United States History - Honors

United States HistoryChapter 4: Independence!Chapter 5: From Confederation to Federal UnionChapter 6: A Strong Start for the NationAftermath: French and Indian WarEngland gained huge tracts of land after the war with FranceNative Americans were especially angry at losing their French alliesCalled upon a boycott of British goodsPontiacs Rebellion: failed rebellion, led by Ottawa Chief Pontiac, that killed thousands of settlers, but failed to take Forts Detroit and Pitt To protect settlers, Britain passed the Proclamation of 1763Prevented people from settling west of the Appalachian MountainsVery difficult to enforce and caused great resentmentOriginal 13 Colonies, 1763

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!To pay back war debts and finance military campaigns in North America, the British passed a series of taxes on the American colonistsSugar Act of 1764: taxed foreign sugar, molasses and other itemsStamp Act of 1765: taxed numerous forms of paper items The colonists were outraged at the taxesBoycotted purchase and use of British goodsFormed groups like the Sons of Liberty and the Stamp Act Congressto protestStamp Act repealed in 1765, but Declaratory Act quickly passed to grant power of Parliament to tax colonistsMore Laws, More AngerTownshend Acts: taxed common goods like tea, lead, glass, etcEnforced using writs of assistance, or general search warrantsQuartering Act: required colonists to house British troops Boston Massacre: violence between British troops and colonists on March 5, 1770Crowds were protesting British taxes5 colonists were killedSons of Liberty blew it out of proportion, hoping for sympathy to their cause (it worked) In 1770, the Quartering Act and most of the Townshend Acts were allowed to expireKept the tax on teaCommittees of Correspondence were formed to keep people through the colonies informed of British injusticesEven More Laws and AngerTea Act of 1773: enforced taxes on tea that colonists refused to payBrought about more boycotts and the Boston Tea PartyDecember 16, 1773Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians, boarded the tea ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water The Coercive, or Intolerable, Acts were passed in responseClosed port until tea was paid forForbade town meetings without governors approvalAllowed royal officials to be tried outside of the coloniesInstalled a new quartering actAlso passed the Quebec Act, extending Quebecs border to the Ohio River, negating any colonial claims on landThis Means War!All colonies except Georgia met in the fall of 1774 at the First Continental CongressExpressed loyalty to EnglandListed grievances to King George IIICalled for boycott of all British goods King George called for the rebellion to be put downCame to a head at Lexington and Concord, MA on April 18-19, 1775Colonists had been storing arms, preparing for battlePaul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott warned the Patriots ahead of timeMinutemen and Redcoats fought a quick skirmish, with the Redcoats retreating back to Boston The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775, now organizing the fight against the BritishBattle of Bunker Hill: June 17, 1775Hundreds of casualties thrust upon the BritishPatriots lost the battle when they ran out of ammunition The Continental Congress sent the King the Olive Branch Petition to pledge loyalty and call for peace, but to no avail; war was onIndependence! Many colonists wished to break from EnglandViolations of colonial rightsBlood of those that died defending their rights Common Sense by Thomas Paine outlined reasons why The Continental Congress, in June 1776, decided to draft a Declaration of IndependenceThomas Jefferson was placed in charge of writing itPresented on July 2, approved on July 4Did not grant America independence, only declared it; the Revolution had to be fought to win independence Not all supported the DeclarationThose that remained loyal to England were called Loyalists or Tories Fighting the WarThe Continental Army, led by George Washington, faced many strugglesBitter cold (Valley Forge, PA 1777-78)Illness (poor hygiene, sanitation)Lack of supplies, food from a weak governmentShortage of troops The British were well trained, well supplied, and adhered to strict disciplineAfrican Americans, Native Americans and women served important roles in the warImportant BattlesBattle of Trenton (1776)Surprise attack on British and Hessian troops on Christmas 1776Washington crossed Delaware River to kill hundreds and hundreds more taken prisonerQuickly attacked again at Princeton, ending British hope of a quick war Battle of Saratoga (1777)Patriots slowed British in upstate NYTurned tide of war, French formally recognized the United States and declared war on BritainSent supplies and troops to help train Patriot armyMarquis de Lafayette most prominent Vincennes (1779)Fighting on the western frontier, led by George Rogers ClarkMade the British focus on the southern coloniesSlowed the British enough to make British leader Lord Charles Cornwallis wait for supplies and reinforcementsWashington Crossing the Delaware

Yorktown and the Treaty of ParisCornwallis worked his way to a small peninsula on the Virginia coast near YorktownAmerican forces from the South met with Washingtons forces from the North to trap the British by landThe French Navy trapped any escape and resupply routes by seaOctober 19, 1781: Cornwallis surrenders, ending fighting of the War for Independence Treaty of Paris, 1783Granted American independence, everything east of the MS RiverSpain gained Florida back from BritainBritain would withdraw all troops from American territory (to which they did not, causing another war later)Articles of ConfederationFirst government of the United States, approved in 1781Many problems with the Articles No power to taxNo control over commerce approval for laws, unanimous for amendmentsOnly one vote per state, regardless of sizeNo true executive or judicial, legislature only Land division was also an issue after the warLand Ordinance of 1785: divided land into townships, 6 miles by 6 miles and required each to have a schoolLand Ordinance of 1787 (Northwest Ordinance): system of governing the land, banned slavery, and set up a system of statehood for 3-5 states Shays Rebellion proved the weakness of the government in 1786Rebellion led by Daniel Shays in response to heavy state taxes and foreclosures on farmsProved national government could not control peopleInspired states to meet to fix the Articles in 1787

Northwest Territory, 1787

Constitutional Convention All states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia, starting May 14, 1787 to address issues of the ArticlesQuickly decided a new government was neededGeorge Washington elected president of the conventionJames Madison (father of Constitution), Ben Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton amongst prominent Issues over state vs. federal powerVirginia Plan: proposed representation based on population, a strong federal government, power to tax, and a bicameral legislatureNew Jersey Plan: unicameral legislature based on equal representation, power to tax and regulate commerceConnecticut Compromise: creation of a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (population) and a Senate (equal)Constitutional Convention Other issues were at stake in reshaping the American governmentThree-fifths Compromise: addressed slaves as 3/5 of a person when counting populationTariffs would be imposed on imports, but not on exportsThe slave trade would be outlawed after 1808, but a domestic trade could continue After months of work, the Constitution was approve on Sept. 17, 1787Sent to the states for ratification, of which 9 needed to approve for it to take effectTwo factions, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, formed in support and opposition to the document Federalists: supported, drafted The Federalist Papers in supportAnti-Federalists: opposed, mostly because of a lack of a Bill of Rights Federalists promised to add a Bill of Rights if it was ratified, to which they did in 1791The ConstitutionCreated a document based on many principlesFederalism: division between national, state and local governments, some powers exclusive, others shared; declared national govt supremeSeparation of powers: three branches of govt (legislative, executive, judicial), with checks and balances on powers Allowed for Constitution to be changed through the amendment process and elastic clauseAmended 27 times Allows for laws necessary and proper to carry out other laws to be added, even if Constitution doesnt specifically state the powerThe First GovernmentGeorge Washington was elected the first president, taking office in New York City on April 30, 1789Congress had many issues to address in the first sessionBill of Rights: approved in 1789, ratified by states in 1791Judiciary Act of 1789: created federal court systemCabinet: departments to assist and advise the president (State, Treasury, War) and an attorney general to advise on legal mattersNational credit: Alexander Hamilton devised a plan to fix financial problemsSystem of taxes to pay down all debts, including the state, left from the warDebts would be paid gradually, to ensure support from foreign nationsTo gain southern support, the capital of Washington DC would be built in the southBank of the United States was created to handle finances Many problem rose in the early daysTaxes on whiskey caused people to rebel against the taxes (Whiskey Rebellion, 1794); put down by Washington and the armyNative American conflicts: defeated Indians at Battle of Fallen Timbers George Washington 1789-1797

Foreign AffairsThe French Revolution and a British/French war caused many issuesImpressment of American sailorsCitizen Genet: illegal tried to recruit Americans to fight for the French after declaration of neutralityJays Treaty: treaty to expel British from forts in the NW Territory and pay debts to BritainPinckneys Treaty: established southern border with FloridaWashington stepped down after 2 terms in 1796, opening election to othersFirst election involving parties (Federalists and Democratic-Republicans)John Adams elected president, Thomas Jefferson elected VPCaused many problems during term because of conflicting party views between Adams and JeffersonXYZ Affair: conflict between US and France in 1797 when France tried to bribe US diplomats with three agents (X, Y, and Z), demanding loans and a bribe to see French ministersAlien and Sedition Acts: passed in 1798 to quiet opposition to Adams and deport all unwanted immigrantsDeclared unconstitutional by Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, but were in place until they expired in 1801John Adams 1797-1801

The Transition of PowerElection of 1800Resulted in a tie vote between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, eliminating John Adams after one termTook 35 votes to choose Jefferson as presidentResulted in 12th Amendment in 1804 to clear up presidential voting procedures Adams did not go out quietly, howeverAppointed several midnight judges to undermine JeffersonJefferson refused to honor the appointmentsOne appointment sued the government, resulting in Marbury v. MadisonDid not grant the appointmentEstablished the concept of judicial review, ability of the court to declare laws unconstitutional Jefferson very influential in forming modern USLouisiana Purchase: bought from France for $15 million in 1803Sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on expedition in 1804-06 to explore the purchase Very popular until passage of Embargo Act of 1807Response to British blockade of trade with FrancePrevented American trade with all foreign nations, severely hurting tradeThomas Jefferson 1801-1809

War of 1812Conflicts between settlers and Native Americans intensified in the early 1800sTecumseh aligned tribes to resist settlementWilliam Henry Harrison was sent, in 1811, to fight the tribes, resulting in the Battle of Tippecanoe, shattering the Native alliances Americans blamed the British for the Indian uprisings, with President James Madison calling for warWar was declared in 1812, resulting in the War of 1812 The United States was not prepared for war, but focused heavily on the conquest of CanadaJames Madison 1809-1817

War of 1812Land battles were disastrous for the AmericansHowever, battles on the Great Lakes were a success, enabling momentumAfter defeating the British navy on Lake Erie, the army invaded southern OntarioBattle of the Thames: Harrison defeats British and Indians, breaking British hold on NW Territory The British were able to go on the offensive in America, burning Washington DC in the processDolley Madison saved many art pieces from the White House before it burnedFrancis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner while watching the siege on Fort McHenry (Baltimore) Biggest victory for the Americans came after the war at New OrleansAndrew Jackson soundly defeated British in January 1815 before news of wars end reached the city Treaty of Ghent ended the war in Dec. 1814Nothing gained by either side, but strengthened US control over NW TerritorySome states called for secession at the Hartford Convention in anger to the war, but the call failed and destroyed the Federalist Party