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Deism was the belief that God made the natural laws of the universe but left humans to their own affairs. This largely arose from Enlightenment Ideas and emphasized science and reason.
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Mercantilism was an economic policy where trade and colonies led to the accumulation of wealth as the basis for a country's strength. Policies such as the Acts of Trade and Navigation led to close observation of trading by the "mother country."
Later, however, the British would begin leaving the colonies to develop on their own in the form of salutary neglect, which led to the American Revolution. http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Mercantilism.html -
England's King James I chartered the Virginia company, which founded Jamestown. The settlers did not perform physical work resulting in mass starvation.
John Smith was able to pull the colony together and the colony barely survived the fist five years. With the help of John Rolfe, the colony began the sale of tobacco, a profitable cash crop.
The Virginia Company began to give land as an incentive for settlers to migrate to America. -
A group of Puritans who set sail for Virginia aboard the Mayflower.
The Pilgrims drafted the Mayflower Compact, which became the first written framework of laws in the history of the United States. -
John Winthrop took a thousand Puritans to Masachusetts and founded Boston along with several other towns.
This Boston Bay Colony was to serve as a "City on a Hill", a shining example to the rest of the world.
The Halfway Covenant established in the 1660's said that people could become partial church members even if they had not felt a conversion. -
Nathaniel Bacon was a farmer who, along with the other farmers, resented the economic and political control exercised by the large farm owners of the Chesapeake area.
He rallied up an army of volunteers and raided American Indian villagers until Bacon died of dysentery and the army was put down by Governor Berkeley.
This disturbed established labor such as indentured servants and led to the interest in slavery. -
The Great Awakening was a time of renewed religious fervor. Preachers came to emphasize the sins of mankind and the need for repentance. Preachers such as George Whitefield or Jonathan Edwards spoke of God's anger and the need to profess belief for Christ.
This led to a division in the Church, where Congregational and Presbyterian churches started condemning "Old Light" and supporting "New Light." -
During this Seven Years' War, Britain fought with the French over land in North America, specifically the Ohio Valley. Britain won leading to the British crown placing heavy taxes (such as the Stamp Act) on the American colonies to pay war debt, ending salutary neglect.
To stabilize the western frontier, the Proclamation line of 1763 stopped colonial expansion west of the Appalachians (which the colonies largely ignored). -
The Revolutionary War was fought between the Americans and the British, as Americans fought for independence from the British crown, which had oppressed America with heavy taxes and unfair policies. The American were the underdogs and were losing the first half of the war, until the victory at Saratoga which led to the French supporting the American cause, turning the tides of the war.
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The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson as a list of grievances agaist George III's government and expressed the basic principles that justified the American Revolution.
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The Articles of Confederation was America's first attempt at a Constitution. Drafted by John Dickinson, it structured a unicameral legislature with ratification of laws requireing 9/13 votes. This proved terribly ineffective as state's decided their own taxes (which were typically extremely high) leading to colonial anger and uprisings, as Daniel Shays did in Massachusetts.
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The 1783 Treaty of Paris established that Britain had to remove troops from the western frontier, which they didn't.
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The two Land Ordinances in the 1780's established a) a policy for surveying and selling western land, which also provided land for public education and b) for a large territory between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River to be divided into new states, allowing limited self-government and prohibited slavery.
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George Washington, in his farewell address, emphasized that no political parties should arise in democracy. However, this was wishful thinking. While Washington may have had a unanimous election, the divide between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists soon arose in 1787, indicating the rise of the two party political system that dominates American politics.
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The American Constitution was the solution to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. It set up a bicameral Congress in the Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan), which answered the conflict over the Virginia Plan (favored large states) and the New Jersey Plan (favored small states). It set up the Three-Fifths Compromise (for slavery) and the Commercial Compromise (centralized power, giving Congress the ability to tax and regulate commerce.
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Alexander Hamilton was secretary of treasury and made a plan to stabilize U.S. economy. It said 1) debt would be paid at face value and federal government would assume the war debt of the states 2) the new industries would be protected and high tariffs placed 3) establish a National bank.
Jefferson agreed with paying the debt, but argued against the National bank. This lead to the Federalist (pro) and Anti-Federalists (neg). -
The Bill of Rights was created in order for the Federalists to win over the adoption of the Constitution. The Bill established ten Amendments, which protected rights of the people and protect against abuse from governments.
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Eli Whitney was an inventor who developed some key devices that led to the industrial development of America. First, the development of interchangeable parts led to factory booms. More importantly, the invention of the cotton gin led to a huge boom in cotton production in the south. This required a large labor force, which was of course, made up of slaves.
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In George Washington's Farewell Address, he stated that Americans should not be involved in European affairs and the no alliances should be made in foreign affairs.
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During John Adam's presidency, the French began to seize American ships. This angered the Americans and united the Federalists to gain political power, enough to pass laws to limit the Democratic-Republicans. The Alien Acts authorized the president to deport or detain aliens during a time of war. They also passed the Sedition Act, which made it illegal for newspapers to criticize either the president or Congress.
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The Cult of Domesticity was used to describe the social limit that society placed on women, which said that woman should stay home and take care of household chores and the children. However, women found ways to expand their network beyond these limited spheres to reach other women through magazines and abolitionist movements.
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The Election of 1800, also called the Peaceful Revolution, was a turning point in US history, as it was the first peaceful transfer of political power. The presidency fell to Thomas Jefferson, resulting in a non-violent shift to the Democratic-Republican party.
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Marbury vs. Madison is a famously important court case that was decided by John Marshall. In tis case, Marshall ruled that the Judiciary Act gave Marbury a right to his commission (which was blocked by Jefferson an Madison) but the Judiciary Act was unconstitutional. This established the concept of judicial review, which gave the Supreme Court the ability to decide whether an act of Congress or the President was constitutional.
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Thomas Jefferson decided to purchase a vast pice of land known as the Louisiana Territory, which gave access to the Mississippi river, greatly expanding U.S trading and economic power. Especially because of the port of New Orleans, which had been closed off when Spain revoked the Pinckney Treaty.
Napoleon sold the area for a cheap $15 million, resulting in America doubling its land size. -
The War of 1812 was a conflict between America and Britain. U.S viewed the continued violation of neutral rights and treaties by Britain as unfair and declared war. The British practice of impressing sailors did not help improve the situation. Furthermore, Britain began arming the American Indians at the Western frontier, which led to conflict, such as the battle with Tecumseh.
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The Lowell System was a system of labor employed in textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. The system was characterized by the employment of young women and the nice treatment towards the employees. This eventually became to expensive and immigrants began to take over for cheap labor.
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During the Hartford Convention, delegates from the New England states met to discuss secession from the U.S. Bitter over the war and the Democratic-Republicans, radical Federalists were viewed as unpatriotic, which led to the decline and end of the Federalist Party.
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The American System was proposed by Henry Clay to advance U.S. economy. It 1) placed protective tariffs 2) preserve the National Bank 3) create a series of internal improvements.
It led to and increase in canal building, examples include the Erie Canal, which connected the east and the west end of New England. Roads also improved, such as the Cumberland Road.
During the Age of Jackson, this system was greatly supported by the Whig party. -
The early 19th century authors included transcendentalist authors such as Emerson and Thoreau, who wrote about nature. Authors such as James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving wrote about the American setting.
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The Compromise of 1820, otherwise known as the Missouri Compromise was an important compromise proposed by Clay that addressed the rising issue of slavery. It admitted Missouri as a slave-holding state, admitted Maine as a free state (by splitting Massachusetts), and created the 36 degrees 30' line (the southern border of Missouri. It stated that new states admitted north of this line would be admitted as free states.
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The Monroe Doctrine was drafted by John Quincy Adams which stated that the interests and rights of the United States could not be interfered by foreign powers, specifically could not be colonized by European powers. At the time, however, America did not have a large enough military to back up this claim. It wasn't until Roosevelt's Corollary that America could backup this claim.
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The Tariff of Abominations was passed during John Quincy Adam's presidency to satisfy northern manufactures but alienated southern planters.
Both Calhoun and Jackson favored states rights, but Jackson did not want disunion. Calhoun had his nullification theory, which stated that each state had the right to null a law. This led to sectionalism between the north and the south, contributing to the Civil War. -
Andrew Jackson was the 7th president. During the Age of Jackson, he passed the unfortunate Indian Removal Act (1830), which forced Indians to move into Indian Territory allowing for westward expansion. He also expanded suffrage to include all white free males, increasing voting. After his re-election, Jackson, stashed federal funds in state "pet banks" leading to the Panic of 1837.
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The Transcendentalists were a group of people who questioned established churches and the merchant class. They emphasized finding oneself through finding the essence of God in nature. They valued individualism and isolated themselves from organized institutions.
Key Transcendentalists included Emerson and Thoreau. -
William Lloyd Garrison was the publisher for "The Liberator", an abolitionist newspaper. This event marks the beginning of the radical abolitionist movement. Garrison advocated fro the immediate abolition of slavery and that slaveowners would not be compensated for their loss. As a radical example, Garrison burned a copy of the Constitution, which he regarded as a pro-slavery document.
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Irish immigration was prevalent during the early to mid-nineteenth century, especially during the potato famine in Europe. Immigrants faced difficulty, as they faced strong discrimination for their Catholic religion and their taking cheap labor jobs.
In response, the Native-born Americans felt threatened. These nativists formed the Know-Nothing party as the anitforeign society The Supreme oRder of the Star-Spangled Banner turned to politics. -
Manifest Destiny is the concept that drove Americans to expand west. It's the idea that Americans were given the right to continue westward expansion, which is exactly what they did. This expansion was opposed by the Whig party, who had already opposed the annexation of Texas. The Whigs believed that more land would lead to more slavery conflict. The Democrats on the other hand supported expansion for more resources and economic power.
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During the Election of 1844, the Whigs nominee Clay faced Polk, the Democratic nominee who supported the annexation of Texas. After Polk's win, the president at the time, Tyler, annexed Texas and left Polk to deal with Mexico's disagreement.
After a series of disputes over borders and failed negotiation, America went to war with Mexico. -
Nicholas Trist negotiated with Mexico to create the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This Treaty forced Mexico to recognize the Rio Grande as the official southern border of Texas. Furthermore, the U.S took possession of California and New Mexico, in the Mexican Cession, increasing the size of America.
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The Seneca Falls Convention was a meeting at Seneca Falls, New York between the leading feminists at the time. The Convention issued the Declaration of Sentiments that modeled the Declaration of Independence and stated that "all men and women are created equal". The Convention was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, two key players in the feminist movement.
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The Compromise of 1850 was a temporary answer to the issue of slavery in the Mexican Cession. Proposed (again) by Henry Clay, it 1) admitted California as a free state 2) divided the rest of the land into New Mexico and Utah (who settle slavery by popular sovereignty) 3) ban the slave trade in D.C 4) adopt a new Fugitive Slave Law that would be rigorously enforced. The new Fugitive Slave Law contributed to sectionalism.
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Popular sovereignty is a political doctrine where the people of a nation or a region should be able to determine the fate of their territory for themselves rather than have decisions be made by a larger organization (such as a central government).
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a Democratic bill created by Stephen A. Douglas. He proposed that the Nebraska Territory would be divided into two parts, the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory, and that each territory would be able to decide if slavery would be allowed through popular sovereignty. This effectively overruled the previous method of determining slavery: the Missouri Compromise.
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The Dred Scott case was a Supreme Court case that dealt with a slave named Dred Scott, who argued that having lived in a free state for two year, he was a free citizen. The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans are not citizens, that slaves were property and Congress couldn't take away "property" and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. This decision greatly angered the Northerners and sectionalism in the nation.
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[John Brown] is known for his radical violence in Virginia when he attempted to start a slave rebellion. He led his sons to raid a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. His plan was to arm Virginia's slaves, however, no slave showed up.
John Brown was seen as a hero by the north, who viewed his actions as humanitarian motives of antislavery. The south viewed this as the true intentions of the north, of course, leading to more sectionalism. -
Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War. Lincoln viewed slavery as wrong, but did not directly call for abolition of slavery. Instead, his main focus was on keeping the Union together. Of course, this didn't work as the South seceded and the Civil War began.
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The Civil War was fought between the northern America (the Union) and the south (the Confederacy). The sectionalism leading up to the war was too much, and Lincoln's election led to the south seceding, Fort Sumpter, and eventually war.
The North had a population, financial, and infrastructure advantage, while the South had a home court advantage.
The South turned to Britain or France for help using cotton as an incentive. This did not work, and the North was eventually able to secure victory. -
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order that freed all the slaves in the Union.
The effects were not immediate. Border states were allowed to retain slavery for the time being. Only 1% of slaves were freed. But more slaves tried to escape to freedom and join the Union cause, which of course, hurt the Confederacy during the Civil War.
