Washington
First 10 amendments to the Constitution were adopted to protect individual freedoms.
Bill of Rights Ratified
Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in electoral votes, leading the House of Representatives to choose Jefferson as president. The election marked the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties and led to the 12th Amendment, changing how presidents and vice presidents are elected.
Election of 1800
(fun question) This president’s time in office was known as the “Era of Good Feelings” due to national unity and political harmony.
James Monroe
Jacksonian Democrats pushed to eliminate property requirements for voting, allowing more white men—especially those from lower economic classes—to vote.This democratization of politics helped shift influence away from elite landowners and toward a broader electorate.
Expanding Suffrage
During the Second Great Awakening so in response reformers, inspired by religious conviction, launched a movement to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption.
Temperance Movement
Created a group of advisors (e.g., Jefferson, Hamilton) to help govern effectively.
Presidential Cabinet
Jefferson ended unpopular taxes like the whiskey tax, and reinforced executive control over economic policy.
Repeal of Internal Taxes
What was the war called that reaffirmed U.S. sovereignty, boosted patriotism and unity, and led to the decline of the Federalist Party.
America’s Second War of Independence
South Carolina declared the federal Tariff of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and refused to enforce them, invoking the doctrine of nullification. Though a states’ rights advocate, Jackson opposed nullification. He passed the Force Bill, authorizing military action to enforce federal law, while also supporting a compromise tariff to ease tensions.
Nullification Crisis & States’ Rights
Women were highly active in revival meetings and reform societies, gaining organizational and leadership experience. The movement laid the groundwork for the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, where women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott demanded the right to vote.
Women’s Suffrage and Rights
Supported Hamilton’s plan to stabilize the economy and manage federal debt.(1791)
National Bank Created
It allowed the government to fine or imprison anyone who published “false, scandalous, or malicious” statements against the U.S. government. Seen as a violation of First Amendment rights and an abuse of executive power. This led to hurt John Adams politically.
The Sedition Act of 1798
Ended the war with no territorial with changes between the U.S. and Britain. Though the treaty didn’t declare a winner, it sparked a wave of American nationalism.
Treaty of Ghent (1814)
This law authorized the federal government to negotiate treaties that relocated Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to territory west of the Mississippi River.
Indian Removal Act
During The Second Great Awakening the education was limited and uneven, especially in rural areas. So they promote moral education and prepare citizens for democratic participation. A man named Horace Mann who advocated for free, universal, and non-sectarian public schooling.
Public Education Reform
Declared the U.S. neutral in European conflicts, especially between Britain and France.
Neutrality Proclamation
Jefferson bought land from France, doubling U.S. territory. Asserted power to acquire land without explicit constitutional authority.
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
James Monroe in 1823, declared that the Americas were off-limits to future European colonization or interference. It warned European powers not to meddle in the Western Hemisphere, while promising that the U.S. would stay out of European affairs.
Monroe Doctrine
These two regions relied on southern cotton and Western food. Also Southern markets benefited from roads and canals.
-Industrial center producing textiles, tools, and machinery
-Farming frontier producing grain, livestock, and raw materials
West and North
This slave rebellion led to violent uprising in Virginia, resulting in the deaths of around 60 white people. It shocked the South and led to harsh crackdowns on enslaved people and tighter slave codes. These rebellions heightened Southern fears of slave insurrection and increased resistance to abolitionist ideas.
Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)
Washington led troops to suppress a tax protest, proving federal authority.(1794)
Whiskey Rebellion
Jefferson sent explorers to map and study the new territory. Used federal resources to promote science, trade, and expansion.
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806)
Madison asked Congress to declare war in June 1812, marking the first time the U.S. declared war as a nation, because of British interference with American trade and imprisonment of U.S. sailors. Even though the U.S. was militarily unprepared, and political divisions made leadership difficult.
Madison and the War of 1812
Agricultural powerhouse, especially cotton, supplied raw materials, imported food and tools from one region to another.
South
Inspired by the Second Great Awakening, abolitionists viewed slavery as a sin and a moral outrage. The key figures being William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth.
Rise of Abolitionism