1. "Revolution of 1800"- The "Revolution of 1800" refers to the election of Thomas Jefferson. Until this time, all of the presidents in the United States had been from the Federalist Party. Jefferson was running for the Democratic-Republicans and won narrowly by defeating Aaron Burr in a tiebreaker vote in the House of Representatives. This election is significant to the growth of Democracy in America because it showed that America was capable of having a peaceful and democratic transition of power. Furthermore, the fact that the election was so close and the people still accepted the legitimacy of the results is significant.
2. Louisiana Purchase- Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican and believed in limited powers of the federal government, but in reality he may have actually expanded the power of the executive. The area west of Louisiana was French Territory. However, they were willing to sell it at a cheap price because they did not have the money to maintain it and they needed the money. James monroe and Robert Livingston negotiated a deal to buy the territory for $18 million. This put Jefferson in a quandary because he wanted the U.S. to gain that land but was not sure if it was constitutional for him to just buy it. In the end, he must have decided it was worth it because he used the "elastic clause" to stretch his powers and bought the land. This land was important in this time period for opening up a new frontier and beginning the process of Manifest Destiny.
2. Louisiana Purchase- Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican and believed in limited powers of the federal government, but in reality he may have actually expanded the power of the executive. The area west of Louisiana was French Territory. However, they were willing to sell it at a cheap price because they did not have the money to maintain it and they needed the money. James monroe and Robert Livingston negotiated a deal to buy the territory for $18 million. This put Jefferson in a quandary because he wanted the U.S. to gain that land but was not sure if it was constitutional for him to just buy it. In the end, he must have decided it was worth it because he used the "elastic clause" to stretch his powers and bought the land. This land was important in this time period for opening up a new frontier and beginning the process of Manifest Destiny.
3. Henry Clay's American System- Henry Clay's American Syatem was a three part system that was meant to ease sectional conflicts by giving different parts of the U.S. things they wanted. These three parts were the Tariff of 1816, the chartering of the Second Banks of the United States, and various internal improvements that benefitted transportation. From this system, the West got much needed internal improvements and the Cumberland Road, the North got a protective tariff it needed to protect manufacturing. The South felt like it got nothing but the tariffs from the North and were very unhappy with this deal. This led to increased sectional conflicts between the North and South.
4. Missouri Compromise- The Missouri Compromise is another solution that Henry Clay devised. It was caused yet again by sectional conflicts but this time over slavery. By this time, the abolition movement had hit the North and some states were free and some not. Both Missouri and Maine wanted to come join the Union. Missouri wanted to be a slave state and came in a slave state and Maine entered as a free state as to not upset the balance of free and slave states. The compromise also drew an imaginary line along the 36 30 line west of mississippi. Newly admitted states above the line would be free and below would be slave. This compromise was effective in slowing the slave conflicts but was later negated in the Kansas-Nebraska Act which sparked controversy.
5. Industrial Revolution and Lowell Mill System- During this time period, great economic advances began in the United States. Samuel Slater brought the first ideas for a industrial mill to America. He used a more efficient way to make yarn from cotton. Another development were Lowell Mills. This type of mill used the labor of younger women because of the cheap labor. This was a mutually beneficial relationship because this system gave women independence outside of marriage and they provided cheap labor. These developments are significant because they lead to the First Industrial Revolution which was key to America becoming a developed democracy with a stable economy.
4. Missouri Compromise- The Missouri Compromise is another solution that Henry Clay devised. It was caused yet again by sectional conflicts but this time over slavery. By this time, the abolition movement had hit the North and some states were free and some not. Both Missouri and Maine wanted to come join the Union. Missouri wanted to be a slave state and came in a slave state and Maine entered as a free state as to not upset the balance of free and slave states. The compromise also drew an imaginary line along the 36 30 line west of mississippi. Newly admitted states above the line would be free and below would be slave. This compromise was effective in slowing the slave conflicts but was later negated in the Kansas-Nebraska Act which sparked controversy.
5. Industrial Revolution and Lowell Mill System- During this time period, great economic advances began in the United States. Samuel Slater brought the first ideas for a industrial mill to America. He used a more efficient way to make yarn from cotton. Another development were Lowell Mills. This type of mill used the labor of younger women because of the cheap labor. This was a mutually beneficial relationship because this system gave women independence outside of marriage and they provided cheap labor. These developments are significant because they lead to the First Industrial Revolution which was key to America becoming a developed democracy with a stable economy.
6. Monroe Doctrine- The Monroe Doctrine was one of the first real U.S. foreign policy decisions made by the new country. President James Monroe asserted that any attempts to colonize the Western Hemisphere would be met with American intervention. He claimed that it was just the U.S. asserting "self defense." This policy became very important in later time periods because it was used by many other presidents for justification of the spread of U.S. influence in the western hemisphere.
7. Passage of the Indian Removal Act and "Trail of Tears"- This time period did not bode well for Native Americans. With Andrew Jackson as president, their rights were severely diminished and they lost a lot of their original homelands. The Indian Removal Act allowed for the United States government to "trade" lands with the Cherokee and have them removed to lands west of the Mississippi. The "Trail of Tears" was the forced march of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia to Oklahoma. These events led to a precedent of more indian oppression over the next couple decades.
8. American Anti-Slavery Society Founded- This is just one development that was made in the abolition movement during this time. Led by William Lloyd Garrison, this was one of the first significant groups advocating for the abolition of slavery. David Walker's Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World had made many people think about the issue of slavery, and controversy about the Missouri compromise had heated up the debate. This group helped raise awareness for the abolition movement and better organize its supporters during this time period.
9. Seneca Falls Convention- The Women's Suffrage movement was born during this time period. The first convention to discuss this issue was the Seneca Falls Convention. At this convention, the women in attendance drafted the Declaration of Sentiments which was modelled after the Declaration of Independence. They wanted to have many of the same rights of men. Though the movement would be overlooked by the abolition movement in the coming decades, the Seneca Falls Convention remains an important step in increasing the rights for women in the future.
10. Ostend Manifesto- The United States certainly increased its territories during this time period due to the idea of manifest destiny. Southerners found the territory of Cuba to be extremely tempting due to its connections to the slave trade and the economic possibilities it held for the South. The manifesto called for the U.S. to buy Cuba from Spain for $120 Million. It was met by extreme opposition from Northerners and was denounced by the president at the time, Franklin Pierce. This event is critical because it shows that the idea of manifest destiny only applied to lands in the West, not land overseas.