APUSH Unit 3: The Critical Period

Quasi war with France

1798 to 1800 undeclared war fought entirely at sea Caused by the XYZ affair. Congress cut off all trade with France. Navy was created. Britain - ally Finally France backed down.

Fiske, The Critical Period of American History

He called the introduction of the Constitution the "critical period" because the Constitution saved the nation from certain disaster under the Articles of Confederation.

Washingtons Farewell Address

He warned against the dangers of political parties and foreign alliances.

James Madison, "Father of the Constitution"

His proposals for an effective government became the Virginia Plan, which was the basis for the Constitution. He was responsible for drafting most of the language of the Constitution.

Whiskey Rebellion

In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay's Rebellion.

The "Indian Problem"

Jackson set on Indian removal. Indians resisted resulting in "Black Hawk War" & "Seminole War". The Cherokee brought suit to U.S. Supreme Court, Justice John Marshall ruled in their favor, but had no power to enforce ruling. Cherokee forcibly removed on "Trail of Tears".

Revolution of 1800

Jefferson's election changed the direction of the government from Federalist to Democratic- Republican, so it was called a "revolution."

Second Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals starting in 1801, based on Methodism and Baptism. Stressed a religious philosophy of salvation through good deeds and tolerance for all Protestant sects. The revivals attracted women, Blacks, and Native Americans. It also had an effect on moral movements such as prison reform, the temperance movement, and moral reasoning against slavery.

Federalists

Also known as Nationalist, they were supporters of the Constitution. They were mostly wealthy and opposed anarchy. Their leaders included Jay, Hamilton, and Madison, who wrote the Federalist Papers in support of the Constitution. Philosophies: Federalists believed in a strong central government, a strong army, industry, and loose interpretation of the Constitution. Foreign Support: Britain Programs: Federalist programs were the National Bank and taxes to support the growth of industry.

Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828)

American painter, most famous for painting the portrait of Washington which was copied for the one-dollar bill.

Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827)

An American naturalist painter.

Great Compromise

At the Constitutional Convention, larger states wanted to follow the Virginia Plan, which based each state's representation in Congress on state population. Smaller states wanted to follow the New Jersey Plan, which gave every state the same number of representatives. The convention compromised by creating the House and the Senate, and using both of the two separate plans as the method for electing members of each.

Philadelphia Convention for the Constitution (Constitutional Convention)

Beginning on May 25, 1787, the convention recommended by the Annapolis Convention was held in Philadelphia. All of the states except Rhode Island sent delegates, and George Washington served as president of the convention. The convention lasted 16 weeks, and on September 17, 1787, produced the present Constitution of the United States, which was drafted largely by James Madison.

Noah Webster

Born in Connecticut. Educated at Yale. Lived 1758-1843. Called "Schoolmaster of the Republic." Wrote reading primers and texts for school use. He was most famous for his dictionary, first published in 1828, which standardized the English language in America.

Hamilton's Program: ideas, proposals, reasons for it

Designed to pay off the U.S.'s war debts and stabilize the economy, he believed that the United States should become a leading international commercial power. His programs included the creation of the National Bank, the establishment of the U.S.'s credit rate, increased tariffs, and an excise tax on whiskey. Also, he insisted that the federal government assume debts incurred by the states during the war.

Rush-Bagot Agreement, 1817

Disarmament pact between US and Britain; strictly limited Naval armament on the Great Lakes; the agreement was extended to place limits on border fortifications; border between US and Canada is the largest unfortified border in the world

Citizen Genêt

Edmond Charles Genêt. A French diplomat who came to the U.S. 1793 to ask the American government to send money and troops to aid the revolutionaries in the French Revolution. President Washington asked France to recall Genêt after Genêt began recruiting men and arming ships in U.S. ports. However, Washington later relented and allowed Genêt U.S. citizenship upon learning that the new French government planned to arrest Genêt.

Doctrine of Nullification

Expressed in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, it said that states could nullify federal laws.

Patrick Henry (1736-1799)

One of the main opponents of the Constitution, he worked against its ratification in Virginia.

Democratic-Republicans

Philosophies: Democratic-Republicans believed in a weak central government, state and individual rights, and strict interpretation of the Constitution. Foreign Support: They felt that France was the U.S.'s most important ally. Programs: The Democratic-Republicans opposed these programs, favoring state banks and little industry.

American Authors and Nationalism

Printers preferred to publish popular works by English writers; only those American writers willing to pay the cost and bear the risk of publishing their own works could compete for public attention. Washington Irving wrote the American legends that future generations are still familiar with

Bank of the United States

Proposed by Alexander Hamilton (1791: 20-year charter) government was the major stockholder. strong and stable national currency. Jefferson opposed the bank (as a republican); he thought it was un-constitutional. A place where all the tax money would go, money would be printed, loans issued, and loans regulated.

Marbury v. Madison

The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the U.S. Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress, (the Judiciary Act of 1789).

Connecticut Plan

The Connecticut Plan called for a two-house Congress in which both types of representation would be applied, and is also known as the Compromise Plan.

New Jersey Plan

The New Jersey Plan called for a one-house Congress in which each state had equal representation.

3/5 Clause

The South's slave trade was guaranteed for at least 20 years after the ratification of the Constitution. Slaves were considered 3/5 of a person when determining the state population.

National debt, state debt, foreign debt

The U.S.'s national debt included domestic debt owed to soldiers and others who had not yet been paid for their Revolutionary War services, plus foreign debt to other countries which had helped the U.S. The federal government also assumed all the debts incurred by the states during the war. Hamilton's program paid off these debts.

Virginia Plan

The Virginia Plan called for a two-house Congress with each state's representation based on state population.

Bill of Rights adopted, 1791

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee basic individual rights.

Alien and Sedition Acts

These consist of four laws passed by the Federalist Congress and signed by President Adams in 1798: the Naturalization Act, which increased the waiting period for an immigrant to become a citizen from 5 to 14 years; the Alien Act, which empowered the president to arrest and deport dangerous aliens; the Alien Enemy Act, which allowed for the arrest and deportation of citizens of countries at was with the US; and the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials. The first 3 were enacted in response to the XYZ Affair, and were aimed at French and Irish immigrants, who were considered subversives. The Sedition Act was an attempt to stifle Democratic-Republican opposition, although only 25 people were ever arrested, and only 10 convicted, under the law. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which initiated the concept of "nullification" of federal laws were written in response to the Acts.

Anti-Federalists

They opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it gave more power to the federal government and less to the states, and because it did not ensure individual rights. Many wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation. The Anti-federalists were instrumental in obtaining passage of the Bill of Rights as a prerequisite to ratification of the Constitution in several states. After the ratification of the Constitution, the Anti-federalists regrouped as the Democratic-Republican (or simply Republican) party.

The Federalist Papers, Jay, Hamilton, Madison

This collection of 85 essays by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, explained the importance of a strong central government. It was published to convince New York to ratify the Constitution. Although having little effect on the ratification debate in New York, the papers soon became classics of political philosophy about the Constitution as the framework of federal government for the American public. Series of Newspaper articles. Take the fears of Anti-Federalists and explain the resolution to each. They don't want there names known because they wanted to sway anonymously, not by name and they were sworn to secrecy.

"The Federalist, #10"

This essay from the Federalist Papers proposed setting up a republic to solve the problems of a large democracy (anarchy, rise of factions which disregard public good).

Deism and Religious Skepticism

Time: 1790's Definition: Deists accepted the existence of God, but considered him a remote being that after creating the universe, withdrew from involvement with the human race. In the 1790's less than 10% of white Americans belonged to a formal church. People started rejecting the idea of predestination, which led to the Second Great Awakening. Significance: Deism led to a time period when it was common for a family to not attend any church, which was very unlike the fundamental beliefs of many of the religious groups. This time period proved that the need for some kind of reform was visible. Deism originated among Enlightment philosopher in France; accepted existence of God but considered Him a remote being who, after having created the universe, had withdrawn from direct involvement w/the human race & its sins. Religious skepticism produced philosophies of "Universalism" and "Unitarianism"

Tecumseh and the Prophet

Two Shawnee brothers, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, that welded a far-flung confederacy of all the tribes east of the Mississippi. The Prophet was discredited by attacking a much larger American army, and Tecumseh was killed in the Battle of the Thames. Their actions were in response to the flood of western-bound settlers, and resulted in Indian unity and cultural revival. The death of Tecumseh ended the hope of an Indian confederacy.

Neutrality Proclamation

Washington's declaration that the U.S. would not take sides after the French Revolution touched off a war between France and a coalition consisting primarily of England, Austria and Prussia. Washington's Proclamation was technically a violation of the Franco-American Treaty of 1778.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Written anonymously by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, they declared that states could nullify federal laws that the states considered unconstitutional.