LESSON 1.3: POLITICAL TURNING POINTS

 This lesson deals with political turning points. What do you think of when you hear the word “politics”?

 When an event happens in history involving political decision, that changes the traditional pattern of politics, it's a turning point.  Lets look at three examples of political turning points in our nations early history:  Shays Rebellion  “Revolution” of 1800  Jacksonian Democracy

 America wins independence from Great Britain in  Our founding fathers, fearing a strong centralized government, initially adapted the Articles of Confederation.  STRENGTHS:  1 To declare war and make peace.  2 To coin and borrow money  3 To detail with foreign countries and sign treaties  4 To operate post offices  WEAKNESSES:  1 The national government could not force the states to obey its laws.  2 It did not have the power to tax  3 It did not have the power to enforce laws  4 Congress lacked strong and steady leadership  5 There was no national army or navy  6 There was no system of national courts  7 Each state could issue its own paper money  8 Each state could put tariffs on trade between states. (A tariff is a tax on goods coming in from another state or country.)

 Assessment Prompt 1  Think – Pair- Share  How did Shay’s rebellion lead to political change in our nation?

  Assessment Prompt 1: summarizing  What happened?  Why?  Effects:  How is Shay’s Rebellion a Political Turning Point?

 What happened?  The United States Presidential election of 1800 was the 4th presidential election, and is referred to as the "Revolution of 1800," Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams.  Why is this election considered a “Revolution’? 

 Read “the Election of 1800” on page 167. Why was the election of 1800 an important turning point in American History?

 What is Jacksonian Democracy?  Jacksonian democracy is the political movement toward greater democracy for the common white man symbolized by American politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters.  Why is this a big deal?  Andrew Jackson is the first president to come from a modest, common background. As a result, he despised the aristocracy, and the“career politician”. During his presidency, Andrew Jackson and his supporters would move to forge a more democratic nation in which even common men could take part in the political process.  Effects of Jacksonian Democracy:  Jackson fulfilled his promise of broadening the influence of the citizenry in government, through what was termed as “The Spoils System”. In addition, as a result of Jackson’s followers, land owning requirements for voting were eliminated.

 AP 3: How could Andrew Jackson’s presidency be considered a political turning point in our nations history?

 List as many political turning points that you can think of in our nations history, both in early and modern history. Brainstorm with a partner and be prepared to present your list to the class.

 Choosing Washington as first president  Election of 1860 and 1864 (Lincoln)  19 th amendment (Women vote)  WW1  New Deal  WW2  Berlin airlift and cold war  Brown vs. Board of Education  1968 = losing Vietnam, political turmoil, election  End of the Cold War  Election of 1980 = Reagan Revolution  Election of 2000 (Gore vs. GW Bush)  9/11 attacks  Election of 2008 (Obama vs. McCain)

 f_United_States_history f_United_States_history  Choose 5 turning points for each category:  Economic  Political  Social

 Today I learned……:  What did you learn today about political turning points?  How is Shays Rebellion, Revolution of 1800, and Jacksonian Democracy examples of political turning points?