Early U.S History: Establishing the Role of the United States Government (1776-1830s)

Declaration of Independence 1776 Influenced by the European enlightenment (based on reasoning/science versus traditional religious views) Philosophers: Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Paine The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson Basic ideas: All humans have natural rights Government’s power comes from the people People have the rights to abolish government if it does not serve the people’s needs Was the phrase “all men are created equal” of the Declaration true during this time period? Explain.

Articles of Confederation: America’s first national constitution (1777-1781) Focused on state’s rights*- states have more power than the federal government Problems with the Articles (weak central government)*- no power to tax, unanimous vote, no executive branch, no national army, no judicial, and no enforcement of laws Shays Rebellion* - Massachusetts farmers rebelled over tax, government under Articles could not raise army, rebellion went on, showed fatal flaw in articles and Federal Government Why did the founding fathers create their 1st government with strong state power instead of central govt?

Constitutional Convention –Video 1787 Founding fathers got together at this convention to fix the problems of the Articles of Confederation, but ended up drafting a new government Major compromises at the convention: Great Compromise* - resolved dispute over representation in the legislative branch, created House of Representatives based on population (large states), and Senate, based on equal representation (small states). 3/5 Compromise: Agreed that slaves would be represented as 3/5 of one white person. Draw 2 pictures to represent both of the compromises above.

Struggles over Ratification of the Constitution Federalists* - supported a strong central government Anti-federalists* - favored a weaker central government and strong states, argued for the Bill of Rights to be included in the Constitution What is the major argument between Feds and Anti Feds?

Bill of Rights Key Amendments: 1st Amendment* - speech, religion, press, assembly and petition 4th Amendment* - search and seizure 5th & 6th Amendments* - trial rights such as right not to self-incriminate, due process, double jeopardy and the right to an attorney 10th Amendment* - powers not specifically given to the national government belong to the States and the people Which of the Bill of Rights do you think is most important and why?

Presidency of George Washington (1789-1797) Precedence*- 2 terms, 1st cabinet Farewell address - stay away from foreign alliances because they will lead us into wars and beware of a two party system for it will divide the nation On a scale of 1-10 how well do you think the nation followed Washington’s advice? Why do you think we did that?

Creation of the First Political Parties Federalists: supporters of strong central government) Consisted of wealthier people: merchants, bankers, landowners Believed in government by and for the “rich, well-born, and able.” Distrusted the common people Loose interpretation of the Constitution Founding Fathers: George Washington James Madison Alexander Hamilton John Adams Anti-Federalists: supporters of strong state government) Consisted of the common people: farmers, small shop keepers, city workers. Believed in government by capable leaders, government should work for the common people Strict interpretation of the Constitution Founding Fathers: Thomas Jefferson Which side would you support? Why?

Establishment of the federal system through the Marshall Court Supreme Court Case Marbury v. Madison* - established “Judicial Review” Judicial review* - allows the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of a law (checks and balances) Draw a picture to represent judicial review.

Jacksonian Democracy (1829-1837) Positives Negatives Known as a common man and war hero First president to come from a poor family (although he became very rich) Increased democracy by removing land qualifications for voting. Ordered Native American Removal (Trail of Tears) against Supreme Court decisions Vetoed more bills than any other presidents combined Nicknamed “King Andrew” Owned many slaves Do you think the term “Jacksonian Democracy” is a contradiction? Why?