Download Unit Packet: The Jefferson Era

Unit Packet: The Jefferson Era
Vocabulary Terms
Create two columns. In the left column, define each vocabulary term. In the right column,
describe the historical significance of each term.
Events
People and Groups
• Haitian Revolt
• Thomas Jefferson
• Louisiana Purchase
• John Marshall
• Embargo Act
• Sacagawea
• Battle of Tippecanoe
• James Madison
• Battle of the Thames
• War Hawks
• Fort McHenry
• Tecumseh
• Battle of New Orleans
• Andrew Jackson
• Treaty of Ghent
Short Answer Questions
Answer each of the following questions in 3-5 complete sentences.
1. Describe the events that led to Marbury v. Madison. What important precedent
did this decision create?
2. Do you believe that Jefferson had the authority (according the Constitution) to
make the Louisiana Purchase? Explain.
3. How did the Lewis and Clark expedition spark many peoples interest in western
lands?
4. How did war in Europe affect American shipping and trading? Explain.
5. Why were so many American Indians willing to join together and follow
Tecumseh’s leadership?
6. Do you believe that Madison was justified in asking Congress to declare war on
England? Explain.
7. What problems did Americans face during the War of 1812?
8. Why do you think the War of 1812 has been called the Second War of American
Independence?
Performance Tasks
Choose one of the following tasks to complete to show your understanding of the
historical era.
Task #1 – Create a map that shows the route that Lewis and Clark took in their
journey. Have a key on your map that shows the different ecosystems,
landmarks, plants, animals, and American Indian groups that they encountered
on their journeys.
Task #2 – Write two poems (or extended journal entries) from the perspective of
a Shawnee Indian. The first poem will take place after you have joined Tecumseh
at Tippecanoe, but before the battle at the same site. The second poem will take
place after the Battle of the Thames.
Task #3 – Create an illustrated timeline for the events in this unit. You must
include all of the events in the vocabulary list, plus 4 other events of your own
choosing.
Supplementary Reading: Poems on History
CITIZEN JEFFERSON ASCENDS TO THE
PRESIDENCY
In year 1800 a new era began
With Virginia’s great thinker and true Renaissance Man.
As tall handsome Thomas assumed the top post,
Sporting a resume that few others could boast.
IMPRESSMENT AND EMBARGO
Yes, at daggers again were Great Britain and France
To claim the top spot and have world dominance.
While Jefferson tried hard to heed George’s advice:
Keep out of the way when folks fail to play nice.
But armies embattled do seldom act fair
A man who studied all things, from great books to science, And America’s seafarers had a need to beware,
As life on the ocean, that vast by-way for trade,
He could craft a new law and, yes, many an appliance.
Was exposed to attack, and to plunder and raid.
And with his classic keen eye, this rare learned fellow
Designed the stately estate, his home Monticello.
As cargo was seized and sailors were too,
-- An act called impressment, which made them quite
Of course, he is known for the stirring fine eloquence
blue.
Which declared to all ears this land’s independence.
(Well, just think how you’d feel forced aboard ships,
Indeed, that brush of his pen marks the pivot of ages,
Kidnapped into battle and such perilous trips!)
And sets his name for all time into history’s pages.
This gentleman farmer, to now play leading man,
Was a scholar and lawyer and egalitarian.
Not the least high-minded about bloodlines or birth,
Tom believed that all souls were equal in worth.
Ah, but to get this stop, ‘twas no simple task.
U.S. forces were slender, and could hardly be asked
To go battle with Brits or meet France’s great might.
-- Indeed all did hope to avoid such a plight.
And so did he urge to hold and keep separate
The worlds of religion from the world of the state.
So that persons of faith, no matter what church or creed,
Would not have officials pushing which call to heed.
So the President proposed to deal a harsh blow
With a halt to our trade by a complete embargo.
As imports and exports to all far-off nations
Were denied transit until they gave cordial relations.
Yes, he was moved by ideals, and did cherish and prize
The Rights of all persons, the great goal in his eyes.
Now, ‘tis true he owned slaves; so, no, not a saint
-- But perfect portraits of men, one will never paint.
Alas, the deed was short-sighted and costly as well,
As Americans need also to buy and to sell.
Their crops and their beef soon piled high on the docks,
With no market for goods... they may as well have grown
rocks!
And as President now, Tom turned his sharp mind
To a prosperous future by his own lights designed.
With a most lofty aim for this land to become
A yeoman nation of farmers and of peaceful freedom.
And always seeking to learn and step from the dark,
He sent forth explorers, Misters Lewis and Clark.
On a journey inspired, in both spirit and mind,
By a promise and purpose of Jeffersonian kind…
Now, with business cut off, the economy slowed,
Leaving Jefferson to watch his favor erode.
As heard about town: Tom’s laws are so lame,
Turn their letters around: ‘o grab me’, it became.
Yet a new term as the Prez, Tom still might have had,
-- Even with our sailors impressed and the economy bad.
But such cares weighed heavy and so it was due:
He took Washington’s lead and left after two...
Supplementary Reading: Poems on History
DUEL OF HAMILTON & BURR
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
Now, of wily A. Burr and of A. Hamilton,
Bad blood did undo these ambitious sharp men.
Whose paths were star-crossed and whose tempers did
clash,
And in 1804 led to actions most rash.
When these men of New York, with that prickly sharp
pride,
Had their bile stirred up --- and saw it fail to subside.
Insults were hurled, and on their honor emphatic,
Pistols were drawn in a duel most dramatic.
As the cold morning mist and the fly of cold lead
Left Burr an outlaw and Hamilton dead.
While the smoke of gunpowder that hung in the air
Held the scent of a future that would not come to bear.
For they say the saddest of words of tongue and pen
Are those in the question: what might have been?
-- Now, duels have since died, and we may hope not again
That the sting of hard words shall bring the ruin of men.
But with Hamilton gone and Jefferson rising,
It soon came to pass, and hardly surprising,
The Federalists faded --- though this remains stark:
On the shape of this land, they sure left their mark.
As even Tom Jefferson, so suspicious of power,
Put his high office to use at a critical hours.
Faced as he was with the most awkward of scenes,
Having to beg of the French to lease New Orleans.
And with dealing afoot in this solicitous manner,
France shockingly offered the whole Louisiana!
As Emperor Napoleon was in need of cash fast
And was willing to part with this parcel so vast.
-- And yet Jefferson fretted, as nowhere was it said:
A president has permit to add to our stead.
But all soon agreed that this purchase was wise,
For a few million dollars, the U.S. doubled its size!
HAWKS & DOVES
And on the high plains, a fresh show-down did brew
And did boil into battle at creek Tippecanoe.
As two holy chiefs, Tecumseh and Prophet,
Did gather all tribes to stage a new onslaught.
Whose forces were met by one Henry Harrison,
Who took firm command of a local armed garrison,
In a fray which kicked off more bloody unrest,
And was blamed on the Brits by the people and press...
And those itching to fight, known as War Hawks,
Were fed up and flustered with the prospects for talks.
"An end", they did thunder, "to Britain's trespasses!"
-- Or else it was time to go kick them sharply.
Henry Clay was one hawk, so boisterous in manner,
Who beamed forth with great pride in the American
banner.
And who felt that our nation must insist on respect
-- Or forever be prey to such harassing attack.
While those calmer in ilk, who did not drop their gloves,
Seemed a bit feathery too -- and were titled the Doves.
Whose prudence ran high, and yet close to the heart,
Since with war in the air, life can seem better apart.
So debate raged anew and with great agitation:
-- To engage in a feud or in conciliation?
Indeed, the question recurs; there's no bigger deal,
With lives in the balance of fortune's grim wheel.
And with native conflict now blamed on the Brits,
And the seas full of scoundrels boarding our ships,
Cries for war rang loud in Mister Madison's ears,
While his treaty with France had made it quite clear:
To fight with Old England was called for again,
And so Congress declared, and put the call out for men.
To add their own chapter in the land's growing story,
And serve with great pride in pursuit of new glory…
Supplementary Reading: Poems on History
WAR HEROES AND WOES
Now, with troops beaten back by Canadian hands,
And with Indian warriors now making fierce stands,
With our capital city in flames and despair,
The once glory-filled dreams now seemed a nightmare!
As the red-coats were hot to go settle a score,
And pressed on to the north to reach Baltimore.
They shelled Fort McHenry with bombs through the night
-- Only to find by the dawn’s early light
That those colors so bold --- yes, the red, white and blue,
Like the sun in the sky still gallantly flew.
Hence a poem that begins “O Say Can You See”
Was penned that morning by one Francis Scott Key.
Yes, this land of the free our soldiers did save,
To earn that moniker: the home of the brave.
And Henry Harrison proved true when we most needed
wins,
As he triumphed once more at the Battle of Thames.
Where great Tecumseh did fall, and took with him the
heart
Of the Indian cause, which quite soon came apart.
-- While deep in the south, where a tribe of Creek battled,
There rose a great leader who had every soul rattled.
A young Tennessee man, most bold and assured,
Brought a will of wrought iron with his pistol and sword.
Indeed, Andrew Jackson was as tough as hard nails,
And scattered his foes through the forests and dales.
Whose stunning campaign brought native wars to an end,
With the most bloody of battles at Horseshoe Bend.
-- Alas, the Cherokee tribes did help in the action,
Fighting by the side of mighty General Jackson...
An act they’d regret some years later on
When the same Mister Jackson told them to be gone!
But with spirits now high, with great hollers and grins,
Jackson rallied his men to go take New Orleans...
THE HARTFORD CONVENTION AND THE
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
Now, with the chaos of war, there came the harsh bite
Of an eternal debate: to separate or unite?
(‘Tis a question you’ll hear wherever you visit:
To press on in one Fate or else act to split it.)
Indeed, folks in the East had grown increasingly sore
With an affair they nicknamed “Mister Madison’s War”.
Which seemed fought for new states to add to their claims,
But had little to do with a New Englander’s aims.
So restless men met with a dire intention,
To speak of secession at the Hartford Convention.
Which means they did ponder an act of divorce,
For New England to bow out and seek her own course!
-- Yet, without a true win, and yet still not a loss,
Both sides began weighing their mounting high costs.
As the war saddled both with such hardship and pain,
And seemed to drag on with very little to gain.
And before those in Hartford could vote to secede,
The word came from Europe: there was no longer need!
As tidings from Belgium on the high seas were sent:
Peace had been made with the Treaty of Ghent.
Now, in those days of old, people couldn’t just call:
-- It was two weeks at sea to get info at all!
And so Andrew Jackson with his troops right behind
Had no way of knowing a truce had been signed.
And with masses of men from the rugged frontier,
At New Orleans they stood for the Brits to appear.
With their trenches dug deep in the hilly terrain,
They sat poised to attack and to fight to the man!
And when orders to fire Mister Jackson there gave,
Their foes they mowed down in wave after wave.
-- And two-thousand Brits fell, in a battle uneven,
As Americans who died numbered only eleven!
Supplementary Readings
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison (1803) is a landmark case in United States law that established the precedent of
judicial review for the Supreme Court. Judicial review is the power of the Supreme Court to
determine whether laws created by the other two branches are constitutional or unconstitutional.
The case resulted from a petition to the Court by William Marbury, who had been appointed as
Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia by President John Adams shortly before leaving
office. However, Marbury could not officially become a justice until his commission was delivered
to him, which did not happen while Adams was President. When Thomas Jefferson became
President, he ordered the new Secretary of State, James Madison, to withhold Marbury's
commissions. Marbury petitioned the Court, asking the Court to force Madison to deliver the
commission. The case was ultimately unsuccessful for Marbury, who never became a Justice of the
Peace in the District of Columbia, but it did increase the power of the federal courts by establishing
the power of judicial review.
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was when the United States bought approximately 530 million acres of
territory in 1803 from France. Although France had longed to create a North American Empire, a
revolt in Haiti dashed their plans and led them to offer the entire Louisiana territory (which is much
larger than today’s state of Louisiana) at a very cheap cost of about 3¢ per acre. The total price for
the purchase $15 million. The purchase doubled the size of the United States in 1803 and land from
the purchase makes up 23% of the territory of the modern United States! The purchase was an
important moment in the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. At the time, some Americans believed the
actions was unconstitutional because the Constitution never gave the President the power to buy
territory from other countries. However, Jefferson reasoned that his power to negotiate treaties with
foreign countries (which is in the Constitution) allowed him to make this purchase.
Lewis and Clark
In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase sparked American interest in expansion to the west coast. A few
weeks after the purchase, President Jefferson (who was an advocate of western expansion) asked
Congress to spend $2,500, "to send intelligent officers with ten or twelve men, to explore even to the
Western ocean." They were to study the Indian tribes, botany, geology, Western terrain and wildlife
in the region, as well as evaluate the potential interference of British and French Canadian hunters
and trappers who were already well established in the area. Their journey is much too long and
interesting to describe in this short reading, but overall the expedition was a success. They returned
with important information about the new United States territory and the people who lived in it, as
well as its rivers and mountains, plants and animals. The expedition made a major contribution to
mapping the North American continent.
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a famous Shawnee leader who spent much of his life attempting to rally divided
Native American tribes in a common defense of their lands, which eventually led to in his death in
the War of 1812. In 1805, a religious revival that was led by Tecumseh’s brother, Tenskwatawa,
started gaining followers. Tenskwatawa (who is also known as The Prophet) urged natives to reject
the ways of the whites and to stop selling any more lands to the United States. Tenskwatawa's
religious teachings became widely known, and he attracted followers from many different Indian
nations. Tecumseh would eventually emerge as the leader of this confederation, though it was built
on a foundation established by the religious appeal of his younger brother. Tecumseh brought back
an idea advocated by earlier Shawnee and Mohawk leaders, which stated that Indian land was owned
in common by all tribes, and therefore no land could be sold without all of their agreements. An
impressive orator, Tecumseh began to travel widely, urging warriors to abandon chiefs who were
allying themselves with the United States and to join the resistance at the village of Tippecanoe.
Fighting eventually broke out between Tecumseh’s followers and the United States, which actually
helped spark the War of 1812 since the United States believed that Tecumseh was being aided by the
English. Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames during the war.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and England. In the early 1800s,
England was at war with France. To stop American trade with France, England began seizing
American ships and impressing American sailors into military service, actions that angered
Americans. The Americans declared war on Britain for a combination of reasons, including outrage
at England’s actions on the high seas and anger at the fact that the English were helping Native
Americans to defend their lands from American settlers.
The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, made no real changes to the lands owned by either side.
Basically, the two sides went back to the way they were before the war, except that England stopped
seizing American ships and impressing American sailors following England’s victory in the war
between France and England. Although the existence of the U.S. was never actually threatened, the
nation celebrated the War of 1812 as their "second war of independence." Nationalism soared after
the victory at the Battle of New Orleans and several national icons -- including Uncle Sam and the
Star Spangled Banner -- were created during the war. Finally, two war heroes used their celebrity to
eventually be elected President: Andrew Jackson (elected president in 1828 and 1832) and William
Henry Harrison (elected president in 1840).