Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans
strong central government, pro-business, pro-British, support from commercial Northeast. Democratic-Republicans: limited federal government, agrarian focus, pro-French, support from South and West.
What is Federalists
created federal court system (Supreme Court, circuit and district courts) and established office of Attorney General; set jurisdiction and structure for federal judiciary
What is Judiciary Act of 1789
U.S. bought vast territory from France, doubling nation’s size and opening western expansion.
What is the Louisiana Purchase (1803):
whether a justice had right to his commission and whether the Supreme Court could order a government official to deliver it.
What is Marbury v. Madison
British practice of seizing sailors from American ships and forcing them into Royal Navy service; caused outrage and was a factor leading to War of 1812.
What is Impressment:
Explain one key similarity between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans during the 1790s despite their political differences.
Both wanted stable, prosperous nation; both worked within constitutional framework (though disagreed on interpretation); both sought to win public support and build institutions.
protest by Western Pennsylvania farmers against excise tax on liquor; Washington sent militia to suppress it, showing federal willingness/ability to enforce laws.
What is the Whiskey Rebellion:
State one immediate constitutional question raised by the Louisiana Purchase and how Jefferson justified the acquisition.
Constitutional question: Did the president have authority to acquire new territory? Jefferson used treaty-making powers and argued for implied powers to justify purchase.
Explain the Supreme Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison and its importance for judicial review.
Court (Marshall) ruled Marbury had right but the Court lacked original jurisdiction to issue writ; established judicial review — power to declare laws unconstitutional.
Name one major consequence or effect of the War of 1812 on the United States (political, economic, or diplomatic).
Consequences of War of 1812: surge in American nationalism, decline of Federalist Party, disruption of trade leading to industrial growth, and increased U.S. manufacturing; also confirmed U.S. independence in practice.
How did each party view the role of the national bank? Provide the Federalist position and the Democratic-Republican position.
Federalists supported national bank as constitutional under implied powers; Democratic-Republicans opposed as unconstitutional (strict interpretation) or feared it favored elites.
resolved some issues with Britain: British evacuation of frontier forts, limited trade concessions; critics said it conceded too much and failed to address impressment.
What is Jay’s Treaty (1794)
banned U.S. exports to pressure Britain/France; it severely damaged American trade, especially in New England, and hurt merchants and sailors.
What is the Embargo Act (1807)
whether Congress could create a national bank and whether a state could tax it; Court upheld federal implied powers and ruled states cannot tax federal institutions.
What is McCulloch v. Maryland:
small, independent landowning farmers who cultivated their land and were seen as morally and politically virtuous defenders of the republic.
What are Yeoman farmers:
Compare Federalist and Democratic-Republican approaches to foreign policy toward Britain and France in the 1790s.
Federalists favored better relations with Britain (commercial ties); Democratic-Republicans favored France or at least criticized Britain, sympathetic to French revolutionary ideals early on.
French agents demanded bribes from U.S. diplomats leading to public outrage and quasi-naval conflict; increased anti-French sentiment and support for strengthening defenses.
What is the XYZ Affair:
Spain ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined western boundary between U.S. and Spanish territories (transcontinental boundary details).
What is the Adams-Onís Treaty (1819):
Court protected private corporate charters from state interference by ruling they were contracts; limited state power to alter corporate charters.
What is Dartmouth College v. Woodward:
Explain President Andrew Jackson’s stance toward the national bank and one action he took regarding it.
Andrew Jackson opposed Second Bank of the United States, viewed it as elitist and unconstitutional; he vetoed its recharter and removed federal deposits to state ("pet") banks.
Evaluate how the two parties’ differing interpretations of the Constitution (loose vs. strict construction) affected at least two major policy decisions in the 1790s and early 1800s.
Loose construction (Federalists) allowed implied powers such as national bank and broad federal economic programs; strict construction (DRs) opposed these, affecting bank, assumption of state debts, and foreign policy decisions like neutrality enforcement.
series of laws to restrict immigration and criminalize criticizing the government; but rejected later by the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions that asserted states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws (state's rights argument).
What are the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798):
Declared Western Hemisphere off-limits to new European colonization/interference and pledged U.S. opposition to European intervention; consequence: asserted U.S. regional influence and later used to justify U.S. actions in hemisphere.
What is the Monroe Doctrine (1823):
commerce clause power; Court ruled federal government has exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce, invalidating state-granted monopolies over navigation.
What is Gibbons v. Ogden:
connect Great Lakes to Atlantic via Hudson River to improve transport of goods and people; impact: dramatically lowered shipping costs, stimulated New York City’s growth, opened Midwest markets, and encouraged canal-building elsewhere.
What is the Erie Canal?