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The Early Republic
Unit 3
Quick review of leadership during
the American Revolutionary War
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Some people were afraid Washington might
become King
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Some people wanted Washington to become King
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Some people wanted government to be controlled
by the wealthy (Alexander Hamilton)
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Some people wanted government to be controlled
by all people (regardless of WHO they were)
(Thomas Jefferson)
Where do you see yourself
20 years from now?
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Job
Family
Education
Life style
Where you’ll be living
Kind of place you’ll live in
Things you’ll do for fun
You will soon be at a
“crossroads”
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You have a lot of decisions to
make in the next year or two
that may greatly affect how
your life will turn out.
In 1789: America was at a
crossroads
America chose George
Washington to get them
started – unanimously and
he was inaugurated on April
30th, 1789
(sworn into office)
George Washington and….
why is he so famous?
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Commander of the Colonial Armed Forces during
the American Revolution
President of the Constitutional Convention
Dad died when George was 11
Raised by his ½ brothers
No college education
Married a wealthy widow
Had 2 adopted children –
no direct descendants
More………….
Also…
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Not considered brilliant,
but knew how to choose
capable people (set up a
group of “advisors”)
Had a great deal of respect
from everyone
(including the tradition that
no one should be president
more than twice – which
set a precedent
Very honest – and a great
sense of responsibility
A “life of the party” kind of
man
Something that happens
that gets repeated over
and over.
Washington knew he wouldn’t be able
to take care of everything that was
going on in the entire country at once
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So he hired some
advisors
These became his
“cabinet”
At first there were only
three, and a fourth to
help with legal matters
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Secretary of Defense –
led by Henry Knox
Secretary of the Treasury
– Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of State –
Thomas Jefferson
Attorney General –
Edmund Randolph
One of Washington’s advisors:
Alexander Hamilton
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America had money problems
Hamilton was a financial genius –
he set up our country’s financial
system
He decided he could raise money
through tariffs, taxes, and excise
taxes
A tax on goods brought
into the country
We still use Hamilton’s banking
system today
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Today it’s called: The Federal
Reserve System
It’s actually 12 banks - each
regulated by a group
(appointed by the president) in
Washington D.C.
They manage the country’s
money supply.
You especially hear of them
when they change lending
rates – to either fight inflation,
or to encourage business
growth at “down” times.
Sometimes you may see related
items in the news
Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan
Some of these people have HUGE
arguments over the constitution
Some people favor a strict
interpretation of the
Constitution: That the
government only has the
powers the constitution says it
has
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Others favor a loose
interpretation of the
Constitution and the
government can use
whatever’s ‘reasonable and
proper” to carry out that
power
(These are some of the things they argue
about on the political TV shows)
Launching a New Republic
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Challenges to the New Government
 The Federalists in Charge
The Northwest Territory is still a big issue
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Spain, France, Britain, Native
Americans all still had some
claims to sections of America
west of the Appalachians
The Native Americans even
hoped to form their own
independent nation in the
Northwest Territory.
No matter what was tried,
there were disagreements over
this land, and if there were
fights, the Native Americans
usually lost.
One of the bigger battles over the area:
The Battle of Fallen Timbers
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There were still some British in
the area, who traded with the
Natives.
When there was a battle – the
Native Americans were hoping
for help from there “friends” –
the British.
But they found out the British
didn’t really want to get into
another war and would back
off if they had to fight the
Americans.
After the Battle of Fallen
Timbers, Native Americans
signed a treaty that gave up
what is now Ohio and Indiana
to the U.S. Government
The new government needed money for
several things – including fighting for the
Northwest Territory
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One way Hamilton
wanted to make money:
tax the people.
Hamilton put a tax on
whiskey.
To farmers, whiskey was
very important – and not
just for drinking.
It could also be used in
trade and as money.
A group of farmers became very upset
with the new tax and tried to fight back
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The caught and tarred
and feathered some tax
collectors.
They threatened an
armed attack.
So… Washington sent in
troops to put down
the Whiskey Rebellion
rebellion, which showed…
The new government was
willing to stand up for its
new rules and laws.
About the same time…
The French decided to have a revolution.
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Inspired by what the
Americans had done, the
French also had ideas of
liberty and equality.
The French Revolution
became very violent (and
was inspired by the
American Revolution).
Thousands of French
citizens were massacred.
They even executed their King (Luis XVI).
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Marie Antoinette: was
spending all of France’s
money at a time of great
financial problems.
She asked why the people
were protesting and was told it
was because “the poor had no
bread.”
She replied: “Then let them
eat cake.”
Other European kings and queens were thinking if
the French leaders were killed by their own people
– they might be next
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So they declared war
on France.
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So what do the
Americans do?
•We owed the French government a
favor because they helped us against
Britain in our Revolution.
•We felt the French citizens should also
have the right to liberty and equality
•Britain was our main source of trade
money and we didn’t want to take a
chance on that
So… America decided to
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Remain neutral – friendly and
impartial to both sides.
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But wait… it can’t be just
that easy – to not get involved.
The British were mad at us
and decided to start attacking
our ships.
We had some meetings with
them to discuss that, and we
also talked with them about
the Northwest Territory
(where they were still
hanging out).
It was agreed – by 1796 that
the British would leave the
territory – and pay for the
ships they damaged.
Now – more settlers could
move into the area?
By this time, Washington had been president for 8
years, and decided he had enough
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Some people had
disagreements with some of
Washington’s decisions as
president and started to
criticize his leadership.
Washington knew that was
starting, and even warned that
“political disagreements could
weaken the nation.”
His foreign policy was: he
wanted the United States to
stay out of everyone else's
business – and not make
agreements with other nations
Attitude and relationships towards other countries
As often happens when someone gives up power,
there’s a struggle for who will take over.
Two men had completely different ideas about how the United States
should be run.
Even still – they completely respected each other and worked
together on many things.
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Alexander Hamilton
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Thomas Jefferson
(and James Madison
was also on his side)
From these two men came the formation of
Political Parties
(Groups who want to
influence the way
government is run)
Hamilton’s
“Federalists”
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Government should promote
industry and trade.
Government should be run by
and for the rich.
Strong central government
and weak state governments.
Giving few people the right to
vote.
Limits on freedom of speech
and the press.
Favored England in foreign
affairs.
Feared democracy.
Jefferson’s
Democratic-Republicans
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Government should promote
farming and small business.
Average people should run the
government.
Strong state and local gvts and
weak federal gvt.
Giving many people the right to
vote.
Freedom of speech and the
press.
Favored France in foreign
affairs.
Favored democracy.
In the next election…
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The federalists picked
John Adams to run
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Adams won and became president.
Jefferson came in 2nd, so he
became vice-president – the way
presidential elections were set
up in those days.
The DemocraticRepublicans chose
Thomas Jefferson
When Adams became president, they were just finishing
up the first stages of building Washington D.C.
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So Adams became the
first president to live in
the “presidential
mansion”
The original presidential
“home” in Philadelphia
(Washington and Adams
both refused to live there)
White House Museum site
When Washington left office in 1797, the U.S. and
the French weren’t getting along too well.
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There was even a
possibility of war.
The conflict made
President Adams (and the
Federalists) popular.
The DemocraticRepublicans didn’t like
that and tried to gain
some power.
To get even with them,
Adams and the Federalist
Congress passed….
The Alien and Sedition Acts
(Targeting aliens and immigrants)
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Waiting period to become a
citizen went from 5 to 14
years.
The President could arrest
disloyal aliens…
or order them out of the
country during war time.
Sedition was outlawed (saying
or writing false things about
the government).
These really limited people’s
freedom of speech and
freedom of the press.
The Democratic-Republicans
(led by Jefferson and Madison)
found a way to fight these acts.
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Said: there were state
rights even the federal
government couldn’t
take away.
Argued they violated the
Constitution (which they
kind of did).
Within 2 years, the
Democratic-Republicans
controlled Congress, and
these laws expired.
The Jefferson Era
Jefferson Takes Office
The Louisiana Purchase and Exploration
Thomas Jefferson
The smartest American ever?
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One evening …. JFK was giving a speech at a
dinner to a group of very intelligent and talented
people and told them…..
We have more intelligence in this room tonight
than has ever been assembled for one dinner –
in the entire history of our country…………..
except when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
Thomas Jefferson
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Thomas Jefferson wanted the 13 colonies to become a nation. He was a good writer,
so he wrote letters asking people to help the nation become free. He wrote letter
after letter; 50,000 letters during his lifetime.
He was such a good writer that he was one of five men chosen to write the
Declaration of Independence. He wanted to be able to think, so he rented a house
and stayed there by himself for 17 days. He searched in his mind for just the right
words. When he had finished it, he gave it to the Continental Congress, and on July 4,
1776 it was adopted * . The war for freedom; the revolution * had started.
Jefferson was born on the family farm in Virginia to a wealthy family. He had six
sisters and three brothers; a large family indeed.
When he was a boy he enjoyed hunting, fishing, riding horses and canoeing. He also
loved music and learned to play the violin.
His father was his teacher and his parents talked to him about the importance of
serving others. His father died when Thomas was 14 years old.
When he was 17 he entered college and studied law. He would make a schedule for
himself and study 15 hours or more a day. Because of his hard work, he was at the
head of his class. He soon passed the bar exam * and became a lawyer in Virginia.
He married and built a home called Monticello. Later his wife, Martha, died.
When George Washington was president, Jefferson was his secretary of state. Then he
served as vice president under John Adams. Jefferson was elected the third president of
the United States in 1801.
His wife died 19 years before he became president, so there was no "First Lady" * .
Sometimes his daughters served as hostesses * . Dolly Madison, the wife of his Secretary
of State, was also a popular hostess in the White House.
He knew the country had to grow, so he completed the Louisiana Purchase which doubled
the size of the nation.
After two terms as president he returned to Monticello and farming. He grew hundreds of
different kinds of vegetables and fruit trees.
He knew education was important, so he planned the University of Virginia. He designed
the buildings and marked where they should be built. He also chose the library books, and
even hired the teachers. The school opened in 1825 with 40 students.
Thomas Jefferson died 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
When Jefferson was running for
president – there was a tie
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Jefferson and Aaron Burr
each had 73 electoral
votes.
It took 36 votes in
congress to decide a
winner – Thomas
Jefferson.
Burr thought Alexander
Hamilton convinced
several people in his own
party to vote against him
and he got REAL mad at
Hamilton
So Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel
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Each man fired at the other. There are stories
that Hamilton didn’t really aim at Burr
(he couldn’t shoot an old man and he was religious)
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Hamilton was killed.
Jefferson’s goal as President was
to try and unite all Americans
• He tried to promote a
common way of life.
• He wanted the United States
to remain a nation of small,
independent farmers.
• He felt such a nation would
uphold the strong morals
and democratic values of
country living.
• Since the nation had a lot of
available land, people
wouldn’t crowd together in
cities (like Europe).
One of the biggest changes in
America under Jefferson:
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The Louisiana Purchase
France needed money
The United States wanted New
Orleans (a big shipping port) from
the French and offered to buy it
(from Napoleon)
France didn’t know we mostly
wanted New Orleans and offered to
sell the whole territory to us for
what we wanted to pay for just
New Orleans ($15 million)
This doubled the size of the United States
Once we bought it, we needed to
see what we had
Lewis and Clark led the first expedition
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Jefferson wanted to have a
better idea of what he had
bought.
Left in 1804
In North Dakota territory they
met Sacagawea
Clark brought a slave (York).
This was the first time any
Native Americans saw anyone
darker skinned than them.
Took notes and drew pictures
of everything they saw
Gone so long everyone
assumed they died.
Later on… Meriwether Lewis
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Became governor of
the Louisiana
Territory.
Suffered from
depression.
One night – stopped at
a tavern, people heard
shots during the night.
In the morning when
they woke up, Lewis
was dead and
someone had stolen
his stuff.
William Clark
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Became the first
“Superintendent of
Indian Affairs.”
Later became
governor of the
Louisiana Territory.
Settled down for the
rest of his life.
Sacagawea
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(16 years old and had a 2 month old baby
she took with her).
Another explorer that we don’t hear
as much about was Zebulon Pike
Problems with Foreign Powers
The War of 1812
One more time….
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France and England have
“issues” and they go to
war.
The United States did not
want to get involved –
they wanted to
concentrate on domestic
issues. (things at home)
It was tough to do because as a new nation,
we traded with many
other nations.
But the U.S. couldn’t avoid getting involved
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Britain put a “blockade” on
American ships.
The used “impressment” of
American sailors.
Americans found out the British
were giving Native Americans
guns and encouraging them to
attack frontier settlements
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Refused to let
ships pass
through (they
“blocked” them).
Took American
sailors and
prisoner and
forced them to
work on British
ships.
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Some Americans were
totally for a war with
Britain.
These people were called
“war hawks”
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Some Americans wanted
to avoid war and look for
a peaceful solution.
These people are often
called “doves”
We did end up going to war with Britain
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And, the war started in 1812 – so it’s
called: “The War of __ __ __ __”
The War of 1812 is often called:
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The 2nd War for American
Independence
It’s like: two people getting in
a fight… and the weaker
person loses.
The stronger one gets mad
they lost and wants to get
another shot at winning.
The War of 1812 was very
similar to that.
At the start of the War
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The United States was not
ready to fight.
We still had a very small Army
and Navy.
Many Americans were opposed
to the war.
Some Americans had great
feelings of nationalism and
pride in America.
During the War
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In 1812: The British attacked and controlled Washington D.C.
They burned down many buildings, including the “White House”
As the British were getting closer, President Madison’s wife tried to
save whatever she could from the White House (the most famous
thing she took was a portrait of G. Washington).
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Ft. McHenry was attacked and Francis Scott Key wrote a
poem about whether the fort would survive the attack –
later put to music…..
Results of the War of 1812
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They still fought for a little time – even after the war was over
(like at the Battle of New Orleans – where we first hear of a
general named Andrew Jackson – later a very important
President).
It increased American Patriotism.
It broke the strength of Native Americans – who had sided
with the British.
The United States decided to be more self-sufficient, produce
their own goods, and didn’t rely on England or France as
much.
The U.S. proved it could defend itself against other powers.
For the first time, Americans believed the new nation would
survive and prosper.
It would be about another 100 years before the United States
would get involved in any big way with European events.
All about the original “Star Spangled Banner”
(from the Smithsonian)
National and Regional Growth
Early Industry and Invention
Around 1800 a lot of big changes were starting to
take place in the world – and in America.
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Most of them centered around new inventions.
 In the world – this was a time called the
“Industrial Revolution.”
One immigrant had new methods
for improving textile production
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Samuel Slater
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Had lived in England and
had worked in a textile
mill.
Those kinds of people
were not allowed to leave
England – they didn’t
want their secrets to get
out.
He did sneak out and
came to America and
started the first textile
mill in the U.S.
Because of these new machines,
Americans could do 2 things
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They could make a lot
of cloth and make it
quicker and easier
than ever before.
They didn’t have to
buy textiles from
England any more
and those profits
could go back to
Americans.
Some of these factories were HUGE
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This factory system
started in New
England.
They needed workers
for these mills – a LOT
of workers
For the first time in
America, people
started moving off
farms and into cities.
These factories hired either…
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Families who would
all be part of a
“factory town”
Even the kids would
work – they had
smaller hands to work
with some of the
machines.
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Young women who
would end up living in
a “dormitory” at/near
the factory.
They were watched
closely – at work and
even after work (had
to follow strict rules,
go to church, obey
company policies)
Another important idea
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Eli Whitney was given the
responsibility of producing
guns for the army.
Every gun was made
individually and each might be
made just a little bit different
than the other.
He thought of a better way –
interchangeable parts – where
parts were made separately
and then assembled. This
speeded up production, made
repairs easier, and allowed
factories to open where he
could give people jobs.
Then… came the Steamboat
(Part of the Transportation Revolution)
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Robert Fulton
developed a steamboat
that could go upstream or
against the current.
Later an even more
powerful
paddleboat/steamboat
was invented.
And for communication came…
(The Communications Revolution)
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The telegraph –
Samuel Morse.
Messages came in
electrical signals which
could be decoded into
letters and words.
People could now
communicate quickly
throughout the country
(or wherever they could
put telegraph wires).
And… we can’t forget about farmers
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New machines were
invented to make
farming easier and
increase production.
One of these was the
steel plow – invented
by John Deere
(yeah – that guy)
And… more farm tools
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Reapers
Threshing machines
Mechanical “grain
drills”
You haven’t noticed it, but…
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This affects the whole
country
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Midwest farmers would
grow more food to feed
Northeast factory
workers.
Midwest farmers
needed things made in
Northeastern factories.
Southerners needed to
grow more cotton to
supply New England
textile mills.
After the War of 1812…
there started to be struggles in America
between ideas of nationalism and ideas of sectionalism
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Nationalism: a feeling of
pride in your country.
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Sectionalism: a feeling that
your section of the country is
more important than other
sections of the country.
Americans especially began to want
better transportation systems
(more of the Transportation Revolution)
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Congress had already
started building a
“national road” – all
the way to Illinois
A lot of Canals were dug
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The Erie Canal was
one of the more
famous
This linked the
East Coast to the
Great Lakes and
the Midwest
But there were problems between
sections of the country
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Missouri wanted to be
added to the country
as a new state.
It could be either a
slave state, or a free
state.
At the time the
country had 11 free
and 11 slave states.
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It was decided to let
Missouri enter the
Union as a slave
state.
But… only at the
same time that Maine
would be added as a
free state.
This agreement is called: The Missouri Compromise.
Another issue at this same time was:
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In Latin America there
was a plan to help Spain
and Portugal get back
some of their lost
colonies.
There were even some
Russian colonies being
set up all the way from
Alaska to near where San
Francisco is today.
President Monroe issued a statement to the world
(called: The Monroe Doctrine)
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He said the Americas
were closed to further
expansion and
settlement.
He warned these other
countries that we’d
protect our interests here.
He also promised the
United States wouldn’t
interfere with anything
that went on in Europe.
Plantations and Slavery Spread
Eli Whitney (interchangeable parts)
also invented the cotton gin
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This was a machine that
would separate the seeds
from cotton.
This meant Southern
Farmers could grow a lot
more cotton.
And if they could grow a
lot more cotton they’d
need a lot more slave
labor.
This also meant more land would
be used for growing cotton
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This new land meant
more Native
Americans would lose
what they had left in
the south.
It also meant these
farmers would
continue to expand
west.
Slaves
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In 1808 it became illegal
to import any more
Africans so the slaves
that were here were
more valuable (even
though they were still
smuggled here).
In 1790 worth about
$300. In 1830 worth
about $1000.
Who owned slaves around 1840?
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Most white Southern
farmers (about 1/3)
owned few or no
slaves.
Only a very few
Southerners owned
huge plantations with
vast numbers of
slaves
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But even people who
didn’t have slaves
supported slavery
because they one day
hoped to be able to
have some.
But these few people
had all the political
power in the south
Slaves made up about 1/3
of the South’s population in 1840
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There was not a “typical”
kind of slave.
How they were treated
depended on where they
lived, the work needing
to be done, and even
their owners attitudes.
Many states did have
rules and laws, and
“codes” for how slaves
should live.
Religion was very important for
most slaves
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Owners would even use the
argument that in the Bible it
says: “servants, obey your
masters”
They often even compared
themselves to Moses and the
Hebrew people in the Bible –
when he asked the Pharaoh to
“let my people go”
Music and spirituals were a big
part of slave life.
(religious songs sung by slaves)
Slave families
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Were often split up.
This gave owners more
power and control over
their slaves.
Kids would usually be
allowed to stay with their
mothers.
It was very important for
them to be together
whenever they could.
And there were some rebellions
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There were a lot of little
rebellions. Some even
have names. Most do
not.
The most famous
rebellion was led by Nat
Turner.
He believed God wanted
him to free the slaves –
even if he had to use
violence to do it.
Nat Turner
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Was a slave who
learned to read and
write and liked to
read the Bible.
He became a
“preacher” to other
slaves.
He believed that God
wanted him to free
the slaves – even if it
In 1831 Nat Turner…
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And 70 followers killed 55
white men, women, and
children.
Eventually their
ammunition ran out and
they were caught.
16 of his men were killed
and when they caught
Nat Turner he was “tried”
and hanged.
These kinds of rebellions
led to even stricter slave codes