Early U.S. History Recap

Mr. Webster’s Class

Early U.S. History Textbook Assignment

• For this assignment, I have paired you into small groups where you must read through a designated section of your textbook and present your findings to the class.

• Each group should mention the major points of the section you have been assigned (without going into too much detail).

• Your group should also create and present some sort of visual aid that complements your findings.

• Each person in the group needs to participate in both the research and presentation portion of the assignment.

Early U.S. History Textbook Assignment

• This assignment will be worth 20 points, and I will be grading will be as follows:

• Accuracy of Content – 5 points• Creativity of Presentation / Visual Aid

– 5 points• Participation – 5 points• Presentation Notes – 5 points*** Please note that during presentations, each student will be taking notes at his/her desk. ***

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Primary sources are descriptions or illustrations of an event by someone who actually saw or lived through that event.

• Secondary sources are descriptions or illustrations of an event by someone who was not present for that event.

Christopher Columbus

• In 1492, Christopher Columbus “discovered” America while searching for a new route to Asia.

• Columbus first sighted land in the present-day Bahamas.

• As a result of Columbus’s voyage, Spain conquered vast territories throughout the American continents.

Martin Luther & Protestantism

• In 1517, Martin Luther nailed a list of complaints on the door of a local Catholic church and sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Jamestown

• Jamestown is the oldest permanent English settlement in America.

• Tobacco ultimately helped Jamestown become successful.

The Pilgrims & the Mayflower Compact

• The Pilgrims came to America seeking religious freedom.

• While still aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrims created the Mayflower Compact.

• It is one of the earliest examples of democracy in America.

Slavery

• Once they began settling in America, Europeans brought African slaves to work on plantations and to perform other manual labor duties.

The Great Awakening & The Enlightenment

• The Great Awakening was a religious revival that swept through the colonies in the mid-1700s.

• The Enlightenment spread the idea that knowledge, reason, and science could improve society.

The French and Indian War

• In 1754, the French and the British went to war as they both desired the same piece of land.

• Most Native Americans sided with the French as they generally distrusted the British.

• The British won the war, but afterwards, they were deeply in debt.

Timeline of American Independence

• 1765 – The English Parliament passes the Stamp Act. Many American colonists protest the act, and eventually it is repealed.

• 1770 – The Boston Massacre occurs when a group of English soldiers fire their guns into a crowd of angry American colonists.

• 1773 – The Boston Tea Party occurs when a group of colonists dump hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor.

Timeline of American Independence Cont.

• 1774 – In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passes a series of laws known as the Intolerable Acts. The First Continental Congress forms to create a united response to the acts.

• 1775 –War breaks out between Britain and the American colonies. The Second Continental Congress chooses George Washington to lead the American forces.

• 1776 – The book Common Sense convinces many colonists they should declare independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson is chosen to draft such a declaration, and it is adopted by Congress on July 4.

The American Revolution Begins

• The American Revolution began at Lexington and Concord.

• Those who sided with Britain were known as Loyalists.

• Those who sided with the rebels were known as Patriots.

The American Revolution – Major Battles

• Bunker Hill was 1st major battle of the war. It convinced the British that defeating the Americans would not be quick or easy.

• The Battle of Trenton took place after Washington and his men crossed the Delaware on Christmas night. It gave the Americans a much-needed victory.

• Saratoga is often considered the turning point in the war. This battle convinced France to support the Americans in their fight for liberty.

The Declaration of Independence

• In 1776, a committee within the Second Continental Congress chose Thomas Jefferson to draft a Declaration of Independence.

• The Declaration justified independence by listing grievances against King George III.

• The Declaration was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

The American Revolution – Misc. Facts

• Betsy Ross is generally given credit for making the first American flag.

• Many African Americans fought in the American Revolution. Those who fought had their own reasons for doing so.

• During the winter of 1777-1778, Washington and his troops suffered through the winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Victory at Yorktown

• In 1781, Washington’s forces were joined by the French.

• Together, they surrounded the British at Yorktown.

• It was at Yorktown that the Americans achieved the final victory of the war!

Articles of Confederation / Shays’s Rebellion

• In 1777, the Articles of Confederation became the first constitution of the United States of America.

• It created a weak central (or national) government.

• Under the AOC, Congress could not tax. This weakness ultimately brought about an armed uprising known as Shays’s Rebellion.

The Constitutional Convention

• Shays’s Rebellion made it clear that the Articles of Confederation was a weak form of government.

• In the spring of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles.

• At the convention, James Madison’s Virginia Plan featured a strong, national government.

• After a great deal of compromising, the end result was the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Constitution - Branches of Government

• The first three articles of the Constitution lay out the structure and functions of the three branches of government.

• The first ten amendments, or Bill of Rights, became a part of the Constitution in 1791.

The First President of the United States

• George Washington was the first President of the United States.

• Washington set the standard for how long a president should serve and for how the nation should relate to other nations.

The Louisiana Purchase / Lewis and Clark

• In 1803, the U.S. spent $15 million to buy Louisiana from France.

• The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States.

• Pres. Jefferson then chose Lewis & Clark to head an expedition into the newly acquired territory.

The War of 1812• In the early 1800s, Britain

and France were once again at war and the British began stopping American ships and forcing American sailors to join the Royal Navy.

• This led to the War of 1812.

• The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain, and although neither side technically won, it boosted morale within the United States.

War of 1812 Events• During the War of 1812,

the British burned Washington D.C.

• While the presidential mansion was being evacuated, First Lady Dolley Madison was credited with saving various artifacts of national importance.

• The following month, Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” after being inspired by the defense of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore.

Industrial Revolution• The Industrial Revolution refers

to the period in which machines began performing the tasks that had typically been performed by humans.

• Eli Whitney’s cotton gin brought about a huge increase in cotton production, which in turn led to an increased demand for slaves.

• Cotton quickly became the South’s staple crop.

• In 1825, the Erie Canal opened and successfully connected New York City with the Great Lakes, greatly expanding trade in the region.

Railroads and the Telegraph• Railroads transformed

travel and trade throughout the United States.

• The telegraph was a device that used electric signals to send messages.

• Samuel Morse developed a system for sending coded messages instantly along electrical wires. It eventually became known as Morse code.

The Missouri Compromise & Monroe Doctrine

• The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, as long as Maine was admitted as a free state.

• The compromise also prohibited slavery north of the MO Compromise Line.

• In 1823, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams wrote the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers to stay out of American affairs.

Indian Removal Act / Trail of Tears

• In 1830, President Jackson pushed the Indian Removal Act through Congress, which forced Native Americans to relocate to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).

• When the Cherokee refused to relocate, the federal government sent troops to enforce the relocation.

• This forced journey is known as the Trail of Tears.

The Seminoles• Throughout the

1800s, the Seminoles and United States fought each other in a series of conflicts now known as the Seminole Wars.

• The wars took place in Florida.

• After the war, the Seminoles were forced to move to Indian Territory.

Oregon Country

• Fur traders and mountain men were the first Americans to take up the challenge of living in the Oregon Country.

• They carved out several routes that played a vital role in western settlement.

• The most popular was the Oregon Trail.

Manifest Destiny

• By the 1840s, many Americans believed it was the nation’s “Manifest Destiny” to extend its boundaries to the Pacific Ocean.

• Manifest Destiny was achieved as a result of two events: the Oregon Treaty & Mexican-American War.

The Texas Revolution

• The Texas Revolution was fought between Texas and Mexico over the issue of Texan independence.

• The most famous battle of the Texas Revolution took place at a small mission called the Alamo.

• Although the Texans were defeated at the Alamo, they went on to win the war.

The Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

• In 1845, the United States annexed Texas. Shortly after, the U.S. and Mexico began to dispute the location of the Texas-Mexico border.

• Tensions eventually led to war.

• The U.S. won the Mexican-American War, and as a result, acquired a great deal of land.

California Gold Rush /Mormons in Utah

• In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill. People from all over the world traveled to California in search of riches.

• Those who arrived in 1849 were called forty-niners.

• The area now known as Utah was settled by Mormons seeking religious freedom.

Underground Railroad

• Many slaves resisted authority by running away from their owners.

• Runaway slaves were sometimes aided by the Underground Railroad, which was a network of “safe houses” owned by people opposed to slavery.

• Harriet Tubman was the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad.

The Abolition Movement

• Abolitionists were people who opposed slavery, and wanted to put an end to it.

• The American Colonization Society was an abolitionist society who sent freed African Americans to Africa where they founded the nation of Liberia.

• In 1854, the Republican Party was founded by antislavery activists.

• Many abolitionists were outraged over the outcome of Dredd Scott v. Sandford, which ruled that slaves were not citizens of the United States.