American History: Paine and Slavery

Thomas Paine's Common Sense argued that remaining in the British Empire would lead to ongoing conflicts, suppression of colonists' freedoms, and involvement in Britain's wars, ultimately hindering their prosperity and self-governance.

Paine believed that by separating from Britain, American colonists could establish a new government based on democratic principles, securing their own rights and liberties.

The American Revolution sparked a shift in attitudes toward slavery, leading to the gradual emancipation of slaves in the North through laws and voluntary actions.

Laws passed in the North after the Revolution prohibited the importation of slaves and gradually phased out existing enslaved populations. However, these measures were often slow and incomplete.

The 1830 census revealed that some slaves still existed in the North, even though abolition laws were in place. This highlights the slow nature of the process and lingering inequalities.

Voluntary manumission refers to the act of slave owners freeing their slaves of their own accord. This practice became more common in the 1780s, particularly in Virginia and Maryland, as a response to the Revolution's ideals of liberty.

Robert Carter III, a wealthy Virginia landowner, exemplified the practice of voluntary manumission by setting a plan to gradually free the hundreds of slaves he owned. This demonstrates a growing shift in social attitudes towards slavery.

The American Revolution significantly impacted the institution of slavery, leading to both legal and societal shifts. While gradual emancipation efforts progressed in the North, the legacy of slavery remained a complex and evolving issue in the United States.

This legal code from 1705 in Virginia established a rigid system of racial hierarchy and control over enslaved people.

A legal document that formally grants a judge the power to perform their official duties.

The principle that the US Constitution is the supreme law of the land, taking precedence over any federal or state laws.

The power of the Supreme Court to review laws passed by Congress and the President to determine whether they are constitutional.

The landmark 1803 Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review.

The process by which the Supreme Court reviews the constitutionality of a state law.

The 1810 Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review of state laws.

Gifts or payments made illegally to influence someone's decision, often in exchange for favors.

The act of declaring a law invalid because it violates the Constitution.

A contract that involves the exchange of goods, services, or money for a specified price.

The act of making something null and void, like canceling a law or agreement.

The power of the government to take private property for public use, even if the owner doesn't want to sell it.

A formal statement of the reasons behind a legal decision.

A written document that is the record of a legal case.

The process of bringing a legal case before a court.

A law where children born to enslaved mothers after a specific date would be free after serving a period of indentured servitude, typically 21-28 years. This was a strategy to gradually end slavery without immediately freeing existing slaves.

Pennsylvania's 1780 law freed children born to enslaved mothers after 1780, but they had to serve until they were 28 years old for males and 21 years old for females.

New York's 1799 law freed children born to enslaved mothers after July 4, 1799, but required them to serve until they were 28 years old for males and 25 years old for females.

New Jersey's 1804 law freed children born to enslaved mothers after July 4, 1804, but they had to serve until they were 25 years old for males and 21 years old for females.

The legal concept that a child's legal status, including slavery, followed the mother's status.

The Virginia law of 1662 established that children born to enslaved mothers were also enslaved, regardless of their father's status. This solidified hereditary slavery in the colony.

This law enacted by the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1667 determined that conversion to Christianity did not release a slave from bondage. It allowed for the enslavement of Christians by other Christians.

Anthony Johnson, a Black man in colonial Virginia, owned Black slaves and land, demonstrating that some free Blacks could achieve wealth and power despite being in a society based on racial hierarchy.

In the early 1600s, free Blacks in Virginia and Maryland had some legal and social rights, including owning land, suing in court, and participating in colonial life.

Eric Foner argues that during colonial times, the primary divisions were considered civilization versus barbarism, or Christianity versus heathenism, rather than based on race. This was a justification for enslaving Africans who were considered less civilized and pagan.

The arrival of 20 enslaved Africans in Virginia in 1619 marked the start of slavery in the colony. This began a shift from indentured servitude to a more permanent system of enslavement based on race.

While initially some enslaved people could gain freedom after serving a period of years, the system gradually evolved towards permanent enslavement, based on race, as seen in the case of Anthony Johnson.

The Virginia law of 1662 established that a child born to a slave mother, regardless of their father's status, would inherit their mother's enslaved status.

The Virginia Slave Code of 1705 restricted enslaved people's rights, prohibiting them from owning guns, physically hurting white people, or owning white indentured servants, further solidifying the institution of slavery.

A legal document that outlines the rules and principles governing a state or nation.

The Articles of Confederation established a weak central government with limited powers, fearing a repeat of British tyranny.

The Articles of Confederation granted states the authority to tax and raise their own military forces, making them more powerful than the federal government.

The Northwest Ordinance successfully established rules for organizing new territories and prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.

The Articles of Confederation required unanimous agreement from all 13 states to make any changes to the document.

Shay's Rebellion was caused by economic hardships faced by farmers and veterans who were unable to pay taxes due to state-imposed debt burdens.

Shays' Rebellion demonstrated the inability of states to effectively raise and maintain a strong military to suppress revolts.

Daniel Shays represented those veterans of the American Revolution who faced financial difficulties due to state failure to compensate them for their service.

The Virginia law allowed the state to seize property from loyalists despite the Treaty of Paris provisions protecting their property rights.

Martin v. Hunter's Lessee established the Supreme Court's authority to review state court decisions on federal matters, solidifying the supremacy of federal law.

The founding fathers established a government with two parts: a central government and individual state governments.

The Articles of Confederation laid the groundwork for a new nation with a weak central government and powerful individual states.

The Articles of Confederation's inability to effectively address economic crises and maintain order led to calls for a stronger national government under the Constitution.

The founding fathers, primarily wealthy white men, approved the Articles of Confederation, which outlined rules for citizens to follow.

The Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting states from passing laws that interfere with the obligations of contracts, was established by this Supreme Court case.

The U.S.'s neutrality in the Napoleonic Wars was tested when Britain, at war with France, interfered with American trade and impressed American sailors into the British Navy.

A Shawnee religious prophet who advocated for complete separation from whites, revival of traditional Native American culture, and resistance to U.S. policies. He believed white people were the source of evil.

A Shawnee leader and Tenskwatawa's brother who sought to unite Native American tribes against the U.S. expansion. He believed that resistance was necessary to avoid extermination.

Tecumseh's famous question, referencing the fate of Native American tribes like the Pequots and Narragansetts, highlighting the devastating consequences of European colonization.

Tecumseh argued that Native American tribes had a shared right to the land and should not be exploited by white settlers.

Tecumseh's powerful statement against the sale of land, reminding the U.S. government that natural resources cannot be bought and sold like commodities, highlighting the sacred connection between Indigenous people and the land.

Tecumseh's call for attacks on American frontier settlements in 1810, leading to increased tensions and suspicion between Native Americans and U.S settlers.

General William Henry Harrison's decisive victory over Tecumseh's forces at Prophetstown, effectively ending Tecumseh's plans for Indigenous unity and resistance.

The Federalist Party, opposed to the War of 1812, believed it was a Democratic-Republican scheme to gain political power by conquering Canada and Florida.

A convention held by Federalist Party leaders primarily from New England, seeking ways to weaken the influence of the Democratic-Republican Party, including a proposed amendment to abolish the Three-Fifths Compromise.

The decisive victory at the Battle of New Orleans, led by Andrew Jackson, revitalized American patriotism and effectively ended the War of 1812.

The outcome of the War of 1812 resulted in the decline of the Federalist Party, a surge in American patriotism, and the opening of new territories for American settlement, including Michigan, Indiana, and Alabama.

The Battle of Thames, a decisive American victory, effectively subdued the Native American forces and allowed for the settlement of Michigan without further conflicts.

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, was added to protect individual liberties and prevent a powerful central government from infringing on citizens' rights.

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. It ensures individuals can practice their religious beliefs without interference from the government.

The Federalists, who supported a strong central government, agreed to include the Bill of Rights to appease the Anti-Federalists, who feared a powerful government and wanted assurances that individual freedoms would be protected.

The Kentucky Resolution, proposed by Thomas Jefferson, argued that states could nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional. However, the legislature removed this idea from the final resolution.

The Electoral College is a system used to elect the President of the United States. Each state has a certain number of electors based on its population, and these electors vote for the President.

The Founding Fathers designed the Electoral College to prevent a 'tyranny of the majority'—a scenario where the lower classes could control the government and ignore the interests of the elite.

The Whiskey Rebellion, a tax revolt in 1794, erupted when backcountry farmers refused to pay an excise tax on whiskey. They invoked the symbols of the American Revolution and threatened the federal government.

The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated that the US Constitution was functional and that the federal government could enforce its authority.

The protective tariff was too low, and Alexander Hamilton wanted another source of revenue for the new government, such as an excise tax.

Distilling is the process of separating alcohol from a liquid by heating and creating vapor, which is then condensed back into a liquid.

Alexander Hamilton proposed a plan to pay off both federal and state debts accumulated during the American Revolution by issuing new bonds to repay old debts.

A bond is a certificate issued by a government or company to repay a loan with interest on a set date. It represents a debt obligation.

Hamilton's financial plan aimed to pay off both federal and state debts by buying up existing bonds and issuing new ones to repay the old debts.

The Whiskey Rebellion was similar to Shays' Rebellion in that both involved farmers burdened by taxes. However, unlike Shays' Rebellion, where the militia sided with the farmers, the federal militia effectively suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion.

The Federalists favored a strong central government, while the Democratic-Republicans emphasized states' rights and a more limited federal government.

The Supreme Court has the authority, established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, to review state court decisions that involve federal law.

The Treaty of Paris officially ended the American Revolutionary War between the US and Great Britain. It included provisions about the treatment of Loyalists and their property.

A person who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution. In this case, Denny Martin's uncle was a Loyalist, and Virginia's attempt to seize his property violated the Treaty of Paris.

The Virginia Court of Appeals, the highest court in Virginia at that time, ruled in favor of David Hunter, upholding the state law that allowed the seizure of property from Loyalists. This decision would later be overturned by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, in the case of Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, asserted its authority to review and overturn state court decisions that involved federal law, creating a precedent for the Supreme Court's power to oversee the entire legal system.

This plan proposed a bicameral legislature where the number of representatives in each house would be based on the state's population. States with larger populations would have more representatives.

The New Jersey Plan advocated for a unicameral legislature where each state would have one vote, regardless of population size. This aimed to prevent states with large populations from dominating the government.

The delegates settled the dispute over representation with a bicameral congress—two houses. The House of Representatives is based on population, while the Senate gives equal voting power to each state.

Slave states argued that slaves should be counted as full citizens when determining representation in the House of Representatives. This would have given them a greater number of representatives.

Non-slaveholding states opposed counting slaves towards representation, arguing it would give slave states unfair political advantage in the House of Representatives.

The Three-Fifths Compromise resolved the conflict over slavery's influence on representation. It stipulated that only three-fifths of a state's enslaved population would be counted for representation in the House.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, passed by Congress, enforced the return of escaped slaves to their owners. This law highlights how the Constitution, in theory, protected citizens from government tyranny, but at the same time, preserved slavery.

The principle of 'Separation of Powers' divides government authority between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with each branch having specific powers to check and balance the others, preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful.

The Founding Fathers, particularly those supporting a strong central government, promised the system of checks and balances to appease those who feared a powerful central government becoming tyrannical.

James Madison argued that Hamilton's plan to pay off national debt would unfairly reward speculators who bought bonds at a discounted price during the Revolution.

Congress approved full repayment of the national debt, despite Madison's opposition, as Hamilton argued that repaying debts was essential for securing investors' trust and building a strong national economy.

A protective tariff is a type of tax placed on imported goods to make them more expensive than domestically produced goods, aiming to protect local industries from foreign competition.

Northern manufacturers supported a protective tariff because it would reduce competition from cheaper foreign goods, while Southern planters opposed it because it would make imported goods more expensive.

Congress passed a lower tariff than Hamilton wanted, as a compromise between Northern industrialists and Southern agriculturalists, leading to a less protective tariff for American manufacturers.

Hamilton proposed an excise tax on whiskey production to generate revenue after the tariff was lower than anticipated. This tax heavily impacted farmers, who relied on whiskey production.

Farmers rebelled against the excise tax on whiskey, viewing it as an infringement on their liberty, mirroring previous tax rebellions in Britain and Shay's Rebellion.

The peaceful transfer of power in the 1800 election from the Federalist party to the Democratic-Republican party marked a significant shift in American politics.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, passed by Congress, required local governments to capture and return runaway slaves to their owners. This law penalized those who aided slaves escaping to freedom.

Jefferson believed that a nation of farmers was ideal for a republic because farmers were independent and less susceptible to political manipulation. He saw factory workers as financially dependent on their employers and thus vulnerable to influence.

Farmers could depend on their own land for sustenance and were less vulnerable to economic fluctuations, unlike factory workers whose livelihoods were subject to the ups and downs of the market.

New Orleans was a vital port city for American farmers because it provided access to the Mississippi River, enabling them to easily transport their goods to domestic and international markets.

Napoleon offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million, an offer Jefferson could not refuse due to the strategic importance of the land for American expansion and control of the Mississippi.

The right for a country to store goods in a port without paying taxes or tariffs, revoked in 1802 by Spain in New Orleans, harming American farmers.

Jefferson wanted to purchase New Orleans from France for $10 million dollars, but ended up buying the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million due to Napoleon's offer.

Jefferson's purchase of Louisiana contradicted his own strict interpretation of the US Constitution, as it didn't explicitly grant the president the power to buy land from other countries.

A spiritual message delivered to Native Americans by the Great Spirit, advocating for a return to their traditional culture and land.

A movement where Native American tribes unite to confront shared political and social challenges, like combating the expansion of white settlers and preserving their cultures.

A political philosophy that emphasizes a strict and literal interpretation of the US Constitution, limiting the government's powers.

A political philosophy that allows for a more flexible and broad interpretation of the US Constitution, enabling the government to address new or evolving needs.

The period from 1800 to 1850 marked by significant changes in manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation, leading to economic growth and social transformation.

The era before the Market Revolution, characterized by small-scale production of goods, local markets, and artisans creating goods by hand.

The development of canals and steamboats during the Market Revolution allowed for faster and cheaper transportation of goods across longer distances.

The Erie Canal, built in 1825, and the Ohio and Erie Canal, built in 1833, along with steamboats, enabled farmers in Ohio to transport their products to the East Coast in less than three weeks.

Robert Fulton's invention in 1807 that allowed for faster and more efficient water transportation, enabling producers to reach wider markets.

The path that Ohio farmers used to transport their products to the East Coast, utilizing the Ohio River, the Ohio and Erie Canal, Lake Erie, the Erie Canal, the Hudson River, and finally arriving in New York City.

A movement that called for women's rights based on the Declaration of Independence and their equal rights.

The Declaration of Independence provided women with a justification for demanding equal rights by emphasizing the belief that all people are created equal and possess inherent rights.

The right to vote, own property, equal wages, fair divorce laws, same employment opportunities, and equal education.

A period where all white men, regardless of class or religion, gained the right to vote and participate in politics.

Jackson was born poor, worked hard to acquire wealth, and presented himself as the protector of the common man against the wealthy and powerful.

Jackson vetoed the Bank of the United States and the Maysville Road Bill, highlighting his opposition to the concentration of power among elites.

The Maysville Road Bill aimed to fund the construction of a major road in Kentucky using federal money.

Andrew Jackson opposed the Maysville Road Bill, arguing that the US Constitution did not grant the federal government the power to fund roads within a state.

Jackson's support for Native American removal contradicts his image as the protector of the common man, while his veto of the Bank of the United States aligns with that persona.

Andrew Jackson supported federal and state policies that forced Native Americans to relocate from the South to areas west of the Mississippi River.

Jackson supported Indian removal policies to open up land for white settlers and expand American territory.

"Universal White Male Suffrage" refers to all white men gaining the right to vote and participate in politics.

The expansion of voting rights to include all white men, regardless of class or religion.

Common men, not born into wealth, supported Jackson because he presented himself as their representative and protector.

The wealthy controlled the Bank of the United States, and Jackson believed this concentrated power in the hands of a few elites, leading to unfair advantages and potential harm to the common man.

The Cherokee Nation was ruled as a sovereign nation, independent and self-governing, and not subject to the Georgia laws, according to the Supreme Court.

The Indian Removal Act of 1830, passed during Andrew Jackson's presidency, led to the forced relocation of Cherokee people from their ancestral lands in Georgia to Oklahoma.

The Trail of Tears refers to the arduous journey that Cherokee people had to endure, facing extreme hardships and ultimately leading to the deaths of thousands, as they were forced to relocate to Oklahoma.

The Tariff of 1828, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by John Quincy Adams, imposed a tax on imported goods to make them more expensive and encourage Americans to buy cheaper domestic goods.

The South opposed the Tariff of 1828 because it raised prices of manufactured goods that they relied on from foreign countries, particularly from Britain.

The South also opposed the Tariff of 1828 because it caused Britain to buy less cotton from them, as Britain had less money to spend due to American tariffs on British goods.

South Carolina, led by John C. Calhoun, attempted to nullify the Tariff of 1832, arguing that states had the right to declare federal laws unconstitutional and unenforceable within their boundaries.

John C. Calhoun developed Nullification Theory, influenced by the Kentucky Resolution, which stated that states have the power to nullify any federal law that they deem unconstitutional.

Before canals and steamboats, transporting goods from Cincinnati to New York took seven weeks due to the reliance on slower flatboats that could only travel downstream and the circuitous route: Cincinnati - Mississippi River (downstream) - New Orleans - Gulf of Mexico - Atlantic Ocean - New York City.

The Nullification Crisis arose when South Carolina declared the Tariff of 1832 null and void within the state, refusing to enforce the federal law. President Andrew Jackson responded by issuing a proclamation declaring nullification an act of treason and threatening military action.

John Deere's steel plow, invented in 1837, revolutionized farming by allowing farmers to efficiently prepare land for planting, especially essential for western lands with less fertile soil.

The Nullification Crisis was resolved when Congress, with the help of Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, enacted a new tariff in 1833, lowering the tariff rates and satisfying South Carolina. South Carolina then withdrew its nullification ordinance.

Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper, invented in 1831, enabled farmers to harvest crops significantly faster, leading to increased agricultural output.

The combination of John Deere's steel plow and Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper dramatically increased wheat production, tripling output between 1840 and 1860.

The Spinning Jenny, invented in 1764, revolutionized textile production by allowing quick and efficient transformation of cotton into thread.

The Power Loom, invented in 1785, further enhanced textile production by enabling rapid weaving of thread into cloth.

The Factory System, emerging in the early 1800s, brought together workers and machinery in centralized locations, like Lowell, Massachusetts, for mass production, especially of textiles.

Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin, invented in 1793, revolutionized cotton production by speeding up the process of separating seeds from cotton, dramatically increasing output.

The Market Revolution's increased demand for textiles, driven by the Power Loom and Spinning Jenny, led to a surge in cotton production in the South, supplied by slave labor.

The cotton gin's impact on cotton production led to a surge in demand for slave labor in the South. Between 1800-1860, around 1 million slaves were forced to migrate from the Upper South to the Deep South for cotton cultivation.

The Second Great Awakening, a period of religious revival (1800-1830), was fueled by religious leaders' concern about declining church attendance, which they attributed to the Market Revolution's focus on wealth and potential for greed.

Charles G. Finney, a key figure in the Second Great Awakening, emphasized individual responsibility and the freedom to choose a life of sin or a Christian life. He advocated for creating a world free of sin, which later influenced abolitionism.

The Second Great Awakening gave rise to a faction within the Abolitionist Movement that saw slavery as a sin. This group, inspired by the call for a world free of sins, actively sought to abolish slavery.

William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist, founded the American Antislavery Society (1831) and published The Liberator, calling for immediate abolition of slavery using moral suasion—convincing people of slavery's immorality.

The American Colonization Society, established in 1816, supported gradual emancipation but believed in a separate colony for freed slaves in Liberia, seeing African Americans as inferior and a threat to white society.

The Colored Females' Free Produce Society (1831) was formed by Black women abolitionists. They aimed to eliminate slavery by promoting goods not produced by slave labor and encouraging boycotts of goods produced by slave labor.