AP U.S.

History Semester I class-lecture Notes

PRE-EUROPEAN AMERICA

• At least 50,00 years ago, migration across the Bering Strait from East Asia to North America caused
population of the Americas.
 A contrary theory to this is a migration across the Pacific Ocean and/or Micronesia, as opposed to
across the Bering Strait.

• Modern American geography set after the last Ice Age.

• First people to migrate across the Bering Strait resemble East Asians (Russians, Chinese, Mongolians
 A total of 75,000,000 groups of people move across during the time period while it is still frozen

• Simple farming and textile economies appear at 3000 BC; evidence of hunting/gathering at “biblical
times”

• 1000 BC- Formation of Andean group (around the Andes mountains in South America), whose
descendants are the Maya/Aztec/Inca/Anasazi.

• 1-900 AD- “Classic” era in Mexico/Peru area, in terms of Andean tribes and their cultures.
 Artistic Pottery
 Polytheistic Religions- very influential in their lives (and were accompanied by violent sacrifices)
 Highly Authoritarian- development of a hierarchical society.

Develops into a population of 50-75 million clustered in Mexico and South America.

Mayas

Civilization established in the region around 300-800 AD

• No Central Leadership
• Superior Calendars, Astronomy (In 1752 AD Europeans adopt a calendar similar to the Mayans')
• Elaborate Architecture
• One of the most successful attempts at creating a written language
• Civilization declines (without an evident cause) after 900 AD.

Aztecs

Civilization founded around 1300 AD, to about 1521 (due to the invasion of Cortéz)
• Empire expanded to about 125,000 square miles, 5-6 population of about 5-6 million people.
• Militaristic, aggressive society.
• Followed the Roman system- captured cities that became colonies, or extensions of their empire, demanded
tribute from the colonies (mainly resources)
• Very similar to the European mercantile system.
• Aztecs were in their “Fifth Age of the Aztecs” according their own system.

Cycle of ancient civilizations- Religion ends up leading to war between conflicting ideas of deities, war leads to
establishment of wide-spanning empires, empires leads to religions. The cycle is endlessly repeating.

Incas

• Centered in Peru
 • Height of empire is 1500s, about 7m million people.
• Society was sustained by complex system of labor and taxation.
• Very expansive, assimilated cultures instead of killing them.
• Violent religions, many wars and sacrifices.
• Mainly a monarchy; ruled by an absolute monarch.
 No fixed procedure from procedure for succession of monarchs.

Native North Americans

• Densely populated within their regions.

• 10-12 million (possibly 4-5) north Americans when Columbus arrived.
• 12 language groups, 55 regional dialects.

Important tribes- Adena Hopwell, Pueblos Apache, Navaho, Creek, Iroquois Federation, Algonquin, Delaware

Iroquois Federation
• Onondega, Oneida, Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora.
• Unique for their female leaders; lineage in tribes was traced through their others.

Culture

Family/village/clan bring tribes together; “kinship groups”- extended family

• married in their teens
• polygamy was prominent within society
• warring between tribes resolved through “vendetta”
 cause of much of the armed conflict.
• Religions ranged from monotheism to polytheistic to Shamanism.
• Tribes were headed by “Chiefs”, who served as advisors to the tribe, along with the tribal elders, the
oldest members of the tribe were thought to have great wisdom.
• History was chronicled through oral tradition, or the aural passing-down of stories and history from
person to person.
• Used “visions” to seek guidance when Europeans came, because “white man” had never been seen
before.

Trade

• Importance of it meant that there was a mutual exchange of gifts and culture.
• Land ownership did not exist in Native American society until European arrival.

Colonization

• Pilgrims wanted to wholly separate from the Church of England.

• Puritans still would be part of the Church of England.
• Nov. 11, 1620- first Winter in the colonial societies.

Glorious Revolution

• 1688- William and Mary take the throne

• All colonies were required to have a government (which would be appointed by the King)
 used as leverage to support the Navigation Acts
• British Cabinet has fixed elections in regards to having the elected officials be indebted to the King in
terms of favors.
 • Led to the establishment of Colonial Governments
 Individual colonies decided they controlled the Governors through extortion and threats, so the King
had no real power over the colonies.
• Colonies demanded enumerated rights from the British
 not addressed during this period of “Benign Neglect”

FRENCH COLONIALISM

• Mainly centered around the St. Lawrence & Mississippi Rivers

• Settled in Montréal in 1642
• Exploration of the interior US and Canada began around 1673.
 La Salle explores the Gulf of Mexico
 All land claimed for King Louis XIV, called Louisiana.
• At the height of French Colonialism, the population neared 40,000 settlers.
 Focused more trade
 Not interested (like English colonials) in taking territory
 Proselytized catholicism across the territories
• Settled along the Appalachian interior.
• European Wars carry over to America;
• King William's War (1689-1697), known as the War of the Grand Alliance in Britain.
 Solves nothing, the end result is the exact same as pre-war status.
• Queen Anne's War (1702-1713), known as the War of the Spanish Succession in Britain.
• King George's War (1744-1748), known as the War of Austrian Succession in Britain.
 War was skirmishes in Georgia between Spain & English.
 Again, nothing happens as a result of the conflict.

French and Indian War (Seven Year's War)

• War officially declared by Britain on France in 1756.

• William Pitt (a commoner) becomes British Prime Minister
• Starts in colonies, and carries over to Europe
• Involves multiple empires (French, Spanish, English, Native Americans)
• Plan was twofold
 Hold the line against French in Europe, so the French couldn't reinforce their American settlements
 Remove France entirely from the New World
• British forces relied heavily on Prussian and Hessian mercenaries to do their fighting
• 1758- James Wolfe and Jeffrey Amhurst promoted to command the English Army
 Three-pronged plan to attack French, towards Canada- Part of the army would go through the
Niagara route, part through Lake Champlain, and part through the St. Lawrence river.
• George Washington fights, retreats to Ft. Necessity, which becomes under siege
 He signs a confession saying he commanded the army that killed the French commander, which was
something extremely dishonorable to do at the time
• Britain takes over Accadia, the event becoming known as The Great Displacement
 The Accadians go to Louisiana, form the “Cajun” culture
The formerly known Accadia becomes Nova Scotia
• English Commander Braddick (accompanied by Col. Washington) goes off to Ft. Duquesne and dies, the
British forces flee.
• 1759- Major victory at the Plains of Abraham
 1758- Quebec falls
 1760- Montréal (French capital of Canada in both resources and political aspects at the time) falls.
• 1763- Treaty of Paris (1763) ends the war, the French effectively leave the New World
 France gives all territory in Canada to Britain, as well as territory East of the Mississippi River
  France is allowed to keep a foothold in the West Indies (namely Haiti)
 Spain gets all territory West of the Mississippi, including the major port of New Orleans.
 Spain gives Florida to Britain, in turn Spain receives Cuba

Significance of the French/Indian War

• Colonists realized their feeling of infallibility was gone, and that they could be defeated
• William Pitt's plan to oust the French from the America's was completed.
• Colonists gained the desire to expand Westward now that the territory was clear of enemies
• 20,000 soldiers gain fighting experience in the war on the part of the colonists.
• Colonies continued illegal trade with France (very profitable) and Spain, even though both were enemies
of Britain

Albany Plan of Union

• Authored by Benjamin Franklin

• Declared the need to stop Native Americans from attacking the colonies
• Planned to unify the colonies, more like a confederacy than a modern union

Proclamation of 1763

• Colonists could not settle West of the Appalachian Mountains.

 Incentive for the colonists to trade with Britain
 It was costly to garrison forces West of the Appalachians, so Britain would save enormous sums of
money not to have to guard the colonists that far from the coastline
 Satisfied Indian territorial needs, so there was less of a fear for Indian raids.

FACTORS OF THE REVOLUTION

• Taxation by the British in the colonies and the imperialist policies of Britain
• Land policy (Proclamation Of 1763)
• “Mentality of 1763”- defiance of the British because the colonists got nothing out of helping the war
effort on the side of the British during the French/Indian War.
• Smuggling with the French and Spanish helped their trade, as mercantilist policies made British goods
costlier.
 It was simply cheaper to trade illegally with France and Spain than to trade with Britain legally.
• George III
 Controlled Parliament with an “Iron Fist”
 He was borderline insane, having deep bouts of depression (due to a genetic metabolic condition)
• The idea of “No Taxation without Representation”, in the colonists' minds, they had no direct
representation in Parliament, even though Britain would say that Parliament takes into account the
wishes of the colonies, as they are part of her empire
• The colonies themselves aren't making any money, it's all being sent to Britain or put into British
interests.

(Cont. on next page)

 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Britain American Colonies
Veteran Soldiers Untrained Aarmy
Navy (over 400 ships) No navy
Tradition of Excellence No proven leadership
Innovative Tactics Poor Currency
Industrial Base No industrial base
Largest worldwide empire No diplomatic resources
No effective unity

Support bases for each side were heavily divided

• Tories
 Loyalists
 Concentrated in seaports
 Governors, judges, royal officers
 merchants who would gain from an alliance
 fickle in their loyalty- they hide when the British leave
• Timid supporters
 Undecided supporters, who were to be won over by either side
• “True Blue” supporters
 heavily in favor of supporting the colonies

Differences between the Colonial Army and Colonial Militia

Colonial Army
Relatively well-trained
Mostly Native-born, some servants, immigrants
Desertions in the army were common
Regiments organized by states; always underfunded
Colonial Militia
All white males expected to serve in a militia if not in
an army
“Home Guard” for towns
Augmenting force for the Colonial Army
Tactics consisted mostly of hand-to-hand and ambush
Used long-barreled muskets
Brutally treated their prisoners

The War
• British Troops retreat to Boston; Colonial troops surround Boston from the high ground
• Gen. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold rebuild Ft. Ticonderoga
• Gen. Israel Putnam- commanded colonial forces in Boston
 Attacked British forces with artillery at Bunker Hill first, then retreated to Breed's Hill and began
attacking again.
 Famously known for the quote “Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”
• Gen. Thomas Gage- Commander of British forces in the colonies, attacked with a traditional frontal
assault on Putnam's forces
• British take a loss of about ½ of their soldiers, take over Breed's Hill on their third attempt
• After this battle the British realize that the colonies are now “foreign”, meaning they were in
disobedience of the country and had to be retaken over
• March 17, 1776- British retreat to Nova Scotia (Halifax, particularly) and left Boston, known in Boston
as Patriot's Day, everywhere else as St. Patrick's Day.
• Tactical loss for Britain, major morale boost for colonial forces.
• Declaration of Independence signed July 3-4, 1776, declaring the colonies free from British rule
• Benedict Arnold tries to enter Canada to assault British positions
 • British gain control of New York
• Dec. 25, 1776- Washington crosses the Delaware, ambushes the British and Hessian army, takes some of
their troops hostage
• Princeton, NJ- pushes the British forces out of New Jersey permanently.
• Battle of Saratoga- won by the colonists, major victory- after the battle, the French consider the colonies
worthy of to be an independent nation (they were hesitant beforehand because of fear from British
retaliation), so they ally themselves with the colonies, thereby increasing the size of their near-
nonexistent navy and additional troops.
• Battle of Yorktown- Washington pushes British army towards the coastline, forces Gen. Cornwallis and
his army into a grip between Washington's land forces pushing him towards the coastline and the waiting
French ships at the coastline preventing any sort of aid or retreat.
• War ends with the Treaty of Paris (1783)

CONSTITUTION THROUGH THE 1820s

Sections of the Constitution

I- Preamble
II- Legislative
III- Executive
IV- Judicial
V- States
VI- Amendments
VII- Supremacy Clause
VIII- Ratification

• People who proposed ratification rather went to state conventions than state legislature because state
legislative powers were being taken away by the Constitution, thusly making the Legislatures biased
against ratification, so it would be passed more likely by going to conventions.
• Roger Sherman from Connecticut proposes the Connecticut Plan, which creates a bicameral legislature
(two houses)
 Virginia wanted representation based on population, New Jersey wanted representation based on a
equal representation between states. (Virginia and New Jersey Plans)
• All taxation bills (and all bills dealing with Congressional Spending) must be passed in the House of
Representatives
• New England benefits most from federally-regulated trade, due to their heavily transportation-based
industry.
 No taxes on exports helped even more.

Special sections of the constitution worth note:

• Full faith and credit- to contracts in other states (to prevent running to other states), allowed for contracts
made in one state to be recognized in others (modern example is drivers licenses)
• Policy of extradition (the sending of criminals to their home country to be tried) is established,
eventually leads to the Fugitive Slave Law in the 1800s.
• Importation of slaves banned after 1808, but interstate slave trade would still be very prominent.

Bill of Rights

James Madison proposed 12 amendments, 10 of which were accepted. (he would end up writing the first
and last 10 amendments to the Constitution, but they were not all instantly approved)
Criminal cases- deal with breaking the law
Civil cases- deal with breach of contract, namely financial contracts.
Hamiltonian Banking System

• Hamilton was extremely intelligent

• Born in the West Indies, abandoned by his father after birth.
• Worked with a mercantile firm for his early career.
• 1773- Enrolled in King's College in NY (now known as Columbia)
• 1774- Starts writing pro-independence propaganda
• 1777- is an artillery officer in Washington's Army
• 1780- Marries Elizabeth Skylar
• Cements his social standing; his outlook on political issues
• becomes a member of the NY delegation to Annapolis and Philadelphia Conventions
• 1789- Named 1st Secretary of Treasury
• Nationalist- He has no colonial prejudices
• Policies focus on giving power to Central Government
• Did not fear that the Central Government would get too much power
• No problem having economic ties with Britain
• Everything had to be organized at the national level
• Thought people were motivated by their own economic self-interests
Wants to turn the United States into a good investment

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

• Jefferson intended originally to purchase New Orleans (or the right to navigate it)
• Napoleon was in dire need of funds for his war, instead sold the entire French Territory to the U.S. For
15 million
• Was unconstitutional because there was nothing in the constitution about purchasing land for the
government.

Hamilton's Plan

• Three Categories of Debt for the U.S.

• Debt owed to foreign nations/investors (they owed France $11 mil)

• Domestic Debt- merchants, bonuses to soldiers
• Revolutionary Bonds (cause states to go into debt $25 mil)
 Funding the debt at par- reissued debt under a central identity.
 Assumption of state debts.
 Proved to foreign entities that the country could pay the debt; led to higher credit
 Southern Agrarian v. Northern industrial/commercial economies begin to emerge

• Assume debt of States

• Controlled by the Central Government

• 4/5 of the debt is held by the Northern states, thereby being unfair to the South, who had little debt
• most Southern states had paid off their debt
• support for this falls along class lines

The War of 1812

• Conflict between Britain & France

• Extension of the Napoleonic War
• Jefferson tries to deal with British and French
• Britain passes the Orders of Council
• All ships must stop at a British port to be checked of contraband (and taxed)
• French use the Continental System
• they would fire on any ship that abides by British maritime rules
• Jefferson responds with the Embargo Act of 1807
• Failed miserably, hurt the common people who already couldn't afford the exorbitant prices,
as well as his constituency
• Boosts American industrial/domestic economy
• Overall very ineffective

James Madison elected (1808)

• Passed the Non-Intercourse Act

• U.S. Won't trade with Britain or France as long as their maritime policies stand.
• Macon's Bill #2- Agrees to trade with Britain and France
• Pits Britain and France against each other; whichever one repeals it first, the U.S. would
exclusively trade with them
• Ends up with France repealing first (as they were in higher need from the Napoleonic War), U.S.
stops trade with Britain
• Policy of “impression”, or conscripting deserters from foreign ships (boarding and taking them back)
• June 1, 1812- Madison requests declaration of war against Britain (due to impressment and the
Orders of Council)
• June 16, 1812- Britain drops the Orders of Council (from the U.S. Perspective; in actuality they had
dropped them before June 1, but Madison declared war because he had not gotten the news yet)

Causes of the War

• Impressment- not as effective towards New England shipping, more against farmers in the West
• Commerce interference- most prominent cause, as economic issues are prevalent in the U.S. Due to
funding debt at par.
• War Hawks- young, Western congressmen who want to engage in war, led by Henry Clay.
• Hadn't directly participated in the Revolution, wanted glory and honor for fighting.
• Tension with Indians out in the Western U.S., especially with Tecumseh.
• Uprising of Creek Indians in Alabama, loosely connected with British.
• Federalists were opposed to the war.

Early War

• Very ill-prepared (U.S.), no supplies, no training

• British are just as unprepared, as most of their elite fighting forces are in Europe or dead from the
Napoleonic Wars
• 3-pronged attack towards Canada; all three are repelled.
• Fought naval battles in great lakes after “Plan A” failed
• End conflicts against Indians
• Battle of Thames and Tippecanoe were very important
• Tecumseh killed at Tippecanoe
• British send troops into Lake Champlain
• Battle of Champlain
• Possibly the turning point of the entire war
• Ended with a slaughter of British forces
• enormous morale boost for the colonial war effort
• British/U.S. Start negotiations for ending the war
 Late War

• British head through Chesapeake Bay, capture Washington, D.C.

• Madison rode on a horse to command his troops (and is the only president to do so)
• Dolly Madison sent all presidential artifacts away from the White House, saved many mementos that
we see today
• White House was painted white because it was the most widely available paint, after the British
burned it down
• Baltimore
• British get stuck in the mud
• Ft. McHenry is a small fort on an island nearby, bombards the British Navy
• Inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner (portions of it)
• Battle of New Orleans
• January 8, 1815
• British hope to gain control of the Mississippi
• Americans led by General Andrew Jackson- barricaded forces in to repel British
• War is pretty much over after major British losses, they don't have enough to continue.
Treaty of Ghent- Dec. 24, 1815
War ends in a draw- no losses or gains territorially
• British lost over 2000, Americans lost 13.
• Federalist party dies off at the Hartford Convention (discussed wanting money, possible
secession of New England)
• 1815- Federalists never put up another major candidate for office, effectively disappear
• Famous war heroes- William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson (both eventually become
presidents)
• End of Eastern Resistance, East of the Mississippi
• All Indians sent to area around Oklahoma territory

“Era of Good Feelings”

• Started in Jefferson administration

• Embargo Act of 1807 led to increased industrial economy, decreased maritime trade
• Demand for farm exports from U.S. Increased farming market
• Idea of balance between commerce, trade, industry, and agriculture
• Internal improvements were slightly unconstitutional
• Republicans “out-federalized” federalists, end up replacing Federalist party
• “Trinity of Economic Policy”- Trade, Tariff, and Internal Improvements.
• National Bank not renewed in 1816
• People realized that the federal government couldn't manage money due to no national bank during
the war
• 1816- new charter for the Second Bank of the United States
• 20% owned by the government, 80% sold as stock
• Central repository for tax revenue; only entity for printing money
• Gold/Silver standard, notes actually could be traded for real, hard money
• $5 million in loans, $1.5 million for backup
• faced opposition by Westerners, supported by Southerners and Easterners

• Tariff of 1816

• Huge influx of British- produced goods caused American industry to weaken

• Used to boost economy by taxing imports so American alternatives were cheaper
 • Designed as a “protective” tariff, this was the first ever protective tariff.
• Supported by Southerners, not by New England (who focused on Transport)
• Manufacturing economy in North is far superior to that of the South, agriculture 9esp. Cotton)
reigned in the South.

• Internal Improvements

• starts with Jefferson, continues through Monroe

• Erie Canal built, turned BYC into “the” trading place for New England and the North
• John C. Calhoun suggested putting the $1.5 million backup fund into internal improvements, charge
interest to make money
• Only would substantially benefit the Westerners

• Election of 1816

• Monroe Elected, federalists put up last candidate (Rufus King)

• Traditionally, the Secretary of State would succeed the former president, except for Adams, who
was Washington's Vice President.

• Florida Issues

• Pinckney's Treaty- Spanish don't control very effectively, so the plan is to define a boundary with
Spain regarding Florida, and in return the U.S. is allowed to freely navigate the Mississippi.
• John C. Calhoun- becomes Secretary of War, sends Andrew Jackson to Florida to deal with rebellions.
Suggests “he can get Florida in 60 days”
• Jackson acts on his own initiative, marches through Northern Florida into the South
• gains control of Florida
• Spain demanded territory back, but was extraordinarily weak and could not enforce demands
• Leads to the Adams-Onis Treaty
• U.S. Would get Florida
• U.S. Assumes Spanish debt to private American citizens
• establishes firm Western boundary for the Louisiana Purchase
• Jackson betters his reputation as an “American Man”

• Panic of 1819

• Madison still re-elected, ran unopposed (the only time in history), but does not get 100% of the
votes (supposedly because Congress only wanted Washington to win unanimously
• Huge speculative real-estate bubble
• huge temporary economy boost
• huge market; cotton prices drop dramatically
• Land speculators become poor due to extreme failing of all landowning credit
• U.S. Is basically same as today's current situation
• Missouri Compromise (1820)
• Missouri sought to become a state
• Constitutional issues about free states vs slaves states for representation in Congress
• Talmidge Amendment- proposes that Missouri be admitted as a free state, all states from the
Louisiana Purchase would be free states.
• House becomes a free-state majority
• Maine applies for statehood
• Maine would be a free state, Missouri is a slave state
• everything above the 36' 30” line would be a free state, anything below would be a slave state
• Decides upon future slavery issues