Lecture Outlines

Please note that these are meant to be supplemental to not replacements for your in-class lecture notes-they are much briefer than we will be discussing in class!

Jamestown

• Colony type: Joint Stock company-lesson learned from Roanoke
  • London Company-received grant of land from King James I
• Early 1607: 144 colonists (Godspeed, Discovery & Susan Constant)
• Setting: on James River, named Jamestown
  • Peninsula, low & swampy, subject to outbreaks of malaria, surrounded by thick woods difficult to clear for cultivation, & bordered on territories of powerful local Indians
  • Serious difficulties from beginning
    • vulnerable to malaria & other diseases
    • sponsors in London demanded quick profit (look for gold rather than grow food)
    • undersupplied (&believed natives would provide for them)
    • inexperienced settlers (most were "gentlemen")

• John Smith
  • Took control in fall 1608
  • Applied discipline & forced colonists to work to supply themselves
  • Good Indian negotiator
    • made friends with Powhatan ("saved" by his daughter Pocahontas)
    • Returned to England in 1609 (colony deteriorated again after his leaving)

• Starving period of 1609-1610
  • Imposition of military rule
  • Changes\Reform:
    • Tobacco
    • Headright system
    • Indentured servitude
    • Reform of military law

• 1619
  • First meeting of the General Assembly of Virginia
  • Arrival of 90 "young maidens" for sale as wives
  • Arrival of A20" Africans aboard a Dutch man-of-war ship
  • Indian uprising in 1622 kills 347
• King dissolves the London Company and Virginia becomes a royal colony

Colonizing New England

• Origin of the Puritans
  • Formation of Anglican church from Catholic Church
  • Two extremes of people who opposed the Anglican Church
    • Catholics
    • Radical Protestants who claimed that the Anglican Church was still too much like the Church of Rome.
• Puritans' Conflict with the English Monarch and beginnings of persecution
• Division among the Puritans-both helped settle colonies in New World
  • Separatists
    • felt the Anglican Church could not be reformed-felt they had to separate from the Church (but not from England)
  • Non-separatists
    • believed that the Anglican Church could be reformed from within
• Separatists-Pilgrims
  • 1608: separatist congregation from Scrooby emigrated to Holland to enjoy freedom of worship
  • Became disheartened
  • Obtained permission from Virginia company of London to settle in Virginia
  • Joint-stock company
  • September 1620-Mayflower
  • Mayflower Compact before going ashore
  • First governor, William Bradford
  • Squanto

• Non-Separatists
  • The Massachusetts Bay Company
  • John Winthrop
  • March 1630
  • Great Migration
• Some characteristics of Puritan Massachusetts
  • Congregationalism
  • Church and State
  • Civil Government
  • Dissention
    • Thomas Hooker (Connecticut)
    • Roger Williams (Rhode Island)
      • Complete separation of church and state
      • No "absolute right" to Indian land
      • Religious freedom
    • Anne Hutchinson
      • Covenant of Grace versus Covenant of Works
      • Antinomian Heresy

Colonial Life

• Geographic Differences
  • New England
  • Middle Colonies
  • Southern Colonies
• Education
• Labor
  • Indentured Servitude
  • Slavery & the Atlantic Slave Trade
    • Acculturation
    • Differences amongst Colonies
• Economic Life
  • Agriculture
  • Commerce\Industry

• Family
  • Importance of
  • Characteristics of
• Population
  • Immigration Trends & their meaning for colonies

• British versus Colonial Government
  • Colonial government
    • Governors (in 17th century)
    • Colonial governors by the 18th century
    • Colonial Assemblies
• Period of Salutary Neglect
  • Since colonies were founded piecemeal by different companies, different people, with different motivations, etc., common traditions and loyalties developed slowly. For the same reason, the British government was slow to think of its American possessions as one unit or to deal with them in any centralized way. (Which means that the colonies will have great latitude and this is what allows them to obtain the power that they do)
  • Ad hoc control of colonies
  • Mercantilism
    • Overriding theory of British in dealing with their Empire
    • Colonies were chiefly for economic reasons
    • Goal of mercantile theory is to amass wealth by exporting more goods than importing
    • Colonies were sources for raw materials and markets for finished products
    • Navigation Acts-enacted over a period of half a century
      • Designed to put into Mercantile Theory into effect
      • Meant to bring money into Royal Treasury and to regulate trade by channeling the flow of colonial raw materials into England and keeping foreign goods and vessels out of colonial ports.
      • foreign ships were barred from the colonies
      • Ships coming into the colonies had to have an English captain and 3/4 of the crew had to be English (colonists were considered English)
      • Enumerated List
      • All European products destined for the colonies must be brought to England first
    • Another part of the Mercantile Theory was the regulation of industry in the colonies
      • 1699 Wool Act
      • 1732 Hat Act
      • 1750 Iron Act
• 1763 Seven Years’ War end
• British decide to tighten colonial control
  • Proclamation Line of 1763
  • 1764 Sugar Act
  • 1765 Stamp Act
    • Colonial Opposition to
    • Repealed, but Declaratory Act passed
      • Parliament has right to legislate in all cases over colonies
  • 1767 Townshend Duties
  • March 1770 Boston Massacre
  • April 1770 Townshend Duties repealed
    • Except for tax on tea
  • Postmassacre Truce
  • 1773 Tea Act
  • Boston Tea Party
  • Coercive\Intolerable Acts
    • Colonists respond with First Continental Congress
• Directly leads to military action at Lexington and Concord-war starts

• Articles of Confederation are our first government: Drafted by John Dickinson in 1776, debated by the Constitutional Congress until November of 1777 when they were submitted to states for ratification.

• Ratification:
  • Needed to obtain approval (ratification) by all 13 states before going into official effect
  • Not until spring of 1781 did the last state, Maryland, ratify
  • Stumbling block was the Western land claims

• Provisions:
  • Created a confederation of states, each of which was to retain its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. The United States was, in the words of the Articles, "a league of friendship".
  • National Congress: unicameral (one house) wherein the federal or national powers of the government were housed.
  • One state=one vote
  • Congress had certain powers but were denied other powers
  • On important questions, nine of thirteen votes were necessary for passage of a bill.
  • An amendment required unanimous approval.

• Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
  • Not strong enough central government
  • No executive or judicial branch (no separation of powers)
  • 9/13 vote necessary for most issues
  • Unanimous approval for any Amendments
  • No taxation powers
  • No control over commerce

• Achievements of the Articles of Confederation
  • Fought and won the war
  • Great Land Ordinances
    • 1785 Land Ordinance
    • Northwest Ordinance of 1787

• Failures of Articles
  • Demobilization
  • Debt
  • Shay’s Rebellion (1786)

The United States Constitution

• Federalism\Federalists

• Constitutional Convention
  • Delegates to
  • Characteristics of
  • First Actions of
  • Debates in
    • Virginia Plan
    • New Jersey Plan
    • Great Compromise
      • 3/5ths Compromise

• Other Aspects of the Constitution
  • Aristocracy of Wealth and Talent
    • The delegates created an electoral process designed to bring only persons of "standing and experience" into national office (ie. members of the aristocracy of wealth and talent)
    • Electoral college elects the president (originally the delegates to the electoral college were chosen by the state legislatures-now by the people)
    • Members of the Senate were named by the state legislatures (until the 17^th Amendment)
    • Only the House of Representatives was popularly elected directly by the people

• Ratification Process
  • Ratification process was 9\13 states and used special state ratifying conventions rather than the state legislatures.
  • Federalists
  • Antifederalists
  • Process of

Early National Period: Washington's Administration

• Beginnings of the new government
  • Meet in New York City; the temporary capital
  • Unanimous election of Washington as President
  • Bill of Rights-as promised during ratification process
  • Passage of a 5% import tax
• Washington as President
  • Precedents
    • Non use of veto-except when he considered a bill unconstitutional
    • Cabinet
• Hamilton=s Financial Plan
  • U.S. Debt
    • Foreign Debt
    • National (Domestic) Debt
    • State Debt
• Hamilton's Plan
  • Foreign Debt paid in full
  • Funding
  • Assumption
  • Whiskey Tax
  • Import Tax
  • National Bank
• Hamilton's Motives
• Opposition to Hamilton's Plan
  • Led by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
  • Arguments
  • Bargain struck
• Issue of National Bank
  • Interpretation of Constitution
• Development of Political Parties

• Whiskey Rebellion
• Video on Thomas Jefferson (see video worksheet)
• War of 1812
  • Video on Thomas Jefferson takes you through the Embargo Act!
  • Madison's administration
    • Non-Intercourse Act
    • Macon's Bill #2
  • War
    • War Hawks vs. Doves
    • Not our finest hour
  • Treaty of Ghent
  • Results of War of 1812

   

The Era of Good Feelings

• Foreign Affairs after the War of 1812
  • Commerce
  • Borders
• Relations with Great Britain
  • Rush-Bagot Treaty
  • Convention of 1818
• Relations with Spain
  • Florida
    • Problems with
    • Andrew Jackson and
  • Louisiana Territory
  • Transcontinental Treaty (Adams-Onis Treaty)
• Monroe Doctrine
• Missouri Compromise
  • Issue
  • Compromise
    • 36 30 line

The Jacksonian Era

• Andrew Jackson, the Man
  • Background
  • Characteristics
  • Firsts as President
• Election of 1824
  • Electoral College
  • "Corrupt Bargain"
• Election of 1828
  • Characteristics
  • Results
  • Inauguration
• Democratizing Politics
• Jackson as President
  • Spoils System
    • Rotation of Office
  • Kitchen Cabinet
  • Peggy Eaton Affair
  • Nullification Crisis
    • 1828 Tariff (Tariff of Abominations)
    • John C. Calhoun
      • Theory of Nullification
      • Exposition and Protest
    • Split between Jackson & Calhoun grows
    • 1832 Tariff
    • South Carolina's convention
      • Ordinance of Nullification
    • Jackson's Response
    • Force Bill
    • 1833 Compromise Tariff
  • Indian Removals
    • American white attitudes towards Native Americans
    • Removal Act of 1830
    • Cherokees
    • Supreme Court and
      • Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
      • Worcester v. Georgia
      • Corn Tassel
    • Trail of Tears
  • Bank War
    • Rechartering Issue
    • Election of 1832
    • Jackson "kills" the Bank

     

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    The Movement Westward

• Manifest Destiny
• Oregon
  • Early interest in
  • National Claims to
• Oregon Trail and experiences of
• Oregon issues becomes a national political one
  • Election of 1844
    • James K. Polk v. Tyler
    • 54 40 or fight
  • 1846 British accept the 49th parallel
• Texas and Mexico
  • 1821-Mexico won its independence
  • Americans settle in Mexican Territory
  • Relations between Mexicans and Americans deteriorate
  • Tensions escalated into war in 1835 (War for Texas Independence)
    • Texans and Americans living in Mexico rebel against Mexican Rule
    • 1836 Texas Independence is won (Lone Star Republic)
  • Texas wishes for, but does not get, annexation to U.S.
  • 1845 President Tyler admits Texas to United States
  • 1846 President Polk demands Texas border as the Rio Grande-moves U.S. army to border
  • Mexican War
    • Treaty of Guadalope Hidalgo
    • Mexican Cession
  • Gadsden Purchase

   

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Antebellum Culture (North and South)

Road to Civil War

• Missouri Compromise (Compromise of 1820)

1850 Compromise

• Background: Slavery issue at the time of the Mexican War (Wilmot Proviso)
• Issues: California asks to join the Union as a free state (would upset the balance between free and slave states that had prevailed since 1820); Border of Texas: Existence of slavery and the slave trade in Washington D.C.; Lack enforcement of the 1873 Fugitive Slave Law
• Henry Clay fails to get his omnibus package through Congress (leaves Washington an old, broken man). Stephen Douglas arises from obscurity and under his leadership a series of bills were passes-which we today refer to as the Compromise of 1850
• Compromise: California enters Union as a free state; Texas-New Mexico border settled against Texas (and in return the federal government compensates Texas with $10 million); The Slave Trade is abolished in D.C.; A new, strengthened Fugitive Slave Law went into effect

	January 1854, Douglas introduces an apparently routine bill organizing some western land into the Nebraska Territory. Something that should have been routine was turned into a rehearsal for the Civil War because of the issue of slavery
	Compromise: Region is divided into two territories, Kansas and Nebraska; the Missouri Compromise is in effect repealed; Territories would decide slavery based on popular sovereignty.
	Result: "Bleeding Kansas"

• Scott sues for his freedom; Supreme Court declares that blacks are not citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional-essentially saying that the federal government has no power over slavery

• John Brown and 18 of his followers attack Harpers Ferry hoping to start a massive slave insurrection-fiasco-Brown captured and later hung-became a hero to the North and a symbol of northern ruthlessness to the South

• Lincoln was not an abolitionist. Neither he nor the Republican party promised to end slavery in the South-just to prevent its expansion.

• South acts on its threat that if a Republican candidate was elected president they would secede. South Carolina secedes on Dec. 20, 1860; By Feb. 1, 1861, the other six states of the lower south followed S.C.=s lead; a week later the Confederate States of America was formed
• Although slavery was a prominent issue in the conflict leading up to the war both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis publicly state that the war was not about abolishing or protecting the institution. Lincoln says it is to preserve the Union and Davis says it is for state's rights and the principle of their independence.
• Slavery is abolished as a result of the war-starts with the Emancipation Proclamation (which does not technically free any slaves when it is issued in January, 1863), is put into effect when the Union Army conquers the South; and is finalized by the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in December 1865
• War starts in April 1861 when the Confederacy opened fire on Fort Sumter. By the time the war is over four bloody years later over 600,000 Americans are dead (more than all other American deaths in all our wars-combined!!) If you=re interested in the Civil War-take History 365 with me next time it is offered!

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