Download Era 1 Foundations Notes Completed

Era 1: Foundations and Turning Points
I. Foundations: Background to American History
A.
B.
After the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the British government was left with a large debt. To help repay this debt, the British
government began to tax the colonists. Because Parliament did not consult the colonists, they saw this “taxation without representation” as a
violation of their rights as Englishmen.
The United States issued the Declaration of Independence, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, in 1776 after years of dissension and
disagreement.
The Declaration of Independence:
1. formally declared the independence of the English colonies in North America from the mother country, Great Britain
(resulting in the American Revolution)
2. explained that citizens had the right to overthrow an oppressive government that did not protect individual rights
3. included a list of grievances, or problems, which the colonists had with the government of Great Britain under King
George III
4. put forth a theory of government that included many ideas from John Locke; it explained that the purpose of government
should be to protect unalienable rights (rights that cannot be taken away – like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)
5. was signed by members of the Second Continental Congress, including John Hancock, Benjamin Rush, Charles
Carroll, and John Witherspoon
C. After declaring independence, the colonies established a very weak central government in an agreement known as the Articles of
Confederation. In 1787, American leaders decided that a stronger government was needed.
D. The U.S. Constitution was written by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. It established a republic (a government
in which power rests with the people, who elect representatives).
1. 7 Constitutional Principles—easier to remember if subdivided as follows:
3, 2-worded principles are foundational for democracy:
1. popular sovereignty – the powers of the government come from the consent of the governed. In English, in
America there are no “born rulers” because the people rule, i.e., the people express their sovereign choices
through their elected representatives (unless “the people” become too STUPID to make informed choices)!
2. individual rights—Constitution protects people from the gov’t as well as other people.
3. limited government – the powers of the federal government are limited to those provided in the Constitution
--2, 1- word “ism’s” get individual states and individuals involved. (1 = Individual)
4. republicanism – the people elect leaders to represent them; leaders work for the people, people rule the leaders!
5. federalism – the powers of government are divided between the national government and the states
--2, 3-worded principles involve the 3 branches of gov’t (3 worded = 3 branches)
6. separation of powers – the powers of the government are divided among three separate branches
7. checks and balances - the Constitution gives each branch ways to stop or “check” the power of the other two
branches
-amendments - the Constitution can be amended to adjust to changing times/ attitudes
2. The Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay argued strongly in support of the
Constitution and helped lead to its ratification.
E. The Bill of Rights was added to specifically guarantee the protection of certain individual rights. The Bill of Rights contains the first
ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791.
1. First Amendment – guarantees freedoms of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petition
2. Second Amendment – states that people have the right to “bear arms”
3. Third Amendment – prohibits the government from placing troops in people’s homes without their permission
4. the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments protect the “rights of the accused” and prohibit government officials
from taking away life, liberty, and property without following certain procedures
5. the Seventh Amendment – guarantees the right to a trial by a jury
6. the Ninth Amendment – states that citizens have rights that aren’t specifically listed in the Constitution
7. the Tenth Amendment – states that the federal government has ONLY the powers given to it in the Constitution; other
powers are reserved to the states or the people
F. In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville was sent to America by the French government. Later, he wrote a book called Democracy in America,
which examined the American system of democracy. De Tocqueville observed five values he believed were crucial to America’s
success as a constitutional republic:
1. egalitarianism – a society of equals; in America, despite differences in wealth/power/ intelligence, everyone was socially
equal; the two exceptions of egalitarianism were slavery and the treatment of Native Americans
2. populism – the participation of the common people in political life
3. liberty – protection against tyrannical government; the federal system helped prevent the rise of an over-powerful
government; American customs were devoted to the spirit of liberty
4. individualism – the government did not direct individual activity (as it did in Europe); people believed they could rise in
society
5.
G.
H.
I.
laissez-faire – a “hands-off” approach to the economy; the role of government was more limited in America than in Europe
In the nineteenth century, the United States continued to grow. The North, the South, and the West were affected differently by
expansion and the rise of industry, leading to the Civil War from 1861-1865. After four years of fighting, the North was able to defeat
the South, preserving the Union.
Civil War Amendments= Civil Rights Amendments;
Rights of Citizenship = Civil Rights;
1860’s Amendments Make 1960’s Reforms Possible!
In the period following the Civil War, a group of amendments were passed:
1. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery;
2. The Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed citizenship, promised “due process and equal protection” of the laws regardless of race;
3. And the Fifteenth Amendment gave “freedmen” (freed slaves) and all other non-white citizens their voting rights.
•
E.G. the 15th Amendment passed in 1869 and was ratified (approved) by the required 3/4th majority of the states in 1870.
Southern states, however, used poll taxes to prevent minorities from voting until the addition of the 24th Amendment in
1964 which outlawed poll taxes in federal elections.
American ideals are represented by two mottos. “E Pluribus Unum” means “out of many [comes] one,” showing that several states
joined together as one nation. The other, “In God We Trust” is now printed on all American money.
Turning Points in American History: Dates you need to know.
1. 1898 – Spanish-American War – marked the emergence of the United States as a world power;
the results of the war sparked a debate about imperialism
2. 1914-1918 – World War I – the US assumed its role as a world power by participating in global war; introduced many new
forms of military technology; the U.S. emerged as the most powerful and successful nation in the world (Europe,
devastated by war, no longer dominated world trade/ politics)
3. 1929 – Great Depression begins – most severe economic depression in history; led to Roosevelt’s New Deal
4. 1939-1945 – World War II – affirmed the role of the US as the supreme power of the West but led to the Cold War era
5. 1957 – Sputnik – the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite into space, beginning a “space race” between the
Soviet Union and the United States; fear of Soviet technology led to an increase in federal support for science education in the US
6. 1968 – assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. – marked an end to the Civil Rights movement; sparked race riots across the
nation that showed there was still work to be done to eliminate racism and introduce equality of opportunity in America
7. 1969 – US lands on the moon – America became the first country to land men on the surface of the moon; space exploration led to advances
in technology and new inventions that improve the quality of life for many American
8. 1991 – Cold War ends – the Soviet Union dissolved and was replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States; the US recognized Russia
and the newly independent republics, ending the Cold War
9. 2001 – attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon – attacks on US soil led to the declaration of the
“War on Terror”
10. 2008 – election of Barack Obama – the election of America’s first African American president