in 1766 due to pressure, but GB passed the Declaratory Act, asserting full authority

    • Townshend Acts (1767):

      • Taxes on imports like glass, tea, and paint -> colonists responded with non-importation agreements and more organized resistance

    • Boston Massacre (1770):

      • British soldiers killed five colonists during a protest -> used as propaganda to fuel anti-British sentiment

    • Tea Act (1773):

      • Gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies -> colonists saw it as a trick to accept taxation ->> led to the Boston Tea Party

    • Intolerable Acts (1774):

      • Punished MA for the Boston Tea Party (closed Boston Harbor, revoked self-government) -> colonists united in opposition, forming the First Continental Congress

  • Colonial Reaction

    • Colonists increasingly saw themselves as separate from GB 

    • By 1775, fighting began at Lexington and Concord, and in 1776, the colonies declared independence with the Declaration of Independence

  • SUMMARY: British efforts to control and tax the colonies without granting them representation led to increasing resistance, violent conflict, and ultimately, a complete break from British rule. The combination of harsh policies and colonial unity set the stage for the American Revolution.

• American Revolution strengths and weaknesses, and how they manifest themselves

  • America Strengths

    • Home-Field Advantage - knew the land more than the British

    • Strong Motivation - Fighting for Freedom and Independence

    • George Washington’s leadership

    • Foreign Support - France gave troops, money, and supplies; also, little Spain and the Dutch

  • American Weaknesses

    • Lack of money and supplies - no food, weapons, UNIFORMS, and can’t raise taxes

    • Untrained Militia - mostly farmers and local volunteers

    • No Navy (at first) - Britain had a great navy

    • Divided colonies - 1/3 Patriots, 1/3 Loyalists, 1/3 Neutral

    • Soldiers often left after their time was hard up, making long-term planning hard

  • British Strengths

    • Strongest Military in the World - well-trained army and powerful navy

    • Loyalists and Native American Support - siding with them to stop colonial expansion

    • Professional officers - Experienced military leadership and a large war machine

  • British Weaknesses

    • Distance from home - Took months to get supplies, troops, and orders for Britain

    • Lack of Motivation - many soldiers didn’t care for the cause, and Parliament was divided

    • Unfamiliar Terrain - Didn’t know the land well or local populations well

    • Overconfidence - Thought the war would end quickly; Underestimated them

• AOC vs Constitution

  • Articles of Confederation (First national government created during the Revolution)

    • Weak central government - Congress had no power to tax or enforce laws

    • One Vote per State - Regardless of size or population

    • No Power to Regulate Taxes - States set their own trade rules and tariffs

    • Amendment Required Unanimous Approval - impossible to make changes

    • No National Army - Couldn’t raise troops without state cooperation

    • Result: An ineffective government that couldn’t handle economic problems or rebellions (like Shay’s rebellion) exposed the need for a stronger national government

  • U.S. Constitution (Ratified 1788, in effect 1789)

    • Stronger Central Government - Can tax, regulate trade, raise an army, and enforce laws

    • Three Branches Of Government - Legislative (Congress), Executive(President), Judicial(Supreme Court); seperation fo power and checks and balances

    • Federalism - power shared between national and state governments

    • Flexible Amendment Process - required ⅔ of Congress and ¾ of States (not unanimous)

    • Representation Compromises - Great Compromise; House (by population) and Senate (2 per state); ⅗ Compromise, Slave count as ⅗ of a person for representation and taxes

    • Result: Created a lasting Framework for government with stronger unity, enforcement power, and adaptability

  • SUMMARY - The failure of the AOC showed the Americans they needed a stronger, more unified government. The Constitution fixed those problems while still protecting individual and state rights through Checks and Balances and eventually the Bill of Rights

• GW Tenure and Precedents

  • George Washington’s Tenure (1789-1797)

    • First president of the U.S. - Served 2 terms (8 years)

    • Known as the “Father of his Country” for shaping the role of the presidency

  • Main Actions and Events During His Presidency

    • Created the First Cabinet - Thomas Jefferson (Sec. of State), Alexander Hamilton(Sec. Of the Treasury), Henry Knox(Sec. Of War), Edmund Randolph(Attorney General)

    • Judiciary Act of 1789 - set up the federal court system, including the Supreme Court

    • Hamilton’s Financial Plan - Pay off War Debt, Create a National Bank, Tax on Whiskey, Tariffs to protect industry; led to debate between Federalists and Democratic Republicans

    • Whiskey Rebellion (1794) - Farmers rebelled over the Whiskey tax - Washington sent troops to stop it, and proved the Constitution gave the federal government power

    • Neutrality Proclamation (1793) - Refused to take sides in war between Britain and France

    • Jay’s Treaty (1794) - Treaty with Britain to avoid war; unpopular but helped avoid conflict

    • Farewell Address (1796) - Warned against Political Parties, Permanent foreign alliances, and sectionalism

• Manifest Destiny

  • WHAT

    • Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined by God to expand its territory across the North American continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It was both a national mission and a justification for westward expansion 

  • Key Points

    • Divine Right and Duty: Americans believed that it was their God-given right and duty to expand westward and spread democracy, capitalism, and Christianity

    • Territorial Expansion: led to the acquisition of vast new territories, including:

      • Louisiana Purchase (1803)

      • Annexation of Texas (1845)

      • Oregon Territory (1846)

      • Mexican Cession (1848): land Mexico gave to the US in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; largest territorial gain under Manifest Destiny / doubled the size of US southwest and sparked questions about statehood and slavery in new lands

      • Gadsden Purchase (1854): US bought a small strip of land from Mexico for $10M / final piece to complete the continetal US borders; needed for a southern transcontinental railroad; showed how far the US was willing to go to fulfill the vision of coast-to-coast growth

    • Annexation: formal act of adding land to a country / sparked tensions with Mexico -> Mexican-American War

    • Expansionism: policy of increasing a nation’s territory or influence / core philosophy behind Manifest Destiny - US believed that it was their right to control land from coast to coast; justified many land grabs and fueled conflicts over slavery in new territories

    • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): officially fulfilled the dream of continental expansion / gained over 500K sq mi of land & reignited slavery debates as the nation argued over whether slavery should exist in these new territories

    • Sectionalism: loyalty to a particular region of the country rather than the country as a whole / new land raised the issue of whether slavery would expand west; deepened sectional tensions -> Civil War

  • Important Details

    • Mexican-American War (1846-48): fueled by Manifest Destiny, the US fought Mexico and gained much of the Southwest in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah 

    • Impact on NA: expansion displaced and devastated NA tribes through forced removal, violence, and broken treaties (ex. Trail of Tears)

    • Slavery Debate Intensified: as new territories were added, debates over whether slavery would expand westward heightened tensions between the North and South 

    • Sectional Conflict: the expansion brought economic and political conflicts that pushed the nation closer to the Civil War 

Manifest Destiny, the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent, significantly shaped American society and politics. This conviction fueled westward expansion and had profound consequences for Native Americans, Mexicans, and the balance of power within the United States, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the Civil

BP1: The acquisition of new territories, driven by Manifest Destiny, intensified the debate over slavery and heightened sectional tensions. As the U.S. expanded westward, the question of whether slavery should be allowed in these new territories became a major point of contention between the North and South. Events like the Mexican Cession added vast lands to the U.S., forcing the nation to confront the issue of slavery's expansion, which led to political compromises such as the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, each designed to temporarily resolve the issue but ultimately exacerbating underlying tensions. These legislative efforts failed to quell the growing animosity, as both sides felt their interests were threatened, pushing the nation closer to armed conflict.

Body Paragraph 2 Outline:

Topic Sentence: Manifest Destiny profoundly impacted Native Americans through displacement and cultural disruption.

Supporting Points: 1. Forced Removal: Discuss the Trail of Tears and other instances of Native American tribes being forced off their ancestral lands.

2. Broken Treaties: Explain how the U.S. government frequently violated treaties with Native American tribes to seize land for expansion.

3. Cultural Impact: Describe how westward expansion undermined Native American cultures and traditional ways of life.

Body Paragraph 3 Outline:

Topic Sentence: The ideology of Manifest Destiny influenced diplomatic and military actions, particularly the Mexican-American War

1. Motivation for Expansion: Explain how Manifest Destiny drove President Polk's desire to acquire California and other territories from Mexico

2. Border Dispute: Discuss the border dispute between the U.S. and Mexico over the Texas border and how it led to the outbreak of the war.

3. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Describe how the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war, resulted in the U.S. gaining vast territories, fulfilling the goals of Manifest Destiny but also exacerbating tensions over slavery.