Social Studies Concept Sheet
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U.S. HISTORY 8.4: ASPIRATIONS & IDEALS OF THE NEW NATION
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America’s Physical Landscapes: The physical landscape of North America has provided excellent
opportunities: coastline with numerous navigable bays and accessible beaches, large navigable rivers
and great lakes, vast areas of farmable land and forests for timber and game. The east coast of North
America is separated from the Mississippi River Valley by the Appalachian Mountain Range. In the
north, the St. Lawrence River allows access from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. From the
Great Lakes, access to the rivers of the Central Lowlands (Ohio, Wabash, Mississippi) is fairly easy,
allowing navigable access to the eastern half of the United States possible clear to the Gulf of Mexico.
Towards the West, the Missouri, Platte, Arkansas, and Rio Grande Rivers thread across the Great
Plains up to the Rocky Mountain Range. In the Northwest, the Snake and Columbia Rivers lead
from the Rockies, across the Columbia Plateau, through the Cascade Mountain Range to the
Washington and Oregon coasts. In the Southwest, the Colorado River leads from the Rockies, the
Colorado Plateau, south of the Great Basin to the Gulf of California. California is uniquely created
by the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Ranges with the California
Central Valley between.
Political Divisions: Political divisions of the United States are largely dependent on the difference in
geography between the Northeast and the South. The vast farmland of the South led to agrarian
(farmland resource) development dependent on slavery. The rocky, mountainous landscape of the
Northwest led to maritime (ocean resource) development. Inhabitants of the Northeast naturally allied,
which included more Federalists, abolitionists, and industrial merchants. Inhabitants of the South
naturally allied, which included more Republicans, slave owners, and farming merchants.
Territorial Expansion: Acquisition of the Northwest Territory, the land east of the Mississippi, and
eventually the Louisiana Purchase (from Napoleon of France) more than doubled the size of the United
States by 1803. The Adams-Onis treaty settled the ownership of Florida to the United States and
solidified the border between Spanish territory as the Red River along the Texas border and the 42nd
parallel to the Pacific.
Washington’s Farewell Address: After deciding that it was his civic duty not to run for a third term as
president, George Washington warned the country against the dangers of political parties and
sectionalism within the country. He called on all citizens to consider themselves Americans together
above any local discriminations. Washington also warned against entering any political
entanglements with foreign nations; only that we should show goodwill to all nations and maintain
commercial relationships.
Jefferson’s 1801 Inaugural Address: As John Adams slipped out of the city so as not to see Thomas
Jefferson get sworn into office, Jefferson gave his inaugural address, reaching out to Federalists, “We
are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” He outlined his philosophy of maintaining a wise and frugal
(smart with money) government, and support of state governments in all their rights. The French term
Laissez-faire (meaning “let people do as they choose”) applied at this time to the reduction in power
and size of the government.
John Quincy Adams’s July 4, 1821 Address: As Secretary of State, he gave a speech on American freedom
and foreign policy after reading a copy of the Declaration of Independence. His speech affirms
America’s commitment to wish freedom and independence for all nations who desire it. BUT, if
America goes abroad, involving itself in the affairs of other nations, no matter the cause, then
America will be seen as the dictatress (intended ruler) of the world, and hypocrite in terms of the
Declaration of Independence.
Capitalism: People in the U.S. are free to own property; to make a profit; and to make their own choices
about what to produce, buy, and sell. The framers of the Constitution believed in economic freedom
as a basic right, basing our economy on capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system of free enterprise
(ownership; producing, buying, and selling goods and services).
Jackson’s Opposition to the National Bank: The idea of banking started with the Medici family of Florence,
Italy and the Fuggers family of Augsburg, Germany, making loans, accepting deposits, and transferring
funds over long distances, usually to monarchs and large merchant companies. Alexander Hamilton
proposed a national bank, the Bank of the United States, that would hold the federal tax revenue and
provide loans to businesses. George Washington agreed that it would strengthen the national economy
and signed the bank’s charter into law. Jackson saw the national bank as undemocratic, because it
gave too much power to the private bankers who ran the bank. Jackson denounced the bank,
“When the laws…make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society
the farmers, mechanics, and laborers– who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to
themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government.”
U.S. Supreme Court Decisions: The commerce clause in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution allows
Congress to make laws to regulate a free and open economy. The judicial system has made decisions to
ensure private property ownership and encourage business competition across state borders.
Contracts: In Fletcher v. Peck, the Marshal court declared a Georgia law unconstitutional because it
broke the sanctity of contracts; it ruled that a land grant was a valid contract and could
not be repealed.
In Dartmouth College v. Woodward, the Marshall court found it unconstitutional for New
Hampshire’s legislature to change the Dartmouth College charter from a private school into a
state university.
In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law that gave a company
the sole right to operate steamboats on New York waters. Marshall stated that federal power
was superior to state power in all matters of interstate commerce.
Capitalist Economic System of Law: This concept means that federal laws and the power of judicial
review would be used to promote and regulate a free enterprise system. Its intent is
to protect the pursuit of producing, buying, selling and transporting of goods and
services.
American Culture: During the first decade of the 1800’s, Americans began to create their own forms of art,
music, and literature. Until this time, culture in the Americas had been strongly European.
Art:
American artist turned their attention to American people and landscapes. George Caleb
Bingham painted fur traders, riverboat workers, and political speakers. George Catlin lived
among the Native Americans and painted scenes of their daily lives. Thomas Doughty lead the
Hudson River School of painting, made up of artists who liked painting scenes of nature
untouched by settlement.
Music: Americans developed their own forms of music, using instruments such as banjos and pianos
to perform in barns, tents, or log cabins. Stephen C. Foster combined African and European
music to create uniquely American melodies about life in the South.
Literature: Early American writers also began to turn away from European influences writing about
settings and characters typical of America. Washington Irving wrote short stories set in rural
New York, such as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” James Fenimore
Cooper wrote novels, such as The Last of the Mohicans and The Deerslayer about a trapper folk
hero, portrayed as strong, brave, resourceful, and honorable. William Cullen Bryant of
Massachusetts wrote poetry, such as “Thanatopsis,” suggesting that the study of nature could
help people better understand life and death.