Ch. 1: Converging Cultures
The Big Idea
Many different cultures came together in America and fought each other
over land. These cultures included England, France, Spain, and the
Native Americans who already lived in America. Once they settled down,
some of the colonies created different governments.
The Earliest Americans
•First Americans may have come 15,000 to 30,000 years ago via a landbridge between Asia and Alaska.
Early Civilizations in America
Highly organized societies with advanced knowledge of trade, gov’t, arts,
science, & written language.
•First society: Olmec in southern Mexico in 1500BC.
Native Americans by 1400’s
•Land - a “source of life” – not for ownership to be bought and sold.
•Religion – everything has a “spirit” and some worshipped “the Great
Spirit”
European Exploration
Mercantilism
Nations increase wealth & power by obtaining gold & silver & by having a favorable
balance of trade.
•People in Europe wanted to find a quicker way to Asia for trade by sea not land.
Portuguese 1440’s
•Made a closer relationship between W. Africa & Europe & began the slave trade.
Columbus’s Voyages
•Spanish monarchs hired an Italian, Christopher Columbus, to find a sea route
West to Asia.
•He found America (San Salvador Island) but not the first to discover America.
Continuing Expeditions
Spanish conquered the Aztec (Mexico) and Inca (Peru) societies. They farmed land,
mined silver and gold, & tried to spread Catholicism.
Columbian Exchange
•Native Americans showed Europeans new farming methods and foods like corn,
potatoes, squash, pumpkins, beans, chocolate, and tobacco.
•Europeans gave Indians wheat, rice, coffee, bananas, citrus fruits, cattle, horses,
iron & disease.
Disease, number one killer of Indians. Resulted in a need for more labor in the
Americas.
Early French and English Colonies
English and French focused on colonizing the eastern part of North America.
New France
Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec (Canada), the capital of New France.
They also founded Louisiana and started shipping African slaves in.
Jamestown
• The English established Jamestown, a settlement in Virginia.
• Funded by a joint-stock company, a group of investors who wanted to make a profit.
They nearly starved to death looking for gold for a quick profit, but survived by growing
. tobacco. They created an assembly to make their own laws called the House of
Burgesses.
Tobacco
•Created need for more labor & land – indentured servants & move west for land.
•Indentured servants - agreed to be “slaves” for at least four years in exchange for a free
trip to America, food, and shelter.
The Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts)
•Pilgrims – separatists who left England for religious freedom on the Mayflower.
Mayflower Compact = majority rule & Social Contract.
•Mass. Bay Colony (Boston) Non-Separatist Puritans for religious freedom & model city.
•Puritans intolerant of dissenting religious views – e.g. Roger Williams – exiled & created
Rhode Island for religious freedom & for separation of church and state
The 13 Colonies
Slowly over 100 years, English began setting up colonies on the east coast creating their own
governments, expressing opinions in how to run their towns. That couldn’t have happened in Europe.
New England = Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticutt, Rhode Island
•Most set as Royal charters that granted colonists same rights as English citizens in England.
The Middle Colonies = New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware
Representative Assembly and male settlers had right to vote.
The Southern Colonies = Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Georgia.
•Lord Baltimore founded Maryland, a refuge for Catholics (they were presecuted in England)
•Many people came to America as indentured servants.
Crisis Over Land
•People from Europe flocked to America with the hope of owning land. This meant moving west,
displacing/killing more Indians.
•Pennsylvania founded by William Penn & Quakers, paid Native Americans for land.
•Quaker ideals - 1) Equality 2) Cooperation 3) Religious Toleration
A Diverse society - Many people wanted a piece of the “American Dream.”
Trade and the Rise of Cities Triangular trade: the trade of slaves, rum, & sugar between America,
England, and Africa. Middle Passage part of Triangle that brought slaves to Americas.
•America quickly established an upper, middle, and lower class.
Enslaved Africans
•Slave codes kept slaves from owning property, being educated, moving freely, or meeting in large
groups. No group suffered more than enslaved Africans.
Immigrants
•Hundreds of thousands moved in from Europe. Germans, Irish, Jews.
Women
•Women didn’t have many rights. Married women could be beaten, couldn’t own property, etc.
Dissent and Independence
The Big Idea
Frustrated by British policies and limited rights, American colonists began demanding greater
freedom from Britain. Fueled by the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, many colonists
protested British policies. The colonists declared independence, fought and defeated the British in
the Revolutionary War, and became an independent nation.
Enlightenment
The Enlightenment – 17th & 18th Century, intellectual movement. Tried applying principles of
reason and science to all aspects of society and emphasized individualism.
Philosophers
Hobbes –
• Believed people were naturally selfish and ambitious.
• Believed an absolute monarchy was best form of government to control people.
• Social Contract - people willingly submitted to authoritarian rule to prevent disorder.
John Locke –
• Believed in Natural Rights - humans had the right to Life, Liberty and Property.
• Social Contract – governments formed to protect these Natural Rights.
• If government violated these rights people were justified in rebelling & changing the gov’t.
• Government’s Power from the people not God.
Voltaire –
• Believed – Freedom and tolerance of ideas, religion, speech.
Rousseau –
• Believed – only legitimate government came from the consent of the governed.
• Hoped people would vote for what was best for the community not themselves.
Montesquieu –
• Believed – Any person or group in power will try to increase their power.
• Therefore, liberty could be protected by the separation of powers.
Separation of Powers in the Federal Government
Legislative Branch = Makes the laws
Executive Branch = Carries out the laws
Judicial Branch = Enforces the laws, resolves disputes, & decide if laws are constitutional.
Effects of Enlightenment
• Philosophers, especially Locke, strongly influenced American colonists, like Thomas
Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.
The First Great Awakening
1740’s there was a move to revive the religious spirit throughout the colonies.
Importance = Undermined allegiance to traditional authority by preaching that everyone was
equal in the eyes of God.
Ch. 2: The American Revolution and
The Constitution
The Big Idea
Following the American victory over the British it was time to create a new government. After
the failure of the Articles of Confederation, American leaders created the Constitution, a
government rooted in compromise – both in its creation and in its ratification – and created a
stronger federal government.
The American Revolution
• Loyalists –supporters of the British and opposed independence.
• Patriots – supporters of independence
• Most remained neutral.
Key Events of the Revolution
• Battle of Saratoga – gave France confidence the Americans could win & publicly allied
themselves with the Americans, giving them access to troops and money.
• Battle of Yorktown – American & French forces shocked the world by forcing the British to
surrender.
• Treaty of Paris – confirmed American independence and set the boundaries of the new nation.
• Egalitarianism – belief in equality rose in America during the revolution
The Articles of Confederation
•
•
•
The Articles of Confederation were our first form of government
Yet it needed some improvement! States were too strong.
The federal government was too weak –
– Shay’s Rebellion - over state taxes & resulted in a need to discuss a strong national gov’t.
– Couldn’t tax the states.
– Couldn’t enforce treaties
– Too Hard to amend (change) the Articles.
The Constitutional Convention
•
Delegates from each state attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to improve
the government of the United States in 1787.
So Who is Going to Fix it?
• Alexander Hamilton wanted the government to have greater control over the people
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the 13 states to have some say
• James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, wanted strong leadership
• George Mason wanted to protect individual rights
• George Washington was elected president of the convention
The Convention
• Although they initially met to make changes to the Articles, the delegates quickly decided to
start over and make an entirely new form of government.
A New Design for Government
•
They broke the government into 3 sections:
Executive Judicial Legislative
• A system of checks and balances was put into place to prevent any of the three branches
from gaining too much power,
The Big Change
• A new constitution provided a framework for a stronger national government.
The Great Compromise
• Arguing over large state vs. small state power and rights.
– 1st Virginia Plan gave large states more representation because it was based on population
– 2nd New Jersey Plan gave small states equal representation with large states
• The Great Compromise resolved issue with a two-house legislature
• An upper house— the Senate —equal representation, two representatives from each state.
• A lower house— the House of Representatives —representation based on state population.
Three-Fifths Compromsie
• Another issue: Do slaves count as part of the population count?
– States with lots of slaves say “YES!”
– Other states say “NO!”
– Decision - 3/5 of slaves counted as part of the population for representation AND taxes.
Ratification?
•
In order for it to be put into effect, the Constitution needed to be ratified (or approved) by at
least 9 out of the 13 states.
• However, not everyone was satisfied with the Constitution.
Federalists vs. Anti-federalists
• Federalists – supporters of the Constitution and a strong central government.
• Anti-federalists – opponents of Constitution because they opposed a strong central
government.
–
Wanted the protection from the government with a Bill of Rights.
Ratification!
• Enough states voted to ratify once the Federalists promised to include a Bill of Rights
The Big Idea
• During this time of change, the federal government became
stronger and two distinct political parties emerged.
President Washington
• George Washington, a Revolutionary War hero, was
elected America’s first president.
• Early in his presidency, Washington selected his cabinet,
men in charge of different departments within the
executive branch who also served as the President’s
advisors.
• Washington’s cabinet included:
– Thomas Jefferson (Secretary of State)
– Alexander Hamilton (Treasury Secretary)
Rise of Political Parties
•
To decrease the existing debt, left by the Continental Congress, Alexander Hamilton wanted
the federal government to take responsibility for the states’ debt and create a national bank.
Enumerated Powers
• Opponents of a national bank said that establishing such a bank was not an enumerated
power—a power specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
Implied Powers
• Alexander Hamilton said the “necessary and proper” clause created implied powers, or
powers not listed in the Constitution but necessary for the government to function.
• A national bank was needed to collect taxes, regulate trade, and provide for defense.
Formtion of Two Political Parties
•
•
•
The split in Congress over Hamilton’s financial plan resulted in two political parties.
The Federalists were led by Alexander Hamilton
– Wanted a strong national government in the hands of the wealthy.
– Skilled workers, merchants, manufacturers, and bankers supported the Federalist Party.
– Favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution
– Whiskey Rebellion – protective tariff & excise tax on products in US - Whiskey
Madison and Jefferson led the Democratic-Republicans.
– Their party was referred to as the Republicans.
– Ruling power should be with all landowners.
– They favored the rights of states against the power of the federal government.
– Favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution
Bye, Bye, George
• After two terms, Washington stepped down as president.
• Before leaving office, he left America with some words of advice in his
“Farewell Address”
– Political parties can be dangerous—be careful.
– Don’t make foreign alliances. Mind your own (America’s) business.
President Adams
• John Adams, a Federalist, was elected America’s second president.
• XYZ affair nearly provoked a war with France and created the Navy
department.
• Tension between Federalists and Republicans continues to rise.
• Alien and Sedition Acts passed
– Made criticism of the government a crime
– Made it hard for aliens to become citizens
– Result  Angered lots of Americans
– Caused some states to nullify the law – states choose not to follow a
federal law.
3.1 The New Republic (con’t)
The Big Idea
• During this time of change, the federal government became stronger, political
parties developed, and the Supreme Court established judicial review. The country
expanded westward, nationalism increased, and industrialization revolutionized the
American economy.
Election of 1800
• The Alien and Sedition Acts caused John Adams not to be elected to a second term.
• The House of Representatives settled a tie for president & named Jefferson as US’s
3rd president.
Jefferson’s Presidency
• Jefferson’s main goal as president was to limit the power of the federal gov’t.
• How? Cut taxes, reduce the military & gov’t., & reduce influence of National Bank.
• 1800, Congress approves the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from the French.
– Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the United States.
– Expanded the power of the Presidency & the federal government.
– US paid $15 million dollars.
Louisiana Purchase
Judicial Review:
• The power to decide whether laws passed by Congress were constitutional and to strike down laws
that were not
Marbury v. Madison
• Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court asserted its right of judicial review
John Marshall
• Between 1816 & 1824, Chief Justice of the U.S., John Marshall, ruled in several cases that
reinforced the power of the federal government over the states.
War of 1812
• The U.S. fought the British in the War of 1812
• Caused by British impressment of US citizens into British navy.
• Sight of flag still waving after the British invaded Baltimore
• inspired “The Star Spangled Banner”
• Ends with Treaty of Ghent in 1814
Result
• Ignited intense US patriotism.
• Federalist party collapses, because they had been against the war.
• Reinforced US independence by proving to the world that the US could protect it independence.
Monroe Doctrine
• James Monroe, 5th president of US, declared the Americas should no longer be open to colonization
by Europe.
• Monroe Doctrine was mostly directed at Russia.
Industrial Revolution
• In the early 1800s, dramatic changes occurred in business and industry.
• Resulted in more factories, greater efficiency, urban growth & a market economy.
• Market economy is when agriculture & manufacturing support eachother.
Major Inventions
• The railroad and Robert Fulton’s steamboat provided more efficient modes of transportation
• Samuel F.B. Morse’s telegraph improved communication
• Eli Whitney’s cotton gin revolutionized cotton production in the South & increased need for
slaves.
• Erie Canal – cut transportation costs, stimulated growth of cities & opened new trade routes.
Rise of Labor Unions
• Factory workers worked long hours and were paid low wages.
• To improve working conditions, many workers joined labor unions – National Trades’ Union
• Unions used strikes to force companies to improve working conditions & wages.
• Commonwealth v. Hunt – Supreme Court upheld workers’ right to strike.
Nativism
• Immigration increased in the 1830’s – 50’s, 1 million were Irish Catholics.
• Because factories were concentrated in urban areas, more people moved to cities.
• Rise of immigration led to increased feelings of nativism, a preference for native-born
Americans and the desire to limit immigration.
• Know-Nothing Party formed to prevent immigrants and Catholics from holding public office.
Jackson, Manifest Destiny, & Changing America
“American System”
• Pres. Monroe & House Speaker Henry Clay proposed the “American System”
• Wanted economic independence from Britain.
• How? –
– Protective tariffs, a national bank, & make travel easier throughout the U.S.
Missouri Compromise Missouri requested admission as a slave state
• Maine wanted in too, but as a free state
• Congress let both in & Senate agreed that there could be no more slave states in Louisiana
Territory
• Admitting any new state would upset the balance of political power in the Senate
• This issue over Missouri was a sign of the divisions between the N and S
President Andrew Jackson
• Rift between Henry Clay & Andrew Jackson caused the Democratic-Republican party to split in
two.
• 1824, states eased property requirements for voting & nearly 1 million white males voted in 1828.
– More common men could vote now & they voted for Jackson in 1828
• Did not support the National Bank which killed the bank & lost him support for how he handled it.
Spoils System
• Winner replaces supporters of one administration with their own supporters.
• Jackson wanted to give common people a chance to participate in government.
Indian Removal Act of 1830 & The Trail of Tears
• IR Act: Congress provided money to negotiate treaties with Native Americans to get them to leave
lands.
• In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was
forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day
Oklahoma.
• The migrants faced hunger, disease, & exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4k of 15k Cherokees
died.
John C. Calhoun & The Tariff of Abominations
• Congress levied a new tariff in 1828—South Carolina threatened to secede, or withdraw, from the
Union. John C. Calhoun, the nation’s vice president, said the tariffs were cause of South’s
problems.
Nullification
• Instead of supporting secession, Calhoun proposed the idea of nullification.
• He argued that because states had created the federal union, they had the right to declare a federal
law null, or not valid.
Manifest Destiny
• Common American idea that the nation was meant to spread to the Pacific.
• By the 1840s, several east-to-west routes had been carved—the Oregon Trail, the California Trail,
and the Santa Fe Trail.
Florida
• Florida was a source of frustration for Southerners because Slaves would run away & hide in FL.
• Spain was unable to control border Under pressure, Spain gave over all of Florida
War With Mexico
• Mexico is outraged that Texas joins the Union
• Before war was declared settlers in Northern CA began an uprising against Mexico
• On June 14,1846 they declared CA independent and renamed the region the Bear Flag
Republic
• Within a month American navy forces arrived to occupy ports of San Francisco & San Diego
Mexico Lost
• After refusing to give up, Mexico finally surrendered in 1848 with theTreaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo
• Gained 500,000 square miles
• 7 new states added: CA, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming
Second Great Awakening In the mid-1800s, many Americans worked to reform various aspects
of society.
• Religious leaders organized to revive the nation’s commitment to religion in a movement
known as the Second Great Awakening.
• The religious revival brought about new movements such as:
– Temperance: no alcohol
– Abolition: against slavery
– Women's rights: right to vote and equality
Joseph Smith A number of new religious denominations emerged from the new religious revival.
• Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormons.
Mormons Move West
• After being harassed, the Mormons moved to Illinois.
• After the murder of Joseph Smith and continued persecution, the Mormons settled in Utah.
African American Churches
• Interpreted the stories differently than whites. Ex. Exodus a promise of freedom.
• In the North, churches became center of community; education, politics, social gatherings, etc.
Abolition
• William Lloyd Garrison –White, radical, & creator of the Liberator, an antislavery paper.
– Wanted abolition at any cost.
• Frederick Douglas – former slave, self educated, & created the North Star, an antislavery paper.
– Work to change minds over time.
• Nat Turner – led a slave revolt that killed 60 whites & led whites to be afraid & be more strict with
slaves.
Women and Reform
• Women driving forces in the Second Great Awakening, temperance, abolition, suffrage and other
movements.
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized a women’s right convention called the
Seneca Falls Convention.
• Convention also called for women to have the right to vote – women’s suffrage.
• Sojourner Truth spoke for African – American women’s issues and rights.
Ch. 4: Slavery and Causes of the Civil War
Roots of Slavery
• In 1500, European colonists in America needed cheap labor for field
crops, such as cotton, and tobacco began using enslaved Africans on
plantations and farms..
• By the 19th century there were 1.5 million enslaved people in the
United States most in the Southern US
Outcry
• North opposition to slavery grew as industrialization grew.
• The message of 2nd Great Awakening caused some to believe slavery
was immoral. Others said slavery opposed the idea of equality in Dec.
of Ind.
Fighters of the Cause
Abolitionist movement
• Called for abolition, or an end to slavery - pitted the North against South and helped bring
the Civil War
Harriet Tubman
• Famous ‘conductor’ who, 19 times, risked journeys into the slaves states to bring men and
women out. Underground Railroad: “network of people who arranged transportation &
hiding places for escaped slaves”.
• Conductors offered hiding places at ‘stations’ (homes) & would send word to the next station
that a group was coming.
• Saved as many as 200 people
Dred Scott
• A slave who sued unsuccessfully for his freedom but court said he was considered property
not a citizen.
• His case was based on the fact that he had lived in states and territories where slavery was
illegal
John Brown & Harper’s Ferry
• Oct.16, 1859, he &18 men raided the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA. he planned to arm
slaves.
• Within 36 hours of the attack, most of Brown's men had been killed or captured.
•
Brown was executed, north upset by his execution & south upset by lack of northern support
.
Slavery in the Territories
Compromise of 1850
• Developed by Henry Clay & Daniel Webster to appease both North and South
• North got – California as a free state
• South got – a new, more effective fugitive slave law
• Both – Popular Sovereignty, the right to vote for or against slavery in a territory.
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
• Repealed the Missouri Compromise & allowed popular sovereignty in both Kansas &
Nebraska terr.
“Bleeding Kansas”
• Both supporters & opponents of slavery sent people into Kansas to win the vote for their side.
• Proslavery won an illegal vote and the violence started.
Lincoln wanted to keep peace
• Lincoln’s first priority was keeping the country together not ending slavery.
• Lincoln tried to avoid war and keep country together.
• Addressed seceding states directly promised not to eliminate slavery where it already
existed
• Plea for reconciliation but the confederates bombed Fort Sumter
• Civil War had begun- April 13, 1861
Causes of the Civil War
• Disagreement over the legality, morality, and politics of slavery
• North = no slavery in new territories, South = slavery allowed in new territories
• John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry polarized North and South
• Southerners viewed Lincoln’s election as a threat to their society, culture, and lives
• Southern States seceded from the Union
• Attack on Fort Sumter
Civil War
•
vs.
•
Union – NORTH
Confederate - SOUTH
Led by Lincoln
Led by Davis
Union Strengths
• More people, factories, food production & more railroads.
Southern Strengths
• Cotton, better officers, & highly motivated soldiers.
Battle at Antietam
• Single bloodiest day of war – 26k died.
Emancipation Proclamation
• September 22, 1862- issued as a military strategy to undermine South production.
• Freeing all enslaved people in secession states not those in Union states.
• To punish the South and to give a moral cause to the war.
Life in Battle
• The Average age for a man fighting in the Civil War was early 20.
• It wasn't only men who fought. Sometimes women would attempt to pass as men.
• Women served as nurses in the battlefield
• Company E,4th U.S. Colored Infantry, Washington D.C. Serving in segregated units like the one shown
here, Blacks fought in nearly 500 Civil War battles.
American Deaths
• Rev. War- 25,000
• Civil War- 620,000
• WWI- 107,00
• WW2- 407,000
• Korean War- 36,500
• Vietnam War- 58,000
• Most of the Civil War deaths were due to disease.
Typhoid and Dysentery
• It is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person
• Did you know?! that germs were unheard of during the Civil War, and men would drink out of water
that thirty yards upstream, a man relieved himself in? Surgeons never washed their hands after an
operation, because all blood was assumed to be the same, nor did he wash his instruments.