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TAKS Review

Political Influences on United States History

Magna Carta

  The Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215. It asserted the right of British citizens to    A trial by jury No imprisonment without a trial No taxation except by approval of Parliament

1215

1492

 Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas.

Colombian Exchange

 A series of interactions between the Native Americans and Europeans.

1607

  Jamestown, Virginia First permanent English settlement in North America.

English Bill of Rights 1689

  Passed by Parliament in 1689.

English rights reinforced:  no taxation   right to petition individual rights

American Revolutionary Period

1776

   Declaration of Independence signed. Start of the Revolutionary War. United States established as an independent nation.

Representative Government

 A system of government in which power is held by the people and their will is carried out by elected representatives.

Declaration of Independence

    July 4, 1776 Written by Thomas Jefferson American colonies declare independence from England List of grievances against King George III

 Declaration of Independence The Declaration states the two major principles on which the Constitution is based:  Government gets its power from the consent of the governed.

 All men are created equal and have unalienable rights.

Thomas Jefferson

  Main author of the Declaration of Independence 3 rd President

Unalienable Rights

   Rights/Privileges according to the Declaration of Independence.

These rights cannot be taken away. Unalienable Rights are:  Life   Liberty Pursuit of happiness

Grievances

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Complains

Colonial Grievances

     Taxation without consent (permission) No representation No trial by jury Quartering troops Standing armies in peace time

Revolution

   Armed rebellion Uprising against the government or authority A period of great change

Independence

 Free from influence or control of other nations, sovereign.

American Revolution

  The war of independence fought between Britain and 13 of its colonies in North America 1775-1783

George Washington

  Leader of the Continental Army during the Revolution 1 st president of the United States

Lexington and Concord (1775)  Battles that started the American Revolution.

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

   Colonist victory over British.

Turning point in Revolutionary War.

French offer help to colonists.

Battle of Yorktown (1781)    Colonists defeated the British.

The British surrendered.

End of military struggle.

Treaty of Paris (1783)    Ended the Revolutionary War.

British recognized colonists’ independence.

British gave colonists all the lands stretching west of the Mississippi River.

Confederation

 An alliance of states where states have the majority of the power and retain their sovereignty.

Articles of Confederation

 First government of United States from 1781 – 1788.

 State sovereignty      Weak national government No standing army No power to tax No courts No executive

U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights

1787

  U.S. Constitution written at Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia Ratification of Constitution and Federalist Papers in 1788.

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Philadelphia Convention

1787 Constitutional convention resulted in creation of FEDERAL government (separate executive, judicial and legislative branches) Convention replaced the Articles of Confederation and wrote the U.S. Constitution

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Principles of the U.S. Constitution

Basic law and government of the United States Based on 7 principles:        Republicanism Popular sovereignty Federalism Limited government Separation of power Checks and balances Individual rights

Republicanism

 The idea that government is controlled by the people who hold power and elect representatives, giving those representatives power to make and enforce laws.

Popular Sovereignty

 All political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government.

Limited Government   Limits are placed on the powers of government Everyone, including all authority figures, must obey the laws

Checks and Balances

  Each branch of the government shares its power and checks the other two.

Prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful.

Federalism

 Distribution of the powers of government between a central (federal) government and the regional (states) governments.

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Separation of Powers

 Form of government organized in three branches  A legislative branch (Congress)   An executive branch (the President) A judicial branch (Supreme Court)

Individual Rights

 The rights of the people protected in the Bill of Rights including:   Economic rights related to property Political rights related to freedom of speech and press  personal rights related to bearing arms and maintaining private residences

Federalist Papers    Newspaper articles in New York state.

Explained reasons why people should adopt the new US constitution.

Authors: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay.

Ratify

Approve 

Amendments

 The way of making changes to the U.S. Constitution

Bill of Rights

  First ten amendments to the Constitution (ratified in 1791)

First Amendment:

Religious and Political Freedom

 States that “Congress shall make no law” restricting freedom of:   Speech Press    Religion Assembly Petition

Second Amendment:

Right to Bear Arms

 Guarantees the right of states to organize militias, or armies, and the right of individuals to bear arms.

Third Amendment:

Quartering of Troops

 Soldiers cannot be housed in people’s homes unless it is approved by law.

Fourth Amendment:

Search and Seizure

  Protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.

If a judge believes the search is reasonable, a search warrant will be granted.

Fifth Amendment:

Rights of the Accused

   This amendment protects an accused person from having to testify against him or herself (self incrimination). It bans double jeopardy (tried twice for the same crime) It guarantees that no citizen may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law – certain legal procedures that must be carried out before a person can be punished.

Sixth Amendment:

Right to a Speedy, Public Trial

 Guarantees a fair and impartial trial to those accused of a crime.

  Accused must be told of the charges.

Accused has a right to a trial by jury.

 Accused has a right to be represented by a lawyer.

Seventh Amendment: Trial by Jury in Civil Cases

 Guarantees individuals the right to a jury trial in many non criminal matters.

Eighth Amendment: Limits of Fines and Punishment

  Federal courts can not require an unusually high bail.

No one can be punished in an cruel and unusual way.

United States History 1800 to 1877

Nullify

Nullification Crisis

    Attempt by South Carolina to nullify of federal law in 1832.

Issue->high federal tariffs    South Carolina protested/refused to pay President Jackson ->Force Act South Carolina backed down Southerners favored freedom of trade and believed in the authority of states over the federal government. Southerners declared federal protective tariffs null and void.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

 Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans were not citizens of the U.S.

Abolitionist Movement

 The movement to end slavery in the United States.

Plantation System

 A system of agricultural production based on large-scale land ownership and use of slave labor.

States’ Rights

 A view held by Southerners before the Civil War that the states were sovereign and had rights independent of the federal government and law.

States’ Rights

 The idea that states had the right to control all issues/laws in their state not specifically given to the federal government by the specific words of the Constitution.

States’ Rights

 It was used mostly by Southern states to argue that they had the right to nullify federal laws they did not agree with.

Secession

  = to withdraw 11 of the Southern states separated from the United States and formed their own country = Confederate States of America.

1861-1865

   Dates of the Civil War between North and South.

War between the States, began with Ft. Sumter and ended at Appomattox Courthouse Major battles:  Gettysburg and Vicksburg

Civil War

 The U.S. Civil War (1861 1865) resulted from years of conflict between competing sectional interests – including    slavery States’ rights conflicting economic and social structures of the North and South.

Emancipation Proclamation

  Issued by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862 It declared that all slaves in the rebellious Confederate states would be free.

Gettysburg Address

 Speech given by Abraham Lincoln which captured the spirit of liberty and morality ideally held by citizens of a democracy.  That ideal was threatened by the Civil War.

Reconstruction (1867-1877)

Reconstruction Amendments  13 th amendment: 1865  14 th amendment : 1868  15 th amendment : 1870

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Amendment

 A Reconstruction amendment that freed slaves in the United States

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Amendment

 A Reconstruction amendment, which declared that all persons born in the U.S. were citizens and were entitled to equal rights.

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Amendment

 A Reconstruction amendment that granted black men the right to vote.