Lesson 90: Abolitionism

     At a time when slavery seemed to be fading in America, the cotton gin was invented.  This machine required people to operate it, and slavery continued, especially in the south.  Attempts were then made to stop slavery across the United States.

     One attempt to free the slaves was by moving them to their own colony so that they could form their own society.  This colony, known as the Colony of Liberia, was unsuccessful because of the costs of colonization and the fact that African-American slaves viewed the U.S. as their homeland. Some people suggested that the salves revolt and gain their freedom through violence, but that only made matters worse for the slaves.  Education of slaves in the south were outlawed.  

     Although it seemed insignificant in some areas, the movement against slavery became quite powerful and eventually affected the whole of America.  New political groups were formed by the abolitionists and they played important roles in the election of future presidents.  The abolitionists then a way to voice their opinions of slavery directly through the government.

Lesson 89: Women's Right

     Along with the major reforms being made, the beginning of equality between men and women was being started.
     After the Revolutionary War women were expected to become role-model wives and mothers the their children across America.  Although some were content with their lives and limited participation in governmental affairs, others were unhappy and wished to create equality between themselves and men, rather than be on the same level as slaves and children.
     Certain women of the time began to meet and form a convention of women's rights which was held at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848.  They created a document based off of the constitution that gave them the rights of equality with men they desired.  Although this document was not well recieved be the government at that time, it set stage for the women in America to gradually gain their equality with men.

Lesson 88: Social Reforms

     With the spark of reform in humanitarian and other concepts, social reforms were being made as well.  Education underwent some change at this time.  Also, reforms were made because of alcohol abuses.
     Horace Mann was a leading figure of reform in public education.  Mainly, by creating better builidngs for school meeting, expanding the curriculum that was taught, raised teacher salaries, and better teacher training.  Women were now allowed to work and make money as teachers in these new schools.
     The temperance movement was an evangelical reform that attacked the abuse of alcohol.
The reformers in this movement believed that drunkenness was the root of all social problems and crimes in America.  This gave way to more reform movements and organizations that toured America and gave speeches on the sin of abusing alcohol.  These movements reduced the abuses greatly by use of moral pursuasion in speeches for self-improvement.
   

Lesson 87: Humanitarian Reforms

     The Age of Reform was time of change in the thought of the traditional ways because of the newly emerging industry and economy.  This was a time that urged attempts at the perfection of human beings.
     One of these attempts at perfection was the provision of care for mentally and physically ill people.  Thomas H. Gallaudet started the first American school for the deaf in Connecticut.  His son would later found the Columbian Institution for the Deaf and Dumb.  Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe began a school for the blind and taught a twelve year old blind, deaf, and dumb girl to use sign language.
   
   

Lesson 86: Utopian Movement

     In the 1800s experimental communities were started in order to create a peaceful, perfect society.  These were sometimes called Utopian Movements.  Most of these communities failed because of certain flaws in their social or economical structure.
     One community, Brook Farm in Massechusettes, was considered an "intellectual haven" for transendentalism.  It failed after only five years due to the lack of incentive among the people to be productive.
     Another utopian experiment was the Shaker community, which was started by Ann Lee in 1774. Although it lasted for about a hundred years after Ann Lee's death in 1784, the Shaker community eventually dwindled away because they did not believe in reproducing.  Rather, they believed in living single, joyful religious lives.
     Not all of the Utopian movements failed, some still exist today.  One of these is the Church if Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was started by Joseph Smith in 1831.  This community was more successful, but was eventually relocated outside of the United States to what is now Salt Lake City.
   

Lesson 85: The Second Great Awakening

   The Second Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals sponsored by Timothy Dwight in 1795.  The sermons spoke of a good and kind God who desired all men, women, and children to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ, unlike the Puritan predictions of a vengful God's judgement.
The Revival spread quickly across the American frontier and converted thousands.
 One thing that was allowed at these revivals unlike before was the great attendance of women and slaves.  This was not a common thing back then and it allowed more recognition to these minor groups.  Although it did cause different church denominations to split up over their difference in belief on how slaves and women should be treated.

Lesson 84: Transcendentalism

      Transcendentalism was formed form Romanticism which had started during the nineteenth century.
 Romanticism was all about getting close to nature and contemplating it.  Another thought that  came from this was that there was more to experiencing nature than could be infered from logic.
Transcendentalists believed that everyone posssesed an inner light and were focused on developing themselves.

Lesson 83: Jackson and Van Buren

     After Jackson had served two terms as president, it was time for a knew president to be elected. The man who won the election was Martin Van Buren, the former Secretary of State.  Like Jackson, president Van Buren valued the rights of individual people in the Unites States and so was against large monopolistic businesses squelching an individual's success.
 Van Buren had many similarities to former president, but unlike him, Van Buren was against the use of slaves and the removal of Indians.  But, because of pressures from Jackson and the people of the United States, Van Buren was unable to do anything about it.  He allowed the forced removal of the Cherokee Indians from their home land to Oklahoma.

Lesson 82: The Indian Removal Act

     In order to quell oposition to federal protection of Indians, president Jackson requested that a bill be passed that allowed him to move the natives across the Mississippi.  He insisted that the land that the Indians had lived on be bought at fair prices and that the government would pay to have them moved.
 Congress passed the "Indian Removal Act" which basically made the Indians to move to what is now Oklahoma.  The removal was supposed to be voluntary, but really the Indians were forced from their homes.
 Some tribes revolted and fought bloody wars with the states, others went peaceably, and some even tried to petition the American courts to plead their case, but in the end it came to nothing and the indians were forced to move.

Lesson 81: Native Americans and the New Republic

      Although America was prospering by exploring and settlling the western frontier, they were pushing native Indian tribes out of their homes.
 This did ourtrage some tribes, but rather than retaliate, they focused on preserving their native culture.
 I think it was wrong of the American government to force natives from their homes, I think they all should have worked together to form a more free society.

Lesson 80: Jackson and the Bank War

     To the western frontier businesses, the second Bank of the US was an enemy that was stealing their financial resources.  They believed their business was their own and they were free to do what they wanted with it.  

 President Jackson, agreed with the westerners, that they should not be dictated by a bank and vowed that if he was re-elected the Bank's charter would not be renewed.  But, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster sent a bill through congress that was supposed to renew the Bank's charter right then in an attempt to hurt Jackson politically.  If he signed the bill, he would lose western support, but if he did not sign, he would lose the wealthy eastern business support. 

 The bill passed Congress but Jackson refused to sign it, Saying the Bank was unconstitutional, even though the Courts ruled that it was.  Thus he earned the nickname "King Andrew I" because he was considered to have misused his power to stop the Bank. 

Lesson 79: The Bank

     Many people began to buy up the cheap land on the frontier and make investments in  "wildcat" banks that would rise up to make fast money off of the high demands.

 When Alexander Hamilton (the Secretary of Treasury) proposed the idea of a National Bank, president Washington disliked the idea but allowed its creation anyway.  Thomas Jefferson claimed that it would give too much power to the Bank and that it was unconstitutional.
 Later, the banks on the frontier began to shake the balance of the nation's financial stability due to unsound practices and lack of unity.  So in 1816 the government created the Second Bank of the United States which would regulate the frontier banks.
 Although, this bank was not well respected by the people.

Lesson 78: Nineteenth Century Banking

     In the 1800's America didn't print money, they made coins out of gold and silver.
When you stored money in banks for safe keeping, they would give you a banknote which you would bring when you wanted to extract your money.

Lesson 77: The Tariff of 1832 and Clay's Compromise

     The Tariff of 1832 was supposed to reduce the rate of the Tariff of 1828, but that didn't satisfy the people.

When South Carolina spoke of seceding from the Union if the tariff was not nullified, president Jackson raised an army to go there.
 He also passed the "Force Bill" which allowed him to use the army to enforce the tariff.

 Former vice president Calhoun went to his friend Henry Clay to help him find a solution to the mess.
Clay came up with the Compromise Tariff of 1833 which would reduce the tariff by ten percent over eight years.

Lesson 76: South Carolina

     Out of all the states, South Carolina was the most angry about the Tariff of 1828 and the most opposing.

Vice president John C. Calhoun, who was from South Carolina, created a document called "The South Carolina Exposition" which argued that the Tariff was unconstitutional.
 But the Tariff of 1828 would not nullified because one state heavily opposed it.

Lesson 75: Tariff of 1828

     After John Quincy Adams was elected in 1824,  supporters of Andrew Jackson planned to sabotage the new president by making him pass a proposal through Congress that would raise high tariffs on manufactured goods.
This would be good for the New England area, but not for the rest of the country. Adams was from New England and it would seem that he would be favoring his home over the rest of America, he would lose favor with the people.

 This idea would have worked had the proposal not been delayed until after the election of 1828, Jackson did not need sabotage to be elected.
 Unfortunately, the proposal was finally passed by congress after Jackson was elected president and wrecked his favor with the people.

Lesson 74: New Political Parties

     During the election of 1828, two political parties were formed.  The Democrats, who believed in weak central government and strict interpretation of the Constitution, descended from the Democratic Republicans.

The common people were drawn to support this party, because the power was to be put into the peoples hands.

 The Whigs, who came from the Federalist Party, believed in a strong central government, and loose interpretation of the Constitution.

Businessmen supported the Whigs because they believed in strong industry and the government holding the power.

Lesson 73: Election of 1828

     In 1828 when elections were held, Andrew Jackson ran again.
He gained many supporters just as before by supporting the people, saying that they should be the ones to rule the country, not the central government.  He also believed careers in politics should be limited to a few years to keep corruption form seeping in.

 During this time, white men all over America were gaining more voting rights so that not only privileged people could vote, but the poor could as well.
 Men running for president had to think of ways to gain support from these people by being more like the common men they represented, allowing greater freedoms.

Jackson won the election of 1828 by gaining the popular vote among the people again and also more electoral votes than anyone else.

Lesson 72: Election of 1824

     When the time for election of a new president came, four candidates showed up.
These were William Crawford,  John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and General Andrew Jackson.
 Jackson and Adams soon became the most popular with the most votes.  Jackson gained more votes of the people, but not enough electoral votes.

 Henry Clay quit his run for presidency and began to support John Quincy Adams. When Adams was selected as president, he made Clay his Secretary of State.
This would come to be known as the  "Corrupt Bargain" of 1824, since Clay gave Adams his approval and Adams promoted him to his cabinet when he became president.

Lesson 71: Condition of Slaves

     Slaves were primarily found in the southern states and were very valuable, money wise.  They were mostly considered property rather than people.

 When a slave owner died or ran into financial problems, slaves would sometimes be sold at auctions right alongside cattle.  

These auctions furthered the abolitionist movement to resolve the issue of  slavery.

Lesson 70: Southern Culture

     In 1850, the south had formed its own culture and became an aristocracy where white men with the biggest plantations were the highest ranking people with the most power.
 The wealthy gained their money (and social status) through the black slaves which ran their plantations.  The more slaves you had, the more money you made, the higher your rank was.

 Black slaves could be treated very badly in the south, but when certain abolitionists tried to argue against slavery, others in favor of it would come back with their own arguments for it.
 Some of the arguments they made were that slaves were better off in America than other countries. In America they would be "civilized and could learn about Christianity."

But the people in favor of slavery never argued for their true motives for keeping slaves, making  money.

Lesson 69: Cotton is King

     Since the southern soil was good for planting and cotton was one of the most valuable crops grown, it became the main source of income for the plantations. 

 Since cotton took a long time to harvest and separate from it's seeds, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin ("gin" was short for engine)  it could separate cotton much fast than one man at a time.

 Cotton became harvested, processed, and sold very much over the next ten years.

Lesson 68: Innovative Transportation

     Transportation was slow in the 18th century, so people began to come up with many plans to speed things up.
 The Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike was created to connect eastern cities.
 Construction of the Cumberland Road was started in 1811.  It was 591 miles long stretching from Maryland to Illinois it was completed in 1852.

 Because the shipment of goods over land by roads were not considered economical at the time, Robert Fulton created the first successful steamboat and traveled from New York to the Hudson Bay.
Steamboat travel became very popular aft that.
 The invention of steamboat transport made way for canals to be built.
The Erie Canal stretched 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo.

 Still, transportation needed speeding up over land. This led to the greatest invention of the time, the railroad.
In 1860 nearly 30,000 railroad tracks were laid.

Lesson 67: Westward Movement

     In the mid-19th century people began to move west where they would become farmers and plant many crops to make a lot of money.
 The first pioneers were poor and did not have great possessions, but as westward movement became more popular more fortunate people began to move as well.

 The west became a successful place for making a profit.
Land would be sold to people moving, new inventions needed for cultivating the land were created and sold, and the crops planted by farmers would be sold to the South.

Lesson 66: The Effects of Industry

     Between 1820 and 1850 America was becoming heavily industrialized in the northeast.
American factories employed nearly 140,000 people.
 The Industrial Revolution made America more self-sufficient and less reliable on foreign goods.

Industry also required more places to build factories and more cities for people who worked in the factories to live in.
 Because America became more industrialized, people had more time for recreational activities.
People went to plays and horse-races often.

I think that the growth of Industry has helped make life easier in America, but also, it has caused us to become more lazy, seeking entertainment rather than work.

Lesson 65: The Growth of Industry

      The Industrial Revolution was a time of advancement in technology  all around the world.
The British were advancing in industry during the eighteenth century but refused to share its production with anyone else.
They did not allow anyone to export or even describe their machinery.

 In 1789 the secrets were finally revealed when Samuel Slater left Britain in disguise with plans for the machine that could spin cotton thread.
 Because it took so much time to separate cotton fibers from seed , Eli Whitney invented the "cotton gin" which could separate them 50 times fast than doing it by hand.

Because of these inventions, more land would be cleared to plant cotton so it could be processed and sold.
 These are only a few of the inventions that began the Industrial Revolution in America.

Lesson 64: The Growth of America

     After Napoleon was defeated in 1815 immigration increased in America.
 Because of the great amounts of people coming to the U.S. the New York legislature turned the southern tip of Manhattan into a receiving center for the immigrants.
 Most of the immigrants were from Ireland and Germany. They couldn't afford to buy land in the West so they stayed in the east cities.
 Times were hard for the Irish for a long time until they began to get a hold of small properties, they eventually came to control the police force in New York.
 Later the constitutions were revised to allow all white men positions in America.

Lesson 63: The Monroe Doctrine

     In 1814 the rulers of Europe formed an alliance to destroy that democracy threatened their rule.
 The Holy Alliance, consisting of Russia, Austria, Prussia, and France began to put down rebellions in Europe and restore monarchs to their thrones.
 Rumors started forming about the Alliance coming to the revolted Spanish colonies in South America to restore power there to.

 In response, England wished to join with the United States and stop any attacks on Southern America.
The Secretary of State, John Adams realized that this would not be good for the U.S. and advised the president against it.
 Form this came the "Monroe Doctrine" which stated that the Americas were no longer up for colonization and that the  powers in control of the territories should be respected.  Also, it stated that the U.S. would not interfere with the other European colonies and that any attempts by Europe to extend their power to the Western Hemisphere would be seen as a threat.

Lesson 62: John Marshall

     John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and believed in a strong central government.
When the Georgia legislature sold a great amount of land in Mississippi for an unfair price and recalled it a year later, the case was taken to the Supreme Court.

Marshall said that the original sale was valid whether or not it was fair. In doing this he established the Supreme Court's power to override state laws that went against the Constitution.

Lesson 61: The Missouri Compromise

     Slavery became popular in the southern states of the U.S.  and the slaves became extremely important to their economy.
 When the state of Missouri requested to become a slave state, it became another subject of controversy in Congress.
Northern states believed that making Missouri a slave state would upset the balance of representation in Congress.
 The Missouri Compromise was created to end the argument by making Missouri a slave state and separating Maine from Massachusetts and making it a free state.
 This compromise did avoid the issue of slavery but it was not resolved.

Lesson 60: The Era of Good Feelings

When James Monroe was elected president of the United States, an "an era of good feelings" seemed to follow. 

Things were going well until the Panic of 1819 when the country fell into a depression and left many people unemployed.

The Era of good Feelings seemed to suddenly fade, but even in this time good things came about.

 Protective tariffs were created to boost the economy and keep manufacturing up and running, and America eventually regained it's stability. 

Lesson 59: The War

When the War of 1812 broke out,  America was not very well prepared and was losing until around 1813 when they became battle-hardened and gained a victory over Britain at Lake Erie.
 A year later, the British formed a plan to end the war once and for all by sending in a force of 11,000 soldiers to attack and destroy where-ever they went. They even burned the White House down.

Eventually the British began to lose more and more battles and signed a peace treaty on the Christmas Eve of 1814.
 The war ended in a draw, the fighting was halted, and conquered land was returned to both sides

Lesson 58: Election of Madison

After Thomas Jefferson stepped down from presidency James Madison was elected to fill his place.
 He came to office during a hard time in which France and England were at war and America economy was failing.
Madison opened up trade towards France and England if they would revoke their sanctions America.
 France revoked it's sanctions, but this was just a ways to make America it's ally in their war so that Napoleon wouldn't have to risk his own forces against England.
 Americans in the west accused the British of working with the natives who were attacking them.
 When the Americans fought back though, they only caused the Indians and the British to form an alliance for real.
 Later on, president Madison asked Congress to declare war on England and after two weeks of debate, they approved.

Lesson 57: Jefferson's Embargo

After the revolution,  nations in the Mediterranean began to tax American cargo vessels for passing through their waters.
 In 1801 the leader of Tripoli demanded higher payments for passage.
Jefferson refused to do pay anything and Tripoli declared war on America.
At the same time, there was a renewed war between England and France.
 American ships in the area were caught in the middle of the new war and were being captured as spoils of war by both France and England.
 Because of this, Jefferson convinced Congress to pass the Embargo Act of 1807 which stopped the exportation of American goods to other countries.
He hoped to make France and England work with America for their benefit, but the two warring countries just got their products from other countries.
 The Act only made it harder on America, and had to be repealed so trade could be re-established with other countries.

Lesson 56: Marbury v. Madison

When president John Adams passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which created 16 new Federalist judges, the Republican party was outraged. They claimed that it was against the people's will.
 When James Madison, the Secretary of State would not bring a commission to one of the newly appointed judges, William Marbury, he was sued, and the case was brought to the Supreme Court.
 The Chief Justice, John Marshall said that Marbury deserved to get his commission but that the court had no power over the case.
 He later declared that the Supreme Court would have the power to determine the meaning of the Constitution and have power over the states.

Lesson 55: The Aaron Burr Conspiracy

After Aaron Burr was president Jefferson's former first-term vice president, he challenged the government's authority by working with a group of radical Federalists who wanted New England and New York to secede from the U.S. 

 Alexander Hamilton thwarted Burr's plans to become the governor of New York after uncovering his secret plans. 

 Burr was so angry that he challenged Hamilton to a duel, which was made illegal in most states.

Hamilton reluctantly accepted the challenge, but refused to kill his opponent. 

 Burr, however, did not hesitate and killed Alexander Hamilton.

Later, Burr decided to try and create his own empire in western America.

 He collaborated with General James Wilkinson, the governor of Louisiana and a spy for Spain, to take over the west and break up the United States.

But General Wilkinson betrayed him and sent a letter to president Jefferson telling him of this conspiracy.

 In 1807 Burr was arrested and put on trial, but there weren't enough witnesses to convict him of his crimes.

Lesson 54: Lewis and Clark

After America bought Louisiana, President Jefferson wanted it to be explored.
He picked his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to lead an expedition into the Louisiana Territory.
 Lewis then picked William Clark, a former army officer, to serve as joint commander.
While on the expedition they met a French fur trapper who was married to an Indian woman named Sacajawea who became their guides and interpreters on the journey.
 Along the way "the group recorded more than 100 animals and nearly 200 plants new to American science."
They also created about 150 maps.
They finished their mission 3 years after it was assigned.

Lesson 53: The Louisiana Purchase

When Napoleon Bonaparte took over France he needed more money and more men to take over Europe.
 Plans for expansion in America were halted and he removed all of his troops.
President Jefferson sent Robert Livingston, the minister to France, and James Monroe to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans and Florida with France.
 What ended up happening along with this was Napoleon offering all of Louisiana to America.
Monroe and Livingston didn't exactly have the authorization to purchase this land, but since Napoleon required an immediate answer, they were unable to send ask the president before making a decision, so they bought the Louisiana Territory for $15 million.

Lesson 52: Election of 1800

Near the year of 1800, many Republicans secretly planned to resist by force if the Federalists stayed in power.  
 The Federalists believed that the country should be ruled by the "best people" not by "uneducated commoners."
 Republicans wanted the states to hold more power than the central government.
  When the elections began, Thomas Jefferson tied for president with Aaron Burr each having 73 votes.  The House of Representatives, which was controlled by the Federalists, had to choose between the two.
 Debates extended into 1801, but eventually the Federalists gave the final vote to Jefferson.

Lesson 51: Alien and Sedition Act

The Alien and Sedition Acts were made up of four laws:
1. "The Naturalization Act lengthened from five to fourteen years the residency requirement for citizenship."
2. "The Alien Enemies Act allowed the president to expel aliens in wartime."
3. "The Alien Act authorized the president to deport or imprison all aliens whom he considered dangerous to the safety of the United States."
4. "The Sedition Act prohibited antigovernment activity. It was illegal to publish or even speak any false, scandalous, and malicious criticism of government officials."
 These acts made the colonists angry with the government because they believed that it was an abuse of power.
 In 1798, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison both created resolutions that said these acts did not follow the Constitution, but none of the states approved the resolutions except for Kentucky and Virginia.

Lesson 50: XYZ Affair

After peace was reached with England, France became angry and nearly went to war with it's former ally, America.
 When the French began to plunder American ships, John Adams, the second President of the United States, sent Charles Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry to negotiate peace with France.
 The French Foreign Minister refused to see them, instead he sent three representative agents termed X, Y, and Z to speak to the Americans.  
 The agents said that before they could even get to negotiate, America had to pay them a $250,000 bribe and a $12 million loan.
The Americans refused and returned home where this incident would become known as the XYZ affair.
 Eventually though America and France gained peace through the "Convention of 1800," which annulled the Treaty of 1778 and forgave France for plundering America's ships.

Lesson 49: Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington had been president for 8 years by 1796.  He let the public know that he would be retiring from presidency through the newspapers.

 He encouraged the citizens to be loyal to the United States rather than to a particular political party.

Lesson 48: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans

France and Great Britain went to war again in 1793. The Federalists and Democratic-Republicans of America argued over who they should side with.
  The Franco-American Alliance of 1778 said that the U.S. had to help them in a time of need. So the Democratic-Republicans wanted to aid the French for their help in the Revolutionary war, but the Federalists wanted the President to suspend the treaty in order to keep good trade relations with Britain.
 George Washington issued the "Neutrality Proclamation" which said that the U.S. was not to take either side in the war.

The British did not believe that America was neutral so they began to attack their ships, capturing the sailors.
 The Federalists and Democratic-Republicans were both angered but still disagreed on how to take action.
President George Washington sent the Federalist Chief of Justice John Jay to negotiate peace with Britain and save trade relations there.
 I think that America did take the side of Britain by doing this. I think that they should have sided with France   because they helped America when they needed it, they should have honored the treaty they made.

Lesson 47: Hamiltonians vs. Jeffersonians

Alexander Hamilton was the Treasury Secretary who proposed "The First Report on the Public Credit."
The government was supposed to take on the states' debt.  Hamilton thought that if they did this the states would become more respectful and loyal to them.  He also wanted to create a national bank to print and circulate paper money.
 Thomas Jefferson thought that the states should hold more power than the federal government because they were closer to the people. He believed the national bank exceeded federal authority.
 In the end President George Washington and Congress chose to go along with Hamilton's plans and created the Bank of the United States in 1791.

Lesson 46: Bill of Rights

Some of the states were afraid that the Constitution would take away some of their freedoms from them.
 The Bill of Rights was a document of amendments to the Constitution created to address this matter.
 It contained certain rights that the people were allowed to keep. Such as, freedom of speech and religion;  the right to bear firearms,  and protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

 I think that the states were right to hold off on ratifying the Constitution until their freedom in these matters was more sure.

Lesson 45: Washington is Elected President

George Washington was the only president to be elected unanimously.  John Adams came in second place for presidency and was elected as the first Vice President.
 Later, Washington chose Thomas Jefferson as head of the Department of State and Alexander Hamilton as Treasury Secretary.

These were the beginning of his staff that would help govern the United States.

Lesson 44: Ratification of the Constitution

The Constitution was completed by the Philadelphia Convention but they were afraid that the states would wouldn't accept it.  Some states did resist the idea of of the Constitution.  But the framers of the document felt that they didn't need the vote of all the states to ratify it, rather they thought that 9 votes of the 13 states would be sufficient.

"In June of 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, meeting the criteria required to adopt the Constitution."

Eventually the rest of the thirteen states accepted the Constitution.

Lesson 43: Compromise Reigns

Through the Great Compromise came a bicameral legislature that used different ideas from both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans.  There would be "two houses"  the lower and upper.

The lower house later became known as the House of Representatives.  Representatives in this house were elected directly by the people of America.  The upper house became the Senate, the election of senators was done by the legislatures of each state.

"The President was granted the power to appoint officials, including judges, the power to veto legislation, and the role of Commander-In-Chief of the military."

Lesson 42: States' Plans

Since the Articles of Confederation had been gotten rid of, a new structure for government was needed.
The Virginia Plan, created by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, proposed that population of the individual states would influence their representation in electing the president and officials.

Smaller states resisted this plan for fear of not having any real power in the government.  William Paterson, a delegate from New Jersey created a different plan in which each state had one vote. Under this plan Congress would have the most power.

"The Philadelphia Convention came to a stand still." Until after the summer of 1787 when things cooled down the delegates started to set aside their differences.

Lesson 41: Organizing the Convention

The Articles of Confederation were an ineffective form of government. The people didn't respect its authority. Six of the states encouraged Congress to revise the Articles.

Eventually the Philadelphia Convention decided to just get rid of the Articles of Confederation and start with a new document, the U.S. Constitution.

Question: Which of the following states had ALL of their delegates sign the Constitution?

Delaware, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Lesson 40: Shay's Rebellion

After the war with England, the leaders of the colonies required higher taxes to pay off debts.
The burden of these taxes was felt mainly by farmers and poor families.

Daniel Shay, a former captain in the war, led nearly 1,200 armed farmers to stop the taxation. Massachusetts soldiers stopped the rebellion and Shay was condemned to death, though he was pardoned.

Later on some tax reliefs were made. Some people, such as Thomas Jefferson, thought that the rebellion was justified which he wrote to James Madison about.
He said that "a little rebellion now and then is a good thing."  And also, "It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."

I agree with Jefferson because I believe rebellion is justified in the event that the government becomes corrupt and tries to take away the freedom of the people.

Lesson 39: Land Ordinances in the Old Northwest

Question: What do the maps and the "Land Ordinances of 1785" allow us to conclude concerning the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

"Settlement would be conducted in an organized manner."  The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 gave instructions on how the land would be settled in the Old Northwest.

"The Northwest Ordinance is one of the most important national documents for all the following reasons except:

It controlled settlement of the area through a federal commission."

Lesson 38: International Relations

"According to the document, what policy did Thomas Paine recommend for the United States dealing with Great Britain's restrictions on American trade within the British Empire?

"Restricting Britain's right to trade in America through regulation and taxation."

Lesson 37: Social Revolution

What similar ideas served as a motivation for both Thomas Jefferson's  establishment  of the "Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom" and George Mason's articulation of the "Bill of Rights?

God made all men free so they should be free to exercise that freedom.

Lesson 36: Forming a Confederation

"All of the following components of the Articles of Confederation influenced the formation of the Constitution EXCEPT:"

"The Absence of equal voting power in the national legislature."
No matter how big the state was or how large a population it had, all states received one vote in the national legislature.