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Social Studies TAKS Review
DATES:
1607 – Jamestown was founded
1775 – First shots of the American Revolution fired at Lexington and Concord
1776 - Declaration of Independence
1787 – Constitution written
1803 – The Louisiana Purchase by President Jefferson
1861-1865 Civil War
REASONS FOR EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION:
a. wealth – gold, silver
b. religious freedom
c. profit from trade, land sales, and fishing
d. expand trade
e. political freedom
f. home for debtors

THIRTEEN COLONIES: Reasons Founded Founders

New England Colonies
1. Massachusetts religious freedom John Winthrop
2. New Hampshire profit-trade & fishing Gorges & Mason
3. Connecticut trade&religious&political Thomas Hooker
4. Rhode Island religious freedom Roger Williams
Middle Colonies
1. New York expand trade Peter Minuit
2. Delaware trade/land sale profit Swedish Settlers
3. New Jersey religious/political freedom Berkeley&Carteret
4. Pennsylvania land sales/religious/political William Penn
Southern Colonies
1. Virginia trade and farming John Smith
2. Maryland farming/religious/political Lord Baltimore
3. North Carolina trade/farming/religious 8 Proprietors
4. South Carolina trade/farming/religious 8 Proprietors
5. Georgia profit/home for debtors
Buffer against Spanish Florida James Oglethorpe

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT:

House of Burgesses (Virginia) First representative government in English colonies
Frame of Government (Pennsylvania) A governor & council of advisors appointed by William Penn to make the laws for the colony. The Representative Assembly accepted or rejected the laws.
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (Connecticut) Gave the vote to all white men who owned property and limited the governor’s power.
General Court (Massachusetts) Elected Assembly in Massachusetts
MAYFLOWER COMPACT - A 1620 agreement signed by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts to consult each other about laws for the colony and a promise to work together to make it succeed.

ALBANY PLAN OF UNION – Ben Franklin’s plan for the colonies to work together to defeat the French. Plan failed because colonies refused to give up power.


 

FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR - Conflict between the French and the British in North America. Fought from 1754 – 1763. The British win and the signing of the Treaty of Paris 1763 officially ended the war. This marked the end of French power in North America.

Events leading up to the Revolutionary War: Following the French and Indian War, the British Treasury was depleted, causing the need to raise or create new taxes.

1. Proclamation of 1763 - closed the land west of the Appalachians to settlers.
2. Sugar Act – tax on molasses
3. Stamp Act – taxed legal documents, newspapers, dice, cards…
4. Townshend Acts – taxed glass, lead, tea, silk, paper.
5. Quartering Act – forced colonists to supply housing, bedding, beverages, candles to British Soldiers.
6. Tea Act – sold tea directly to the colonists bypassing colonial merchants. Put colonists out of work.
7. Intolerable Acts – 1) shut down the port of Boston 2) forbade town meetings more than once a year 3) British soldiers accused of crimes to be tried in Britain 4) new quartering act.
8. Quebec Act – set up a government in Canada and took land claimed by the colonists.
9. Britain believed the colonies existed solely for the benefit of Britain. This belief was a part of an economic theory known as MERCANTILISM – the economic theory that a nation’s strength came from building up its gold supply and expanding its trade. (the more wealth you have, the more power you have)

MEN AND WOMEN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:

1. Sam Adams – wrote and published pamphlets to unite the colonists against Britain. Arranged protests and stirred public support. Member of Sons of Liberty.
2. Ben Franklin – Signer of Declaration of Independence and delegate of the Constitutional Convention, respected inventor, statesman, diplomat.
3. King George III – King of England. Disbanded colonial legislatures, taxed colonies heavily, and refused the Olive Branch Petition.
4. Thomas Jefferson – Wrote the Declaration of Independence. Third President.
5. Marquis de Lafayette – brought French professional soldiers to help the U.S. Fought with G. Washington. Launched many raids against the British.
6. Abigail Adams - possibly the first women’s rights advocate in the nation. She constantly urged John Adams to “remember the women” in his work for American independence and beyond.
7. Thomas Paine – Wrote “Common Sense”. A voice for independence. He attacked the idea of having kings and queens as rulers. Raised the spirit of the Americans with his writings.
8. George Washington – Leader of the Continental Army. Most respected man in the U.S. First President of the U.S.



IMPORTANT PLACES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:

Lexington, Massachusetts. – first shots of the American Revolution fired here. British Redcoats “snuck” out of Boston to capture a suspected ammunitions depot. The night of Paul Revere’s ride. Minutemen met them at Lexington. 8 colonists killed. British victory.

Concord, Massachusetts – 2nd battle of the American Revolution. 73 British killed. 200 wounded or missing. U.S. victory.

Saratoga, New York – battle here was the turning point of the war. It ended the British threat to New England and boosted American spirits. Most Importantly – it convinced France to sign a treaty with the United States.

Yorktown, Virginia – Site of the British surrender that ended the American Revolution. General Cornwallis surrenders British forces after being surrounded by American and French forces.


TREATY OF PARIS OF 1783 - document that ends the American Revolution. In it Britain recognizes the U.S. as an independent nation.

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION (1777) The first American constitution. Limited power of the new congress by giving states final authority over all decisions. Very weak document. Did not provide for a President or a way to solve disputes between the states.

PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION (CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION)
Originally meant to strengthen Articles of Confederation, but tossed out Articles in favor of writing a new constitution. James Madison is considered the author of the Constitution.

Proposals at Convention:
Virginia Plan – proposed a strong national government with three branches – legislative, judicial, executive. Also provided 2 house legislature with both houses based on population.

New Jersey Plan – Allowed for one-house legislature with one vote for each state. Smaller states liked this plan.

Great Compromise – Gave two houses of Congress. One based on population, the other gave equal representation to each state.

3/5ths Compromise – addressed the slavery question. Allowed 3/5ths of the state’s slave population to be counted for representation in the House of Representatives.

Slavery would be extended for 20 years and then regulated by Congress if it wished.
Critics of the Constitution wanted a Bill of Rights before they would ratify it.
BILL OF RIGHTS - 1st ten amendments to the Constitution. Guaranteed things like freedom of speech, press, religion, petition, assembly….

PROTECTIVE TARIFFS – taxes placed on goods from another country to protect home industry.

BANK OF THE UNITED STATES – created by Congress and Alexander Hamilton in 1791. Printed money and held taxes collected from U.S. citizens.

POLITICAL PARTIES: Disagreements between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson led to the 1st political parties

Jefferson wanted:
a) Farming/agriculture to be the base of the economy.
b) State governments to be stronger than Federal government.
c) Strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Jefferson’s supporters were called Democratic Republicans.

Hamilton wanted:
a) Industry to be the base of the economy.
b) Federal (or National) government to be stronger than state governments.
c) Loose interpretation of the Constitution.
Hamilton’s supporters were originally called Federalists.

John Adams and Alexander Hamilton (both Federalists) disagree on issues so Hamilton and his supporters split from the Federalist Party and become the
High Federalists.

John Quincy Adams and his supporters form the Whig Party.

Andrew Jackson and his supporters become the Democrat Party.
In 1854 a new party was formed by angry free soilers, northern democrats and anti-slavery whigs. It was called the Republican Party.

WAR OF 1812
England and France were at war. America tried to remain neutral and trade with both sides. Both warring countries attacked American ships and sailors were impressed – seized from a ship or village and forced to serve in the navy.
War Hawks – members of Congress from the South and West who wanted war with Britain, helped convince President James Madison to declare war in June 1812.

British burn Washington D.C. in 1814. Americans win major battles at Fort McHenry and New Orleans. Andrew Jackson becomes the hero of Battle of New Orleans.
Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812 on December 24, 1814. No real winner. Relations between Britain and the U.S. went back to the way they were before the war..

IMPORTANT SPEECHES/POLICIES:

Washington’s Farewell Address - Washington urged the U.S. to remain neutral in its relations with other nations. He warned against becoming involved in European affairs. He advised against alliances that could drag the U.S. into war.

Monroe Doctrine – states that the U.S. would not interfere in the affairs of European nations or European colonies in the Americas, but that the Western Hemisphere (North and South America) were closed to anymore European colonization. It warned against interference by European nations in Latin America or the Western Hemisphere.

Manifest Destiny – a belief by the Americans that they have a God-given right to expand the United States from the East coast to the West coast. Also had in it an air of racism, that Americans believed that they were “better” than the Native Americans or Mexicans.

Northwest Ordinance – (1787) It established the principles and procedures for orderly expansion of the U.S. It set up a government for the Northwest Territory and outlawed slavery there. The Northwest Territory was divided into three to five territories. When a territory had a population of 60,000 free citizens, it could be admitted as a new state, on equal footing with the other states.

Indian Removal Act – (1830) Law that forced the Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River. U.S. Army forced them to leave at gunpoint. 1838 – Trail of Tears. Thousands died, mostly children and the elderly in the forced march.

Emancipation Proclamation -(Jan 1,1863) Issued by President Abraham Lincoln after the Union victory at Antietam. It set slaves free in the Confederate states only. It changed the character of the Civil War. Now the Union was not only fighting to restore the Union, but to end slavery.
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address - (March 4, 1861) Lincoln said, “no state…can lawfully get out of the Union.” He tried to calm the nerves of the south by saying that he did not have a legal right nor an inclination to interfere in slavery. He also pledged that there would be no war unless the South started it.

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address - meant to help heal and restore the Union.
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and all nations.”

Proclamation of 1763 – British law that forbade colonists to settle west of a line along the Appalachian Mountains.

Gettysburg Address - (November 19, 1863) Short speech given by Abraham Lincoln to dedicate a cemetery for soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg. Considered a profound statement of American ideals.

“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicate here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”


AGE OF JACKSON:

Andrew Jackson elected President in 1828 after losing in 1824 to John Quincy Adams. Jackson was “a man of the people”. His supporters formed a new political party –the Democrat Party, made up of farmers, craft workers and factory workers.

Jackson’s Indian policy: Policy originally set aside land west of the Mississippi for the Cherokee Indians. He thought they would go voluntarily. Cherokees go to court after Georgia seizes Indian land. Jackson sides with Georgia even though the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Indians. Jackson refuses to enforce the Supreme Court decision and Indians were forced to leave. (Trail of Tears)


 

AREAS ACQUIRED TO FORM THE UNITED STATES:
1803 – Louisiana Purchase from France
1819 – Florida – ceded by Spain
1845 – Texas – annexed by Congress
1846 – Oregon Territory – from an agreement with Britain
1848 – Mexican Cession – from Mexican War (California, New Mexico…)
1853 – Gadsden Purchase – bought from Mexico

THE MEXICAN WAR: (1846)

Mexico had never accepted the independence of Texas and relations with the U.S. became very strained when U.S. annexes Texas in 1845. The United States in the meantime, offers Mexico $30 million for California and New Mexico, but they refused. Most Americans felt that Mexico was standing in its way of Manifest Destiny. In January of 1846, President Polk orders General Zachary Taylor and his troops to cross the Nueces River (the accepted Mexican border of Texas) In April 1846, Mexican troops cross the Rio Grande River (the accepted American border of Texas) and fight briefly with Taylor and his troops. Soldiers died. Polk stated Mexico has “shed American blood on American soil”. Congress declares war. By 1847, the U.S. controlled all of New Mexico and California and the U.S. military was on the outskirts of Mexico City. Mexico signs a peace treaty. (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo) in 1848. U.S. keeps California and New Mexico, but pays Mexico $15 million.

EARLY CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR

The protective tariffs of 1818 and 1824 affected the South greatly. Because there were few industries in the South, much of what the South bought came from Britain. When the U.S. congress passed high tariffs on British goods, it forced the South to buy more expensive American made goods. Tariffs helped the North because it had 90% of the nation’s industry and Americans bought the American goods giving nice profits to the North.

Tariff of Abominations – (1828) a high tax on European goods. Hurt the South because southern planters sold their cotton in Europe and bought European goods in return. High tariff meant Southerners paid a lot more for British goods.

Slavery – by the early 1800s all northern states had abolished slavery. However, the cotton boom in the South had increased the need for slaves. Both free blacks and slaves lived in the South. 1/3 of the population in the south was slaves. (4 million people)

Nat Turner led a slave revolt in 1831. More than 60 white people were killed. He was hung, but the incident left an increased fear of slave revolts in Southern whites.
Many Northerners disagreed with slavery, but kept quiet because northern mill owners needed southern cotton. Southerners also relied on goods from northern factories.

THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE - Missouri comes into the Union as a slave state. Maine comes in as a free state. No slave states allowed above Missouri and anything south would be decided by popular sovereignty – practice of allowing each territory to decide for itself whether or not to allow slavery.

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT - split the Nebraska territory in two. This act would undo the Missouri Compromise by allowing popular sovereignty to decide whether these two new states would be slave or free. Caused chaos in Kansas.


 

MEN OF THE CIVIL WAR:

John C. Calhoun – South Carolina Congressman and Senator who spoke for the South. Argued that slavery must be allowed in the western territories. He also demanded that fugitive slaves must be returned to their owners in the South.

Daniel Webster – Massachusetts Congressman and Senator who spoke for the North. Argued in the Senate for the preservation of the union. He saw slavery as “evil”, but “disunion” was worse. Worked for a compromise.

Henry Clay – Kentucky Congressman (powerful Speaker of the House) and Senator. He proposed the American System in 1824. This system did three things:
1. left high tariffs to help the northern states.
2. Proposed to use northern profits from tariffs to buy farm products from the South and West.
3. Encouraged internal improvements (roads, bridges, canals) in all areas of the country.
The American System never went into effect. The South hated it.
Clay also came up with the Compromise of 1850. This compromise had 4 parts:
1. California joins the union as a free state.
2. The Mexican Cession was to be divided into New Mexico and Utah where voters would decide the slavery issue.
3. Slave trade ends in Washington D.C.
4. Strict new Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 passed.

Jefferson Davis - President of the Confederacy. West Point graduate. Secretary of War. He had his hands on every detail and was not one to really compromise.

Ulysses S. Grant - Becomes General of the Union troops in 1864. Won major victories for the North. Captured Vicksburg, Mississippi giving the North control of the Mississippi River and splitting the Confederacy in two. He finally surrounds Robert E Lee’s forces at Appomattox Courthouse and forces their surrender effectively ending the Civil War.

Robert E. Lee – General of the Confederate Army. Originally offered the job for the Union Army by Abraham Lincoln. He chooses to go with Virginia and his family when the South secedes. Skilled military leader. Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.

Abraham Lincoln – President of the Union. Signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan 1, 1863, freeing all slaves in the Confederate states. His main goal was to preserve the Union. Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865.

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson - General of the Confederate Army. Robert E. Lee’s best officer and “right hand man”. Hero of the Battle of Bull Run. Accidentally shot by his own man. His death was a blow to Robert E. Lee and the South.

CONFEDERATE STATES:
South Carolina – first to secede on December 20, 1860.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia
North Carolina


 

UNION STATES:
Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, California, Oregon

FAMOUS BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR:

Fort Sumter - Union fort in South Carolina that guarded Charleston Harbor. Desperately wanted by the Confederacy. Attacked by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861. Fort quickly ran out of ammunition and surrendered on April 13th. This battle marked the beginning of the Civil War.

Gettysburg – Pennsylvania. Union forces met Confederate forces led by Robert E. Lee. Lee orders General George Pickett to make a direct assault on the Union line. The result was disastrous for the South. 40,000 dead or wounded on both sides in this 3-day battle.

Vicksburg – Confederate fort guarding the Mississippi River and town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Whoever controls the fort, controls the Mississippi. U.S. Grant laid siege to the city for weeks. Finally the city and fort fall on July 4, 1863. Huge victory for the North. It meant, 1) the North cut off the South’s trade with Europe, and 2) the Union had split the Confederacy in two.

Antietam – Maryland (September 17, 1862) The bloodiest one-day battle of the war. 24,000 fell dead or wounded from both sides. Union claims victory and Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation 3 months later.

Appomattox Courthouse – (Virginia) April 9, 1865. Site of the surrender of Robert E. Lee and the Confederate forces to General Ulysses S. Grant. Effectively ended the Civil War.
SUPREME COURT CASES :

Marbury v. Madison – (1803) decided that the Supreme Court has the right to decide whether a law violates the Constitution.

Dred Scott v. Sandford –(1857) Supreme Court case that said slaves were property and not citizens. Also decided that Congress did not have the power to ban slavery in a territory, (making slavery legal in all the territories) and it declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland – Established the doctrine of implied powers – that the Constitution  assumed that the federal government had certain  powers, even if they were not spelled out by the Constitution

Gibbons v. Ogden – Established that the Court had the power to regulate interstate commerce.

Fletcher v. Peck – Established that the Court has the power to declare a state law unconstitutional

ECONOMICS:
Free Enterprise System – (sometimes called Capitalism) an economic system based on private ownership and operation of the means of production with a minimum of government control.
GOVERNMENT:

 

Many historical documents influenced the creation and formation of the United States system of government. Some of these documents are:

Magna Carta – (1215) An English document that limited the power of the ruler. It showed that the King had to obey the law.

English Bill of Rights (1689) – protected all English citizens, including the colonists. It protected the rights of individuals. It gave anyone accused of a crime, the right to a trial by jury. It outlawed cruel and unusual punishment, and it said that the ruler could not raise taxes or an army without Parliament’s approval.

Mayflower Compact – (1620) an agreement signed by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts to consult each other about the laws of the colony and a promise to work together to make it succeed.

Declaration of Independence. (1776) - The document written by Thomas Jefferson stating that the colonies had become a free and independent nation and guaranteeing it’s citizen’s inalienable rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Grievances against the King of England and stated in the Declaration were numerous. A few included that the King:
a) dissolved or suspended colonial legislatures.
b) cut off trade with all parts of the world.
c) imposed taxes without consent of the people.
d) deprived the citizens of trial by jury.
e) abolished laws made by the colonies.

The Federalist Papers – a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, defending the Constitution and the principles on which the government of the United States was founded.

Articles of Confederation - The first American constitution. It was a very weak document that limited the power of Congress by giving the states final authority over all decisions.
Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation:
1) Congress could not regulate trade between states, or even between states and foreign countries.
2) Congress could not pass any laws regarding taxes.
3) To raise money, Congress had to ask the states for it, but no state was forced to contribute.

 

4) The Articles did not provide for a President to carry out laws.
5) The Articles did not create a system of courts, so there was no way to settle disputes that arose.

Constitution: (1787) - The document that sets out the laws and principles of the government of the United States. It created a federal system where power is shared between the states and the national government. (Known as federalism). It also set up a separation of powers by creating three branches of government; each with its’ own powers.

Legislative Branch – passes laws
Executive Branch – carries out the laws
Judicial Branch – interprets the laws.

Each branches’ power is limited and can be checked or controlled by the other two branches in a system known as checks and balances.

The Constitution is considered a living document and can be changed by the process of amendment. An amendment to the Constitution has to be passed by 2/3rds of both Houses of Congress and ratified (approved) by 3/4ths of the states’ legislatures. It is very difficult to amend the Constitution and has only been amended 27 times since 1787.

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.
1. Freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
2. The right to bear arms.
3. No quartering of soldiers without the consent of the people.
4. No illegal search and seizure.
5. Rights of the accused.
6. Right to a speedy trial by jury.
7. Right to a jury trial in civil cases.
8. No cruel and unusual punishment or excessive bail.
9. Reserves some rights/powers not directly stated in the Constitution for the people.
10. Reserves some rights/powers not directly stated in the Constitution for the states.

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
The 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship and rights to all people born or naturalized in the United States.
The 15th Amendment guaranteed the right to vote to all citizens regardless of race.
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.

INALIENABLE RIGHTS – rights that cannot be given up, taken away, or transferred.
(such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness).

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE - refusal to obey a government law or laws as a means of passive resistance because of one’s moral conviction. (example – refusing to pay taxes or fight in a war when drafted)

FEDERALISTS – Supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong national government. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay were Federalists.

ANTIFEDERALISTS – People opposed to the Constitution, preferring more power be given to the state governments than to the national government. They also thought that the Constitution gave too much power to the President. Patrick Henry was an Antifederalist.

NULLIFICATION – The idea of a state declaring a federal law illegal as evidenced in the Nullification Crisis of 1832. This tense situation was created by South Carolina when it declared the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 illegal. South Carolina threatened to secede. President Andrew Jackson took a firm stand and got Congress to pass a force bill along with a lower tariff. This force bill allowed Jackson to use the army if necessary to enforce the law in South Carolina. South Carolina backed down and the crises ended, for the time being. Less than 30 years later, America would face the Civil War.

CITIZENSHIP: (the status or position of being a citizen, including its rights, duties, and privileges). There have been many effective political, social, and military leaders in our democratic society. Each has contributed greatly to our society.

Abraham Lincoln – 16th President of the United States. Defender of the Union. Man of moral character who opposed slavery. He saw his duty to save the Union and restore the nation’s character.

John Marshall – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was a Federalist, appointed by President John Adams, who wanted to make the federal government stronger. He was also responsible for strengthening the power of the Supreme Court through his Marbury v. Madison ruling. That ruling established the right of the Supreme Court to make the final decision on whether federal or state laws are constitutional or not. The right of the Court to judge laws passed by Congress is called judicial review.

John Paul Jones – Daring American sea captain who raided British ships during the American Revolution. His victory in the naval battle between his ship, the Bonhomme Richard and the British warship Serapis made him an American hero and legend. When called on to surrender, Jones replied, “ I have not yet begun to fight!” His inspiration helped lead his men to victory.
James Monroe – He led the nation through the “Era of Good Feelings”, as the 5th President of the United States. He is responsible for a statement on foreign policy that became known as the Monroe Doctrine. In it, he said that the United States would not interfere in either European affairs or European colonies in the Americas. However, he warned, that European nations should not interfere in Latin America and he closed the door to any further European colonization in the western hemisphere.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott - Two young ladies who wanted equal rights for women in the United States. They planned a national women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. The Seneca Falls Convention marked the start of an organized women’s rights movement.

Frederick Douglass – A former slave who became the best known black abolitionist in the country. Douglass defied the slave codes as a child and taught himself to read. He traveled throughout the United States and Britain lecturing against slavery.

Harriet Tubman – An escaped slave who was a leader in the Underground Railroad. She risked her freedom by returning to the South 19 times to lead more than 300 slaves to freedom.

 

RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN AMERICA:

Religion played an important role in the founding of the English colonies. Many people came to start a new life in a new world because of religious persecution in England. They wanted the freedom to worship as they pleased. They found that in America. Religion gradually weakened as a force in daily life in the colonies. However, in the 1730s and 1740s, a religious movement known as the Great Awakening spread through the colonies. Led by a New England minister named Jonathan Edwards, and later by George Whitefield, the Great Awakening sparked bitter debate that often caused people to split away from their old churches and form new ones. The growth of more churches forced the colonists to become more tolerant of people with different beliefs.

A Second Great Awakening occurred in the early 1800s led by a minister named Charles Grandison Finney. Opposition to slavery was the flame that ignited this religious movement. Finney and others urged Christians to take up the banner of reform and stamp out the evil of slavery.

The First Amendment to the Constitution protects peoples' right to worship as they please.