Places/People/Dates

Jay's Treaty

Faced with British refusal to vacate western frontier forts as well as honor neutral shipping rights, President George Washington sent Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay (1745-1829) to London in 1794. The resulting treaty, which failed to resolve the issues but prevented a war with Great Britain, was extremely unpopular with the Jeffersonian Republicans. The Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation was quickly labeled "Jay's Treaty" and became a lightening rod for the political parties and a point of contention between the president and Congress over funds for its implementation. John Jay (1745-1829), a prominent New York nationalist and former president of the Continental Congress, was among the first to call for a National Convention to replace or revise the Articles of Confederation. Jay was an outspoken advocate for the new Constitution and authored several of the Federalist essays. He served as first chief justice of the United States, 1789-1795. President Washington sent Jay to England in 1794 to negotiate a treaty, which became known as "Jay's Treaty."

The Stamp Act

In 1765, Britain passed the Stamp Act, which taxed all colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and other items. Colonists vigorously resisted and nullified the Stamp Act, which Britain repealed in 1766. The Stamp Act and its defeat bolstered the colonists' belief in their independence and their faith that they could organize against the crown.

The Wright brothers—Orville and Wilbur —were two American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane.

In 1903 the Wright brothers achieved the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight; they surpassed their own milestone two years later when they built and flew the first fully practical airplane.

The Constitution Controversy: Federalists and Anti-Federalists

In the late 1780s, the Constitution's ratification was fraught with controversy. On one side were the Anti-Federalists, who opposed the stronger centralized government that the Constitution would create. They were opposed by the Federalists, a group which included Alexander Hamilton. The Federalists were proponents of the Constitution and attempted to persuade the citizenry through a series of articles that have come to be known as the Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers still serve as a guide to many judges in interpreting the intent of the US Constitution. An example of the Ferderalist Papers: Federalist Paper No. 10 Paper number ten has been used to argue that the Founding Fathers did not intend for US politics to split into partisan groups. It was written by James Madison under the pseudonym Publius and argues that the federal government should be watchful of factions and states that wield too much power.

The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate.

In the long term, the Lincoln-Douglas debates propelled Lincoln's political career into the national spotlight, while simultaneously stifling Douglas' career, and foreshadowing the 1860 Election. By 1858, Stephen A. Douglas was the most prominent politician in the West, if not the entire country.

ome 19th-century industrialists who were called "captains of industry" overlap with those called "robber barons". These include people such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, Henry Ford, Leland Stanford, John D. Rockefeller.

Industrialists are the people who own and develop industry. They were the men who ran the factories of the Industrial Revolution, making their fortunes as a result of their ingenuity, grasp of market forces or good luck.

The Battles

Most battles in the eastern mid to lower regions Bull Run (Southern name: Manassas) July 21, 1861 This pitched battle eventually ended in a victory for the South. It is considered the first major land battle in the war and helped General Thomas Jackson earn his nickname "Stonewall." The armies clashed again at this site in 1862 at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Antietam (Southern name: Sharpsburg) September 17, 1862 One of the bloodiest of the war, this battle was also the first major conflict in the North. With more than 20,000 casualties in one day of fighting, the victor in this battle was not clear. Many historians, however, see this as a Union victory because it stalled General Robert E. Lee's march into the North. The Union performance at Antietam also gave Lincoln the confidence to issue his Emancipation Proclamation (September 1862). Appomattox April 9, 1865 In April 1865, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union general Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the war between the North and South. As word spread throughout the Confederacy about Lee's surrender, other southern commanders followed suit.

Big stick ideology, big stick diplomacy, or big stick policy refers to President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy: "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." Roosevelt described his style of foreign policy as "the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of .

Roosevelt tied his policy to the Monroe Doctrine, and it was also consistent with his foreign policy of "walk softly, but carry a big stick." Roosevelt stated that in keeping with the Monroe Doctrine, the United States was justified in exercising "international police power" to put an end to chronic unrest or .

Henry Clay, a leading congressman, played a crucial role in brokering a two-part solution known as the Missouri Compromise. ... In an attempt to keep a legislative balance between the pro- and anti- slavery factions, the Missouri Compromise delineated which states would be free and which would not.

Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on January 29, 1850, in an attempt to seek a compromise and avert a crisis between North and South. As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended and the slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished.

The Berlin Blockade was an attempt in 1948 by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of the United States, Great Britain and France to travel to their sectors of Berlin, which lay within Russian-occupied East Germany. The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This had happened in Eastern Europe after 1945. China had become communist in 1949 and communists were in control of North Vietnam. The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.

Six U.S. symbols are depicted in this primary source set: the Liberty Bell, the U.S. flag, the bald eagle, the national anthem, Uncle Sam, and the Statue of Liberty.

The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 The most recognized symbol of democratic government in the world, the United States Capitol has housed Congress since 1800. The Capitol is where Congress meets to write the laws of our nation, and where presidents are inaugurated and deliver their annual State of the Union messages. "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was designated as a National Monument in 1924. Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933. The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America. The stripes represent the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice. The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The Liberty Bell's inscription is from the Bible (King James version): "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof." The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. Such a pledge was first composed, with a text different from the one used at present, by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union Army Officer during the Civil War and later a teacher of patriotism in New York City schools.[5][6] The form of the pledge used today was largely devised by Francis Bellamy in 1892, and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942.[7] The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. The most recent alteration of its wording came on Flag Day in 1954, when the words "under God" were added.[8] "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry",[2] a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the U.S. victory. Katherine Lee Bates Bates' "America the Beautiful" and Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner" were originally written as poems. Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was a professor at Wellesley who traveled to Colorado in 1893 to teach a summer school class. While out in Colorado, she climbed to the top of Pike's Peak; the view inspired her to compose four stanzas of "America the Beautiful."The poem, which originally appeared in a journal called The Congregationalist on July 4, 1895, was set to music that same year. The poem went through other incarnations: Bates tinkered with it in 1904 and again in 1913. My (limited) research uncovered t toal of eight stanzas (but to me, the first four are sufficient). You can read the "complete" poem here.

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Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by American President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and the fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it near the end of his second term of presidency before retiring to his home at Mount Vernon in Virginia The War of 1812 was a conflict fought between the United States and its allies, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its allies. It began when the United States declared war in June 1812 and ended in a stalemate when a peace treaty agreed to earlier was ratified by the United States in February 1815. While the war ended in a draw, both sides were happy with the outcome that saw the war ending, although the indigenous nations of North America are generally seen among historians as the real losers. Monroe Doctrine, (December 2, 1823), cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy enunciated by Pres. James Monroe in his annual message to Congress. Declaring that the Old World and New World had different systems and must remain distinct spheres, Monroe made four basic points: (1) the United States would not interfere in the internal affairs of or the wars between European powers; (2) the United States recognized and would not interfere with existing colonies and dependencies in the Western Hemisphere; (3) the Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonization; and (4) any attempt by a European power to oppress or control any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States. The Monroe Doctrine was articulated in President James Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress on December 2, 1823. The European powers, according to Monroe, were obligated to respect the Western Hemisphere as the United States' sphere of interest. The Mexican-American War,[a] also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the Intervención Estadounidense en México (U.S. intervention in Mexico),[b] was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered Mexican territory since the government did not recognize the Velasco treaty signed by Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna when he was a prisoner of the Texian Army during the 1836 Texas Revolution. The Republic of Texas was de facto an independent country, but most of its citizens wished to be annexed by the United States.

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies, the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc, after World War II. Start date: 1947 End date: 1991 John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK and Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. Dwight D. Eisenhower-34th Richard Nixon 37th U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Formerly the 37th Vice President of the United States from 1961 to 1963, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA was a British statesman, army officer, and writer. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, when he led the country to victory in the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955

While Americans enjoyed a period of economic prosperity after the war, a new conflict was simmering, one that would last decades and feature many battles, both open and clandestine. The roots of the cold war go back to events several decades in the past: enmity about the U.S. involvement in the Russian civil war, unfulfilled promises from World War II, and, of course, the rise of capitalism in the United States and communism in the Soviet Union. The following are some of the events and policies that shaped the cold war. Korean War In 1950, Stalin sent forces to invade the U.S.-backed country of South Korea. The United States had an agreement with Japan to house military bases in Japan, and southeast Asia quickly became an important area to both superpowers. The United States was worried about the spread of communism, and the Soviets were concerned about letting the United States establish a foothold in the region. China and the Soviet Union controlled and backed North Korea, and the resulting conflict cost tens of thousands of American lives and a million Korean lives on both sides of the war. Cuban Missile Crisis When the United States placed midrange nuclear missiles in eastern Europe, the Soviets responded by drawing up plans to house similar missiles in the socialist island nation of Cuba. President Kennedy called for a naval blockade around the island and readied the military for an assault on Cuba in the event that the Soviets refused to dismantle their missiles. Many historians see these tense days as the closest the superpowers ever got to nuclear war. The Soviets eventually agreed to remove the weaponry in exchange for a certain number of U.S. missiles being removed from Europe. Construction of the Berlin Wall After World War II, the dividing line between East Germany and West Germany was established by the closure of the intracity border in 1953. One of the most well-known symbols of the cold war, the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and stood until it was dismantled in 1989.

.Jamestown was located about

sixty miles from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. The colonists, men and boys employed by the Virginia Company, chose a site far enough away from the James River to avoid being an easy target for the Spanish, who were also exploring and staking claims to the region. Almost immediately, the native Powhatan attacked the English colonists. These fights for land with the Spanish and the Powhatan presaged a pattern that would last until well after the colonists' War for Independence. Europeans would struggle with each other and the native peoples for dominance on the continent. One example of these conflicts is the Pequot War.

States have the autonomy to pass, enforce, and interpret their own laws.

states' rights, in U.S. history, doctrine based on the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, which states, The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

art/arch pre-columbian america

In the Andean region, the early Chavín sculptures were succeeded by the Mochica, the Tiahuanaco and, in the 14th century, by the rich temple architecture and sophisticated engineering of the Inca. Gold-working, weaving and sculpture were other important pre-Columbian arts. pyramids

Columbus came in what year

1492

Italy's John Cabot, who landed in Newfoundland

1497

rule of law-Rule of law is a principle under which all persons, institutions, and entities are accountable to laws that are: Publicly promulgated. Equally enforced. Independently adjudicated. And consistent with international human rights principles. Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government. By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hence, civil disobedience is sometimes equated with peaceful protests or nonviolent resistance.

A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from purely symbolic, to restricted, to fully autocratic, and can expand across the domains of the executive, legislative and judicial. Totalitarianism is a concept for a form of government or political system that prohibits opposition parties, restricts individual opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life.A system of government in which the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control, for example, a dictatorship. Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic with an emphasis on liberty and the civic virtue practiced by citizens. ... More broadly, it refers to a political system that protects liberty, especially by incorporating a rule of law that cannot be arbitrarily ignored by the government. Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to choose their governing legislation. Who people are and how authority is shared among them are core issues for democratic theory, development and constitution. In political philosophy, limited government is the concept of a government limited in power. It is a key concept in the history of liberalism. A limited government is one whose legalized force and power is restricted through delegated and enumerated authorities. ... In many cases, such as the United States, it is a constitutionally limited government, bound to specific principles and actions by a state or federal constitution.

The French and Indian War

The last phase of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France, the French and Indian War began in 1754 as a struggle over which colonial power would control the upper Ohio River valley. Native Americans joined the fight on the French side, but the British were victorious. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the war. Britain won the lion's share of the land, marking Britain as a colonial power. War debts and problems associated with governing vast colonial territories would play a role in bringing about the Revolutionary War during the next decade.

Slavery

Africans who were first brought to the colonies in the early 1600s in Jamestown, Virginia. Some scholars estimate that twelve million Africans were brought to the Americas over the course of the slave trade. The slave trade had an immense effect on Africa. As slavery became more crucial to the economies of the Americas, prices for slaves increased and made the slave trade a lucrative occupation. Europeans traded guns and other weapons for slaves, which helped certain African factions dominate their regions and bulk up their treasuries by capturing and selling their conquered foes. Originally brought over as indentured servants, these Africans were soon outright slaves, unable to gain their freedom. In the latter half of the 1600s, the colonies assembled the slave codes, which institutionalized the practice of slavery by passing laws that set out specific guidelines for owning and trading slaves. While tobacco and other crops were the initial impetus for slave labor, cotton soon surpassed all of them. The invention of the cotton gin in the 1790s created a huge demand for slaves, and, by 1850, almost two-thirds of these slaves were involved in the production of cotton in the South. Slavery and states' rights were two crucial issues in pushing the United States toward civil war. In 1865, slavery was abolished by the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The Seeds of Government

After the Revolutionary War, the newly formed United States of America needed to decide what would be its ultimate form of government. In the midst of fighting a long and hard struggle to free themselves from the control of the British crown, the colonists also struggled with the idea of a strong central government. The Second Continental Congress deliberated for one year before producing the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, which gathered the former colonies into a loose confederation with a weak central government and most of the power remaining in the hands of the states. Commonly referred to as the Articles of Confederation (the new nation's first governing proposal, were adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. They were ratified in 1781 and eventually replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1788), this document seemed to the delegates to be the best idea at the time, but it would prove to be deeply flawed and would remain in force for only seven years before being replaced by the Constitution. After the war with Britain, the newly minted country needed to centralize its government. The Continental Congress had difficulty getting representation from each colony, which made for a painfully slow decision-making process. With such a loose form of centralized government, imposing taxes to pay war debts was also a difficult task. In 1786 and 1787, delegates from around the country met in Philadelphia, ostensibly to revise the existing Articles of Confederation. However, the Congress agreed to create a constitution that would set the course for a new nation.

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton played major roles in the creation of the United States. He was an aide-de-camp to George Washington during the Revolution, a member of the Continental Congress in 1782, 1783, and 1788 and the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and the first secretary of the treasury. In 1804 Aaron Burr killed Hamilton in a duel arising from ill-will after Federalist leader Hamilton supported Thomas Jefferson instead of Burr in the disputed election of 1801.

The Compromise of 1850 consists of five laws passed in September of 1850 that dealt with the issue of slavery and territorial expansion. ... As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended and the slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished.

An Act to amend, and supplementary to, the Act entitled "An Act respecting Fugitives from Justice, and Persons escaping from the Service of their Masters," approved February twelfth, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three. An Act to suppress the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia. An Act for the Admission of the State of California into the Union. An Act to establish a Territorial Government for Utah. An Act proposing to the State of Texas the Establishment of her Northern and Western Boundaries, the Relinquishment by the said State of all Territory claimed by her exterior to said Boundaries, and of all her Claims upon the United States...

World War II Sep 1, 1939 - Sep 2, 1945 Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953, succeeding upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt after serving as the 34th vice president. He implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, and established the Truman Doctrine and NATO.

At first, the United States chose to simply support Britain and her allies against the Axis powers. However, after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7th, 1941), the United States declared war and entered World War II. Some estimates put the loss of life resulting from the war at 50 million. It was marked by atrocious acts of violence, including the Holocaust, (the systematic ethnic cleansing practiced by the Nazis in the World War II era that claimed millions of lives. Some claims put the death toll at more than 25 million) the use of the atomic bomb (a nuclear weapon, two bombs of this type have been used militarily to date, both at Japanese cities at the end of World War II), and the firebombing of Dresden (The bombing of Dresden was a British-American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II.) The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only uses of nuclear weapons in armed conflict.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763

British treatment of Native Americans after the French and Indian War touched off Pontiac's War. This conflict between the British forces and the tribes of the Great Lakes region hastened another decree from Britain, the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This act prohibited colonists from settling in the land beyond the Appalachian Mountains or in any of the lands Britain had captured from France in the French and Indian War. The colonists viewed the act as meddling interference in their affairs; the colonists moved closer to rebellion. General Jeffrey Amherst's unfair treatment of Native Americans after the French and Indian War helped spur on Pontiac's War

The Open Door policy was a statement of principles initiated by the United States in 1899 and 1900. It called for protection of equal privileges for all countries trading with China and for the support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity.

Building the Panama Canal, 1903-1914President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the realization of a long-term United States goal—a trans-isthmian canal. Throughout the 1800s, American and British leaders and businessmen wanted to ship goods quickly and cheaply between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

William Tecumseh Sherman was a Union general during the Civil War, playing a crucial role in the victory over the Confederate States and becoming one of the most famous military leaders in U.S. history.

Calhoun's pamphlet sparked a national debate over the doctrine of nullification and its constitutionality. Jackson supported states' rights but viewed nullification as a prelude to secession, and he vehemently opposed any measure that could potentially break up the Union. ...

The Boston Massacre

Coined by propagandist Samuel Adams, the Boston Massacre involved British soldiers firing on civilians in Boston. When the merchant ship Liberty was seized on suspicion that it was in violation of the Townshend Acts (the 1767 taxation of lead, tea (and other items) by the British government; the Townshend Acts were yet another incident that led to revolt by the colonies),, the citizens of Boston protested, prompting British officials to quarter troops in the city. With tensions high, British soldiers fired on a group of Bostonians who were pelting the soldiers with snowballs and debris. Crispus Attucks, a young black sailor, was killed in the incident. This event was yet another that moved the colonies toward open rebellion.

From Resistance to War

Convened in late 1774, the First Continental Congress forged an official bond among the thirteen colonies. The main thrust of the First Continental Congress was an organized boycott of British goods and services, as well as the halting of all exports to Britain. However, the following year brought open fighting between the colonists and the British in the form of the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April of 1775. The following month, the Second Continental Congress came together and formed the Continental army under the command of George Washington. This same Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Key figures in colonial era

Due to history's homogenizing forces, we tend to think of the thirteen colonies as a whole. Although eventually united by their enmity for British rule, the colonies were populated by a wide array of Europeans. The colonists, from many different social classes and religious groups, came for a variety of reasons. Let's review some of the leaders and important players in the colonial era. John Smith The first leader of the first British colony at Jamestown, Smith was forced to return to England in 1609 after being seriously injured in an accident with gunpowder. His books about New England and the colonies, including The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captain John Smith in Europe, Asia, Africa and America stoked English interest in the colonies. At age fifty-one, Smith died in England. William Penn William Penn, a Quaker, was granted a tract of land in the New World by Charles II as a payment of a debt that Charles owed to Penn's father. Penn wanted this new settlement to be a haven for his fellow Quakers, and the free-thinking government that he created proved to be a draw for not only his fellow Quakers but also for German, Dutch, and French settlers who sought religious tolerance. Forced back to England by financial troubles in 1701, he died in 1718. Lord Baltimore Though he never visited the colony, Lord Baltimore (Cecil Calvert) governed the colony of Maryland by proxy until his death in 1675. Roger Williams The pastor Roger Williams initially came to Boston to seek religious freedom, but he quickly ran afoul of the religious establishment, which banished him in 1636. With a small group of followers, Williams settled a piece of land they called Providence. (They felt that God had sustained them and guided them there.) Williams was an outspoken proponent of the separation of church and state and also sought fair treatment for native peoples in the colonies. He died in 1684.

The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers. For those in the industrial sector, organized labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions.

Entrepreneurs occupy a central position in a market economy. For it's the entrepreneurs who serve as the spark plug in the economy's engine, activating and stimulating all economic activity. The economic success of nations worldwide is the result of encouraging and rewarding the entrepreneurial instinct.

The Wilmot Proviso was designed to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican War (1846-48).

Fearing the addition of a pro-slave territory, Pennsylvania Congressman David Wilmot proposed his amendment to the bill. Although the measure was blocked in the southern-dominated Senate, it enflamed the growing controversy over slavery, and its underlying principle helped bring about the formation of the Republican Party in 1854.

Federal Indian policy establishes the relationship between the United States Government and the Indian Tribes within its borders. The Constitution gives the federal government primary responsibility for dealing with tribes.

Federal policy was enshrined in the General Allotment (Dawes) Act of 1887 which decreed that Indian Reservation land was to be divided into plots and allocated to individual Native Americans.

Foreign Involvement in Revolutionary war (Apr 19, 1775 - Sep 3, 1783)

France France entered the war on the side of the colonists in 1778. France's involvement was crucial to the colonists' victory. The country sent not only troops but also supplies, medicine, and machinery. Germany Over the course of the war, Britain hired some 30,000 German mercenaries to fight in North America. These troops were known as Hessians; many came from the German town of Hesse. Spain Spain sent supplies and medicines to aid the colonists but did not send troops. However, some Spanish colonials did join the fight in the southern colonies. Losing North American land to the British helped usher the French into the war on the side of the colonists. Answer C is correct. Recall that France lost the French and Indian War to the British and lost the bulk of its claim to North American land. This, coupled with Britain's status as an emerging superpower, led the French to help the colonists. French involvement was key to the colonists' eventual victory.

Review

Important antecedents of the US constitutional law include: the Magna Carta, the democracy of 5th-century Athens, and Roman forms of democracy. The US is a representative democracy in which the voting public elects representatives to make political decisions on their behalf. The Federalist Papers were a series of articles published to persuade the public to adopt the Constitution. These writings still serve as an insight into the original intent of the framers. The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. Key amendments in the expansion of citizen rights include the 13th (outlaws slavery), the 14th (provides protection for all citizens, regardless of race and gender), and the 19th (gives women the right to vote).

Civic Milestones and Icons The history of the United States is full of notable people and events—the Founding Fathers, the birth of the country, and the crucial developments in the evolution of our representative democracy. Below are a few examples of America's historical figures and milestones.

Frederick Douglass Born a slave in Maryland, Douglass escaped to the North in 1838 and began his career as an abolitionist, writer, and intellectual. He advised presidents (Lincoln and Grant), served as the marshal of the District of Columbia, and penned the classic memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. He died in 1895. The Thirteenth Amendment Ratified by the majority of states in 1865, the 13th amendment at last outlawed slavery in the US. Section one reads: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. The Fourteenth Amendment Ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment holds states responsible for the legal protection of all persons, regardless of race. This was a defining post-Civil War piece of legislation. Section One reads: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth devoted her life to the abolition of slavery and the movement for women's suffrage. In 1851, she delivered the following speech at a women's convention in Akron, Ohio. Susan B. Anthony Born a Quaker in 1820, Susan Brownell Anthony led the fight for women's suffrage until her death in 1906. Among her many activities was publishing the New York paper, The Revolution, with her ally and fellow suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The paper's motto: "The true republic—men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less."-Susan B. Anthony. The Nineteenth Amendment Ratified in 1920, the 19th amendment finally opened the way to the polls for the women of the US. The text reads: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Key players of Constitution

George Washington The first president, Washington was so revered that some Americans called for him to retain power for life. However, he stepped down after serving two terms as president, which set the tone for all subsequent presidents until FDR, who served four terms. James Madison A protégé of Thomas Jefferson, Madison led the charge to replace the outdated Articles of Confederation. He was elected president in 1808. Benjamin Franklin An American renaissance man, Franklin was a member of the Continental Congress and a major contributor to the Declaration of Independence.

Power Abroad, Prosperity at Home During this era (1899 -philppines to world war one times and so), the United States began to extend its power overseas, economically, politically, and militarily. Below are some examples of U.S. involvement overseas:

Haiti Over the course of nineteen years (1915-1934), the U.S. military held sway over the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Ostensibly there in case German forces sought to gain a foothold in the Caribbean, the U.S. Marine Corps proved to be an unpopular governmental force over the course of its occupation. Philippines When the United States defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War, it bought the Philippines from the Spanish. The United States intended to make the island nation a U.S. colony, but the Filipinos had declared their independence from Spain years earlier and were not going to become a colony again without a fight. The ensuing war left some 6,000 U.S. soldiers dead or wounded; the Filipinos suffered hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and some 18,000 military deaths. Panama After taking on the abandoned canal plans, the United States (under President Theodore Roosevelt) helped the Panamanians gain their independence from Colombia in exchange for control over a strip of land around the canal. Ten miles wide and fifty miles long, the strip of land was granted to the United States "in perpetuity."

World War I

In 1917 President Wilson declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary; the United States entered the war to end all wars, which had begun in 1914. While U.S. forces suffered major casualties, the United States' trans-Atlantic location and late entry ensured that military losses did not match the number of Europeans injured and killed. U.S. industry kicked into high gear during World War I in an effort to produce supplies for the war; the economy boomed. The war also put the United States into a globally powerful position as the country became a creditor for many devastated European countries. After the war, Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts for peace. The Zimmermann Telegram was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico. If the United States entered World War I against Germany, Mexico would recover Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917. ... Wilson cited Germany's violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, as his reasons for declaring war. Submarine warfare in the Atlantic kept tensions high, and Germany's sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania on May 7, 1915, killed more than 120 U.S. citizens and provoked outrage in the U.S. In 1917, Germany's attacks on American ships and its attempts to meddle in U.S.-Mexican relations drew the U.S. into the Wilson and the League of Nations Delivered to Congress in 1918, the Fourteen Points address outlined Wilson's hopes for reconstructing a battered Europe. The Fourteen Points recommended disarmament, national self-determination, and the exposure of secret treaties between nations. Wilson's fourteenth point advocated the creation of a multinational cooperative body ("A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.")—an idea that presaged the League of Nations.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law by President Franklin Pierce.

In Dred Scott v. Sandford (argued 1856 -- decided 1857), the Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent, whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. The Court also ruled that Congress lacked power to ban slavery in the U.S. territories. Finally, the Court declared that the rights of slaveowners were constitutionally protected by the Fifth Amendment because slaves were categorized as property.The controversy began in 1833, when Dr. John Emerson, a surgeon with the U.S. Army, purchased Dred Scott, a slave, and eventually moved Scott to a base in the Wisconsin Territory. Slavery was banned in the territory pursuant to the Missouri Compromise. Scott lived there for the next four years, hiring himself out for work during the long stretches when Emerson was away. In 1840, Scott, his new wife, and their young children moved to Louisiana and then to St. Louis with Emerson. Emerson died in 1843, leaving the Scott family to his wife, Eliza Irene Sanford. In 1846, after laboring and saving for years, the Scotts sought to buy their freedom from Sanford, but she refused. Dred Scott then sued Sanford in a state court, arguing that he was legally free because he and his family had lived in a territory where slavery was banned. In 1850, the state court finally declared Scott free. However, Scott's wages had been withheld pending the resolution of his case, and during that time Mrs. Emerson remarried and left her brother, John Sanford, to deal with her affairs. Mr. Sanford, unwilling to pay the back wages owed to Scott, appealed the decision to the Missouri Supreme Court. The court overturned the lower court's decision and ruled in favor of Sanford. Scott then filed another lawsuit in a federal circuit court claiming damages against Sanford's brother, John F.A. Sanford, for Sanford's alleged physical abuse against him. The jury ruled that Scott could not sue in federal court because he had already been deemed a slave under Missouri law. Scott appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reviewed the case in 1856. Due to a clerical error at the time, Sanford's name was misspelled in court records.

Republican Party Christened by James Madison

In September 1792, James Madison coined the term Republican Party in an essay, A Candid State of Parties, published in the National Gazette of Philadelphia. Although the Jeffersonian-Republican Party drew strength from the Anti-Federalists, no one had more claim to the authorship of the federal Constitution than did Madison, one of the founders of the Jeffersonian-Republican Party.

The Molasses Act of 1733

In an effort to force colonists to purchase sugar and molasses from their constituents in the West Indies, the British Parliament started taxing and imposing shipment restrictions on sugar and molasses that were imported into the American colonies from the French West Indies. The higher tax and imposition of economic force by Britain did not sit well with the colonists, who were struggling economically.

Lincoln, Secession, and War

In some ways, Lincoln's election was the last straw in sending the states to war. After his victory, several proslavery states (led by South Carolina) seceded—even before Lincoln's inauguration. In February 1861, these states formed a provisional government for the Confederate States of America. Confederate forces took control of most of the forts in the South, but a few holdouts remained. Fort Sumter in South Carolina was one of them. After prolonged shelling from the South Carolina militia, the Union forces relinquished Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861. Though neither side suffered casualties, this event was the first conflict in a bloody war that would last until the spring of 1865 and would take about 500,000 lives.

The next section will look at U.S. history from the late nineteenth century until World War II, an era that was defined by industrialization, massive waves of immigration, World War I, and the Great Depression.

Industrialization As the postwar era gave way to a new century, the United States experienced dramatic growth—not only in population but also in industry and trade. The tens of millions of immigrants spilling into the country resulted in an increased workforce and key industries (such as those listed below) boomed. Steel and Iron Patented in the 1850s by its inventor Henry Bessemer, the Bessemer process was the first inexpensive way of making tons of steel from raw pig iron. In the last twenty years of the 1800s, production of steel in the United States skyrocketed from about 1.4 million tons to more than 11 million tons. During this era, the United States surpassed Britain's iron and steel production. Communications In 1866, telegraph communications between Europe and the United States were established when the first transatlantic telegraph cable was installed. Other improvements to the telegraph were adopted during this era, and, in 1892, Thomas Edison patented the two-way telegraph. Technology Engineers and inventors like Nikola Tesla helped the world make huge leaps in technology during this period. Tesla's work in developing AC (alternating current) power meant that electricity could be more easily transported (and for longer distances). The alternating current system was adaptable as well—its voltage could be changed by a transformer. George Westinghouse worked closely with Tesla and made the AC system the basis of his business.

The Watergate scandal was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. ... Throughout the investigation, the administration resisted its probes, which led to a constitutional crisis. On June 17, 1972, police arrested burglars in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Evidence linked the break-in to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. On June 17, 1972, police arrested burglars in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Evidence linked the break-in to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. This was no ordinary robbery: The prowlers were connected to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign, and they had been caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents. Nixon took aggressive steps to cover up the crimes, but when Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein revealed his role in the conspiracy, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. The Watergate scandal changed American politics forever, leading many Americans to question their leaders and think more critically about the presidency.

Iraqi president Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait in early August 1990. ... Hussein defied United Nations Security Council demands to withdraw from Kuwait by mid-January 1991, and the Persian Gulf War began with a massive U.S.-led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm. The War on terror, also known as the Global War on Terrorism and U.S. War on Terror, is an international military campaign launched by the United States government after the September 11 attacks.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat and activist. She served as the First Lady of the United States from March 4, 1933, to April 12, 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest-serving First Lady of the United States. She advocated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Americans and Asian Americans, and the rights of World War II refugees. Following her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt remained active in politics for the remaining 17 years of her life.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947 César Estrada Chávez was an American labor leader, community organizer, businessman, and Latino American civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later merged to become the United Farm Workers labor union. After working as a community and labor organizer in the 1950s, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. ... As a labor leader, Chavez employed nonviolent means to bring attention to the plight of farm workers. He led marches, called for boycotts and went on several hunger strikes.

Jacksonian democracy-these took place in this time

Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Indian removal was a forced migration in the 19th century whereby Native Americans were forced by the United States government to leave their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River, specifically to a designated Indian Territory The abolitionist movement was the social and political effort to end slavery everywhere. Fueled in part by religious fervor, the movement was led by people like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and John Brown. Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the mid-19th century, aside from the work being done by women for broad-based economic and political equality and for social reforms, women sought to change voting laws to allow them to vote. A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. The Jacksonians believed that voting rights should be extended to all white men. By the end of the 1820s, attitudes and state laws had shifted in favor of universal white male suffrage[7] and by 1856 all requirements to own property and nearly all requirements to pay taxes had been dropped.[8][9] However, Democrats tended to oppose programs like educational reform and the establishment of a public education system. For instance, they believed that public schools restricted individual liberty by interfering with parental responsibility and undermined freedom of religion by replacing church schools. they founded schools and hospitals that greatly improved the earthly lot of their Chinese and "Hindoo" converts in a manner of which Jefferson might have approved. Jackson and his followers' political movement concerned with the interests of the ... across the nation encouraging communities to build mental hospitals. ​. Prison building efforts in the United States came in three major waves. The first began during the Jacksonian Era and led to the widespread use of imprisonment and rehabilitative labor as the primary penalty for most crimes in nearly all states by the time of the American Civil War redefined care for the mentally ill and the poor.[108] For its proponents, the penitentiary was an ambitious program whose external appearance, internal arrangements, and daily routine would counteract the disorder and immorality thought to be breeding crime in American society.[107] Although its adoption was haphazard at first, and marked by political strife—especially in the South—the penitentiary became an established institution in the United States by the end of the 1830s. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aOcsCKV2VitTSB8_mgfHmyObi6OgTJeD84a6nA1WlH0/htmlpresent

Review

Pre-Columbian refers to an era in the Americas before widespread European colonization. The Aztecs, Inca, and Maya are well-known pre-Columbian cultures. In 1607, Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America. Tension and fighting between the English, French, and Dutch marked the colonial era, as did cooperation and opposition by certain indigenous peoples. Some key figures in the colonial era were the Englishmen John Smith, William Penn, Cecil Calvert, and Roger Williams. The slave era in the United States lasted from 1607 to 1865, when slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment.

key contributors to the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams Oddly enough, he was counsel for the defense for the British soldiers on trial for the Boston Massacre. But Adams became a Massachusetts member of the Continental Congress and was a vociferous advocate of independence for the colonies. He defeated Jefferson to become the country's second president. Benjamin Franklin Revolutionary, inventor, author, and more, Franklin is the only founding father to have signed the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson Considered the primary author of the Declaration, Jefferson later became the third president of the United States of America. He was a man of immense erudition—his 6,000-book library was the basis for the nation's Library of Congress.

American statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) earned fame for his staunch support of the federal government and his skills as an orator. ... As U.S. secretary of state, he helped ease border tensions with Britain through negotiations of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.

John C. Calhoun (1782-1850), was a prominent U.S. statesman and spokesman for the slave-plantation system of the antebellum South. As a young congressman from South Carolina, he helped steer the United States into war with Great Britain and established the Second Bank of the United States

Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, woodsman, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Daniel Boone was an early American frontiersman who gained fame for his hunting and trailblazing expeditions through the Cumberland Gap, a natural pass through the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. 17-1800 The Lewis and Clark Expedition from August 31, 1803, to September 25, 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. Missouri River Daniel Boone (1734-1820) and Davy Crockett (1786-1836) became two real-life icons of pioneer history. American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. Native American resistance Featured snippet from the web As settlers moved into the Northwest Territory in increasing numbers, friction with the Native Americans in the area increased. The federal government signed dozens of treaties with various Native American tribes, generally dealing with land or trade

Manifest destiny was a widely held American imperialist cultural belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable. The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to "improve" the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land. From 1863 and 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad. They were paid less than American workers and lived in tents, while white workers were given accommodation in train cars. ... "All workers on the railroad were 'other'," said Liebhold A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in the Indian Wars. In 1866, six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front. In 1890, the Census Bureau broadcast the closure of the frontier, meaning that in the west there was no apparent tracts of land without settlers. ... The frontier also had a limitless aspect upon which Americans could extend their institutions and democracy through Manifest Destiny. In 1890, the Census Bureau announced the end of the frontier, meaning there was no longer a discernible frontier line in the west, nor any large tracts of land yet unbroken by settlement. ... For the first time in history, America was without a frontier. The frontier was a part of American national identity.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks rejected bus driver James F. Blake's order to relinquish her seat in the "colored section" to a white passenger, after the whites-only section was filled. Over the years, she had repeatedly disobeyed bus segregation regulations.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Christian minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. His tenure is best known for its advocacy for the civil rights movement, the fight against organized crime and the Mafia, and involvement in U.S. foreign policy related to Cuba. He authored his account of the Cuban Missile Crisis in a book titled Thirteen Days. The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. The Birmingham Campaign was a movement led in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which sought to bring national attention of the efforts of local black leaders to desegregate public facilities in Birmingham, Alabama. The campaign was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the desire of African-American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression; they were part of a broader voting rights movement underway in Selma and throughout the American South.

After many pitched battles throughout the colonies, the British finally surrendered in Yorktown in 1781. General Lord Cornwallis's troops were confined to the Yorktown peninsula as French ships blocked his supply lines. He was forced to surrender on October 19, 1781. Upon hearing of the defeat, British Prime Minister Lord North resigned. Although sporadic fighting remained, the conflict was effectively over. The British signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which defined the thirteen colonies as sovereign states.

May 11, 1775 Battle of Crown Point—Green Mountain Boys and Ethan Allen attacked the British Fort Ticonderoga near Lake Champlain Colonists win. June 17, 1775Battle of Bunker Hill British win. March 4-5, 1776Battle of Dorchester Heights Colonists win. August 27, 1776 Battle of Long IslandBritish win. September 16, 1776Battle of Harlem Heights British win. October 28, 1776Battle of White Plains British win. December 25-January, 1776-77Washington's crossing of the Delaware and Battles of Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey Colonists win. October 4, 1777Battle of Germantown Colonists retreated. June 28, 1778Battle of Monmouth End inconclusive. Both sides claim victory .August 16, 1780Battle of Camden Crushing defeat for colonists. British general Cornwallis defeats American general Gates near Camden, South Carolina. October 19, 1781Battle of Yorktown Colonists are victorious. Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown.

Dollar diplomacy of the United States—particularly during President William Howard Taft's presidential term— was a form of American foreign policy to minimize the use or threat of military force and instead further its aims in Latin America and East Asia through the use of its economic power by guaranteeing loans made .

Moral diplomacy is a form of diplomacy proposed by President Woodrow Wilson in his 1912 United States presidential election. Moral diplomacy is the system in which support is given only to countries whose beliefs are analogous to that of the nation.

These next pages will review some basics of America's civic life. Roots of Democracy The United States of America comprises some 324,985,873 people. And, while its political institutions are well-established and seemingly timeless, political life in the U.S. (like all places) is constantly evolving. Let's examine some of the major antecedents of America's representative democracy. mid to east way more populaed than mid to west

The Greeks The Athenians had one of the first forms of large-scale democracy. In the 5th century BC, citizens came together to pass laws, try crimes, and decide other important issues facing the city-state. However, in this case, a "citizen" meant a male who had completed his military training. Women, resident aliens, and slaves were not permitted to assemble and voice their opinions. The Romans The Romans called their system of government a republic from the Latin res ("thing") and publicus ("of the people"). As the Roman Empire expanded, the more far-flung citizens were left out of the process since the decision-making process was carried out at the forum in central Rome. Although deeply flawed from our modern perspective (again, the only citizenry who had a say were privileged men), the Romans did give us the Senate, an enormously powerful political body who were indirectly elected. Magna Carta The Magna Carta, or "great document," was another move toward democracy. The controversial King John ran afoul with the Church and was excommunicated. To return to the Pope's good graces, he made concessions that turned the barons of England against him. He then conceded absolute power by signing the Magna Carta in Runnymede in 1215. This made even the king bound by English law. The Constitution establishes a federal democratic republic form of government. Republic: "A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives..." Democracy: "A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. The Constitution establishes a federal democratic republic form of government. That is, we have an indivisible union of 50 sovereign States. It is a democracy because people govern themselves. It is representative because people choose elected officials by free and secret ballot. Eugene Volokh of the UCLA School of Law notes that the United States exemplifies the varied nature of a constitutional republic—a country where some decisions (often local) are made by direct democratic processes, while others (often federal) are made by democratically elected representatives. Federal System Power is shared by a powerful central government and states or provinces that are given considerable self-rule, usually through their own legislatures. Examples: The United States, Australia, the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Boston Tea Party

On December 16, 1773, a group named the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams and dressed as Mohawk Indians, approached Griffin's Wharf where three ships loaded with tea, the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver, were anchored. The men boarded the ships and destroyed the crates of tea. By 9 p.m., the men had destroyed and thrown into the Boston Harbor some 340 crates of tea.

Declaration of Independence

One of the most famous and widely taught icons of the United States, it is important to recall the basics of the Declaration of Independence; that it includes: The preamble ("When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another..."); a list of principles ("We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."); and a list of grievances against Britain

In the nineteenth century, several divisive issues threatened the unity of the new nation. The causes of the Civil War are complex and numerous, but, as a review, it may be helpful to divide them into the social, economic and political causes. Note that slavery and its economic effects play an important role across all of these categories.

Social Although the abolitionist spirit was alive and well in the colonies (chiefly in the Quaker colonies) since the eighteenth century, the movement experienced a resurgence in the first decades of the nineteenth century, primarily in the northern states. Abolitionism was part of a general wave of reform, and the movement became better organized in the years prior to the War between the States. William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglas were two abolitionists who wanted the immediate emancipation (some citizens wanted an immediate end to slavery in the US —this was known as "immediate emancipation—in contrast to those who wanted a more gradual freeing of the slaves) of all slaves. Economic The North and South in the nineteenth century had very different economies. The agrarian South relied on exporting its crops and importing machinery and equipment from abroad. Conversely, the North's burgeoning industrial-based economy was more insular. These differences led to many conflicts over trade tariffs. The South deplored the tariffs and their effects while the North encouraged them as they protected their own industries. The Tariff of 1828, for example, was known in the South as the Tariff of Abominations. This tariff protected northern industry by raising prices of competing goods from overseas. Higher import prices meant an economic downturn in the South, which negatively affected North-South relations. When governments impose restrictions on international trade, this affects the domestic price of the good and reduces total surplus. One such imposition is a tariff (a tax on imported or exported goods and services). Political Adding new territories and states to the nation was another contentious issue between the proslavery South and the antislavery North. When new states petitioned for entry into the United States, acrimony and dissent took hold in Congress. The Missouri Compromise (passed in 1820, the Missouri Compromise sought to strike a balance between slave states and free states entering the union) was an attempt to smooth over this rising sectionalism.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States".

The Anti-Defamation League,(ADL) formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States.

the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights While we frequently hear about the Bill of Rights ("He took the 5th," etc.), it is rare that we come across the actual text of the amendments. Here's a review of the language as it appears in one of our most important documents. The First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The Second Amendment A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. The Third Amendment No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. The Fourth Amendment The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. The Fifth Amendment No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. The Sixth Amendment In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. The Seventh Amendment In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. The Eighth Amendment Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. The Ninth Amendment The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. The Tenth Amendment The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constituiton, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. An hour later, he was declared dead. For nearly 50 years, the federal government has maintained that James Earl Ray was the gunman who assassinated King that day. April 4, 1968, Memphis, TN

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the nation's premier civil rights legislation. The Act outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, required equal access to public places and employment, and enforced desegregation of schools and the right to vote. This act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.

Review

The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation and provided a more effective centralized government. The three branches of the government—executive, legislative, and judicial—are discrete and balance each other's power. The Constitution comprises the preamble and the articles.

Political factions or parties began to form during the struggle over ratification of the federal Constitution of 1787. Friction between them increased as attention shifted from the creation of a new federal government to the question of how powerful that federal government would be. The Federalists, led by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, advocated states' rights instead of centralized power. Federalists coalesced around the commercial sector of the country while their opponents drew their strength from those favoring an agrarian society. The ensuing partisan battles led George Washington to warn of "the baneful effects of the spirit of party" in his Farewell Address as president of United States.

The Democratic-Republican Party, better known at the time under various other names,[a] was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s that championed republicanism, political equality, and expansionism.

The Pequot War

The Dutch, English, and indigenous Pequot peoples all had fur-trading interests in the Connecticut River valley in the 1630s. When English trader John Oldham was killed in 1636, the Massachusetts Bay Colony sent forces to retaliate against the Pequots. This touched off a series of bloody battles, with various native tribes creating alliances with the British and the Pequots. In 1637, John Mason, with the help of Mohican and Narragansett warriors, attacked a major Pequot fort in Mystic, Connecticut, and killed some 500 Pequots. By the next year, a coalition of British and native tribes had tracked down the remaining Pequot. The Mohicans killed Pequot leader Sassacus.

The Bill of Rights 1689, also known as the Bill of Rights 1688, is a landmark Act in the constitutional law of England that sets out certain basic civil rights and clarifies who would be next to inherit the Crown. How did Henry II change England's judicial system? It made the king the ultimate protector of all free men against their feudal lords, if any, and thus expanded the jurisdiction of royal courts at the expense of feudal courts. It forged a direct link between the king and the whole knightly class, at the expense of earls and barons.

The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the male passengers of the Mayflower, consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, and tradesmen. The Mayflower Compact created laws for Mayflower Pilgrims and non-Pilgrims alike for the good of their new colony. It was a short document which established that: the colonists would remain loyal subjects to King James, despite their need for self-governance. citizens obligations- Support and defend the Constitution. Stay informed of the issues affecting your community. Participate in the democratic process. Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws. On this date in 1962, the House passed the 24th Amendment, outlawing the poll tax as a voting requirement in federal elections, by a vote of 295 to 86. At the time, five states maintained poll taxes which disproportionately affected African-American voters: Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas.

The U.S. Constitution

The Preamble The preamble functions as an overview and mission statement for the entire document. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The Articles The articles define the sections of the federal government and their attendant powers. This section establishes the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government. Article Five explains the process to amend the document. 435 house of rep/ There are a total of 535 Members of Congress. 100 serve in the U.S. Senate and 435 serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Page 11 and 12 Amendments There are twenty-seven amendments (a proposal by a member of Congress to alter the U.S. Constitution. Voted on in the same manner as a bill, an amendment passess when two-thirds of each house of Congress approves the proposed amendment and three-forths of the states ratify it afterwards.) to the Constitution; the first ten are known as the Bill of Rights.

Review

The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the French and Indian War. Britain's victory over France made Britain a colonial power in North America. The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed all manner of paper goods in the colonies. It infuriated the colonists and contributed to the colonists' decision to fight for independence. The First Continental Congress forged a bond among the thirteen colonies and organized a boycott of British goods. The Second Continental Congress formed the Continental army under the command of George Washington. John Locke's idea about power coming from the consent of the governed greatly influenced the Declaration of Independence. France was a crucial ally to the colonists and provided troops, ships, and supplies. British troops under General Cornwallis surrendered to French and colonial troops in Yorktown in 1781. This effectively ended the war.

A military alliance is an international agreement concerning national security in which the contracting parties agree to mutual protection and support in case of a crisis that has not been identified in advance. Military alliances differ from coalitions, which formed for a crisis that already exists.

The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy whose stated purpose was to contain Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. ... Truman told Congress that "it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." With the Truman Doctrine, President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces.

The Rights and Responsibilities of the U.S. Citizen

The U.S. Constitution signed in 1787 did not contain a list of citizens' rights, an exclusion that quickly brought criticism from the Anti-Federalists who argued that the exclusion of rights was proof that the Constitution's framers wanted power. On the other side, there was also concern from some Federalists who thought that a specific list of rights would be interpreted as the only rights a citizen possessed. However, the majority of Federalists saw a great need for a list of rights, and James Madison took up the task in the summer of 1789. Using state charters and other writings as models, he submitted his draft to Congress, and it was passed in December of that year. While the Bill of Rights comprises a group of amendments, it is an essential piece of the US Constitution itself.

Which philosopher's ideas about government contributed to the Declaration of Independence?

The correct answer is A. John Locke wrote extensively on government and was a proponent of the idea that governmental power can come only from the consent of the governed—a key idea in the colonists' assertion of independence.

Review

The issue of slavery, economics, social beliefs, and politics were all causes of the Civil War. Lincoln's election to the presidency caused South Carolina to secede from the Union; several states followed almost immediately. The Confederacy's capture of Fort Sumter is regarded as the first significant offensive action in the war. The Battle of Appomattox effectively ended the war. Lee surrendered to Grant in April 1865. Reconstruction is the term for the era immediately following the Civil War; it was characterized by the rebuilding of southern infrastructure, the re-integration of southern states into the United States, and acrimony in the South towards newly freed slaves.

Changes at Home While the characterization of the early twentieth century as the Roaring '20s is entrenched in the popular imagination, the reality of the time was more complex. Below are just a few of the cultural changes of the early twentieth century.

The foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Founded in 1909, the NAACP is one of the nation's oldest civil rights groups. Under the leadership of writer, poet, and activist W. E. B. DuBois, the association's mission (as stated in its charter) was to "promote equality of rights and to eradicate caste or race prejudice among the citizens of the United States." Prohibition The Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution prohibited the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the United States. Its passage was a response to the nation's spirit of reformation at the time. While drinking was against the letter of the law, a healthy black market sprang up to provide those who wanted to drink with relatively easy access to alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment (1933) put the power to legislate drinking back in the individual states' hands. Nineteenth Amendment Ratified in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment finally gave women the right to vote, the culmination of a century of struggle on behalf of the proponents of women's suffrage. Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance refers to a period in the 1920s that saw incredible achievements in poetry, theater, music, and politics in the African American community. This period is perceived as the first time that African American cultural achievements were absorbed into the American mainstream.

Structures of Power Citizens of the United States are subject to the powers of the three major branches of the federal government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.

The legislative branch is established by Article One of the Constitution and sets forth the idea of the Congress, which comprises the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state elects members to the House of Representatives based on its population; however, each state elects two members of the Senate for a term of six years. Article One also enumerates the powers of Congress, which range from the regulation of international commerce to the establishment of new post offices. The judicial branch is established by Article Three. It states that: The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the executive branch and confirmed by the legislative branch. Note that judges hold their positions "during good Behavior" (a phrase that is usually interpreted to mean for as long as they're alive). The executive branch is established by Article Two and calls for the election of a president and vice president. The president wields enormous power but it is checked by the legislative and judicial branches. For example: the president is the supreme commander of the US military but cannot declare war without congressional approval. As we saw in previous lessons, this system of checks and balances is a crucial feature of the constitutional system.

Review

The post-Reconstruction era in the United States was one of industrial and economic growth. Huge waves of immigrants swelled the country's population. World War I fueled this industrial growth as American industries supplied their own army and the armies of European allies with equipment, munitions, and vehicles. After WWI, the United States became one of the world's most powerful nations. Throughout the 1920s, people invested heavily in the stock market. The stock market crash in 1929 ushered in the Great Depression, which led to high unemployment rates, inflation, and the closing of thousands of banks and businesses. Beginning with FDR's New Deal, the U.S. economy began to rise out of the Depression. The recovery was complete when the United States entered World War II; a wartime economy revitalized American fortunes. The cold war was a decades-long conflict between the capitalist United States and its allies and the communist Soviet Union and its allies. The Civil Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin.

Pre-Columbian

The time on the American continents before widespread European influence

Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1885.

Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. Edison is credited for contributing to various inventions, including the phonograph, the kinetoscope, the dictaphone, the electric lamp (in particular the incandescent light bulb), and the autographic printer. He also greatly improved the telephone by inventing the carbon microphone.

The Struggle for Equality The struggle for equality is an ongoing issue in American life. For the descendants of Africans brought forcibly to the American colonies, the struggle for civil rights has produced some of the country's most notable events and figures such as:

Thurgood Marshall Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, Marshall was the first African American on the Supreme Court. He served for more than twenty years until he retired in 1991. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka This 1954 Supreme Court decision ended the idea of "separate but equal" education for African Americans and declared segregation in schools illegal. The court ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Civil Rights Act This landmark legislation made discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin illegal. It put new protections in place for African Americans and signaled the end of the Jim Crow laws in the South. President Johnson signed the act into law in early July 1964.

The Great Depression and the New Deal Herbert Hoover-March 4, 1929 - March 4, 1933 32nd FDR-March 4, 1933 - April 12, 1945

While the causes and specific start of the Depression have been debated, the stock market crash on "Black Tuesday" (October 29, 1929) is a significant event at the start of the Depression. In the 1920s, many Americans put their faith in the stock market, and widespread investing drove share prices to artificially high levels. On Thursday, October 24, the bubble burst, and millions of shares were sold. Over the next several days, investors sold tens of millions of shares, and countless investors were ruined financially. This stock market crash led to banks closing, savings lost, and businesses closing. These events left large numbers of people unemployed. Other hallmarks of the Depression included drops in the gross domestic product of several nations, a slowing of industrial production, small farm failure, and inflation. With Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency in 1933, the federal government began intervening in the economy and promised the country a "New Deal." Roosevelt's administration, with strong congressional support, immediately began implementing measures that they thought would improve the economy and offer the country some relief from the grinding poverty that had taken hold. Roosevelt instituted the Emergency Banking Act, the Economy Act, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act, a system of farming subsidies. FDR's New Deal also led to the creation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Civil Works Administration, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The federal government was fully involved in the financial dealings of the nation, and the United States began a slow rise out of the Depression. The New Deal has received mixed reviews historically; it wasn't until the United States entered World War II that the U.S. economy fully recovered. The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. It responded to needs for relief, reform, and recovery from the Great Depression.

George Calvert, Lord Baltimore was famous and recognized as the founder and patron of the Maryland Colony. George Calvert was at first interested in the colonisation of the New World for commercial reasons but later aspired to create a refuge in America for English Catholics.

William Penn (October 14, 1644-July 30, 1718) founded the Province of Pennsylvania, the British North American colony that became the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The democratic principles that he set forth served as an inspiration for the United States Constitution.

Aftermath and Reconstruction

With most of its battles in the South, in addition to Sherman's "March to the Sea," the war left the southern regions in shambles. The U.S. government divided the South into five military districts and stationed thousands of military personnel there to affect the recovery of the battle-scarred areas. In order to be re-admitted into the United States, the secessionist southern states had to adopt laws and practices to which they were ideologically opposed. Contingent upon their re-entry, the states were forced to adopt the Fourteenth Amendment No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.), and by July 1870, they were all once again part of the United States. While ostensibly equal in the eyes of the U.S. Constitution, African Americans in the Reconstruction-era South faced extreme hostility from many southern whites. In response to the enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment, many southern legislatures adopted "black codes," (refers to the laws passed in the South after the Civil War to regulate the freedom of former slaves; in a large sense, the term can apply to all laws (North and South) that affected slaves and former slaves) which in effect returned African Americans to slave status. These codes evolved into Jim Crow laws, which held sway in the south until the Supreme Court began to strike them down in the twentieth century. The Jim Crow laws enacted in the South during and after Reconstruction meant that water fountains, public baths, seating, and other everyday places and activities were segregated.

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason, especially when related to communism, without proper regard for evidence.

a vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950-54. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party.