• Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 1 It was largely through the efforts of a handful of exceptional men, working from a foundation of a Republic based on a Constitution, that the United States overcame early internal challenges and attempts to drag it into a European war to gain its footing and even expand. Its “pillars” served it well, and when war did come in 1812, the United States was ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR Lesson 5 • Students will be able to list three accomplishments of each of the first four presidents. • Students should be able to define “quasi-war,” embargo, and neutrality. • Students should be able to explain the pressures within the United States to side with either England or France in the European war. • Students should be able to argue the benefits and drawbacks of Alexander Hamilton’s fiscal policies. • Students should identify the main strengths and weaknesses of several Founders, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. • Students should identify the chief differences between the Federalists and the Jeffersonians. • Students should be able to list America’s main advantages and disadvantages each side held in the War of 1812 against the British and their Indian allies. VISUAL AIDS They Made America (PBS, 2004) George Washington (CBS miniseries, 2014) How the West Was Won (1962) Administer test # 1 Teachers should use their own judgment as to when it is best to test students. Some give tests immediately after the material is covered, others wait a bit to allow messages to sink in and allow time for review. ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 3 ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 4 1. Movers and Shakers, Creating the Cabinet a) Why was George Washington considered the “natural” man to be the first president? What roles did John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton play in the new cabinet? Washington was a Virginian who nevertheless had full support of New England; he was a proven wartime leader; and was viewed as the leading reason we won the Revolution. ! ??? " Learning at a higher level There is no cabinet mentioned in the Constitution. So where did Washington get the authority to create one? ! ??? " Washington recognized that the Constitution in its “necessary and proper” clause gave Congress the authority to create whatever agencies or bodies were necessary to actually run the government. b) What were Hamilton’s three reports and how did they lay a firm financial foundation for the young nation? The Report on Public Credit, The Report on a National Bank, the Report on Manufactures all provided for a system of assuming the state debts and paying them and of a tariff on imported goods, and to create a national bank to lend the government money. Documents from A Patriot’s History Reader George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, 1789, 89-92 2. Feuding Patriots a) What was the “Whiskey Rebellion” and why was it a threat to the stability of the Republic? ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 5 The Whiskey Rebellion was an internal (“excise”) tax on corn products from the West. It was the same type of rebellion that “Shays’ Rebellion” was that led to the creation of the Constitution in the first place—grass roots opposing federal overreach. 3. Beyond the Oceans a) What were the military threats Washington faced while leading the young nation? Why was the Battle of Fallen Timbers significant? The overseas threats were the Barbary Pirates, the domestic threats were Indian uprisings. The Battle of Fallen Timbers saw American troops defeat a large coalition of Indians in Ohio and open that up for white settlement. 4. The French Revolution and Neutrality a) Why did a revolution in France threaten to drag the United States into a European war? Who was “Citizen Genet?” Republicans in America wanted the US to ally with the republican forces in France, thereby drawing us into a war with Frances enemies. Citizen Genet was a French representative of the revolutionary government here who was trying to stir up an American alliance with the Revolution. 5. Jay’s Treaty a) What issues did Jay’s Treaty try to resolve? Why was it controversial? This settled the issue of the British forts on the northern and western frontier, turned Maine’s boundary over to a commission, and ended restitution for slaveowners’ losses during the Revolution. 6. Republicans Versus Federalists a) How did the Federalists and Republicans differ on the major issues? Name some of the leaders of each party. ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 6 Federalists (Washington, Adams, Madison—at first, and Hamilton) wanted a stronger national government, were mostly from New England, were urban, and had more merchants and lawyers. Republicans (Jefferson, Monroe, Madison later) wanted stronger states’ rights, were more southern and western, more rural, and more represented the “common man”) 7. Democracy’s First Test a) Why was the election of 1796 a major test of American democracy? The election of 1796 showed that the nation could have a peaceful transfer of power from one man to another (Washington to Adams). 8. Quasi-War a) Why do historians use the term “quasi-war” to define the foreign policy of John Adams? This was not quite a war. The US was neutral and was on the brink of war with either England or France. 9. Adams’s Mettle and the Election of 1800 a) How did this election differ from the one four years earlier and why, in many ways, was it more important? This was the most important election in American history because not only did it transfer power from one man to another, but from one political group to another that was 180 degrees opposite in its ideology. 10. Growing America a) What were some of the achievements—both in terms of exploration and technology—and hurdles America experienced in Jefferson’s terms? The U.S. acquired Louisiana Territory and explored it, explored the Missouri River, had the Lewis and Clark Expedition, explored much of the southwest. Hurdles were that the British were still along the border and were agitating the Indians. ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 7 11. We Are All Republicans • We Are All Federalists a) What did President Jefferson mean by those words? How did he govern? Like a Federalist or like a Republican? How did his policies differ from those of Adams and Washington? Jefferson meant that we were all Americans, but he governed like a Republican, reducing the size of the army and navy, reducing debt, avoiding foreign conflicts with the Barbary Pirates. ! ??? " Learning at a higher level We are frequently told today that “politics has never been as vicious or dirty as it is today.” Is that true? Discuss the feud between Hamilton, Jefferson, and Adams and the Citizen Genet and the Aaron Burr affairs in light of political hostility toward sitting members of the government. ! ??? " One only needs to point to the Burr-Hamilton duel to see how serious the fights then were. One editorial writer said John Adams should be shot with a cannon. Well up to the Civil War, various senators and congressmen arrived at their chambers with pistols. 12. Judiciary Waterloo for Minimalist Government a) Who were the “Midnight Judges?” How did Chief Justice John Marshall enhance the power of the U.S. Supreme Court? The “midnight judges” were the Federalist judges that outgoing president John Adams stayed up til midnight appointing. John Marshall established the notion of “judicial review” of both lower courts’ decisions and legislation. b) What were the rulings in Marbury v. Madison, Fletcher v. Peck, Dartmouth College v. Woodward, and other major Marshall-ruled cases? Why did some of these have the effect of unleashing American industry and business? ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 8 Marbury v. Madison, Fletcher v. Peck, and others established a business foundation for America that included contracts, competition, and “comity” or recognizing each state’s laws. Documents from A Patriot’s History Reader Marbury v. Madison, 1803, 93-103 13. We Rush Like a Comet into Infinite Space a) How did Jefferson acquire the Louisiana Territory? What role did Lewis and Clark play after the United States acquired Louisiana? Jefferson used presidential authority (not granted by the Constitution) to acquire Louisiana. Lewis and Clark explored Louisiana. ! ??? " Learning at a higher level Why was there controversy about the Constitutionality of Jefferson’s “purchase?” Define irony in the context of his belief in “small government” Jefferson greatly expanding the size and scope of the United States landmass. ! ??? " Jefferson did not consult Congress when he spent more than had been allotted for the purchase of New Orleans. Ironically, the biggest expansion of the US came under “small government” Jefferson. 14. The Cataline of America a) Why was Aaron Burr so distrusted by both parties, and how did he come to kill Alexander Hamilton? Burr was a self-promoter, not interested in party. He and Hamilton engaged in a war of letters in newspaper columns and Hamilton insulted him, so Burr challenged him to a duel. ©2019 Larry Schweikart Ltd., LLC All rights reserved. • Lesson 5 Small Republic, Big Shoulders 9 15. America’s First Pre-Emptive War a) Who were the Barbary Pirates and why did it take so long to deal with them? What was Jefferson’s policy? The Barbary Pirates were Islamic pirates in N.