Hamilton's Financial Plan and Early Political Divisions

This page delves into Alexander Hamilton's economic policies and the political conflicts they sparked in the early republic.

Hamilton's financial plan aimed to stabilize the new nation's economy through several key measures:

1. Establishing a national bank
2. Federal assumption of state debts
3. Implementing protective tariffs

Highlight: Hamilton's plan was controversial, particularly his proposal for a national bank, which was opposed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

The page also covers important legislative acts and political developments:

1. Alien and Sedition Acts: Controversial laws that restricted civil liberties and tightened citizenship requirements.
2. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: Secret responses to the Alien and Sedition Acts, asserting states' rights to nullify federal laws.

Quote: Washington's Farewell Address advised the nation to "maintain commercial but not political ties to nations" and avoid "permanent alliances."

Constitutional Foundations and Early Challenges

This section focuses on the key compromises and principles that shaped the U.S. Constitution, as well as early challenges to the new government.

Important constitutional concepts covered include:

1. Three-Fifths Compromise: Determined how enslaved persons would be counted for representation and taxation.
2. Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing individual liberties.
3. Separation of Powers: Division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Definition: Judicial Review - The power of the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of laws, established in Marbury v. Madison $1803$.

The page also covers significant foreign policy events:

1. Louisiana Purchase: The acquisition of vast territory from France in 1803.
2. Impressment: British practice of forcibly recruiting American sailors, a major cause of the War of 1812.

Vocabulary: Era of Good Feelings - A period of reduced partisan tensions following the War of 1812.

Economic Challenges and Sectional Tensions

This page examines the economic and political challenges faced by the United States in the early 19th century, with a focus on growing sectional divisions.

Key economic events include:

1. Panic of 1819: The first major economic crisis in the U.S., caused by a decline in European demand for American goods and mismanagement of the Second Bank of the United States.
2. Tariff of Abominations: A highly controversial 1828 tariff that favored Northern manufacturing interests at the expense of the South.

Highlight: The Nullification Crisis arose when South Carolina claimed the right to nullify federal tariffs, challenging the authority of the federal government.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 attempted to maintain the balance between free and slave states:

Example: Missouri was admitted as a slave state, while Maine entered the Union as a free state, maintaining the balance in the Senate.

The page also covers important social and cultural movements:

1. Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears: The forced relocation of Native American tribes from the southeastern United States.
2. Transcendentalism: A philosophical and literary movement emphasizing individual intuition and connection with nature.

Quote: The Monroe Doctrine declared that the United States would oppose European interference in the Western Hemisphere, asserting American influence in the region.

Political Parties and Westward Expansion

This final page covers the evolution of political parties and the concept of Manifest Destiny in the mid-19th century.

Key political developments include:

1. The rise of the Whig Party in opposition to Andrew Jackson and the Democrats.
2. The formation of the Free Soil Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.
3. The emergence of the Republican Party as a coalition opposing slavery expansion.

Definition: Manifest Destiny - The belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.

The page also touches on important compromises and conflicts:

1. Compromise of 1850: A series of bills aimed at resolving disputes between free and slave states.
2. Kansas-Nebraska Act: Legislation that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide the slavery question through popular sovereignty.

Highlight: The Harper's Ferry raid, led by abolitionist John Brown, increased tensions between North and South in the lead-up to the Civil War.

Vocabulary: Spoils System - The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs, popularized by Andrew Jackson.

APUSH Midterm Review: Periods 1-3

This page covers key concepts and events from the colonial period through the early republic, focusing on the foundations of American government and political thought.

The American Enlightenment played a crucial role in shaping the ideological foundations of the United States. Thinkers like Thomas Jefferson drew heavily on Enlightenment principles, which emphasized reason, individual rights, and limitations on government power.

Highlight: The Declaration of Independence, drafted in 1776, encapsulated fundamental Enlightenment ideas, asserting that "all men are created free and equal, and have natural rights."

Key political groups and their ideologies are outlined:

1. Anti-Federalists: Opposed a strong central government and insisted on a Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson was a prominent Anti-Federalist.
2. Federalists: Advocated for a strong central government and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton and John Adams were leading Federalists.

Example: The Great Compromise of 1787 balanced the interests of large and small states by creating a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate.

Religious movements also played a significant role in shaping colonial society:

Definition: The Great Awakening was an 18th-century religious revival that emphasized personal salvation and challenged traditional religious authority.

Vocabulary: Encomienda - A system in Spanish colonies where colonists were given command over indigenous people, often leading to exploitation.