Chapter 9: Expanding Markets and the Nation Moves West
At this point in history, the US experienced tremendous economic change- America industrialized. This is known as a market revolution. Now, people did business very differently. They bought and sold goods instead of producing on their own. This process depends on capitalism. Capitalism is the system in which private businesses or private individuals control production to make a profit. Capitalism depends on entrepreneurs to invest in the businesses.
Life for farmers changed too:
1. New machinery
2. Improved technology
3. Cash crops
Inventions and improvements that changed US lives:
1. Vulcanized rubber- treated rubber that resists cold and heat. This was invented by Charles Goodyear
2. Sewing machine- was invented by Elias Howe and perfected by I.M. Singer. The sewing machined changed life for woman; they could now make a dress 75% quicker.
3. Telegraph- was invented by Samuel Morse. The telegraph revolutionized communication between cities. Railroads used the telegraph to regulate the train schedule.
4. Steam boat- was invented by Robert Fulton. The steam boats were a new way to carry freight down rivers. They were very exciting but extremely dangerous.
The railroads became more popular than the steam boat because they were faster, but they were expensive. Eventually the price dropped and slowly, the country began building more and more rails. The railroads connected the nation north and south. The canals connected the nation east and west.
The northeast became the nation’s business’s manufacturing center and the Midwest became the nation’s farming center. New inventions helped farmers such as:
1. Steel plow- invented by John Deere.
2. Reaper- was invented by Cyrus McCormick. The reaper cut and bundled wheat.
These inventions decreased the farmer’s work tremendously and work could be done faster, so that there was an increase in output and farms became lucrative.
The railroads connected the north and west- they brought machinery out west and farm goods to the east. The railroads served as the connecting force of the nation.
Much of this technological surge bypassed the south because the south had slaves who did the work. They didn’t need the machinery to upgrade, but the south still grew cash crops such as:
1. Cotton- number one crop.
2. Tobacco- secondary crop.
3. Rice- secondary crop.
Manifest destiny- the American people believe that it’s our right to control all the land out west from sea to shining sea.
There were smaller ideas blended with manifest destiny that got people to move out west:
1. The spreading of democracy.
2. Missionaries are always eager for new lands to either convert people, or start a new community that follows their religion.
3. Economic importance- the Panic of 1837 caused many people to lose money and they thought that by going out west, they would make money.
4. New markets- new markets could be found in Mexico, and could trade with Asia through California, which is on the Pacific Ocean.
As the settlers moved west, they met up with Indians and fought. The Americans made treaties with the Indians. One of the more famous treaties was the treaty of Fort Laramie in 1851- we promised the Indians the Great Plains. The treaties were broken over and over again.
Routes that the settlers took as they moved west:
1. Santa Fe Trail- left from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This was basically a business route. It opened up the southwest and the Mexican and Spanish goods to America.
2. Oregon Trail- this trail was full of danger. It went from Independence, Missouri to Portland, Oregon. Many people traveled on this trail, and many died along the way.
One group that traveled on the Oregon Trail was the Mormons, led by Joseph Smith. The Mormons suffered religious persecution and Smith was killed. Their new leader was Brigham Young. Young suggested that if the Mormons move out west away from persecution, they’ll be successful. They went on the Oregon Trail, but never reached Oregon. They stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah and still remain there today. (The Mormons practice polygamy.)
About five thousand Americans settled in the Oregon territory. American and England vied over Oregon. America wanted it for manifest destiny and England wanted it for their business beaver hats and beaver furs. In 1844, one of the campaign ideas of President James K. Polk was “54’ 40° or fight”- we’ll get the Oregon territory of fight for it. Beaver went out of style, the English weren’t so interested in the territory anymore, so they compromised at the 49th parallel. Today, this is the northern border of the US and Canada.
Expanding into Texas-
Texas was a region in Mexico. Mexico was a huge country that had been colonized by the Spanish. In the early 1830s, it became independent. Mexico was looking to develop their northern territories, among them Texas. The Mexicans encouraged the English speaking Anglos to settle there. Anglos could move into Mexico if they promised to be Roman Catholics and follow the Mexican rule. Mexico gave away a lot of land for free.
The Anglos didn’t view themselves as Mexicans- they viewed themselves as an American colony in Mexico. One leader, Stephen Austin, was an American. He got a huge land grant from Mexico and he subdivided the land among many Americans, and they were living happily.
The Mexicans began getting nervous because the number of English people was becoming larger than the number of Mexican people in the northern territory of Mexico. The Americans were unhappy because:
1. They had to be Roman Catholics.
2. They were farmers and had slaves with them, but Mexico had outlawed slaves already.
In 1830, Mexico closed their borders and the Mexican troops began snooping around and enforcing laws, so the Americans got agitated. Austin went to speak to the Mexican leaders to ask for self government from Mexico for the Americans living there. The Mexican leader, Antonis Lopez de Santa Anna promptly threw Austin in jail.
After Austin was released, he told his people that they have to fight for themselves. There were a series of skirmishes which later came to be known as the Texas Revolution. One of the most important battles was the battle of Alamo. There were 187 Americans who used the Alamo, a mission building, as a fort. The Americans were shooting the Mexicans, and the Mexicans shot back. This went on for twelve days until the Mexicans scaled the walls of the Alamo and killed everyone inside. This became the American battle cry- remember the Alamo and how bad the Mexicans were.
Sam Houston was commander of one of the troops. He captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign away Texas’s freedom. The Americans in Texas celebrated their freedom. They were their own country- the Republic of Texas, and were recognized as a country by France and England. This took place in 1836.
The Texans thought that the US would annex them. In 1838, Houston, who was the president of Texas, asked to be annexed and America refused because the northerners didn’t want to allow another slave state into the union.
In 1844, Polk became president. Polk was both an expansionist and a slave holder and in 1845, Texas was admitted into the union. Mexico was fuming and Polk was really happy- he was nicknamed Polk the Purposeful. Polk agitated war against Mexico. He told General Zachary Taylor to start mobilizing troops near the Rio Grande River. When the Americans began to mobilize, Mexico felt that it was a violation of territorial rights. America had to decide whether or not to start a war- the north didn’t want more slave states, so they weren’t excited about war, but Polk wanted war.
In 1845, America sent scouts into California (part of Mexico) to check out the territory. In response, Mexico sent troops into Texas, and eleven Americans were killed. Polk told Congress that they must declare war, and they did.
The US army, led by General Stephen Kearny, marched troops into Santa Fe, New Mexico. Without a single casualty, they seized it and moved into California. California had already declared independence (called themselves the Bear Flag State), and asked to be joined.
The American troops continued on and had one victory after another. The Mexican troops tried to defend their land, but their army was outdated and very top heavy. America had just graduated their first class from West Point and was excited to try out new war strategies.
America took over Mexico City, and now they won. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the US a lot of territory, increasing the size of America by one- third. The US received:
1. California
2. New Mexico
3. Nevada
4. Utah
5. Arizona (part)
6. Wyoming (part)
7. Colorado (part)
In 1853, the US purchased some land under New Mexico from Mexico in the Gadsen Purchase. This land was purchased in order to lay railroad tracks through it. This purchase settled our southwest border until today.
In the election of 1848, Zachary Taylor, a general during the Mexican- American war, was elected as president. He was from the Whig party.
In 1848, American settlers discovered gold in California. Americans, known as the forty-niners, flooded California in search of gold. California became a boom town over night. It wasn’t the prospectors who became rich, rather the people who sold items to the forty-niners.
The California Gold Rush brought thousands of people into California, making it ready for statehood. This spurred on a debate in Congress of whether California should be a free state or a slave state.
Monday, December 28, 2009
History: Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Reform in America
In the early 1800s, America experienced its second Great Awakening- religious revival. Religion again became popular in America and the modicum was through powerful preachers. The mindset of this era was that people thought they were doomed to purgatory and they had to creep their way out.
Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement, which was the brain child of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was a writer and he believed that you can bring change through your thoughts and ideas. He discussed the ideas of truth that can be learned through nature. He said one should look inside himself and remove himself from the vicissitudes of society. Many transcendentalists moved out of the hub of life and into forests. One example of this was the writer Thoreau. He moved into a hut in the forest and didn’t come out for two years. He wrote “On Walden Pond” while he was alone.
Transcendentalism awoke the need for change. One of the areas of change was creating utopian societies, which were formed in order to find perfection. They wanted to build a community where everyone would live peacefully and in harmony, but none of them were successful.
Specific changes that took place:
1. Education- in early America, schools weren’t established and villages arranged education privately amongst themselves. In the 1830s was the start of state funded education. Slowly, more states began to take the responsibility for education, but It took a while for it to become an accepted thing. Horace Mann was the superintendent of schools in Massachusetts and he spent more money than ever before on education. He also made up curriculums and teacher training sessions- he made education real. Soon many states copied.
2. Prisoners and mental institutions- prisoners and people in mental institutions were horribly treated. Dorothy Dix went to prisons and institutions and saw the horrid treatment the inhabitants were receiving. She campaigned heavily for improvements in these institutions and was successful. (People still do this today.)
3. Slavery and abolition movement- abolitionists were people who wanted to abolish slavery. For years, African Americans that had been freed from slavery had campaigned for the abolition of slavery. Now, in the early 1800s, many preachers advocated for the end of slavery. Abolitionists:
a. William Lloyd Garrison. He was also the editor of an anti- slavery newspaper, “The Liberator”.
b. David Walker- was a freed slave who told African Americans to fight for their independence.
c. Fredrik Douglas- was a black slave who gained his freedom by escaping to the north. He befriended Garrison and worked for him for many years. Douglas was an exceptional speaker. Eventually, he began to publish his own newspaper called “The North Star”.
As the debate over slavery was growing, so was slavery itself. From 1810 to 1830, the slave population doubled in America. The whole institution of slavery now changed. It used to be mostly male workers who weren’t paid. By the 1830s, there were males, females and children who were American born working from dusk to dawn, some even longer. There were also slaves who worked in the cities, in the mills and mines.
In 1831, a Virginia slave named Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion. He hit five southern plantations and killed all the white men in their beds. By the time he got to the fifth plantation, he was caught and executed.
The Nat Turner Rebellion sparked a new debate- some southerners were scared and felt maybe slavery should be abolished. In Virginia, they even tried to pass a law abolishing slavery, but it didn’t pass. The other side felt that the laws over the slaves had to be tightened so the slaves would be heavily controlled. There were some southerners who defended slavery, saying that it’s a wonderful thing- uncivilized people are now becoming Christian, and being taken care of for life.
In Congress the debates continued. The south was afraid that if the debates lasted long enough, slavery might be put to an end, so they passed the Gag Rule in 1836- debates can be limited. In 1845, the Gag Rule was lifted.
Woman and reforms:
Woman in America were treated as inferior beings and second class citizens. They didn’t have the right to own property or have custody over their children. Men had the right to beat their wives. Woman was bound by the cult of domesticity- the idea that woman belong at home.
There were woman who worked to improve life for woman:
1. Sisters Angelina and Sara Grimke- were also abolitionists. Along with other woman, they worked in the Temperance movement- to get men to stop drinking. Why? Because when men drink, the beat their wives. Many women joined. Factory owners also joined because drunk workers don’t perform well.
2. Emma Willard (New York) and Mary Lyon (Massachusetts) opened up girls high schools. Lyon’s school was called Holyoke. They faced much opposition.
3. Katherine Beecher was another woman who bought change. She researched woman’s health issues because woman used to be very sickly. She came up with the interesting finding that it was because:
a. They needed to get out and exercise more.
b. Their mode of dress was terrible, directly leading to illness.
4. Amanda Bloomer printed a pattern for a loose fitting pair of pants in the newspaper so woman should have more comfortable clothing. Bloomers gave woman the ability to move around more freely
5. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott wanted to bring woman rights, so they campaigned heavily. In 1848, they met at the Seneca Falls convention with other woman. Stanton and Mott spoke and explained the problems at hand. At the meeting, they read the Declaration of Sentiments, which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence. It stated that all men and woman are created equally and listed all their problems. This convention was considered to be the start of the woman’s rights movement.
6. Sojourner Truth- she was a black who fought for the abolition of slavery and woman’s rights.
The changing work place:
Now, America was moving into factories. Goods were no longer produced by artisans; they were now made in factories.
Many people were excited about this. In Lowell, Massachusetts, the mill girls (hired girls because they could be paid less) were excited to leave the field and go work in factories, bringing home money. The factories were social and interactive. Slowly, over time, work in the mills changed. The day was extended without an increase in pay. The factory owners demanded greater output- the workload was tripled, and the amount of workers was only doubled.
The mill girls went on strike. Most of the strikes were unsuccessful, but they didn’t give up. It was an extreme uphill battle. The strikes were unsuccessful mostly because of strikebreakers- people who broke the strikes. Strikebreakers were mostly immigrants, and many were Irish. Why were many Irish strikebreakers? Because the Irish were poor and were willing to work for less. There was a lot of prejudice against the Irish because:
1. They were the strikebreakers.
2. They were Roman Catholic.
Nevertheless, people still went on strike.
One of the first labor unions formed was the National Traitors Union in 1834. In the 1830s and 40s, the courts sided with the factory owners, besides for the one exception of Commonwealth vs. Hunt.
In the early 1800s, America experienced its second Great Awakening- religious revival. Religion again became popular in America and the modicum was through powerful preachers. The mindset of this era was that people thought they were doomed to purgatory and they had to creep their way out.
Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement, which was the brain child of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was a writer and he believed that you can bring change through your thoughts and ideas. He discussed the ideas of truth that can be learned through nature. He said one should look inside himself and remove himself from the vicissitudes of society. Many transcendentalists moved out of the hub of life and into forests. One example of this was the writer Thoreau. He moved into a hut in the forest and didn’t come out for two years. He wrote “On Walden Pond” while he was alone.
Transcendentalism awoke the need for change. One of the areas of change was creating utopian societies, which were formed in order to find perfection. They wanted to build a community where everyone would live peacefully and in harmony, but none of them were successful.
Specific changes that took place:
1. Education- in early America, schools weren’t established and villages arranged education privately amongst themselves. In the 1830s was the start of state funded education. Slowly, more states began to take the responsibility for education, but It took a while for it to become an accepted thing. Horace Mann was the superintendent of schools in Massachusetts and he spent more money than ever before on education. He also made up curriculums and teacher training sessions- he made education real. Soon many states copied.
2. Prisoners and mental institutions- prisoners and people in mental institutions were horribly treated. Dorothy Dix went to prisons and institutions and saw the horrid treatment the inhabitants were receiving. She campaigned heavily for improvements in these institutions and was successful. (People still do this today.)
3. Slavery and abolition movement- abolitionists were people who wanted to abolish slavery. For years, African Americans that had been freed from slavery had campaigned for the abolition of slavery. Now, in the early 1800s, many preachers advocated for the end of slavery. Abolitionists:
a. William Lloyd Garrison. He was also the editor of an anti- slavery newspaper, “The Liberator”.
b. David Walker- was a freed slave who told African Americans to fight for their independence.
c. Fredrik Douglas- was a black slave who gained his freedom by escaping to the north. He befriended Garrison and worked for him for many years. Douglas was an exceptional speaker. Eventually, he began to publish his own newspaper called “The North Star”.
As the debate over slavery was growing, so was slavery itself. From 1810 to 1830, the slave population doubled in America. The whole institution of slavery now changed. It used to be mostly male workers who weren’t paid. By the 1830s, there were males, females and children who were American born working from dusk to dawn, some even longer. There were also slaves who worked in the cities, in the mills and mines.
In 1831, a Virginia slave named Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion. He hit five southern plantations and killed all the white men in their beds. By the time he got to the fifth plantation, he was caught and executed.
The Nat Turner Rebellion sparked a new debate- some southerners were scared and felt maybe slavery should be abolished. In Virginia, they even tried to pass a law abolishing slavery, but it didn’t pass. The other side felt that the laws over the slaves had to be tightened so the slaves would be heavily controlled. There were some southerners who defended slavery, saying that it’s a wonderful thing- uncivilized people are now becoming Christian, and being taken care of for life.
In Congress the debates continued. The south was afraid that if the debates lasted long enough, slavery might be put to an end, so they passed the Gag Rule in 1836- debates can be limited. In 1845, the Gag Rule was lifted.
Woman and reforms:
Woman in America were treated as inferior beings and second class citizens. They didn’t have the right to own property or have custody over their children. Men had the right to beat their wives. Woman was bound by the cult of domesticity- the idea that woman belong at home.
There were woman who worked to improve life for woman:
1. Sisters Angelina and Sara Grimke- were also abolitionists. Along with other woman, they worked in the Temperance movement- to get men to stop drinking. Why? Because when men drink, the beat their wives. Many women joined. Factory owners also joined because drunk workers don’t perform well.
2. Emma Willard (New York) and Mary Lyon (Massachusetts) opened up girls high schools. Lyon’s school was called Holyoke. They faced much opposition.
3. Katherine Beecher was another woman who bought change. She researched woman’s health issues because woman used to be very sickly. She came up with the interesting finding that it was because:
a. They needed to get out and exercise more.
b. Their mode of dress was terrible, directly leading to illness.
4. Amanda Bloomer printed a pattern for a loose fitting pair of pants in the newspaper so woman should have more comfortable clothing. Bloomers gave woman the ability to move around more freely
5. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott wanted to bring woman rights, so they campaigned heavily. In 1848, they met at the Seneca Falls convention with other woman. Stanton and Mott spoke and explained the problems at hand. At the meeting, they read the Declaration of Sentiments, which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence. It stated that all men and woman are created equally and listed all their problems. This convention was considered to be the start of the woman’s rights movement.
6. Sojourner Truth- she was a black who fought for the abolition of slavery and woman’s rights.
The changing work place:
Now, America was moving into factories. Goods were no longer produced by artisans; they were now made in factories.
Many people were excited about this. In Lowell, Massachusetts, the mill girls (hired girls because they could be paid less) were excited to leave the field and go work in factories, bringing home money. The factories were social and interactive. Slowly, over time, work in the mills changed. The day was extended without an increase in pay. The factory owners demanded greater output- the workload was tripled, and the amount of workers was only doubled.
The mill girls went on strike. Most of the strikes were unsuccessful, but they didn’t give up. It was an extreme uphill battle. The strikes were unsuccessful mostly because of strikebreakers- people who broke the strikes. Strikebreakers were mostly immigrants, and many were Irish. Why were many Irish strikebreakers? Because the Irish were poor and were willing to work for less. There was a lot of prejudice against the Irish because:
1. They were the strikebreakers.
2. They were Roman Catholic.
Nevertheless, people still went on strike.
One of the first labor unions formed was the National Traitors Union in 1834. In the 1830s and 40s, the courts sided with the factory owners, besides for the one exception of Commonwealth vs. Hunt.
Monday, November 30, 2009
US History and Government - Test 4
George Washington was unanimously chosen as president. He was a general that inspired everyone and it was understood that he would become president.
This was just as the founding fathers had wanted it to be- there would be candidates running for the presidency. The one who received the most electoral votes would become the president and the one who received the second-to-most votes would become the vice president. In the case of a tie, the House of Representatives was to decide. This idea of a presidency in dispute going to the House of Representatives is still done to this day. Then the problem of political parties arose- by voting in this way, it was possible to have a president from one political party and the vice president from another. Because of this, the twelfth amendment was added to the constitution stating that one can vote for both the president and the vice president, but they now run as a team.
George Washington was the first president therefore he was the first to do and decide upon many things. Washington was a formal president and he felt the weight of the presidency upon him.
The first thing that was done was to set up a justice department. In 1789, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 in which they set up a system of federal courts. Today there are ninety two federal courts in the country.
The president also set up his cabinet. Today, the president’s cabinet has fifteen members. The original cabinet started out with only three:
1. Secretary of State- Thomas Jefferson.
2. Secretary of Treasury- Alexander Hamilton.
3. Secretary of War- Henry Knox.
Almost immediately, the differences of opinion of the men of the cabinet surfaces. Alexander Hamilton wanted to set up the country on a strong economic base. He had many different programs to do so, and among them was to:
1. Pay back all the debts accrued during the Revolutionary War. He thought it would make the state a more respectable nation and other countries would do business with us.
2. Pay up the debt within the nation. He though to make the rich people happy would be good for the nation too. Many opposed this:
a. Jefferson felt that since only a small percentile was wealthy, this wasn’t fair and the government should cater to the poor majority.
b. Many of the southern states were also against this because they paid up their debts and would now be taxed for the North’s debt. Hamilton told the southern states that if they went along with his plant to assume the state’s debt then the nation’s capital would be built in the south.
Hamilton wanted a federal bank because he felt that it would make the nation strong and keep the wealthy involved. How? Because a bank is a business and the rich invest in banks. Jefferson didn’t want a federal bank because he felt that banks are agents of the rich and hurt the poor because poor people borrow money and then have to pay back with interest. Jefferson also said that it doesn’t mention opening a federal bank anywhere in the constitution. Hamilton said that it falls under the elastic clause because it says that you can tax the people and the money has to be kept somewhere.
Now was the start of political views:
1. Hamilton with his men and their views= Federalists. They believed that:
a. The federal government should be strong.
b. The federal government should service the wealthy.
c. The constitution should be interpreted very loosely.
d. If an ally has to be chosen, it should be England.
2. Jefferson with his men and their views= Jeffersonian Republicans/Democratic Republican- Republicans. They believed:
a. In the rights of the state and the people.
b. The poor should be looked out for.
c. The constitution should be interpreted very narrowly.
d. If an ally has to be chosen, it should be the French.
George Washington was unhappy with the different political parties but after the first election with political parties the nation realized it was good because it allowed a change in political views without bloodshed.
As Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton imposed many taxes on the people. He also wanted to show the power of the federal government- that it’s strong and can and will make sure all their laws are carried out. In order to prove this, Hamilton placed and excise tax on whiskey. This angered the farmers in western Pennsylvania who made whiskey. They said that they won’t pay the tax and they made the Whiskey Rebellion. Hamilton sent a whole army out west and the entire rebellion was put down without one single death.
Foreign Affairs:
1. After Washington stepped into office, the French Revolution broke out. Washington said that the US will remain neutral. This idea of neutrality was very important to Washington. In his farewell address, Washington told America to steer clear of permanent alliances because they are a young and fledgling nation.
2. Northwest territory issues:
a. The Americans began settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. Many settled in the northwest territory of:
i. Ohio
ii. Illinois
iii. Michigan
iv. Wisconsin
v. Indiana
They met up with Indians and there were major fights. The issues were resolved in 1794 with the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
b. The British still remained in the Northwest Territory. John Jay was sent to Britain to work out this issue among some others. The Jay Treaty was formed and the British left the Northwest Territory, but not all the other issues were resolved.
After two terms in office, Washington retired. Federalist John Adams became the next president, and Republican Thomas Jefferson was the vice president.
This election highlighted the problem of sectionalism. Almost the entire south voted for Jefferson and almost all of the north voted for Adams.
John Adams faced a foreign affairs crisis- the French began attacking and abusing the US ships. Adams sent high ranking diplomats to talk to the French about this problem. The French humiliated the US by meeting their diplomats with low level men. The French men said that if the US diplomats want to meet with the French diplomats, they need to pay. This came to be known in America as the XYZ Affair. Some Federalists felt that war should be waged against France. Adams said not to go to war and that he would work it out. Over the next couple of years, he did work it out.
Adams was upset with the Republican Party because they were making fun of him. He felt that this was extremely wrong and would weaken the government. He felt that you must respect your president.
Adams decided to blame the immigrants within the Republican Party- he felt that maybe they were the ones doing it. Adams worked to push the Alien and Sedition Act through Congress. These acts made it more difficult for an immigrant to become a citizen and handed out harsh punishment to people that criticized the government.
These acts did get passed and the Republicans said that this is the first amendment abuse. Madison and Jefferson in their states passed the Kentucky- Virginia Resolution, which nullified the Alien and Sedition Acts. Then the issue rose of whether a state can nullify a federal law. Some felt they could and some felt otherwise. This issue remained a hot volatile until the Civil War.
In the election of the 1800s, Jefferson the Republican ran against Adams. This was a heavily disputed election, and came out to be very close. Jefferson won Adams by eight electoral votes. Jefferson’s vice president Aaron Burr got the same number of electoral votes as Jefferson, and now there was a tie. The issue went to the House of Representatives. Hamilton convinced the House of Representatives to vote for Jefferson, and Jefferson became president.
After this election, the twelfth amendment was added to the constitution. It said that the president and vice president would be voted for as a team.
Jefferson believed in less power to the federal government and more power to the people and state. Jefferson reduced the size of the army and reduced the power of the federal bank.
Jefferson was a much less formal president then Washington and Adams. He didn’t host formal balls and bow when talking to people.
The founding fathers were excited that there was a transition of ideas without bloodshed.
The next few presidents were Republicans. The Federalists lost their power in this area, but remained strong in the Judiciary branch. When Adams realized he lost the presidency, he still had a few months (November to March) and he worked to push through the Judiciary Act of 1801. This act increased the number of judges in the Supreme Court. Adams appointed John Marshall as the Chief Justice. The Federalist ruling was handed down for the next thirty years. Major debates arose over the judges that were appointed. Being that this law was passed in the eleventh hour, these judges were nicknamed the Midnight Appointees. Marbury never received the paper that he was appointed and Jefferson didn’t want to give him his paper of appointment. Marbury said that according to the Judiciary Act of 1789, Jefferson had to give it to him. This event went to the Supreme Court and became known as Marbury vs. Madison. John Marshall didn’t want to anger the president but wanted to strengthen the federal power, so he used judicial review. He looked into the law and the constitution and said that the Judiciary Act of 1789 is unconstitutional, therefore Marbury’s arguments are void and he doesn’t receive the job.
The Louisiana Territory was owned by France and was used as their breadbasket to feed their colonies in the Caribbean, particularly Haiti. Haiti was a lucrative French colony that grew sugar. In 1803, Toussaint Le Overture led a rebellion in Haiti and France lost its colony. France didn’t need the Louisiana Territory anymore so they offered it to America for fifteen million dollars. The American diplomats purchased it, and when they approached Jefferson about buying it, he said he doesn’t know if according to the constitution he could buy land, but since it was such a bargain, he signed the treaty. Jefferson signed because he wanted to spread American liberty. He now increased the power of the Federal government by doubling the size of the nation.
Jefferson sent Louis and Clarke to explore the new land. They returned with all the vegetation, soil samples, different wildlife and spoke glorious news of the chunk of land.
In 1804, Jefferson won the election; the nation was happy. Quite soon after he began his second term, Jefferson was met up with a big problem. The British were attacking American ships and impressing the sailors- taking them into their army and navy. Jefferson decided to place an embargo on the British, but this stifled American businesses so it was a major flop. Two years after it was placed, the embargo was lifted.
In 1808, James Madison became president, but the anger against the British didn’t vanish.
A group of young congressmen called the War Hawks (among them Henry Clay) advocated war against the British because:
1. They impressed our soldiers.
2. As the Americans were moving into Indian territory, they met up with Indians and there was a thought that the British were supplying them with weapons.
3. Border issue in Canada.
Madison took the nation into war in the War of 1812. The Americans didn’t win a single battle and the White House was burnt down. During this war, the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key. Not everyone was in favor of war. The New England merchants felt war would wreck their business with England.
The one battle America did win was won after the Treaty of Ghent was signed. It was known as the Battle of New Orleans. The general of the battle was Andrew Jackson. They fought because news had not yet reached that the war was over. The Treaty of Ghent didn’t resolve any of the issues we went to war over, but America was very happy- we had fought a powerful nation and fought successfully. In 1816, all the issues were resolved. The War of 1812 was the start of the wonderful relationship we have with England. This war is also known as the War of Independence because now England recognized the US as a nation.
During the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution in England spread across Europe and to America. One of the ideas that helped spur on the revolution was Eli Whitney’s invention of interchangeable parts. This caused a change in how things were made- instead of making everything complete, things were made with standardized parts. Molds were formed so that many parts could be made at once, allowing for mass production.
In the mid 1800s, things really took off and manufacturing was no longer done in the home. England didn’t allow people in the manufacturing sector to leave the country so as not to give out ideas. Samuel Slater memorized the plans for the textile factory he worked in and went to work as a farmer. He left England as a farmer and went to America, and set up the first textile mill in New England. Slowly, towns turned into factory centers, for example the town of Lowell, Massachusetts hosted a textile mill, shaping the North into a manufacturing center.
The South was changed by Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, which separated the seeds from the cotton puff. Before this, one worker could clean one pound of cotton per day. Now, one worker could clean fifty pounds of cotton per day. All of the sudden, cotton became such a lucrative crop; they could make so much money from it. Cotton became king in the South. The cotton gin revolutionized the way of agriculture in the South and huge plantations developed to produce cotton. To keep these plantations running, slaves were needed so slavery became entrenched in the South.
Henry Clay, a powerful congressman felt that the country had to be unified. He had a plan called the American System, which was divided into three parts:
1. Put a protective tariff on foreign goods- by taxing imports, people will be more likely to do business within the country. The South didn’t like this idea because they didn’t do so much manufacturing, so they didn’t benefit. In 1816, the tariff was passed even though there was opposition.
2. Build infrastructure to connect different parts of the country. At this point, the National Road was built. It went from Maryland to Illinois. Canals were also built, such as the Eerie canal.
3. Set up a Federal bank- Hamilton’s bank had run out. By controlling the banking system, he felt it would help control the monetary system across the nation and will help with business. This was also passed.
The American System was the start of our feelings of nationalism.
The Supreme Court was a federalist stronghold and passed down rulings that reflected their ideals. They ruled in favor of the National government. Cases:
1. McCulloch vs. Maryland- the court ruled that a state can’t pass a law that will go against a federal law. There was a federal bank in Maryland and the state of Maryland taxed the Federal bank almost enough to put it out of business. This was declared illegal.
2. Gibbons vs. Ogden- only the Federal government can regulate trade and the federal government is supreme over the states. Mr. Ogden worked for a shipping company that had the rights to ship between New York and New Jersey. He though he had exclusive rights over the waters. Gibbon was given the right by the federal government to ship on these waters.
3. Dartmouth College vs. Woodward- the court declared that the state of New Hampshire can’t revise a contract that was given to the college trustees long ago because a contract is a legal binding document and the constitution doesn’t allow the state to interfere with contracts. This gave businesses a confidence to open because it showed that contracts are valued.
John Quincy Adams was the Secretary of State. He established foreign policies on his beliefs on nationalism. He put the nation’s interests above the state’s interests in all dealings.
1. In 1819, he signed the Adams- Onis Treaty between the US and Spain. Spain gave Florida to the US. This increased our country’s size and we received it without a fight.
2. In 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was issued by President Monroe. It told all the nations of the world not to get involved with the western hemisphere- it doesn’t belong to you, so leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone. This included Latin America too. America didn’t let the European nations take colonies in Latin America because they didn’t want European powers in the south. They did this because they had the will to do it and were backed by England’s help.
The American pioneers were excited to move to the Louisiana Purchase. They could move west and settle the land. They had a very good, nationalistic feeling. Many immigrants and Americans moved out west. As they moved west, different territories became ready for statehood. In order to form a state, sixty thousand people had to be living in that territory. This led to problems in our nation.
At this point, there were twenty two states. Eleven believed in slavery and eleven didn’t. Missouri wanted to enter as a slave state. The Free states said no and there was an uproar in Congress. For about a year, Missouri was denied statehood. Henry Clay said it would work out because Maine, a free state, applied for statehood. Henry Clay said to divide the Louisiana Purchase at 36° 30’; north of this would be free and south of this would be slave. This came to be known as the Compromise of 1820 or the Missouri Compromise.
In 1824, John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, became president. He was not as successful or popular as his father because of Andrew Jackson. Jackson ran against Adams in the election of 1824, and Adams just barely squeaked into the presidency. It wasn’t a smooth win because neither candidate received a majority of the electoral votes. The decision went to the House of Representatives, and Clay convinced the House to vote for Adams. Clay got appointed as Secretary of State.
Jackson’s followers felt that the election was stolen from him. They formed their own party known as the Democratic Republican party. For the next four years, they attacked Adam’s policies.
During his years in office, Adams lowered the voting restrictions. In the election of 1828, three times as many people came to vote.
During the election of 1828, Jackson campaigned. He was nicknamed Old Hickory. Jackson won by a landslide. He invited everyone to his inaugural ball so he received the name King Mob.
Jackson changed the system of government to the spoils system- “to the victor belongs the spoils”. He removed many of the government officials and replaced them with his own friends. He had his own personal group of advisors called the Kitchen Cabinet- the joke was that they came through the kitchen door, which is the back door.
Three major events of Jackson:
1. Indian removal- in the southeast of America (Carolinas, Georgia…) there were about five Indian tribes that had Americanized. They set up schools, a system of government with a two house legislature, and one tribe had a written language made up by Sequoia. These five tribes were called the Five Civilized Tribes. They just weren’t good enough for the Americans- they wanted their land and didn’t want to live with them. Jackson agreed and said that they should move elsewhere.
In 1830, Jackson together with Congress passed the Indian Removal Act to push the Indians past the Mississippi river. For the next few years, the federal government made different treaties with different tribes, taking away their land and pushing them toward the Mississippi river.
The Cherokee tribe said they wouldn’t move. They had a missionary friend who fought for them and took their case to the Supreme Court. In the case of Worchester vs. Georgia, John Marshall ruled in favor of the Indians. He said that the Indian Removal Act is unconstitutional. Jackson didn’t listen to Marshall’s ruling and in 1838, he shooed the Cherokee out. The Indians went on an eight thousand mile trek from Georgia to Mississippi. It was filled with danger and came to be known as the Trail of Tears.
2. Tariff and State rights- in 1816, Henry Clay with the American System passed a tariff. Over the years, the tariff was raised. The south was continuously aggravated by it because they had little industry of their own and weren’t benefiting from the tax. At that time, John Calhoun, a southerner, was vice president. At first he agreed with the tariff but over time, he saw that it was hurting the southern states so he spoke out against it.
In 1838, the Tariff of Abomination was passed. Calhoun said that it’s a despicable tariff and the states don’t have to pay it based on the principle of nullification. He said that if the state forbids the state from nullifying the law, they can even secede.
This led to major debates in Congress. Daniel Webster represented the north and he spoke for many days in Congress against nullification. Webster said that we are a nation of people, and not of separate states. Robert Hane of South Carolina represented the south and he defended nullification.
In 1832, the tariff was raised again and South Carolina decided to nullify it. They were backed by John Calhoun. Andrew Jackson said that he’s going to pass the Force law, forcing them to pay the tariff and follow the law. Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, made a compromise- he worked with Congress and over the next ten years, the tariff was lowered. This didn’t resolve the issue of state rights- South Carolina nullified the Force law.
3. National Banks- Jackson hated the national bank because he felt that it was an agent for the wealthy. He wanted to destroy the Bank of the United States (BUS), so he removed all the federal money and put it in small pet banks. So as not to crumble, the BUS asked many of their investors to pay up their loans. This caused many businesses to go bankrupt.
1n 1836, the BUS closed and Jackson won his battle against the banks.
Jackson’s actions angered his own party members and others, so they formed the Whigs. They nicknamed Jackson King Andrew.
Jackson served two terms, and in 1836, Martin Van Buren won the presidency, Van Buren was a powerful politician. He was the brain behind the new campaign style. Jackson backed Van Buren and he won. Van Buren inherited an economic mess; banks and businesses were collapsing. The pet banks became known as wild cat banks- they invested foolishly. The country entered into a state of depression known as the Panic of 1837. Van Buren was now nicknamed Van Ruin.
In the election of 1840, Van Buren lost to a Whig by the name of William Henry Harrison. Harrison gave his inaugural address in the rain without a coat, and shortly after, he came down with pneumonia, which resulted in his death three months into his presidency.
Harrison’s vice president, John Tyler became president. When the Whigs chose Tyler as vice president, they didn’t choose him for his policies but rather because they thought he would give a southern vote.
The Age of Jackson tremendously changed politics. People now became more involve.
This was just as the founding fathers had wanted it to be- there would be candidates running for the presidency. The one who received the most electoral votes would become the president and the one who received the second-to-most votes would become the vice president. In the case of a tie, the House of Representatives was to decide. This idea of a presidency in dispute going to the House of Representatives is still done to this day. Then the problem of political parties arose- by voting in this way, it was possible to have a president from one political party and the vice president from another. Because of this, the twelfth amendment was added to the constitution stating that one can vote for both the president and the vice president, but they now run as a team.
George Washington was the first president therefore he was the first to do and decide upon many things. Washington was a formal president and he felt the weight of the presidency upon him.
The first thing that was done was to set up a justice department. In 1789, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 in which they set up a system of federal courts. Today there are ninety two federal courts in the country.
The president also set up his cabinet. Today, the president’s cabinet has fifteen members. The original cabinet started out with only three:
1. Secretary of State- Thomas Jefferson.
2. Secretary of Treasury- Alexander Hamilton.
3. Secretary of War- Henry Knox.
Almost immediately, the differences of opinion of the men of the cabinet surfaces. Alexander Hamilton wanted to set up the country on a strong economic base. He had many different programs to do so, and among them was to:
1. Pay back all the debts accrued during the Revolutionary War. He thought it would make the state a more respectable nation and other countries would do business with us.
2. Pay up the debt within the nation. He though to make the rich people happy would be good for the nation too. Many opposed this:
a. Jefferson felt that since only a small percentile was wealthy, this wasn’t fair and the government should cater to the poor majority.
b. Many of the southern states were also against this because they paid up their debts and would now be taxed for the North’s debt. Hamilton told the southern states that if they went along with his plant to assume the state’s debt then the nation’s capital would be built in the south.
Hamilton wanted a federal bank because he felt that it would make the nation strong and keep the wealthy involved. How? Because a bank is a business and the rich invest in banks. Jefferson didn’t want a federal bank because he felt that banks are agents of the rich and hurt the poor because poor people borrow money and then have to pay back with interest. Jefferson also said that it doesn’t mention opening a federal bank anywhere in the constitution. Hamilton said that it falls under the elastic clause because it says that you can tax the people and the money has to be kept somewhere.
Now was the start of political views:
1. Hamilton with his men and their views= Federalists. They believed that:
a. The federal government should be strong.
b. The federal government should service the wealthy.
c. The constitution should be interpreted very loosely.
d. If an ally has to be chosen, it should be England.
2. Jefferson with his men and their views= Jeffersonian Republicans/Democratic Republican- Republicans. They believed:
a. In the rights of the state and the people.
b. The poor should be looked out for.
c. The constitution should be interpreted very narrowly.
d. If an ally has to be chosen, it should be the French.
George Washington was unhappy with the different political parties but after the first election with political parties the nation realized it was good because it allowed a change in political views without bloodshed.
As Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton imposed many taxes on the people. He also wanted to show the power of the federal government- that it’s strong and can and will make sure all their laws are carried out. In order to prove this, Hamilton placed and excise tax on whiskey. This angered the farmers in western Pennsylvania who made whiskey. They said that they won’t pay the tax and they made the Whiskey Rebellion. Hamilton sent a whole army out west and the entire rebellion was put down without one single death.
Foreign Affairs:
1. After Washington stepped into office, the French Revolution broke out. Washington said that the US will remain neutral. This idea of neutrality was very important to Washington. In his farewell address, Washington told America to steer clear of permanent alliances because they are a young and fledgling nation.
2. Northwest territory issues:
a. The Americans began settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. Many settled in the northwest territory of:
i. Ohio
ii. Illinois
iii. Michigan
iv. Wisconsin
v. Indiana
They met up with Indians and there were major fights. The issues were resolved in 1794 with the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
b. The British still remained in the Northwest Territory. John Jay was sent to Britain to work out this issue among some others. The Jay Treaty was formed and the British left the Northwest Territory, but not all the other issues were resolved.
After two terms in office, Washington retired. Federalist John Adams became the next president, and Republican Thomas Jefferson was the vice president.
This election highlighted the problem of sectionalism. Almost the entire south voted for Jefferson and almost all of the north voted for Adams.
John Adams faced a foreign affairs crisis- the French began attacking and abusing the US ships. Adams sent high ranking diplomats to talk to the French about this problem. The French humiliated the US by meeting their diplomats with low level men. The French men said that if the US diplomats want to meet with the French diplomats, they need to pay. This came to be known in America as the XYZ Affair. Some Federalists felt that war should be waged against France. Adams said not to go to war and that he would work it out. Over the next couple of years, he did work it out.
Adams was upset with the Republican Party because they were making fun of him. He felt that this was extremely wrong and would weaken the government. He felt that you must respect your president.
Adams decided to blame the immigrants within the Republican Party- he felt that maybe they were the ones doing it. Adams worked to push the Alien and Sedition Act through Congress. These acts made it more difficult for an immigrant to become a citizen and handed out harsh punishment to people that criticized the government.
These acts did get passed and the Republicans said that this is the first amendment abuse. Madison and Jefferson in their states passed the Kentucky- Virginia Resolution, which nullified the Alien and Sedition Acts. Then the issue rose of whether a state can nullify a federal law. Some felt they could and some felt otherwise. This issue remained a hot volatile until the Civil War.
In the election of the 1800s, Jefferson the Republican ran against Adams. This was a heavily disputed election, and came out to be very close. Jefferson won Adams by eight electoral votes. Jefferson’s vice president Aaron Burr got the same number of electoral votes as Jefferson, and now there was a tie. The issue went to the House of Representatives. Hamilton convinced the House of Representatives to vote for Jefferson, and Jefferson became president.
After this election, the twelfth amendment was added to the constitution. It said that the president and vice president would be voted for as a team.
Jefferson believed in less power to the federal government and more power to the people and state. Jefferson reduced the size of the army and reduced the power of the federal bank.
Jefferson was a much less formal president then Washington and Adams. He didn’t host formal balls and bow when talking to people.
The founding fathers were excited that there was a transition of ideas without bloodshed.
The next few presidents were Republicans. The Federalists lost their power in this area, but remained strong in the Judiciary branch. When Adams realized he lost the presidency, he still had a few months (November to March) and he worked to push through the Judiciary Act of 1801. This act increased the number of judges in the Supreme Court. Adams appointed John Marshall as the Chief Justice. The Federalist ruling was handed down for the next thirty years. Major debates arose over the judges that were appointed. Being that this law was passed in the eleventh hour, these judges were nicknamed the Midnight Appointees. Marbury never received the paper that he was appointed and Jefferson didn’t want to give him his paper of appointment. Marbury said that according to the Judiciary Act of 1789, Jefferson had to give it to him. This event went to the Supreme Court and became known as Marbury vs. Madison. John Marshall didn’t want to anger the president but wanted to strengthen the federal power, so he used judicial review. He looked into the law and the constitution and said that the Judiciary Act of 1789 is unconstitutional, therefore Marbury’s arguments are void and he doesn’t receive the job.
The Louisiana Territory was owned by France and was used as their breadbasket to feed their colonies in the Caribbean, particularly Haiti. Haiti was a lucrative French colony that grew sugar. In 1803, Toussaint Le Overture led a rebellion in Haiti and France lost its colony. France didn’t need the Louisiana Territory anymore so they offered it to America for fifteen million dollars. The American diplomats purchased it, and when they approached Jefferson about buying it, he said he doesn’t know if according to the constitution he could buy land, but since it was such a bargain, he signed the treaty. Jefferson signed because he wanted to spread American liberty. He now increased the power of the Federal government by doubling the size of the nation.
Jefferson sent Louis and Clarke to explore the new land. They returned with all the vegetation, soil samples, different wildlife and spoke glorious news of the chunk of land.
In 1804, Jefferson won the election; the nation was happy. Quite soon after he began his second term, Jefferson was met up with a big problem. The British were attacking American ships and impressing the sailors- taking them into their army and navy. Jefferson decided to place an embargo on the British, but this stifled American businesses so it was a major flop. Two years after it was placed, the embargo was lifted.
In 1808, James Madison became president, but the anger against the British didn’t vanish.
A group of young congressmen called the War Hawks (among them Henry Clay) advocated war against the British because:
1. They impressed our soldiers.
2. As the Americans were moving into Indian territory, they met up with Indians and there was a thought that the British were supplying them with weapons.
3. Border issue in Canada.
Madison took the nation into war in the War of 1812. The Americans didn’t win a single battle and the White House was burnt down. During this war, the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key. Not everyone was in favor of war. The New England merchants felt war would wreck their business with England.
The one battle America did win was won after the Treaty of Ghent was signed. It was known as the Battle of New Orleans. The general of the battle was Andrew Jackson. They fought because news had not yet reached that the war was over. The Treaty of Ghent didn’t resolve any of the issues we went to war over, but America was very happy- we had fought a powerful nation and fought successfully. In 1816, all the issues were resolved. The War of 1812 was the start of the wonderful relationship we have with England. This war is also known as the War of Independence because now England recognized the US as a nation.
During the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution in England spread across Europe and to America. One of the ideas that helped spur on the revolution was Eli Whitney’s invention of interchangeable parts. This caused a change in how things were made- instead of making everything complete, things were made with standardized parts. Molds were formed so that many parts could be made at once, allowing for mass production.
In the mid 1800s, things really took off and manufacturing was no longer done in the home. England didn’t allow people in the manufacturing sector to leave the country so as not to give out ideas. Samuel Slater memorized the plans for the textile factory he worked in and went to work as a farmer. He left England as a farmer and went to America, and set up the first textile mill in New England. Slowly, towns turned into factory centers, for example the town of Lowell, Massachusetts hosted a textile mill, shaping the North into a manufacturing center.
The South was changed by Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, which separated the seeds from the cotton puff. Before this, one worker could clean one pound of cotton per day. Now, one worker could clean fifty pounds of cotton per day. All of the sudden, cotton became such a lucrative crop; they could make so much money from it. Cotton became king in the South. The cotton gin revolutionized the way of agriculture in the South and huge plantations developed to produce cotton. To keep these plantations running, slaves were needed so slavery became entrenched in the South.
Henry Clay, a powerful congressman felt that the country had to be unified. He had a plan called the American System, which was divided into three parts:
1. Put a protective tariff on foreign goods- by taxing imports, people will be more likely to do business within the country. The South didn’t like this idea because they didn’t do so much manufacturing, so they didn’t benefit. In 1816, the tariff was passed even though there was opposition.
2. Build infrastructure to connect different parts of the country. At this point, the National Road was built. It went from Maryland to Illinois. Canals were also built, such as the Eerie canal.
3. Set up a Federal bank- Hamilton’s bank had run out. By controlling the banking system, he felt it would help control the monetary system across the nation and will help with business. This was also passed.
The American System was the start of our feelings of nationalism.
The Supreme Court was a federalist stronghold and passed down rulings that reflected their ideals. They ruled in favor of the National government. Cases:
1. McCulloch vs. Maryland- the court ruled that a state can’t pass a law that will go against a federal law. There was a federal bank in Maryland and the state of Maryland taxed the Federal bank almost enough to put it out of business. This was declared illegal.
2. Gibbons vs. Ogden- only the Federal government can regulate trade and the federal government is supreme over the states. Mr. Ogden worked for a shipping company that had the rights to ship between New York and New Jersey. He though he had exclusive rights over the waters. Gibbon was given the right by the federal government to ship on these waters.
3. Dartmouth College vs. Woodward- the court declared that the state of New Hampshire can’t revise a contract that was given to the college trustees long ago because a contract is a legal binding document and the constitution doesn’t allow the state to interfere with contracts. This gave businesses a confidence to open because it showed that contracts are valued.
John Quincy Adams was the Secretary of State. He established foreign policies on his beliefs on nationalism. He put the nation’s interests above the state’s interests in all dealings.
1. In 1819, he signed the Adams- Onis Treaty between the US and Spain. Spain gave Florida to the US. This increased our country’s size and we received it without a fight.
2. In 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was issued by President Monroe. It told all the nations of the world not to get involved with the western hemisphere- it doesn’t belong to you, so leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone. This included Latin America too. America didn’t let the European nations take colonies in Latin America because they didn’t want European powers in the south. They did this because they had the will to do it and were backed by England’s help.
The American pioneers were excited to move to the Louisiana Purchase. They could move west and settle the land. They had a very good, nationalistic feeling. Many immigrants and Americans moved out west. As they moved west, different territories became ready for statehood. In order to form a state, sixty thousand people had to be living in that territory. This led to problems in our nation.
At this point, there were twenty two states. Eleven believed in slavery and eleven didn’t. Missouri wanted to enter as a slave state. The Free states said no and there was an uproar in Congress. For about a year, Missouri was denied statehood. Henry Clay said it would work out because Maine, a free state, applied for statehood. Henry Clay said to divide the Louisiana Purchase at 36° 30’; north of this would be free and south of this would be slave. This came to be known as the Compromise of 1820 or the Missouri Compromise.
In 1824, John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, became president. He was not as successful or popular as his father because of Andrew Jackson. Jackson ran against Adams in the election of 1824, and Adams just barely squeaked into the presidency. It wasn’t a smooth win because neither candidate received a majority of the electoral votes. The decision went to the House of Representatives, and Clay convinced the House to vote for Adams. Clay got appointed as Secretary of State.
Jackson’s followers felt that the election was stolen from him. They formed their own party known as the Democratic Republican party. For the next four years, they attacked Adam’s policies.
During his years in office, Adams lowered the voting restrictions. In the election of 1828, three times as many people came to vote.
During the election of 1828, Jackson campaigned. He was nicknamed Old Hickory. Jackson won by a landslide. He invited everyone to his inaugural ball so he received the name King Mob.
Jackson changed the system of government to the spoils system- “to the victor belongs the spoils”. He removed many of the government officials and replaced them with his own friends. He had his own personal group of advisors called the Kitchen Cabinet- the joke was that they came through the kitchen door, which is the back door.
Three major events of Jackson:
1. Indian removal- in the southeast of America (Carolinas, Georgia…) there were about five Indian tribes that had Americanized. They set up schools, a system of government with a two house legislature, and one tribe had a written language made up by Sequoia. These five tribes were called the Five Civilized Tribes. They just weren’t good enough for the Americans- they wanted their land and didn’t want to live with them. Jackson agreed and said that they should move elsewhere.
In 1830, Jackson together with Congress passed the Indian Removal Act to push the Indians past the Mississippi river. For the next few years, the federal government made different treaties with different tribes, taking away their land and pushing them toward the Mississippi river.
The Cherokee tribe said they wouldn’t move. They had a missionary friend who fought for them and took their case to the Supreme Court. In the case of Worchester vs. Georgia, John Marshall ruled in favor of the Indians. He said that the Indian Removal Act is unconstitutional. Jackson didn’t listen to Marshall’s ruling and in 1838, he shooed the Cherokee out. The Indians went on an eight thousand mile trek from Georgia to Mississippi. It was filled with danger and came to be known as the Trail of Tears.
2. Tariff and State rights- in 1816, Henry Clay with the American System passed a tariff. Over the years, the tariff was raised. The south was continuously aggravated by it because they had little industry of their own and weren’t benefiting from the tax. At that time, John Calhoun, a southerner, was vice president. At first he agreed with the tariff but over time, he saw that it was hurting the southern states so he spoke out against it.
In 1838, the Tariff of Abomination was passed. Calhoun said that it’s a despicable tariff and the states don’t have to pay it based on the principle of nullification. He said that if the state forbids the state from nullifying the law, they can even secede.
This led to major debates in Congress. Daniel Webster represented the north and he spoke for many days in Congress against nullification. Webster said that we are a nation of people, and not of separate states. Robert Hane of South Carolina represented the south and he defended nullification.
In 1832, the tariff was raised again and South Carolina decided to nullify it. They were backed by John Calhoun. Andrew Jackson said that he’s going to pass the Force law, forcing them to pay the tariff and follow the law. Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, made a compromise- he worked with Congress and over the next ten years, the tariff was lowered. This didn’t resolve the issue of state rights- South Carolina nullified the Force law.
3. National Banks- Jackson hated the national bank because he felt that it was an agent for the wealthy. He wanted to destroy the Bank of the United States (BUS), so he removed all the federal money and put it in small pet banks. So as not to crumble, the BUS asked many of their investors to pay up their loans. This caused many businesses to go bankrupt.
1n 1836, the BUS closed and Jackson won his battle against the banks.
Jackson’s actions angered his own party members and others, so they formed the Whigs. They nicknamed Jackson King Andrew.
Jackson served two terms, and in 1836, Martin Van Buren won the presidency, Van Buren was a powerful politician. He was the brain behind the new campaign style. Jackson backed Van Buren and he won. Van Buren inherited an economic mess; banks and businesses were collapsing. The pet banks became known as wild cat banks- they invested foolishly. The country entered into a state of depression known as the Panic of 1837. Van Buren was now nicknamed Van Ruin.
In the election of 1840, Van Buren lost to a Whig by the name of William Henry Harrison. Harrison gave his inaugural address in the rain without a coat, and shortly after, he came down with pneumonia, which resulted in his death three months into his presidency.
Harrison’s vice president, John Tyler became president. When the Whigs chose Tyler as vice president, they didn’t choose him for his policies but rather because they thought he would give a southern vote.
The Age of Jackson tremendously changed politics. People now became more involve.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
US History and Government 3
The Bill of Rights= first ten amendments. There are a total of twenty seven amendments and the first ten were added almost immediately because there were people where people who were afraid that the federal government had too much power. They wanted that people’s rights and the states should be protected.
1. Religious and political freedom- granted the people with:
a. Freedom of religion- the Supreme Court decides the extent of this freedom. If a religion calls for something extreme, such as hallucinated drugs or human sacrifices, freedom of religion might still deny this action.
b. Freedom of speech
c. Freedom of the press
d. The right to assemble
e. The right to petition
2. The right to bear arms- every American has the right to own licensed weapons.
3. Quartering troops- one will never be asked to host troops during peace time. During war though, a law may be passed to require the housing of troops.
4. Search and seizure- this protects the citizen from an unwarranted search of the home. In the event of a warranted search, they must tell the citizen what they are searching for. There have been times in history though, that these rights were ignored such as during the Red Scare. There are some exceptions to the requirement of a search warrant:
a. Moving car
b. Seeing something in plain view
c. Border
5. Rights of the accused:
a. Remain silent- one never has to incriminate himself.
b. Double jeopardy is prohibited- one can’t be accused of the same crime twice.
c. Due process- every person has a fair chance under the law.
d. Eminent Domain- private property won’t be taken from its owner without compensation.
6. The right to a fair, speedy and public trail by an impartial jury in a criminal case.
7. The right to a fair, speedy and public trail by an impartial jury in a civil case.
8. Places limits on fines and punishment- cruel and unusual punishment is illegal. Capital punishment is legal- most states don’t use this form of punishment but some do with a lethal injection.
9. Rights of the people- any rights which were discussed in the constitution shouldn’t be interpreted in any way to abridge the rights of other people. This amendment is nicknamed the elastic clause because it can encompass anything that wasn’t mentioned- just because something isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean that it’s denied. An example of this is the right to privacy- abortion. The Supreme Court passed Roe vs. Wade which says that one can end a pregnancy until the third month.
10. Powers of the state and the people- this is a general statement to the states promising that any power which has not exclusively been given over to the federal government and has not been denied to the state, it can go to the state.
1. Religious and political freedom- granted the people with:
a. Freedom of religion- the Supreme Court decides the extent of this freedom. If a religion calls for something extreme, such as hallucinated drugs or human sacrifices, freedom of religion might still deny this action.
b. Freedom of speech
c. Freedom of the press
d. The right to assemble
e. The right to petition
2. The right to bear arms- every American has the right to own licensed weapons.
3. Quartering troops- one will never be asked to host troops during peace time. During war though, a law may be passed to require the housing of troops.
4. Search and seizure- this protects the citizen from an unwarranted search of the home. In the event of a warranted search, they must tell the citizen what they are searching for. There have been times in history though, that these rights were ignored such as during the Red Scare. There are some exceptions to the requirement of a search warrant:
a. Moving car
b. Seeing something in plain view
c. Border
5. Rights of the accused:
a. Remain silent- one never has to incriminate himself.
b. Double jeopardy is prohibited- one can’t be accused of the same crime twice.
c. Due process- every person has a fair chance under the law.
d. Eminent Domain- private property won’t be taken from its owner without compensation.
6. The right to a fair, speedy and public trail by an impartial jury in a criminal case.
7. The right to a fair, speedy and public trail by an impartial jury in a civil case.
8. Places limits on fines and punishment- cruel and unusual punishment is illegal. Capital punishment is legal- most states don’t use this form of punishment but some do with a lethal injection.
9. Rights of the people- any rights which were discussed in the constitution shouldn’t be interpreted in any way to abridge the rights of other people. This amendment is nicknamed the elastic clause because it can encompass anything that wasn’t mentioned- just because something isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean that it’s denied. An example of this is the right to privacy- abortion. The Supreme Court passed Roe vs. Wade which says that one can end a pregnancy until the third month.
10. Powers of the state and the people- this is a general statement to the states promising that any power which has not exclusively been given over to the federal government and has not been denied to the state, it can go to the state.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
US History and Government 2
About fifty two delegates from all of the states aside for Rhode Island met to discuss what should be done about the Articles of Confederation. They were the elite of the nation, among them:
1. George Washington
2. Benjamin Franklin
3. James Madison
4. Alexander Hamilton
It was realized to be un-amendable so they decided to work on a new program. This meeting came to be known as the Constitutional Convention.
They worked on a system of government that would be successful. They came up with a bundle of compromises:
1. Great compromise- should people be represented by the state, where every state has an equal number of votes, or should people be represented by population? The Great compromise did both- they set up a government with a legislative branch, which allows for both types of representation. Congress has two branches:
a. House of Representatives- nation is represented by the population. Every ten years the nation is recounted and then the representatives are re-portioned.
b. Senate- nation is represented by the state. Every state sends two representatives.
2. Three-Fifths compromise- issue of whether the slaves should be counted in the population or not. The compromise was that three-fifths of the slaves should be counted.
3. Commerce compromise- the North wanted the government to protect their businesses. They wanted the government to tax imports so foreign goods would be more expensive. The South was worried that the minute the government got involved in business they would also get involved in the slave trade so a compromise was agreed upon- imports would be taxed. Exports wouldn’t be taxed and slavery wouldn’t be touched for twenty years.
4. Electoral compromise- how should the president be elected? The mass can’t pick so the Electoral College was put into place. Every state will vote for electors and these electors will vote for the president.
5. Separation of powers- divided the powers of the government into three branches:
a. Legislative branch= congress- makes the laws. Compromised of the House of Representatives and Senate.
b. Executive branch- carries out the laws. Compromised of the president and his cabinet members.
c. Judicial branch- interprets the laws of the Supreme Court.
Each branch checks on the others so that no branch is more powerful than the other.
Making of the laws- the president can suggest a law to the legislative branch. They can either veto or pass the law. The president also has the power to veto a law. Congress can override the president’s veto. To pass a law, Congress needs a simple majority. To override a presidential veto, Congress needs a two-thirds vote. The judicial branch can declare a law unconstitutional.
No one is above the law; everyone can be removed from office. The president can be impeached by the House of Representatives and the Senate acts as the jury.
6. How should power be divided between the state and the federal government? There is a system of federalism- certain powers are only delegated to certain governments:
a. Federal government:
1. The power to coin money
2. Declare wars
3. Make treaties
4. Regulate trade interstate
b. State government:
1. State elections
2. Licensing
3. Education
4. Intrastate relagation
c. Concurrent powers:
1. Taxes
2. Setting up a court system
3. Borrowing money
4. Making roads
The framers decided that only nine of the thirteen states needed to vote in the affirmative for the constitution to be radified.
There were many disagreements in the states among the:
1. Anti- Federalists- they felt the constitution gave too many rights to the government and the people’s wishes wouldn’t be honored. They said they wouldn’t sign unless a Bill of Rights is passed.
2. Federalists- they said it was good and protective enough of the people’s rights.
The Federalists Papers were the articles they wrote pro the constitution. The authors were:
1. John Jay
2. James Madison
3. Alexander Hamilton
Nine out of thirteen states did radify the constitution and it became the law of the land. New York and Virginia didn’t sign, so they worked out a Bill of Rights and now everybody signed.
The constitution begins with the preamble- people have the right to govern. This is a government of the people not the state and people are governing. It also states why a new government is being formed.
There are seven articles in the constitution:
1. Legislative branch- the law making body= Congress. The founding fathers said that this is the central branch of the government because it is the closest to the people.
Congress has two houses:
a. The House of Representatives- lower. It is more directly connected with the people. It represents the people by population. A representative serves for two years and can get reelected for as many terms as he’s able to. In order to be a representative, one must be at least twenty-five years of age and have been a US citizen for seven years.
b. The Senate- also known as the upper house. It’s somewhat removed from the people to keep it stable. Senators were originally chosen by the state government, but in 1913 the seventeenth amendment changed that and the people now elect their senators. Senators serve a six year term to keep it stable. Only one-third of Senate is elected at a time. To be a senator, one must be at least thirty years of age and a US citizen for nine years.
The House can issue articles of impeachment. When the house impeaches, the Senate tries the case.
A bill is a law before it becomes a law. Section seven of article one discusses how a bill becomes a law-a bill is introduced in either the House or Senate. It has to be approved by a majority of the House and Senate, and then it goes to the president who either signs it as law or vetoes it. If the president vetoes it, Congress has the power to override the presidential veto with a two- thirds vote. The president has something known as the pocket veto- when a bill is presented to the president, he has ten days to decide what he wants to do. If a bill is presented late and the president doesn’t have the ten days, he is able stick the bill into his “pocket” and this veto can’t be overridden.
Congressional tactics:
a. Special interest groups/lobbying- there are people that stand in the lobby of the White House and talk to the Congressman
b. Filibustering- to talk and talk so Congress doesn’t pass a law. This only happens in the Senate.
c. Log rolling- Congressman vote for each other’s bills using the tactic of “if you vote for me I’ll vote for you”.
Congressmen are salaried workers. They also have many privileges:
a. Fully staffed offices
b. Franking privileges- free postage
c. Exempt from certain laws.
d. Tax the people
e. Borrow money
f. Regulate trade with foreign nations
g. Declare war
h. Set up an army
i. Coin money
In addition, Congress has the power of the elastic clause, also known as the necessary and proper clause. This gives Congress the power to stretch the constitution in order to carry out the above duties. Over the years there have been presidents who have stretched the elastic clause very far, giving the government more power.
Powers that are denied to Congress:
a. They can’t take away a trial by jury
b. They can’t take away the writ of Habeas Corpus
c. They can’t pass ex post facto laws, making something illegal that when you did it was legal.
Powers that are denied to the state:
a. Regulate trade between states
b. Make treaties
c. Declare war
2. Executive branch- consists of the president, vice president and the cabinet. To be president, one must be at least thirty-five years of age and be a naturally born American.
Electing the president: The founding fathers were concerned that the people weren’t educated enough to choose their own president so they set up the Electoral College. This way, the people choose their electors who then choose the president. The amount of electors every state receives is equal to the number of representatives in the House plus two. The Electoral College did not work out the way the founding fathers expected and it definitely has many problems with it. Now, it is just a number of votes for the president to win a majority of in order for him to become president. In regard to the electoral votes, it’s winner takes all. It is possible to become president by winning the majority in the eleven biggest states. The Electoral College benefits the smaller states because they get more of a representation. A problem that occurred four times was that someone won the popular vote, but not the electoral vote.
Order of succession- if the president dies in office:
a. Vice president
b. Speaker of the house- the most important member of the House and Congress
The president lives in the white house as a salary worker. His salary doesn’t get changed while he’s in office.
The president’s duties:
a. Chief executive:
1. Enforces the laws and makes sure it’s carried out
2. In charge of a huge bureaucracy
3. He can pass a law without Congress by executive order if he sees it is desperately needed.
4. Appoints judges and ambassadors- the Senate has to agree though.
b. Chief diplomat:
1. Meets with ambassadors
2. Makes and signs treaties- needs two- thirds of the Senate’s approval.
c. Commander in chief of the US armed forces- works together with Congress to make wars.
d. Chief legislature- he can veto and suggest laws.
e. Head of state (ex. Put on wreath or light menorah)
f. Judicial powers- grants pardons.
g. Head of his political party- he sets the tone for his party. Since there were no political parties when the constitution was written, so this is known as the unwritten constitution.
The constitution said that a president could serve forever but no one ever did. They all served for two terms until FDR. Then, in 1951 the twenty- second amendment was passed stating that a president could only serve two terms in office.
The vice president serves as the tie breaker in Senate. Senate is always an even number so if there is a tie, the vice president is there to resolve that problem.
3. Judiciary branch- there are nine members. They are appointed for life (by the president with the Senates’ approval) because the founding fathers wanted them to be above politics.
1. George Washington
2. Benjamin Franklin
3. James Madison
4. Alexander Hamilton
It was realized to be un-amendable so they decided to work on a new program. This meeting came to be known as the Constitutional Convention.
They worked on a system of government that would be successful. They came up with a bundle of compromises:
1. Great compromise- should people be represented by the state, where every state has an equal number of votes, or should people be represented by population? The Great compromise did both- they set up a government with a legislative branch, which allows for both types of representation. Congress has two branches:
a. House of Representatives- nation is represented by the population. Every ten years the nation is recounted and then the representatives are re-portioned.
b. Senate- nation is represented by the state. Every state sends two representatives.
2. Three-Fifths compromise- issue of whether the slaves should be counted in the population or not. The compromise was that three-fifths of the slaves should be counted.
3. Commerce compromise- the North wanted the government to protect their businesses. They wanted the government to tax imports so foreign goods would be more expensive. The South was worried that the minute the government got involved in business they would also get involved in the slave trade so a compromise was agreed upon- imports would be taxed. Exports wouldn’t be taxed and slavery wouldn’t be touched for twenty years.
4. Electoral compromise- how should the president be elected? The mass can’t pick so the Electoral College was put into place. Every state will vote for electors and these electors will vote for the president.
5. Separation of powers- divided the powers of the government into three branches:
a. Legislative branch= congress- makes the laws. Compromised of the House of Representatives and Senate.
b. Executive branch- carries out the laws. Compromised of the president and his cabinet members.
c. Judicial branch- interprets the laws of the Supreme Court.
Each branch checks on the others so that no branch is more powerful than the other.
Making of the laws- the president can suggest a law to the legislative branch. They can either veto or pass the law. The president also has the power to veto a law. Congress can override the president’s veto. To pass a law, Congress needs a simple majority. To override a presidential veto, Congress needs a two-thirds vote. The judicial branch can declare a law unconstitutional.
No one is above the law; everyone can be removed from office. The president can be impeached by the House of Representatives and the Senate acts as the jury.
6. How should power be divided between the state and the federal government? There is a system of federalism- certain powers are only delegated to certain governments:
a. Federal government:
1. The power to coin money
2. Declare wars
3. Make treaties
4. Regulate trade interstate
b. State government:
1. State elections
2. Licensing
3. Education
4. Intrastate relagation
c. Concurrent powers:
1. Taxes
2. Setting up a court system
3. Borrowing money
4. Making roads
The framers decided that only nine of the thirteen states needed to vote in the affirmative for the constitution to be radified.
There were many disagreements in the states among the:
1. Anti- Federalists- they felt the constitution gave too many rights to the government and the people’s wishes wouldn’t be honored. They said they wouldn’t sign unless a Bill of Rights is passed.
2. Federalists- they said it was good and protective enough of the people’s rights.
The Federalists Papers were the articles they wrote pro the constitution. The authors were:
1. John Jay
2. James Madison
3. Alexander Hamilton
Nine out of thirteen states did radify the constitution and it became the law of the land. New York and Virginia didn’t sign, so they worked out a Bill of Rights and now everybody signed.
The constitution begins with the preamble- people have the right to govern. This is a government of the people not the state and people are governing. It also states why a new government is being formed.
There are seven articles in the constitution:
1. Legislative branch- the law making body= Congress. The founding fathers said that this is the central branch of the government because it is the closest to the people.
Congress has two houses:
a. The House of Representatives- lower. It is more directly connected with the people. It represents the people by population. A representative serves for two years and can get reelected for as many terms as he’s able to. In order to be a representative, one must be at least twenty-five years of age and have been a US citizen for seven years.
b. The Senate- also known as the upper house. It’s somewhat removed from the people to keep it stable. Senators were originally chosen by the state government, but in 1913 the seventeenth amendment changed that and the people now elect their senators. Senators serve a six year term to keep it stable. Only one-third of Senate is elected at a time. To be a senator, one must be at least thirty years of age and a US citizen for nine years.
The House can issue articles of impeachment. When the house impeaches, the Senate tries the case.
A bill is a law before it becomes a law. Section seven of article one discusses how a bill becomes a law-a bill is introduced in either the House or Senate. It has to be approved by a majority of the House and Senate, and then it goes to the president who either signs it as law or vetoes it. If the president vetoes it, Congress has the power to override the presidential veto with a two- thirds vote. The president has something known as the pocket veto- when a bill is presented to the president, he has ten days to decide what he wants to do. If a bill is presented late and the president doesn’t have the ten days, he is able stick the bill into his “pocket” and this veto can’t be overridden.
Congressional tactics:
a. Special interest groups/lobbying- there are people that stand in the lobby of the White House and talk to the Congressman
b. Filibustering- to talk and talk so Congress doesn’t pass a law. This only happens in the Senate.
c. Log rolling- Congressman vote for each other’s bills using the tactic of “if you vote for me I’ll vote for you”.
Congressmen are salaried workers. They also have many privileges:
a. Fully staffed offices
b. Franking privileges- free postage
c. Exempt from certain laws.
d. Tax the people
e. Borrow money
f. Regulate trade with foreign nations
g. Declare war
h. Set up an army
i. Coin money
In addition, Congress has the power of the elastic clause, also known as the necessary and proper clause. This gives Congress the power to stretch the constitution in order to carry out the above duties. Over the years there have been presidents who have stretched the elastic clause very far, giving the government more power.
Powers that are denied to Congress:
a. They can’t take away a trial by jury
b. They can’t take away the writ of Habeas Corpus
c. They can’t pass ex post facto laws, making something illegal that when you did it was legal.
Powers that are denied to the state:
a. Regulate trade between states
b. Make treaties
c. Declare war
2. Executive branch- consists of the president, vice president and the cabinet. To be president, one must be at least thirty-five years of age and be a naturally born American.
Electing the president: The founding fathers were concerned that the people weren’t educated enough to choose their own president so they set up the Electoral College. This way, the people choose their electors who then choose the president. The amount of electors every state receives is equal to the number of representatives in the House plus two. The Electoral College did not work out the way the founding fathers expected and it definitely has many problems with it. Now, it is just a number of votes for the president to win a majority of in order for him to become president. In regard to the electoral votes, it’s winner takes all. It is possible to become president by winning the majority in the eleven biggest states. The Electoral College benefits the smaller states because they get more of a representation. A problem that occurred four times was that someone won the popular vote, but not the electoral vote.
Order of succession- if the president dies in office:
a. Vice president
b. Speaker of the house- the most important member of the House and Congress
The president lives in the white house as a salary worker. His salary doesn’t get changed while he’s in office.
The president’s duties:
a. Chief executive:
1. Enforces the laws and makes sure it’s carried out
2. In charge of a huge bureaucracy
3. He can pass a law without Congress by executive order if he sees it is desperately needed.
4. Appoints judges and ambassadors- the Senate has to agree though.
b. Chief diplomat:
1. Meets with ambassadors
2. Makes and signs treaties- needs two- thirds of the Senate’s approval.
c. Commander in chief of the US armed forces- works together with Congress to make wars.
d. Chief legislature- he can veto and suggest laws.
e. Head of state (ex. Put on wreath or light menorah)
f. Judicial powers- grants pardons.
g. Head of his political party- he sets the tone for his party. Since there were no political parties when the constitution was written, so this is known as the unwritten constitution.
The constitution said that a president could serve forever but no one ever did. They all served for two terms until FDR. Then, in 1951 the twenty- second amendment was passed stating that a president could only serve two terms in office.
The vice president serves as the tie breaker in Senate. Senate is always an even number so if there is a tie, the vice president is there to resolve that problem.
3. Judiciary branch- there are nine members. They are appointed for life (by the president with the Senates’ approval) because the founding fathers wanted them to be above politics.
US History and Government
This continent was settled by Indians before the Europeans arrived. By the 1400s, there were about 15 million Indians in the US. The Indians lived a lifestyle defined by nature and geography and their religion was a nature-based religion. The Indians lived in family based tribes, which developed as families grew. Some Indians formed alliances with other tribes to keep strong. The Iroquois formed the Confederacy, which kept the Europeans at bay for a period of time.
As various Europeans arrived, their relationship with the Indians varied among:
1. Trade
2. Alliance- the Photon Confederacy helped form the state of Virginia by giving the Europeans food and teaching them which crops grew well. Alliances serviced both sides over the years.
3. Warfare- the Europeans had many wars and made many attempts to push the Indians out until the late 1800s when the Europeans got rid of the Indians for good.
The Europeans and the Indians had cultural differences- the Indians understood that land is not to be bought and sold. Land is here for the common and is to be shared.
The first European settlement was formed in 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida. However it was not one of the thirteen original colonies so it doesn’t go down as the first settlement. The European settlement of Jamestown, Virginia was settled in 1607. By 1732 Georgia, the last of the thirteen colonies, was settled.
Many indentured servants, people who sold themselves as slaves in order to pay for their passage overseas, came over from Europe to America. A majority of the people who came over were British, therefore we speak English in America. They also brought over their culture, therefore our cultures are linked.
Why did people come over?
1. Economic opportunities- to make money. This also benefited the kings. For example, Georgia was formed by debtors. King George opened up the doors of the debtors prisons and told them to go. As thanks, they named their colony after him.
2. Religious reasons- people came to practice religion freely. The pilgrims, for example, came to escape religious persecution.
3. Political reasons- people came to escape political persecution.
Geography shaped their experience in the colonies so much so that the thirteen colonies were divided into three groups:
1. New England colonies- these were the north-most colonies such as Massachusetts and New Hampshire. These colonies experienced cold and hardships in farming and planting cash crops. Many went into ship building and trade. The ports of Salem and Boston, Massachusetts were the most famed ports in the colonies.
2. Middle colonies- such as New York and Pennsylvania. These colonies had very diverse populations. They also had the ability to farm because of the fertile soil. They grew corn and wheat, which they exported. Trade helped build the New York and Pennsylvanian cities.
3. Southern colonies- had a warmer climate where agriculture flourished. The rich soil grew tobacco, rice and indigo, which were grown for export. Many of the colonists were very rich.
At first the colonists used indentured servants to work the land for them. However after so many years, there were no indentured servants yet. To replace them, the colonists attempted to use Indians. The Indians didn’t prove to be as hearty as the Africans, so the idea of enslaving Africans began and the slave trade grew steadily.
Some trades were two way trades. The slave trade though was a triangular trade. The New England merchants traded rum for slaves (who resisted) and then the slaves were sold to people who needed them in the West Indies for molasses or sugar.
The idea of bringing Africans over to work didn’t originate in the colonies. It evolved over time. The horrific voyage from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean was known as the Middle Passage.
African culture leaked into the US such as:
1. Music
2. Food
3. Literature
4. Folk Art
5. Architecture
Historical influences on the American government:
1. Athens, Greece- supported the first democracy. It was a true democracy where everyone got the right to vote.
2. Rome- was a republic. Rome had a representative democracy, which is what we have today. People elected people to vote for them.
3. England became a limited democracy through-
a. Magna Carta- allowed trial by jury for the nobles. This was massive because it limited the king’s power.
b. 1628, Petition of Rights- King Charles was forced to agree to the writ of habeas corpus- people can’t be thrown into jail without being told why.
c. 1689, Bill of Rights- by the Glorious Revolution. This was the start of parliamentary government in England.
4. Enlightenment thinkers-
a. John Locke (England) - came up with the idea that if there are systems to nature, man has a part in it. He said man has natural rights of life, liberty and property. Locke also had the Social Contract theory- the government and the people make a contract and if either side breaks the contract, there are repercussions.
b. Baron de Montesquieu (France) - felt parliamentary was successful because of the division of power. He said division of power is a great thing.
c. Rousseau- said people rule by the consent of the governed.
d. Voltaire- he defended the right to speak and all other intolerances.
5. The colonists own experiences here- most of the colonies got a charter and started with some measure of self government. In 1619, the Virginia House of Burgesses agreed to govern themselves and govern fairly- they copied England. In 1620, before the Pilgrims even got off the Mayflower, they signed the Mayflower Compact. All the colonies knew that whatever they set up would be a limited government which would protect the rights of the people to make charters, have property… An early example of freedom of speech was the German newspaper publisher, John Peter Zenger. He wrote against the governor of New York, and when tried, he was found not guilty. This helped establish the idea of freedom of the press.
Causes of the American Revolution:
The British didn’t hover over their colonies; they displayed a policy of salutary neglect- ignored the colonies somewhat, but in a healthy manner. Because of this policy, the colonies had many years of self government under their belts.
The English and the French were age old rivals, and their wars spilled into the colonies. In 1763, the Seven Years war, also known as the French and Indian war broke out, and ended with the British victorious over the French. The Treaty of Paris was made between the English and French- it gave England all the land up until the Mississippi river.
The colonists began to move out west. The English didn’t want this so they issued the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that no one could move past the old boundary of the Appalachian Mountains. This bothered the colonists.
As a result of the war, the English treasury was depleted so they began to tax the colonists because they felt the colonists should be paying for their own protection:
1. Sugar Act- on imports
2. Stamp Act- on written documents
This annoyed the colonists deeply. They felt there should be “no taxation without representation”. These taxes were repealed, and then came another tax:
3. Townshend Act
The colonists had developed independent thoughts about government. About ninety percent of the colonists were land owning, white males and would’ve been able to vote in England.
The English went ahead and placed another tax on the colonists: the Tea act- this gave the British merchants in England much of the control over the tea industry. They made it cheap, but the colonists were unable to buy other teas. The colonial response to this act was the Boston Tea Party. As a result to the Boston Tea Party, the British placed the Intolerable act on the colonists:
1. Shut down the Boston Harbor
2. Didn’t allow for town hall meetings
3. Shut down the legislature in Massachusetts
Delegates from each of the colonies met in Philadelphia to decide what to do. This became known as the First Continental Congress. They sent a declaration to King George stating their unhappiness. The delegates decided to meet again if the situation wouldn’t improve.
As time passed, the colonists began to stash weapons just in case they would be needed. News leaked out through Paul Revere that the British were headed for Concord, Massachusetts to raid the arsenals. Some colonists met them at Lexington, Massachusetts (before they reached Concord). A shot was fired and about twenty four colonists were killed. The battle lasted for about fifteen minuets, and then the British moved onto Concord. There were no weapons there, but the British were met by a large group of colonists. There were some British casualties. These battles at Concord and Lexington go down as the first battles of the American Revolution.
In May of 1775, the Second Continental Congress met and decided to set up an army with George Washington as general. The Second Continental Congress was the official government body until after the war.
In June of 1775 was the Battle of Bunkerhill, with 311 colonial and 1000 British casualties.
In July of 1775, they sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George, asking to work things out. The king said since you are rebellious colonies, you’ll be treated as such and he blockaded their waters.
The thoughts towards independence began to grow:
1. Patrick Henry
2. The Sons of Liberty- under Samuel Adams
3. Thomas Paine- wrote Common Sense. This had the greatest impacts on thoughts of independence.
The delegates tried to draft a Declaration of Independence. Its foremost writer was Thomas Jefferson and it was signed by the colonial delegates in 1776.
The Declaration of Independence had three parts:
1. Preamble- it stated our theories of government:
a. Government by consent of the governed
b. Belief that all men are created equally
2. List of all their grievances against the king
3. The declaration of independence
Soon after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the colonists lost more battles.
In late 1777, was the turning point of the war at the Battle of Saratoga. The colonists won a decisive victory and some European nations such as France and Prussia decided to help the colonists.
Then came the difficult winter at Valley Forge. It was very cold and hard for the troops, but General Washington stayed with his soldiers to give support. The army had also excelled because of the help they received.
In October of 1781, was the final battle in Yorktown, Virginia. It was here that the British surrendered and the war was over.
They went to Paris to sign the treaty in 1783. The United States of America received all the land up until the Mississippi river.
How did the colonies win?
1. Foreign help
2. They were fighting a desperate cause and they had inspirational leaders.
During the war, the British didn’t behave in a proper manner and many loyalists came over to the patriot side. Many women also went out to the battlefield where they mended, helped and even fought.
The United States of America decided to set up a confederation- a bunch of loosely linked states. The National government is going to be even looser than the state government.
A list of laws known as the Articles of Confederation was written up:
1. No executive branch
2. No main leader
3. Every state got one vote so they were all equal in power.
4. If anyone wanted something changed in the Articles of the Confederation, all thirteen states had to agree.
5. The federal government can’t tax the people. If the federal government wanted money, they had to borrow from the state.
6. Every state could coin their own money.
7. The federal government can’t regulate trade between the colonies.
8. No federal justice- no court system.
The Articles of Confederation did some positive things too:
1. Worked out the Treaty of Paris
2. Passed the Land Ordinance Act of 1785 and again in 1787- set up a system of how new states could be admitted into the union.
The states weren’t governing themselves so successfully; there were issues with in every state. The event that made everyone realize this wasn’t going to work was Shays’s Rebellion- Daniel Shays was a farmer who fought during the war. When he came home he and other farmers had accrued debts and Massachusetts was taxing them. They didn’t find this fair so they marched to the town hall with pitchforks.
As various Europeans arrived, their relationship with the Indians varied among:
1. Trade
2. Alliance- the Photon Confederacy helped form the state of Virginia by giving the Europeans food and teaching them which crops grew well. Alliances serviced both sides over the years.
3. Warfare- the Europeans had many wars and made many attempts to push the Indians out until the late 1800s when the Europeans got rid of the Indians for good.
The Europeans and the Indians had cultural differences- the Indians understood that land is not to be bought and sold. Land is here for the common and is to be shared.
The first European settlement was formed in 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida. However it was not one of the thirteen original colonies so it doesn’t go down as the first settlement. The European settlement of Jamestown, Virginia was settled in 1607. By 1732 Georgia, the last of the thirteen colonies, was settled.
Many indentured servants, people who sold themselves as slaves in order to pay for their passage overseas, came over from Europe to America. A majority of the people who came over were British, therefore we speak English in America. They also brought over their culture, therefore our cultures are linked.
Why did people come over?
1. Economic opportunities- to make money. This also benefited the kings. For example, Georgia was formed by debtors. King George opened up the doors of the debtors prisons and told them to go. As thanks, they named their colony after him.
2. Religious reasons- people came to practice religion freely. The pilgrims, for example, came to escape religious persecution.
3. Political reasons- people came to escape political persecution.
Geography shaped their experience in the colonies so much so that the thirteen colonies were divided into three groups:
1. New England colonies- these were the north-most colonies such as Massachusetts and New Hampshire. These colonies experienced cold and hardships in farming and planting cash crops. Many went into ship building and trade. The ports of Salem and Boston, Massachusetts were the most famed ports in the colonies.
2. Middle colonies- such as New York and Pennsylvania. These colonies had very diverse populations. They also had the ability to farm because of the fertile soil. They grew corn and wheat, which they exported. Trade helped build the New York and Pennsylvanian cities.
3. Southern colonies- had a warmer climate where agriculture flourished. The rich soil grew tobacco, rice and indigo, which were grown for export. Many of the colonists were very rich.
At first the colonists used indentured servants to work the land for them. However after so many years, there were no indentured servants yet. To replace them, the colonists attempted to use Indians. The Indians didn’t prove to be as hearty as the Africans, so the idea of enslaving Africans began and the slave trade grew steadily.
Some trades were two way trades. The slave trade though was a triangular trade. The New England merchants traded rum for slaves (who resisted) and then the slaves were sold to people who needed them in the West Indies for molasses or sugar.
The idea of bringing Africans over to work didn’t originate in the colonies. It evolved over time. The horrific voyage from Africa over the Atlantic Ocean was known as the Middle Passage.
African culture leaked into the US such as:
1. Music
2. Food
3. Literature
4. Folk Art
5. Architecture
Historical influences on the American government:
1. Athens, Greece- supported the first democracy. It was a true democracy where everyone got the right to vote.
2. Rome- was a republic. Rome had a representative democracy, which is what we have today. People elected people to vote for them.
3. England became a limited democracy through-
a. Magna Carta- allowed trial by jury for the nobles. This was massive because it limited the king’s power.
b. 1628, Petition of Rights- King Charles was forced to agree to the writ of habeas corpus- people can’t be thrown into jail without being told why.
c. 1689, Bill of Rights- by the Glorious Revolution. This was the start of parliamentary government in England.
4. Enlightenment thinkers-
a. John Locke (England) - came up with the idea that if there are systems to nature, man has a part in it. He said man has natural rights of life, liberty and property. Locke also had the Social Contract theory- the government and the people make a contract and if either side breaks the contract, there are repercussions.
b. Baron de Montesquieu (France) - felt parliamentary was successful because of the division of power. He said division of power is a great thing.
c. Rousseau- said people rule by the consent of the governed.
d. Voltaire- he defended the right to speak and all other intolerances.
5. The colonists own experiences here- most of the colonies got a charter and started with some measure of self government. In 1619, the Virginia House of Burgesses agreed to govern themselves and govern fairly- they copied England. In 1620, before the Pilgrims even got off the Mayflower, they signed the Mayflower Compact. All the colonies knew that whatever they set up would be a limited government which would protect the rights of the people to make charters, have property… An early example of freedom of speech was the German newspaper publisher, John Peter Zenger. He wrote against the governor of New York, and when tried, he was found not guilty. This helped establish the idea of freedom of the press.
Causes of the American Revolution:
The British didn’t hover over their colonies; they displayed a policy of salutary neglect- ignored the colonies somewhat, but in a healthy manner. Because of this policy, the colonies had many years of self government under their belts.
The English and the French were age old rivals, and their wars spilled into the colonies. In 1763, the Seven Years war, also known as the French and Indian war broke out, and ended with the British victorious over the French. The Treaty of Paris was made between the English and French- it gave England all the land up until the Mississippi river.
The colonists began to move out west. The English didn’t want this so they issued the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that no one could move past the old boundary of the Appalachian Mountains. This bothered the colonists.
As a result of the war, the English treasury was depleted so they began to tax the colonists because they felt the colonists should be paying for their own protection:
1. Sugar Act- on imports
2. Stamp Act- on written documents
This annoyed the colonists deeply. They felt there should be “no taxation without representation”. These taxes were repealed, and then came another tax:
3. Townshend Act
The colonists had developed independent thoughts about government. About ninety percent of the colonists were land owning, white males and would’ve been able to vote in England.
The English went ahead and placed another tax on the colonists: the Tea act- this gave the British merchants in England much of the control over the tea industry. They made it cheap, but the colonists were unable to buy other teas. The colonial response to this act was the Boston Tea Party. As a result to the Boston Tea Party, the British placed the Intolerable act on the colonists:
1. Shut down the Boston Harbor
2. Didn’t allow for town hall meetings
3. Shut down the legislature in Massachusetts
Delegates from each of the colonies met in Philadelphia to decide what to do. This became known as the First Continental Congress. They sent a declaration to King George stating their unhappiness. The delegates decided to meet again if the situation wouldn’t improve.
As time passed, the colonists began to stash weapons just in case they would be needed. News leaked out through Paul Revere that the British were headed for Concord, Massachusetts to raid the arsenals. Some colonists met them at Lexington, Massachusetts (before they reached Concord). A shot was fired and about twenty four colonists were killed. The battle lasted for about fifteen minuets, and then the British moved onto Concord. There were no weapons there, but the British were met by a large group of colonists. There were some British casualties. These battles at Concord and Lexington go down as the first battles of the American Revolution.
In May of 1775, the Second Continental Congress met and decided to set up an army with George Washington as general. The Second Continental Congress was the official government body until after the war.
In June of 1775 was the Battle of Bunkerhill, with 311 colonial and 1000 British casualties.
In July of 1775, they sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George, asking to work things out. The king said since you are rebellious colonies, you’ll be treated as such and he blockaded their waters.
The thoughts towards independence began to grow:
1. Patrick Henry
2. The Sons of Liberty- under Samuel Adams
3. Thomas Paine- wrote Common Sense. This had the greatest impacts on thoughts of independence.
The delegates tried to draft a Declaration of Independence. Its foremost writer was Thomas Jefferson and it was signed by the colonial delegates in 1776.
The Declaration of Independence had three parts:
1. Preamble- it stated our theories of government:
a. Government by consent of the governed
b. Belief that all men are created equally
2. List of all their grievances against the king
3. The declaration of independence
Soon after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the colonists lost more battles.
In late 1777, was the turning point of the war at the Battle of Saratoga. The colonists won a decisive victory and some European nations such as France and Prussia decided to help the colonists.
Then came the difficult winter at Valley Forge. It was very cold and hard for the troops, but General Washington stayed with his soldiers to give support. The army had also excelled because of the help they received.
In October of 1781, was the final battle in Yorktown, Virginia. It was here that the British surrendered and the war was over.
They went to Paris to sign the treaty in 1783. The United States of America received all the land up until the Mississippi river.
How did the colonies win?
1. Foreign help
2. They were fighting a desperate cause and they had inspirational leaders.
During the war, the British didn’t behave in a proper manner and many loyalists came over to the patriot side. Many women also went out to the battlefield where they mended, helped and even fought.
The United States of America decided to set up a confederation- a bunch of loosely linked states. The National government is going to be even looser than the state government.
A list of laws known as the Articles of Confederation was written up:
1. No executive branch
2. No main leader
3. Every state got one vote so they were all equal in power.
4. If anyone wanted something changed in the Articles of the Confederation, all thirteen states had to agree.
5. The federal government can’t tax the people. If the federal government wanted money, they had to borrow from the state.
6. Every state could coin their own money.
7. The federal government can’t regulate trade between the colonies.
8. No federal justice- no court system.
The Articles of Confederation did some positive things too:
1. Worked out the Treaty of Paris
2. Passed the Land Ordinance Act of 1785 and again in 1787- set up a system of how new states could be admitted into the union.
The states weren’t governing themselves so successfully; there were issues with in every state. The event that made everyone realize this wasn’t going to work was Shays’s Rebellion- Daniel Shays was a farmer who fought during the war. When he came home he and other farmers had accrued debts and Massachusetts was taxing them. They didn’t find this fair so they marched to the town hall with pitchforks.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Julius Ceasar- answers only
Answers-
Questions:
1) Pompey
2) Calpurnia
3) Beware of the Ides of March
4) Crown/ wreath
5) Et Tu Brute (You too Brutus?)
6) Antony
7) Brutus
- Caesar’s Ghosts
8) Cicero (and Antony)
9) Casca
10) Calpurnia
11) Metellus Cimber
12) Casca
13) Battlefield of Philippi
14) Lepidus, Octavious, and Antony (triumvirate)
15) Pindarus
16) Artemidorus
17) Pindarus
18) Strato
19) Brutus
20) No
Quotes:
1) Brutus
2) Antony
3) Cassius
4) Brutus
5) Caesar
6) Caesar
7) Calpurnia
8) Cassius
9) Caesar
10) Portia
11) Calpurnia
12) Artemidorus
13) Brutus
14) Antony
Questions:
1) Pompey
2) Calpurnia
3) Beware of the Ides of March
4) Crown/ wreath
5) Et Tu Brute (You too Brutus?)
6) Antony
7) Brutus
- Caesar’s Ghosts
8) Cicero (and Antony)
9) Casca
10) Calpurnia
11) Metellus Cimber
12) Casca
13) Battlefield of Philippi
14) Lepidus, Octavious, and Antony (triumvirate)
15) Pindarus
16) Artemidorus
17) Pindarus
18) Strato
19) Brutus
20) No
Quotes:
1) Brutus
2) Antony
3) Cassius
4) Brutus
5) Caesar
6) Caesar
7) Calpurnia
8) Cassius
9) Caesar
10) Portia
11) Calpurnia
12) Artemidorus
13) Brutus
14) Antony
Julius Caesar- questions only
Questions:
1) Who did Julius defeat when the play began?
2) Who was Julius’s wife?
3) What did the soothsayer warn Caesar of?
4) What did Mark Antony offer three times?
5) What did Caesar say when he saw Brutus among the conspirators?
6) Who spoke after Brutus at the funeral?
- He showed the body and the will that was written for all the people to get money for parks etc.
7) Who was the noblest of all?
- What did Brutus see after Battle?
8) Who did Brutus not allow to join the plot?
9) Who persuaded Brutus to go to senate on the Ides of March?
10) Who had dreams foreshadowing Caesar’s death?
11) Who attracts Caesar’s attention in the senate and asks that their brother’s banishment be repealed?
12) Who was the first that stabbed Caesar?
-significant because they all can run away but the first to stab gets blamed
13) Where did Brutus die?
14) After Caesar who were three people who ruled Rome?
15) The ultimate defeat was caused by mistake made by who?
16) Who was last one to warn Caesar?
17) Who held the sword so Cassius could commit suicide?
18) Who held the sword so Brutus could commit suicide?
19) Who acted in the conspiracy for the good of Rome?
20) Was Brutus able to see the result of his action?
Help 4 the quotes:
-Brutus was noble
-Caesar was arrogant
-Cassius was jealous
-Calpurnia was concerned of Caesar’s survival
Quotes:
1) “ Not that I love Caesar less but I love Rome more”
2) “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.”
3) “A friendly eye could never see such faults.”
4) “ As fire drives out fire, so pity pity”
5) “ We shall die we know but the time in drawing days that men stand upon”
6) “ Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once”
7) “When beggars die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”
8) “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together: yours is as fair a name.”
9) “Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek- headed men, and such as sleep a nights. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.”
10) “I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman that Lord Brutus took to wife. I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter… Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose em.”
11) “Alas, my lord, your wisdom is consumed in confidence. Do not go forth today. Call it my fear that keeps you in the house and noy in your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the senate house, and he shall say you are not well today.”
12) “Caesar beware of Brutus. Take heed of Cassius. Come not near Casca.”
13) “There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in the shallows and in miseries.”
14) “Most noble in the presence of thy corpse? Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds, weeping as fast as they streams forth thy blood it would become me better than to close in terms of friendship with thine enemies. Pardon me Julius here wast thou bayed brave hart; here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.”
1) Who did Julius defeat when the play began?
2) Who was Julius’s wife?
3) What did the soothsayer warn Caesar of?
4) What did Mark Antony offer three times?
5) What did Caesar say when he saw Brutus among the conspirators?
6) Who spoke after Brutus at the funeral?
- He showed the body and the will that was written for all the people to get money for parks etc.
7) Who was the noblest of all?
- What did Brutus see after Battle?
8) Who did Brutus not allow to join the plot?
9) Who persuaded Brutus to go to senate on the Ides of March?
10) Who had dreams foreshadowing Caesar’s death?
11) Who attracts Caesar’s attention in the senate and asks that their brother’s banishment be repealed?
12) Who was the first that stabbed Caesar?
-significant because they all can run away but the first to stab gets blamed
13) Where did Brutus die?
14) After Caesar who were three people who ruled Rome?
15) The ultimate defeat was caused by mistake made by who?
16) Who was last one to warn Caesar?
17) Who held the sword so Cassius could commit suicide?
18) Who held the sword so Brutus could commit suicide?
19) Who acted in the conspiracy for the good of Rome?
20) Was Brutus able to see the result of his action?
Help 4 the quotes:
-Brutus was noble
-Caesar was arrogant
-Cassius was jealous
-Calpurnia was concerned of Caesar’s survival
Quotes:
1) “ Not that I love Caesar less but I love Rome more”
2) “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.”
3) “A friendly eye could never see such faults.”
4) “ As fire drives out fire, so pity pity”
5) “ We shall die we know but the time in drawing days that men stand upon”
6) “ Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once”
7) “When beggars die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”
8) “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together: yours is as fair a name.”
9) “Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek- headed men, and such as sleep a nights. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.”
10) “I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman that Lord Brutus took to wife. I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter… Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose em.”
11) “Alas, my lord, your wisdom is consumed in confidence. Do not go forth today. Call it my fear that keeps you in the house and noy in your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the senate house, and he shall say you are not well today.”
12) “Caesar beware of Brutus. Take heed of Cassius. Come not near Casca.”
13) “There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in the shallows and in miseries.”
14) “Most noble in the presence of thy corpse? Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds, weeping as fast as they streams forth thy blood it would become me better than to close in terms of friendship with thine enemies. Pardon me Julius here wast thou bayed brave hart; here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.”
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Julius Caesar
Questions:
1) Who did Julius defeat when the play began? Pompey
2) Who was Julius’s wife? Calpurnia
3) What did the soothsayer warn Caesar of? Beware of the Ides of March
4) What did Mark Antony offer three times? Crown/ wreath
5) What did Caesar say when he saw Brutus among the conspirators? Et Tu Brute (You too Brutus?)
6) Who spoke after Brutus at the funeral? Antony
- He showed the body and the will that was written for all the people to get money for parks etc.
7) Who was the noblest of all? Brutus
- What did Brutus see after Battle? Caesar’s Ghosts
8) Who did Brutus not allow to join the plot? Cicero (and Antony)
9) Who persuaded Brutus to go to senate on the Ides of March? Casca
10) Who had dreams foreshadowing Caesar’s death? Calpurnia
11) Who attracts Caesar’s attention in the senate and asks that their brother’s banishment be repealed? Metellus Cimber
12) Who was the first that stabbed Caesar? Casca
-significant because they all can run away but the first to stab gets blamed
13) Where did Brutus die? Battlefield of Philippi
14) After Caesar who were three people who ruled Rome? Lepidus, Octavious, and Antony (triumvirate)
15) The ultimate defeat was caused by mistake made by who? Pindarus
16) Who was last one to warn Caesar? Artemidorus
17) Who held the sword so Cassius could commit suicide? Pindarus
18) Who held the sword so Brutus could commit suicide? Strato
19) Who acted in the conspiracy for the good of Rome? Brutus
20) Was Brutus able to see the result of his action? No
Help 4 the quotes:
-Brutus was noble
-Caesar was arrogant
-Cassius was jealous
-Calpurnia was concerned of Caesar’s survival
Quotes:
1) “ Not that I love Caesar less but I love Rome more”-Brutus
2) “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.”-Antony
3) “A friendly eye could never see such faults.” –Cassius
4) “ As fire drives out fire, so pity pity” – Brutus
5) “ We shall die we know but the time in drawing days that men stand upon” –Caesar
6) “ Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once” –Caesar
7) “When beggars die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” –Calpurnia
8) “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together: yours is as fair a name.” –Cassius
9) “Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek- headed men, and such as sleep a nights. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.” –Caesar
10) “I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman that Lord Brutus took to wife. I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter… Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose em.” –Portia
11) “Alas, my lord, your wisdom is consumed in confidence. Do not go forth today. Call it my fear that keeps you in the house and noy in your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the senate house, and he shall say you are not well today.” –Calpurnia
12) “Caesar beware of Brutus. Take heed of Cassius. Come not near Casca.” –Artemidorus
13) “There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in the shallows and in miseries.” –Brutus
14) “Most noble in the presence of thy corpse? Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds, weeping as fast as they streams forth thy blood it would become me better than to close in terms of friendship with thine enemies. Pardon me Julius here wast thou bayed brave hart; here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.” –Antony
1) Who did Julius defeat when the play began? Pompey
2) Who was Julius’s wife? Calpurnia
3) What did the soothsayer warn Caesar of? Beware of the Ides of March
4) What did Mark Antony offer three times? Crown/ wreath
5) What did Caesar say when he saw Brutus among the conspirators? Et Tu Brute (You too Brutus?)
6) Who spoke after Brutus at the funeral? Antony
- He showed the body and the will that was written for all the people to get money for parks etc.
7) Who was the noblest of all? Brutus
- What did Brutus see after Battle? Caesar’s Ghosts
8) Who did Brutus not allow to join the plot? Cicero (and Antony)
9) Who persuaded Brutus to go to senate on the Ides of March? Casca
10) Who had dreams foreshadowing Caesar’s death? Calpurnia
11) Who attracts Caesar’s attention in the senate and asks that their brother’s banishment be repealed? Metellus Cimber
12) Who was the first that stabbed Caesar? Casca
-significant because they all can run away but the first to stab gets blamed
13) Where did Brutus die? Battlefield of Philippi
14) After Caesar who were three people who ruled Rome? Lepidus, Octavious, and Antony (triumvirate)
15) The ultimate defeat was caused by mistake made by who? Pindarus
16) Who was last one to warn Caesar? Artemidorus
17) Who held the sword so Cassius could commit suicide? Pindarus
18) Who held the sword so Brutus could commit suicide? Strato
19) Who acted in the conspiracy for the good of Rome? Brutus
20) Was Brutus able to see the result of his action? No
Help 4 the quotes:
-Brutus was noble
-Caesar was arrogant
-Cassius was jealous
-Calpurnia was concerned of Caesar’s survival
Quotes:
1) “ Not that I love Caesar less but I love Rome more”-Brutus
2) “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.”-Antony
3) “A friendly eye could never see such faults.” –Cassius
4) “ As fire drives out fire, so pity pity” – Brutus
5) “ We shall die we know but the time in drawing days that men stand upon” –Caesar
6) “ Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once” –Caesar
7) “When beggars die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” –Calpurnia
8) “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together: yours is as fair a name.” –Cassius
9) “Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek- headed men, and such as sleep a nights. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.” –Caesar
10) “I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman that Lord Brutus took to wife. I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter… Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose em.” –Portia
11) “Alas, my lord, your wisdom is consumed in confidence. Do not go forth today. Call it my fear that keeps you in the house and noy in your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the senate house, and he shall say you are not well today.” –Calpurnia
12) “Caesar beware of Brutus. Take heed of Cassius. Come not near Casca.” –Artemidorus
13) “There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in the shallows and in miseries.” –Brutus
14) “Most noble in the presence of thy corpse? Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds, weeping as fast as they streams forth thy blood it would become me better than to close in terms of friendship with thine enemies. Pardon me Julius here wast thou bayed brave hart; here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.” –Antony
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
SS- 5th test
Aim: Cold war ends
In the late 1960s, the United States sent the U-2 spy plane to take images of where Russia keeps their weapons. The American pilot, Gary Powers, was told by the United States to kill himself if his plane gets shot down. The Russians did indeed shoot down his plane, but Powers didn’t kill himself. The Americans claimed that this was a weather plane, but the Russians didn’t believe them. This event damaged the United States’ relationship with Russia.
In the 1960s, the Berlin wall was also built.
In the 1970s, the Cold war began to thaw. Communism began to fall apart because of the economic contrast between communism and capitalism.
1. Communism-
a. China- had the Great Leap Forward, which failed.
b. North Korea had low production of poor quality.
c. In East Germany, everything was gray.
d. Cuba
e. Russia- enormous shortages.
2. Capitalism-
a. The Japanese became the “Asian tiger”- were a strong and rising country.
b. South Korea had a lot of technology.
c. In West Germany, the people had a good quality of life.
d. United States - land of plenty.
Russia had enormous corruption in the government. Communist officials were privileged, while regular people had a poor quality of life. If someone had protectsia, they got luxuries.
By the 1970s, Russia was a nation of alcoholics. People would drink a lot so they could drown out all their problems. People would do anything to get alcohol.
In the 1970s, some refusniks- people who stayed observant were allowed to leave Russia. The majority of the people unfortunately didn’t stay observant.
In the 1970s, Russia was led by Brezhnev, who made efforts to improve relations with the W. This was known as détente- relaxing of the tensions of the Cold war. Ex. The United States finally recognized China as a country. Nixon agreed to have diplomatic relationships with China- he went there to visit. Russia and the United States came up with the SALT (Strategic arms limitation talks) treaty- it was all about limiting arms. By the late 1970s, SALT II- about long-range missiles.
In 1979, détente ended when Brezhnev came up with the Brezhnev Doctrine- Russia has the right to do what it wants to help keep communism alive anywhere in the world.
In Afghanistan there was a small communist group against a Muslim non-communist group. Russia helped the communist group. The fighting lasted in Afghanistan for ten years. Russia lost half of a million soldiers. About one million Afghanis died. Brezhnev wouldn’t stop fighting and Russia fought until 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev took over.
Aim: Gorbachev’s reforms
In 1985, Gorbachev became the leader of Russia. He took several actions to bring the Cold War to an end.
Gorbachev made it known that he was not as tough in communism.
Gorbachev’s reforms:
1. Glasnost- end of censorship. People can now speak out against the government.
2. Perestroika- introducing capitalism- free market reforms. The result of this was economic chaos because the people didn’t know how to run businesses. There was inflation- people’s money couldn’t get them too far anymore.
These reforms introduced elements of capitalism and some democracy.
At this time, Gorbachev pulled the Russian troops out of Afghanistan. The result of this was that the satellite nations thought that maybe now they could break away. From 1989, the satellite countries began to declare independence and they were all successful.
Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland all declared independence. They set up governments and quickly elected presidents. In November of 1989, East Berlin broke away and the Berlin Wall fell. This symbolized the end of the Cold war and that the Iron Curtain had fallen.
The Soviet Union’s republics began to break away one by one. Gorbachev tried, but then realized he didn’t have the strength to keep the republics. In the end, the only thing left of the Soviet Union was Russia.
Gorbachev faced opposition from:
1. Liberals- they felt Gorbachev should go all the way and make Russia into a democracy.
2. Conservatives- they wanted communism back.
Gorbachev reassigned. The liberals held the elections and Yeltsin became the president of Russia. Yeltsin tried making Russia into a democracy but it was impossible.
Now, Russia is leaning toward communism.
Aim: Independence for satellite nations
After Czechoslovakia broke away, it split in 2:
1. Czech Republic- led by President Vaclav Havel. He was a professional writer.
2. Slovakia
Hungary broke away in 1989.
The Polish people hated being under communism because Poland is a Catholic country and communism doesn’t go for religion. In the 1980s, a group of shipyard workers organized the Solidarity Movement to gain independence from the Soviet Union. The leader of the Solidarity Movement was Lech Walesa. The movement started with about three or four-dozen people but within a few months, millions joined. In 1989, Poland broke away, and Walesa became president. Poland had economic problems and Walesa was blamed. He wasn’t voted in as president again.
Challenges of newly independent satellites:
1. Economic- most of the satellites wanted to become capitalist. As a result there was inflation because people were setting their own prices.
2. Unemployment- the government no longer had to provide jobs so people had to find their own jobs.
3. Crime- many people were engaged in crime because they saw no other way to make a living.
For the first few years, countries had worse economies than under communism. Many applied for NATO- they were hoping to get money. The United States helped and NATO now became stronger.
Aim: Europe post Cold war/ communism collapse
1. Germany- in the early 1990s, East and West Germany were reunited. The west had the difficult challenge of absorbing the east and becoming one. This challenge was particularly different because the west was much more advanced than the east in many areas. There was social unrest and the rise of the neo-nazis (aka skinheads).
By now Germany has integrated successfully.
2. Yugoslavia- is located in the Balkans and was established as a country after World War II. There were many types of Slavic peoples living there. Yugoslavia wasn’t a satellite nation, but was nevertheless communist, and was headed by a dictator named Tito. The strong government was able to prevent fighting among the different peoples. In the 1990s, when communism collapsed, the Yugoslavian people decided to overthrow the communist government. There was an immediate result of division into many different nations:
a. Croatia- consists of Serbs and Croats. The Croats didn’t want the Serbs in their territory and began killing them out. This is known as ethnic cleansing.
b. Bosnia- consists of Serbs (Christian) and Muslims. There was an all out war known as the Bosnian war. The Serbs in Bosnia got help from the Serbs in Serbia.
c. Kosovo- there were Albanians that lived there who wanted their own country. The Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic led a fight against the Albanians. He became notorious because he ignored requests to stop the killing. Eventually, he got killed.
Where was the United Nations? The United Nations ignored it. This led to a lot of criticism. About ½ million people were killed by ethnic cleansing before the United States got involved. Eventually, NATO sent troops.
Aim: China introduces capitalism
Communism most likely collapsed because of economic failure.
How was China affected by the collapse of communism? As long as Mau was alive, communism stayed the same. When Mau died in 1976, China was in a disastrous state- there was no agricultural output and people were starving.
Mau was replaced by Deng Xia Oping, who was considered to be like Gorbachev. He introduced some private ownership of business and got rid of the communes. In addition, he introduced four modernizations:
1. Agriculture
2. Industry
3. Science and technology
4. Defense
In order for this program to work, he also introduced the responsibility system- people can make some profit for themselves. For example, farmers were givin individual plots of land and a certain percent of the crop could be sold for a profit. This was motivation. The same thing happened in factories. This is called limited privatization.
In the 1980s, Deng invited foreign investors. They brought in technology, businesses and jobs for the Chinese. At this time, China was compared to a bird and a fish- they were a mixed breed of communism and capitalism.
Impact of these changes:
1. Enormous gap between the rich and the poor- some people were motivated while others didn’t know how to deal with capitalism. This created resentment and people resorted to crime and corruption.
2. Demand for more freedom
In 1989, there was enormous demonstration born out of a desperate attempt for freedom. This event was held at Tiananmen Square and later became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Thousands of Chinese gathered and demanded freedoms- human rights. The government didn’t know how to react and some hard line communists who were there said to crush the demonstration. The Chinese sent troops and tanks and about three or four thousand people were killed. The world was shocked. This event was a human rights violation.
China is still a strict country.
In 1997, China got Hong Kong back.
Aim: Japanese economic growth post World War II
By the time World War II was over, Japan was in horrible shape:
1. Bad economy
2. People were starving
3. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were in shambles
4. People were demoralized
The United States decided to help Japan set up a democratic capitalist system. They set up a democracy and started setting up a capitalist system.
The United States occupied Japan for a few years to help them.
The great economic challenge of Japan was that they had minimal natural resources. Japan had previously gotten all their resources from their colonies, but they lost all their colonies after the war. Japan had to now pay for resources.
Japan was successful in building up its economy over the next several decades. They built up their economy until they became known as an economic miracle.
How did Japan achieve such economic success?
1. United States occupation
2. Built modern factories based on technology
3. Money was put towards the economy instead of the defense
4. Japan placed high tariffs on imports. This gave Japan a good balance of trade- they were selling more and buying less.
5. Disciplined work force- take work seriously.
6. Education- was very advanced, especially in math and science. There was a 0% illiteracy rate.
By the 1990s, Japan had a recession. They were almost out of it when the global recession hit.
Aim: Western European nations choose democratic socialist system
There are different types of economies:
1. Command- the government makes all the economic decisions.
2. Capitalist- people make decisions. There is also private enterprise/free market- people have their own businesses based on the concept of supply and demand.
3. Democratic Socialist- mixed economy. Many businesses are owned by the government and the people own about 50% of the businesses. Examples are Britain, France and Italy.
Well-fare states- government takes care of the people’s needs. The philosophy behind well-fare states is “cradle to grave”:
1. Social security
2. Pay healthcare
3. Pensions
Challenges of well-fare states:
1. People pay very high taxes- about 50% of people’s incomes went to the government. In the past ten years, people have been living longer and the government has to pay out more money. The population has also declined, so there is less money coming into the system.
2. Inferior healthcare- doctors are getting paid by the government so they aren’t as motivated to become specialists in their fields because they wont get more money. In addition, there are shortages of doctors because they don’t make lots of money. As a result there are delays.
The United States has a capitalist system-most businesses are owned by private people. About three million people, about 1/6, have no health care.
Aim: European nations unite economically
After World War II, several Western European nations organized the European coal and steel community- trade coal and steel with each other without putting tariffs on each other. It was so big a success that a few years later it became the European community- no tax on any of each other’s goods.
In the 1990s, it changed its name to the European Union (EU).
Eastern European countries have been trying to join.
The European money, the euro, is used by every member.
Aim: History of the state of Israel, 1948-2000
Twenty-four hours after the formation of the state of Israel in 1946, there was a war initiated by Egypt known as the War of Independence. Israel managed with what the United States gave them. Unfortunately, Israel lost some land, including part of the Old City and the Kossel.
The Six-Day war was fought in 1967. Israel always got the occupied territories of:
1. Gaza
2. West Bank
3. Sinai Desert
4. Old City- was the most emotional significance of the war.
After the Six- Day war began the rise of terrorism. Most of the Palestinians moved to the outskirts where Israel didn’t have claim on territory. The people lived in refugee camps. This was a training ground for terrorism. It was here that the big terrorist group, the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), formed, headed by Yasir Arafat.
In 1972, the PLO organized the Entebbe attack. They hijacked an airplane going from the United States to Israel, and sent it to Uganda.
In the 1980s, Germany held the Olympics. Israel sent eleven of their top athletes, all of whom were murdered by the PLO.
In 1973 was the Yom Kippur war. This was a surprise attack led by the Egyptians. Israel won and kept their land. The apposing nations retreated.
At this time, people began achieving peace in the Middle East. In 1979, the Camp David Agreement was formed. It was between the prime minister of Egypt, Saddat, and the prime minister of Israel, Begin. Israel wanted recognition in exchange for the Sinai Desert. Egyptians were furious at the results and murdered Saddat.
In 1987 was the first intifada- Palestinians began to act out more openly.
In 1993, in an attempt to stop the intifada, Rabin and Arafat signed the Oslo Accords- Israel gave up parts of Gaza. Rabin was murdered shortly after.
After, the second intifada began- suicide bombings became much more popular.
In 2004, Sharon gave up the rest of Gaza and some of the West Bank, which meant he was uprooting settlements.
Aim: Israel- 2000 to present
In October 2004, the second intifada broke out and it lasted for a couple of years. The terrorist groups that were responsible were Al Aqsa and Hamas. There was constant bombings in hotels, restaurants, busses… Israel reacted by increasing security. They became really good at preventing attacks.
In 2005, Jews were expelled from Gaza settlements. Most people left, but many didn’t want to. Gaza was eventually emptied out.
The Israelis continued to struggle against terrorism. The most recent struggle was Operation Cast Lead. The Israelis marched into Gaza in order to achieve their goal of weakening Hamas.
Aim: Lebanon
In the 1980s, there was a civil war that lasted for ten years. Lebanon had a population made up of both Muslims and Christians. After 1967, many Palestinian refugees moved to Lebanon, creating a Muslim majority. The Muslims didn’t want Christians in their government. This was the cause of the civil war. Many people were killed. The 1990s was spent rebuilding Lebanon.
Aim: Iranian revolution
In the years after WWII, the shah was Reza Pahlevi. He was modern and wanted Iran to be a modern country. He therefore introduced western civilization into Iran. The United States supported him, and Iran was now their friend politically.
In Iran, people wanted the shah out and Khomeini in. Khomeini was very religious. He believed that Iran should be ruled by the Shoria (religious laws from the Koran). The shah exiled Khomeini, making Khomeini more popular. In 1979, the shah escaped to the United States and Khomeini became the new leader of Iran. He had millions of supporters.
Under Khomeini:
1. All western influences were banned
2. Rights were taken away from woman
Iran and the United States now had a terrible relationship. Khomeini took the United States embassy hostage. All the workers were put in jail. They were released after a little more than a year.
Aim: Iran and the spread of Islamic fundamentalism (Muslim extremism)
Under Khomeini, Iran became a very religious country. The term for very extreme Muslims is Islamic fundamentalism. Many people gravitated toward this extremism.
When Khomeini died in 1989, Iran had a very less religious leader who wasn’t appreciated and left a few years later.
Next came President Ahmadinejad. He was a very courageous leader who wasn’t liked by the west. He also openly denied the Holocaust. Now, he is building nuclear weapons and the US isn’t happy with this because he is irrational. (Iran is among the top ten most dangerous countries for the United States.)
Islamic fundamentalism has been spreading to other countries with Muslim populations. Iran attracted Muslims to become more radically religious in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia… In Turkey, it is the “in” thing to wear head coverings.
Iran is against everything the western world stands for.
Aim: Afghanistan- Taliban
Afghanistan is mostly a Muslim country.
In the mid 1990s, the Taliban (a very religious group) came to power. The Taliban are a prime example of what such religious people can do to society:
1. Men can’t shave
2. Men have to wear long robes
3. Women have to wear traditional clothing such as the Burka.
4. No art
5. No music or dancing
6. No education for girls, not even with a tutor.
7. Woman can’t go out without related male accompaniment.
Most people didn’t like such strict rules.
If the Taliban felt that people were against them, they would go into that area, close off the whole thing, bring all the people into the streets and kill them all.
A terrorist group formed from the Taliban, known as Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is led by Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden rose to notorious fame after the attack on the twin towers on September 11, 2001.
After the attack, the Taliban became an enemy to the US. Bush and NATO sent troops to Iran and forced the Taliban from power. In a few months, Iran got a free government with no more harsh laws. There are still troops in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan grows 95% of the opium in the world.
Aim: Iraq
Ever since the 1970s, Iraq was led by the dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraqis had no imposition of religious law, but he was a terrible dictator:
1. Hussein demanded loyalty, and those that he felt were disloyal, were dealt with in torture chambers.
2. Hussein was paranoid and had palaces with many underground tunnels. He lived a few stories below the ground.
In 1980, Iraq started up with Iran- border fights. War lasted for ten years.
Aim: Iraq- Persian Gulf war, 1991
Kuwait is an oil rich country on the tip of Iraq. Iraq was jealous, so they decided to invade. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and was successful in getting it in a couple of weeks.
Kuwait had been a modern country, and now the western countries can’t do business with it. This was very serious for the United States.
Hussein said that Israel would be next, and following the capture of Kuwait, Iraq sent long-range missiles into Israel. The Israeli government was scared that the missile heads contained dangerous diseases, so every building had a sealed off room, and everyone wore gas masks. From all the forty missiles that Iraq sent, only one person was killed.
The US had two reasons to get involved:
1. Kuwait
2. Israel
With help from NATO, troops marched into Iraq and forced Iraq out of Kuwait within two months. Bush Sr., who was the president at the time, received a lot of criticism because many people felt he didn’t do the whole job because he didn’t get Hussein.
After September 11, 2001, Bush Jr. decided to target Iraq. What’s the connection?
1. Someone had to pay and it was going to be Iraq.
2. Bush didn’t want other terrorist groups to think that the US was vulnerable.
3. He picked Iraq because he knew that his father was blamed for not getting Hussein.
The United States accused Iraq of having weapons of mass destruction. The United States demanded that Iraq let them send UN inspectors in to check the situation out. If weapons were found, the United States would attack Iraq. The United Nations inspectors were refused, so the United States attacked in 2003 saying that they can’t tolerate such a threat.
The United States first attacked with the air force- “shock and awe”. After a few weeks, the United States marched in with ground troops. There was no Iraqi army to appose them. Most Iraqis were thrilled that Hussein was no longer in power.
After a few months, struggles broke out between the Sunis and Shiites. Saddam’s supporters became terrorists and would target United States troops and United States supporters. There was constant bombing and attacks.
The United States learnt a lesson- you can’t just march in and offer democracy on a silver platter. Bush became really unpopular.
In 2005, the United States found Hussein, but the war still continued. For the past six months or so, the situation in Iraq stabilized.
OPEC (Organization petroleum exporting countries)
The countries that have oil control the prices of oil, such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria… The purpose of this is to have a monopoly or cartel. Then, a couple of countries could control prices and get rid of competition.
OPEC has been tough on the United States. In the 1970s, OPEC didn’t sell oil to us for a few months. About a year ago, they raised the oil prices but they realized that we were beginning to become less dependant on their oil, so they lowered the price.
Aim: Latin America case studies
Some of the common challenges that Latin American nations shared:
1. Single cash crops- only one commodity. Many countries got used to growing one item. This is bad because:
a. No variety
b. It limits the economy- can’t export too much.
c. If the crop doesn’t grow, the country will go under.
2. Unequal land division- largest gap between the rich and poor. The rich own all the land and the poor live on nothing. Many people blame the Europeans for this. Today, they are working on re-dividing the land more evenly.
Illegal immigration- come to America because of the economic opportunities
3. Overcrowded urban areas- because people feel that it’s the only place they can get ahead.
Disagreement between the conservatives and liberals- the liberals want the land to be redistributed and the conservatives want to stick to the status quo. Many of the liberals are priests and it makes them popular when they fight for land redistribution and other things.
Nicaragua- many Latin American nations in the past twenty years have been moving toward democracy because it has more opportunity.
From the early 1800s to the 1970s, Nicaragua had a strong military dictatorship. This dictatorship was supported by the United States. The United States sent financial help and assistance because Nicaragua was removed from Communism.
In the 1970s, a strong communist/Marxist group called the Sandinistas. They overthrew the military dictatorship. Now, Nicaragua was a communist country.
A democratic rebel group called the Contras rebelled against communism and the Sandinistas- the United States helped them. In 1990, the Contras were successful in overthrowing the Sandinistas and Chamorro became president.
Aim: Mexico
As in many Latin American nations, Mexico had a dictator after they got their independence. In the 1880s, when Hidalgo got independence for Mexico, a dictator took over. Under this dictatorship, the minority was wealthy and got things from the government. The poor people were disadvantaged.
In 1910, there was a revolution. Mexico was the first country in Latin America to overthrow their dictator, Diaz. The credit went to the two groups who organized the revolution:
1. Zapata- was a Native American and led the Indians.
2. “Poncho”villa- was considered as a dangerous criminal in the United States.
The first president was Carranza. He was from the only political party in Mexico called the PRI. This political party was so strong that no one else could form another party. In 1917, under Carranza, Mexico set up a constitution, which:
1. Gave woman more rights.
2. Land reforms- gave some land to the poor,
By the 1960s, riots and protests against the PRI broke out because people wanted another political party. In 2000, there were free elections.
1. PRI
2. PAN- Fox.
Fox won and brought an era of much more democracy into Mexico. Under Fox, the United States, Canada and Mexico formed NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). NAFTA got rid of most taxes on items. NAFTA is a positive interaction between the United States and Mexico because it enhanced economic relations.
Mexico had drug lords who were drug trafficking into the United States. The drug lords have their own army. The United States told Mexico to stop the drug trafficking or there would be consequences.
The Zapatistas, a rebel group in Mexico, claim the Native Americans are still ignored and don’t have rights. The Zapatistas are very dangerous. They want land and better healthcare.
Aim: Argentina
Argentina is a country in South America. It is rich in resources such as wheat and beef.
In the early 1900s, there were several civilian governments. In the 1930s, a military coup took over Argentina.
In 1940, Juan Peron became an extremely popular politician. He had the support of:
1. A large division of the army.
2. Many workers- they felt he would change Argentina for the better.
3. Had the popularity of his wife Evita. She spoke to crowds of poor people who understood her because she used to be poor.
1n 1946, Peron became the leader of Argentina. After he won, he became a full-fledged dictator. As a dictator, he bought changes to Argentina:
1. Workers got more rights-
a. Forty-hour work week
b. Paid vacations
c. Pension plans
2. Imports- less imports from foreign countries.
3. Repressive government- extreme censorship. He threatened the people badly, in a way that didn’t allow freedom. There was one newspaper and the government controlled the radios.
He became well exposed to fascism from Hitler, and after World War II, he invited Nazis into Argentina.
4. Less exports= huge economic problems.
Evita somehow kept her husband in power. When she died in 1952, Peron was pushed out by a military coup.
For about the next 30 years, Argentina was ruled by many military coups.
In the 1970s, Argentina had a brutal military government and there were all sorts of military groups against them. The government began reacting strongly- people disappeared off the streets- there were thousands of “desaparecidos”. This was known as the Dirty war.
By the 1980s, democracy was established in Argentina along with Haiti, Al Salvador, Guatemala…Today, there is an unstable democracy.
They have an economic crisis- Argentina was at a low point and then the world economic crisis began.
The government is notoriously anti-Semitic.
Aim: Panama
In the early 1900s, the US built the Panama Canal. It was returned in 2000 in an effort to have better relations with Panama.
In the 1950s, Panama’ s president, Noriega, was sending drugs into the United States. In 1989, the US went into Panama and surrounded his house. He stood trial in the United States and is now in jail in Miami.
Aim: Haves and Have-nots
Characteristics of haves and have-nots:
1. Haves-
a. High GDPs (gross domestic product)- value of what the country produces in a year.
b. Political stability.
c. Modern transportation systems that are sufficient.
d. Abundance of food and nutrition.
e. Capitalist economy.
2. Have- nots (aka LDCs- less developed countries)-
a. Low GDPs.
b. Unstable governments- this makes it hard to make money. There can also be civil wars.
c. Insufficient infrastructure.
d. Famine.
e. Transitioning to capitalism or are communist.
Examples of haves and have-nots:
1. Haves-
a. United States
b. Canada
c. West Europe
d. Japan
e. South Korea
f. Australia
g. New Zealand
h. Israel
2. Have-nots-
a. South Africa
b. Sub-Saharan Africa
c. North Korea
d. China- on the way to becoming a have.
e. India- on the way to becoming a have.
Many countries fall in the middle.
Why do haves help the have-nots? Because of globalization- increased communication among nations. This is sometimes referred to “global village”- world seems smaller because of technology. We care about have-nots because we are more connected with each other. It’s in our best interests to help these places because it helps us and protects us. We help for selfish reasons- their instability affects us.
Aim: Effects of globalization
Globalization is the coming together of countries in this “global village”.
Effects:
1. Cultural diffusion- cultures mix. People respect other people’s cultures. The more we mix with other countries, the more diffusion there will be.
2. Interdependence- countries needing other countries.
a. Resources
b. Trade
3. Outsourcing- sends jobs to other countries. (Ex. Dell in the United States and India)
4. Multinational corporations- big businesses have branches in many countries. This makes the world seem smaller.
Aim: Global hot spots
Hot spots- areas in the world where there is tension.
China has most of its population in the east because there r deserts and mountains in the west. Tibet is located in the mountains- it’s very secluded. The question over the years is if Tibet is part of China or not. China claims so, while the Tibetans say they are not.
The people of China and Tibet are very different. The Tibetans are religious Buddhist. Their leader is called the Dalai Lama; he’s respected worldwide.
Tensions increased in the 1950s when the Chinese became communism and wanted to wipe religion. They invaded Tibet and forced them to under the yolk of communism. Most Tibetans fled to India, including the Dalai Lama. China wanted the Chinese to move to Tibet to absorb the remaining Tibetans into their culture.
In 2008, there was increased violence when China hosted the Olympics. The Tibetans found this as a great opportunity to attract attention to themselves and they began protesting against China. The Chinese gunned many of them down and then made up to talk.
North Korea became a communist country after World War II. Their leader was Kim Sung.
The border between North and South Korea is very important to them, and is therefore untouchable.
There was only one political party- the Democratic People’s party. After Sung died, his son Kim Jung II took over. The people call him “dear leader” even though he’s a brutal tyrant.
Human rights were greatly violated- prison system is the cruelest in the world. There is an organization called the Amnesty International, which makes sure prisoners worldwide are treated humanly. They said that the human rights violations in North Korean prison systems are the worst.
In 1990, there was a famine and thousands of people died from starvation.
North Korea has nuclear weapons. They have made false promises to shut down their weapon programs. North Korea is about the only country that is producing nuclear weapons. They are also trying them out.
Economy:
1. South Korea- “Asian tiger”
2. North Korea- the entire economy collapsed after communism fell because they were getting support from Russia.
In the late 1960s, the United States sent the U-2 spy plane to take images of where Russia keeps their weapons. The American pilot, Gary Powers, was told by the United States to kill himself if his plane gets shot down. The Russians did indeed shoot down his plane, but Powers didn’t kill himself. The Americans claimed that this was a weather plane, but the Russians didn’t believe them. This event damaged the United States’ relationship with Russia.
In the 1960s, the Berlin wall was also built.
In the 1970s, the Cold war began to thaw. Communism began to fall apart because of the economic contrast between communism and capitalism.
1. Communism-
a. China- had the Great Leap Forward, which failed.
b. North Korea had low production of poor quality.
c. In East Germany, everything was gray.
d. Cuba
e. Russia- enormous shortages.
2. Capitalism-
a. The Japanese became the “Asian tiger”- were a strong and rising country.
b. South Korea had a lot of technology.
c. In West Germany, the people had a good quality of life.
d. United States - land of plenty.
Russia had enormous corruption in the government. Communist officials were privileged, while regular people had a poor quality of life. If someone had protectsia, they got luxuries.
By the 1970s, Russia was a nation of alcoholics. People would drink a lot so they could drown out all their problems. People would do anything to get alcohol.
In the 1970s, some refusniks- people who stayed observant were allowed to leave Russia. The majority of the people unfortunately didn’t stay observant.
In the 1970s, Russia was led by Brezhnev, who made efforts to improve relations with the W. This was known as détente- relaxing of the tensions of the Cold war. Ex. The United States finally recognized China as a country. Nixon agreed to have diplomatic relationships with China- he went there to visit. Russia and the United States came up with the SALT (Strategic arms limitation talks) treaty- it was all about limiting arms. By the late 1970s, SALT II- about long-range missiles.
In 1979, détente ended when Brezhnev came up with the Brezhnev Doctrine- Russia has the right to do what it wants to help keep communism alive anywhere in the world.
In Afghanistan there was a small communist group against a Muslim non-communist group. Russia helped the communist group. The fighting lasted in Afghanistan for ten years. Russia lost half of a million soldiers. About one million Afghanis died. Brezhnev wouldn’t stop fighting and Russia fought until 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev took over.
Aim: Gorbachev’s reforms
In 1985, Gorbachev became the leader of Russia. He took several actions to bring the Cold War to an end.
Gorbachev made it known that he was not as tough in communism.
Gorbachev’s reforms:
1. Glasnost- end of censorship. People can now speak out against the government.
2. Perestroika- introducing capitalism- free market reforms. The result of this was economic chaos because the people didn’t know how to run businesses. There was inflation- people’s money couldn’t get them too far anymore.
These reforms introduced elements of capitalism and some democracy.
At this time, Gorbachev pulled the Russian troops out of Afghanistan. The result of this was that the satellite nations thought that maybe now they could break away. From 1989, the satellite countries began to declare independence and they were all successful.
Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland all declared independence. They set up governments and quickly elected presidents. In November of 1989, East Berlin broke away and the Berlin Wall fell. This symbolized the end of the Cold war and that the Iron Curtain had fallen.
The Soviet Union’s republics began to break away one by one. Gorbachev tried, but then realized he didn’t have the strength to keep the republics. In the end, the only thing left of the Soviet Union was Russia.
Gorbachev faced opposition from:
1. Liberals- they felt Gorbachev should go all the way and make Russia into a democracy.
2. Conservatives- they wanted communism back.
Gorbachev reassigned. The liberals held the elections and Yeltsin became the president of Russia. Yeltsin tried making Russia into a democracy but it was impossible.
Now, Russia is leaning toward communism.
Aim: Independence for satellite nations
After Czechoslovakia broke away, it split in 2:
1. Czech Republic- led by President Vaclav Havel. He was a professional writer.
2. Slovakia
Hungary broke away in 1989.
The Polish people hated being under communism because Poland is a Catholic country and communism doesn’t go for religion. In the 1980s, a group of shipyard workers organized the Solidarity Movement to gain independence from the Soviet Union. The leader of the Solidarity Movement was Lech Walesa. The movement started with about three or four-dozen people but within a few months, millions joined. In 1989, Poland broke away, and Walesa became president. Poland had economic problems and Walesa was blamed. He wasn’t voted in as president again.
Challenges of newly independent satellites:
1. Economic- most of the satellites wanted to become capitalist. As a result there was inflation because people were setting their own prices.
2. Unemployment- the government no longer had to provide jobs so people had to find their own jobs.
3. Crime- many people were engaged in crime because they saw no other way to make a living.
For the first few years, countries had worse economies than under communism. Many applied for NATO- they were hoping to get money. The United States helped and NATO now became stronger.
Aim: Europe post Cold war/ communism collapse
1. Germany- in the early 1990s, East and West Germany were reunited. The west had the difficult challenge of absorbing the east and becoming one. This challenge was particularly different because the west was much more advanced than the east in many areas. There was social unrest and the rise of the neo-nazis (aka skinheads).
By now Germany has integrated successfully.
2. Yugoslavia- is located in the Balkans and was established as a country after World War II. There were many types of Slavic peoples living there. Yugoslavia wasn’t a satellite nation, but was nevertheless communist, and was headed by a dictator named Tito. The strong government was able to prevent fighting among the different peoples. In the 1990s, when communism collapsed, the Yugoslavian people decided to overthrow the communist government. There was an immediate result of division into many different nations:
a. Croatia- consists of Serbs and Croats. The Croats didn’t want the Serbs in their territory and began killing them out. This is known as ethnic cleansing.
b. Bosnia- consists of Serbs (Christian) and Muslims. There was an all out war known as the Bosnian war. The Serbs in Bosnia got help from the Serbs in Serbia.
c. Kosovo- there were Albanians that lived there who wanted their own country. The Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic led a fight against the Albanians. He became notorious because he ignored requests to stop the killing. Eventually, he got killed.
Where was the United Nations? The United Nations ignored it. This led to a lot of criticism. About ½ million people were killed by ethnic cleansing before the United States got involved. Eventually, NATO sent troops.
Aim: China introduces capitalism
Communism most likely collapsed because of economic failure.
How was China affected by the collapse of communism? As long as Mau was alive, communism stayed the same. When Mau died in 1976, China was in a disastrous state- there was no agricultural output and people were starving.
Mau was replaced by Deng Xia Oping, who was considered to be like Gorbachev. He introduced some private ownership of business and got rid of the communes. In addition, he introduced four modernizations:
1. Agriculture
2. Industry
3. Science and technology
4. Defense
In order for this program to work, he also introduced the responsibility system- people can make some profit for themselves. For example, farmers were givin individual plots of land and a certain percent of the crop could be sold for a profit. This was motivation. The same thing happened in factories. This is called limited privatization.
In the 1980s, Deng invited foreign investors. They brought in technology, businesses and jobs for the Chinese. At this time, China was compared to a bird and a fish- they were a mixed breed of communism and capitalism.
Impact of these changes:
1. Enormous gap between the rich and the poor- some people were motivated while others didn’t know how to deal with capitalism. This created resentment and people resorted to crime and corruption.
2. Demand for more freedom
In 1989, there was enormous demonstration born out of a desperate attempt for freedom. This event was held at Tiananmen Square and later became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Thousands of Chinese gathered and demanded freedoms- human rights. The government didn’t know how to react and some hard line communists who were there said to crush the demonstration. The Chinese sent troops and tanks and about three or four thousand people were killed. The world was shocked. This event was a human rights violation.
China is still a strict country.
In 1997, China got Hong Kong back.
Aim: Japanese economic growth post World War II
By the time World War II was over, Japan was in horrible shape:
1. Bad economy
2. People were starving
3. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were in shambles
4. People were demoralized
The United States decided to help Japan set up a democratic capitalist system. They set up a democracy and started setting up a capitalist system.
The United States occupied Japan for a few years to help them.
The great economic challenge of Japan was that they had minimal natural resources. Japan had previously gotten all their resources from their colonies, but they lost all their colonies after the war. Japan had to now pay for resources.
Japan was successful in building up its economy over the next several decades. They built up their economy until they became known as an economic miracle.
How did Japan achieve such economic success?
1. United States occupation
2. Built modern factories based on technology
3. Money was put towards the economy instead of the defense
4. Japan placed high tariffs on imports. This gave Japan a good balance of trade- they were selling more and buying less.
5. Disciplined work force- take work seriously.
6. Education- was very advanced, especially in math and science. There was a 0% illiteracy rate.
By the 1990s, Japan had a recession. They were almost out of it when the global recession hit.
Aim: Western European nations choose democratic socialist system
There are different types of economies:
1. Command- the government makes all the economic decisions.
2. Capitalist- people make decisions. There is also private enterprise/free market- people have their own businesses based on the concept of supply and demand.
3. Democratic Socialist- mixed economy. Many businesses are owned by the government and the people own about 50% of the businesses. Examples are Britain, France and Italy.
Well-fare states- government takes care of the people’s needs. The philosophy behind well-fare states is “cradle to grave”:
1. Social security
2. Pay healthcare
3. Pensions
Challenges of well-fare states:
1. People pay very high taxes- about 50% of people’s incomes went to the government. In the past ten years, people have been living longer and the government has to pay out more money. The population has also declined, so there is less money coming into the system.
2. Inferior healthcare- doctors are getting paid by the government so they aren’t as motivated to become specialists in their fields because they wont get more money. In addition, there are shortages of doctors because they don’t make lots of money. As a result there are delays.
The United States has a capitalist system-most businesses are owned by private people. About three million people, about 1/6, have no health care.
Aim: European nations unite economically
After World War II, several Western European nations organized the European coal and steel community- trade coal and steel with each other without putting tariffs on each other. It was so big a success that a few years later it became the European community- no tax on any of each other’s goods.
In the 1990s, it changed its name to the European Union (EU).
Eastern European countries have been trying to join.
The European money, the euro, is used by every member.
Aim: History of the state of Israel, 1948-2000
Twenty-four hours after the formation of the state of Israel in 1946, there was a war initiated by Egypt known as the War of Independence. Israel managed with what the United States gave them. Unfortunately, Israel lost some land, including part of the Old City and the Kossel.
The Six-Day war was fought in 1967. Israel always got the occupied territories of:
1. Gaza
2. West Bank
3. Sinai Desert
4. Old City- was the most emotional significance of the war.
After the Six- Day war began the rise of terrorism. Most of the Palestinians moved to the outskirts where Israel didn’t have claim on territory. The people lived in refugee camps. This was a training ground for terrorism. It was here that the big terrorist group, the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), formed, headed by Yasir Arafat.
In 1972, the PLO organized the Entebbe attack. They hijacked an airplane going from the United States to Israel, and sent it to Uganda.
In the 1980s, Germany held the Olympics. Israel sent eleven of their top athletes, all of whom were murdered by the PLO.
In 1973 was the Yom Kippur war. This was a surprise attack led by the Egyptians. Israel won and kept their land. The apposing nations retreated.
At this time, people began achieving peace in the Middle East. In 1979, the Camp David Agreement was formed. It was between the prime minister of Egypt, Saddat, and the prime minister of Israel, Begin. Israel wanted recognition in exchange for the Sinai Desert. Egyptians were furious at the results and murdered Saddat.
In 1987 was the first intifada- Palestinians began to act out more openly.
In 1993, in an attempt to stop the intifada, Rabin and Arafat signed the Oslo Accords- Israel gave up parts of Gaza. Rabin was murdered shortly after.
After, the second intifada began- suicide bombings became much more popular.
In 2004, Sharon gave up the rest of Gaza and some of the West Bank, which meant he was uprooting settlements.
Aim: Israel- 2000 to present
In October 2004, the second intifada broke out and it lasted for a couple of years. The terrorist groups that were responsible were Al Aqsa and Hamas. There was constant bombings in hotels, restaurants, busses… Israel reacted by increasing security. They became really good at preventing attacks.
In 2005, Jews were expelled from Gaza settlements. Most people left, but many didn’t want to. Gaza was eventually emptied out.
The Israelis continued to struggle against terrorism. The most recent struggle was Operation Cast Lead. The Israelis marched into Gaza in order to achieve their goal of weakening Hamas.
Aim: Lebanon
In the 1980s, there was a civil war that lasted for ten years. Lebanon had a population made up of both Muslims and Christians. After 1967, many Palestinian refugees moved to Lebanon, creating a Muslim majority. The Muslims didn’t want Christians in their government. This was the cause of the civil war. Many people were killed. The 1990s was spent rebuilding Lebanon.
Aim: Iranian revolution
In the years after WWII, the shah was Reza Pahlevi. He was modern and wanted Iran to be a modern country. He therefore introduced western civilization into Iran. The United States supported him, and Iran was now their friend politically.
In Iran, people wanted the shah out and Khomeini in. Khomeini was very religious. He believed that Iran should be ruled by the Shoria (religious laws from the Koran). The shah exiled Khomeini, making Khomeini more popular. In 1979, the shah escaped to the United States and Khomeini became the new leader of Iran. He had millions of supporters.
Under Khomeini:
1. All western influences were banned
2. Rights were taken away from woman
Iran and the United States now had a terrible relationship. Khomeini took the United States embassy hostage. All the workers were put in jail. They were released after a little more than a year.
Aim: Iran and the spread of Islamic fundamentalism (Muslim extremism)
Under Khomeini, Iran became a very religious country. The term for very extreme Muslims is Islamic fundamentalism. Many people gravitated toward this extremism.
When Khomeini died in 1989, Iran had a very less religious leader who wasn’t appreciated and left a few years later.
Next came President Ahmadinejad. He was a very courageous leader who wasn’t liked by the west. He also openly denied the Holocaust. Now, he is building nuclear weapons and the US isn’t happy with this because he is irrational. (Iran is among the top ten most dangerous countries for the United States.)
Islamic fundamentalism has been spreading to other countries with Muslim populations. Iran attracted Muslims to become more radically religious in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia… In Turkey, it is the “in” thing to wear head coverings.
Iran is against everything the western world stands for.
Aim: Afghanistan- Taliban
Afghanistan is mostly a Muslim country.
In the mid 1990s, the Taliban (a very religious group) came to power. The Taliban are a prime example of what such religious people can do to society:
1. Men can’t shave
2. Men have to wear long robes
3. Women have to wear traditional clothing such as the Burka.
4. No art
5. No music or dancing
6. No education for girls, not even with a tutor.
7. Woman can’t go out without related male accompaniment.
Most people didn’t like such strict rules.
If the Taliban felt that people were against them, they would go into that area, close off the whole thing, bring all the people into the streets and kill them all.
A terrorist group formed from the Taliban, known as Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is led by Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden rose to notorious fame after the attack on the twin towers on September 11, 2001.
After the attack, the Taliban became an enemy to the US. Bush and NATO sent troops to Iran and forced the Taliban from power. In a few months, Iran got a free government with no more harsh laws. There are still troops in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan grows 95% of the opium in the world.
Aim: Iraq
Ever since the 1970s, Iraq was led by the dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraqis had no imposition of religious law, but he was a terrible dictator:
1. Hussein demanded loyalty, and those that he felt were disloyal, were dealt with in torture chambers.
2. Hussein was paranoid and had palaces with many underground tunnels. He lived a few stories below the ground.
In 1980, Iraq started up with Iran- border fights. War lasted for ten years.
Aim: Iraq- Persian Gulf war, 1991
Kuwait is an oil rich country on the tip of Iraq. Iraq was jealous, so they decided to invade. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and was successful in getting it in a couple of weeks.
Kuwait had been a modern country, and now the western countries can’t do business with it. This was very serious for the United States.
Hussein said that Israel would be next, and following the capture of Kuwait, Iraq sent long-range missiles into Israel. The Israeli government was scared that the missile heads contained dangerous diseases, so every building had a sealed off room, and everyone wore gas masks. From all the forty missiles that Iraq sent, only one person was killed.
The US had two reasons to get involved:
1. Kuwait
2. Israel
With help from NATO, troops marched into Iraq and forced Iraq out of Kuwait within two months. Bush Sr., who was the president at the time, received a lot of criticism because many people felt he didn’t do the whole job because he didn’t get Hussein.
After September 11, 2001, Bush Jr. decided to target Iraq. What’s the connection?
1. Someone had to pay and it was going to be Iraq.
2. Bush didn’t want other terrorist groups to think that the US was vulnerable.
3. He picked Iraq because he knew that his father was blamed for not getting Hussein.
The United States accused Iraq of having weapons of mass destruction. The United States demanded that Iraq let them send UN inspectors in to check the situation out. If weapons were found, the United States would attack Iraq. The United Nations inspectors were refused, so the United States attacked in 2003 saying that they can’t tolerate such a threat.
The United States first attacked with the air force- “shock and awe”. After a few weeks, the United States marched in with ground troops. There was no Iraqi army to appose them. Most Iraqis were thrilled that Hussein was no longer in power.
After a few months, struggles broke out between the Sunis and Shiites. Saddam’s supporters became terrorists and would target United States troops and United States supporters. There was constant bombing and attacks.
The United States learnt a lesson- you can’t just march in and offer democracy on a silver platter. Bush became really unpopular.
In 2005, the United States found Hussein, but the war still continued. For the past six months or so, the situation in Iraq stabilized.
OPEC (Organization petroleum exporting countries)
The countries that have oil control the prices of oil, such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria… The purpose of this is to have a monopoly or cartel. Then, a couple of countries could control prices and get rid of competition.
OPEC has been tough on the United States. In the 1970s, OPEC didn’t sell oil to us for a few months. About a year ago, they raised the oil prices but they realized that we were beginning to become less dependant on their oil, so they lowered the price.
Aim: Latin America case studies
Some of the common challenges that Latin American nations shared:
1. Single cash crops- only one commodity. Many countries got used to growing one item. This is bad because:
a. No variety
b. It limits the economy- can’t export too much.
c. If the crop doesn’t grow, the country will go under.
2. Unequal land division- largest gap between the rich and poor. The rich own all the land and the poor live on nothing. Many people blame the Europeans for this. Today, they are working on re-dividing the land more evenly.
Illegal immigration- come to America because of the economic opportunities
3. Overcrowded urban areas- because people feel that it’s the only place they can get ahead.
Disagreement between the conservatives and liberals- the liberals want the land to be redistributed and the conservatives want to stick to the status quo. Many of the liberals are priests and it makes them popular when they fight for land redistribution and other things.
Nicaragua- many Latin American nations in the past twenty years have been moving toward democracy because it has more opportunity.
From the early 1800s to the 1970s, Nicaragua had a strong military dictatorship. This dictatorship was supported by the United States. The United States sent financial help and assistance because Nicaragua was removed from Communism.
In the 1970s, a strong communist/Marxist group called the Sandinistas. They overthrew the military dictatorship. Now, Nicaragua was a communist country.
A democratic rebel group called the Contras rebelled against communism and the Sandinistas- the United States helped them. In 1990, the Contras were successful in overthrowing the Sandinistas and Chamorro became president.
Aim: Mexico
As in many Latin American nations, Mexico had a dictator after they got their independence. In the 1880s, when Hidalgo got independence for Mexico, a dictator took over. Under this dictatorship, the minority was wealthy and got things from the government. The poor people were disadvantaged.
In 1910, there was a revolution. Mexico was the first country in Latin America to overthrow their dictator, Diaz. The credit went to the two groups who organized the revolution:
1. Zapata- was a Native American and led the Indians.
2. “Poncho”villa- was considered as a dangerous criminal in the United States.
The first president was Carranza. He was from the only political party in Mexico called the PRI. This political party was so strong that no one else could form another party. In 1917, under Carranza, Mexico set up a constitution, which:
1. Gave woman more rights.
2. Land reforms- gave some land to the poor,
By the 1960s, riots and protests against the PRI broke out because people wanted another political party. In 2000, there were free elections.
1. PRI
2. PAN- Fox.
Fox won and brought an era of much more democracy into Mexico. Under Fox, the United States, Canada and Mexico formed NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). NAFTA got rid of most taxes on items. NAFTA is a positive interaction between the United States and Mexico because it enhanced economic relations.
Mexico had drug lords who were drug trafficking into the United States. The drug lords have their own army. The United States told Mexico to stop the drug trafficking or there would be consequences.
The Zapatistas, a rebel group in Mexico, claim the Native Americans are still ignored and don’t have rights. The Zapatistas are very dangerous. They want land and better healthcare.
Aim: Argentina
Argentina is a country in South America. It is rich in resources such as wheat and beef.
In the early 1900s, there were several civilian governments. In the 1930s, a military coup took over Argentina.
In 1940, Juan Peron became an extremely popular politician. He had the support of:
1. A large division of the army.
2. Many workers- they felt he would change Argentina for the better.
3. Had the popularity of his wife Evita. She spoke to crowds of poor people who understood her because she used to be poor.
1n 1946, Peron became the leader of Argentina. After he won, he became a full-fledged dictator. As a dictator, he bought changes to Argentina:
1. Workers got more rights-
a. Forty-hour work week
b. Paid vacations
c. Pension plans
2. Imports- less imports from foreign countries.
3. Repressive government- extreme censorship. He threatened the people badly, in a way that didn’t allow freedom. There was one newspaper and the government controlled the radios.
He became well exposed to fascism from Hitler, and after World War II, he invited Nazis into Argentina.
4. Less exports= huge economic problems.
Evita somehow kept her husband in power. When she died in 1952, Peron was pushed out by a military coup.
For about the next 30 years, Argentina was ruled by many military coups.
In the 1970s, Argentina had a brutal military government and there were all sorts of military groups against them. The government began reacting strongly- people disappeared off the streets- there were thousands of “desaparecidos”. This was known as the Dirty war.
By the 1980s, democracy was established in Argentina along with Haiti, Al Salvador, Guatemala…Today, there is an unstable democracy.
They have an economic crisis- Argentina was at a low point and then the world economic crisis began.
The government is notoriously anti-Semitic.
Aim: Panama
In the early 1900s, the US built the Panama Canal. It was returned in 2000 in an effort to have better relations with Panama.
In the 1950s, Panama’ s president, Noriega, was sending drugs into the United States. In 1989, the US went into Panama and surrounded his house. He stood trial in the United States and is now in jail in Miami.
Aim: Haves and Have-nots
Characteristics of haves and have-nots:
1. Haves-
a. High GDPs (gross domestic product)- value of what the country produces in a year.
b. Political stability.
c. Modern transportation systems that are sufficient.
d. Abundance of food and nutrition.
e. Capitalist economy.
2. Have- nots (aka LDCs- less developed countries)-
a. Low GDPs.
b. Unstable governments- this makes it hard to make money. There can also be civil wars.
c. Insufficient infrastructure.
d. Famine.
e. Transitioning to capitalism or are communist.
Examples of haves and have-nots:
1. Haves-
a. United States
b. Canada
c. West Europe
d. Japan
e. South Korea
f. Australia
g. New Zealand
h. Israel
2. Have-nots-
a. South Africa
b. Sub-Saharan Africa
c. North Korea
d. China- on the way to becoming a have.
e. India- on the way to becoming a have.
Many countries fall in the middle.
Why do haves help the have-nots? Because of globalization- increased communication among nations. This is sometimes referred to “global village”- world seems smaller because of technology. We care about have-nots because we are more connected with each other. It’s in our best interests to help these places because it helps us and protects us. We help for selfish reasons- their instability affects us.
Aim: Effects of globalization
Globalization is the coming together of countries in this “global village”.
Effects:
1. Cultural diffusion- cultures mix. People respect other people’s cultures. The more we mix with other countries, the more diffusion there will be.
2. Interdependence- countries needing other countries.
a. Resources
b. Trade
3. Outsourcing- sends jobs to other countries. (Ex. Dell in the United States and India)
4. Multinational corporations- big businesses have branches in many countries. This makes the world seem smaller.
Aim: Global hot spots
Hot spots- areas in the world where there is tension.
China has most of its population in the east because there r deserts and mountains in the west. Tibet is located in the mountains- it’s very secluded. The question over the years is if Tibet is part of China or not. China claims so, while the Tibetans say they are not.
The people of China and Tibet are very different. The Tibetans are religious Buddhist. Their leader is called the Dalai Lama; he’s respected worldwide.
Tensions increased in the 1950s when the Chinese became communism and wanted to wipe religion. They invaded Tibet and forced them to under the yolk of communism. Most Tibetans fled to India, including the Dalai Lama. China wanted the Chinese to move to Tibet to absorb the remaining Tibetans into their culture.
In 2008, there was increased violence when China hosted the Olympics. The Tibetans found this as a great opportunity to attract attention to themselves and they began protesting against China. The Chinese gunned many of them down and then made up to talk.
North Korea became a communist country after World War II. Their leader was Kim Sung.
The border between North and South Korea is very important to them, and is therefore untouchable.
There was only one political party- the Democratic People’s party. After Sung died, his son Kim Jung II took over. The people call him “dear leader” even though he’s a brutal tyrant.
Human rights were greatly violated- prison system is the cruelest in the world. There is an organization called the Amnesty International, which makes sure prisoners worldwide are treated humanly. They said that the human rights violations in North Korean prison systems are the worst.
In 1990, there was a famine and thousands of people died from starvation.
North Korea has nuclear weapons. They have made false promises to shut down their weapon programs. North Korea is about the only country that is producing nuclear weapons. They are also trying them out.
Economy:
1. South Korea- “Asian tiger”
2. North Korea- the entire economy collapsed after communism fell because they were getting support from Russia.
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