The Age of Jefferson
c9s1 Kali C. & Joanna R.

In the 1700’s Alexander Hamilton was a member of the Federalist Party.  By 1796 a new political party led by Thomas Jefferson called the Democratic Republican Party began to challenge the federalist’s power.  In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr of the Democratic-Republican Party ran against John Adams and Charles C. Pinckney of the Federalist Party.

However, the candidates who received the largest number of electoral votes were to become the president. Jefferson and Burr received the same number of votes. So therefore the house of representatives broke the tie and Jefferson won the Presidency. Later, in 1804 they passed the twelve amendment. The amendment stated that electors had to cast votes separately for both a president and a vice-president. So a tie could not happen again.  

In 1800 Thomas Jefferson did not agree with the federalists ideas. Jefferson believed that the government became much stronger than the constitution allowed. Jefferson felt that the government shrunk their personal freedoms and made the democracy less strong.

He thought that a strong national government was another way to start a monarchy.  He demanded a narrow construction of the Constitution.  In his views a construction should weaken the powers of the federal government.  He also preferred the idea of state rights or increased powers for the states.  He worked to increase the states' powers.

Jefferson had wide support among the voters so therefore, he did not agree with federalist ideas. He believed that some federalist policies had done good for the country. Thus, Jefferson continued with some federalist programs. However, Jefferson ’s aim was to weaken federal power. 

To pursue his goal, he worked to cut back the size of the federal government. But his attempts did not always work, and they did not work because of the influence of the chief justice John Marshall of the Supreme Court. Marshall wanted to prove that the Supreme Court had large constitutional powers.

Under his leadership the Supreme Court showed it’s power and became known as the Marshall Court . The Marshall Court proved it’s right to rule on the constitutionality of the law passed by congress.

The Marshall Court used its power of judicial review to find a state law unconstitutional. It was ruled that a branch of federal government had the right to overturn state laws.  The Supreme Court said that the federal government was constitutionally stronger than state governments.

Changes took place in government, many changes also took place in the ways Americans lived and worked. These changes helped shape new lifestyles in America . By the 1800’s many Northern people began to live in cities, like in an urban society. The large cities of the Northeast strongly influenced northern life.

The North, with its growing cities began to industrialize. Most people in the north still lived by farming.  But in the age of Jefferson trading and manufacturing also became important.  Some parts of the North were not well suited for farming.

Most people had to find another way to live. The states in the North had resources such as waterpower, good transportation, fine harbors, and raw materials. The life in the South was much different.  In the South everyone depended on farming for a living.

The southern economy was based on cash crops, or farm goods grown to be sold. The Southern life styles were rural because in the age of Jefferson .  During the age of Jefferson cotton became one of the major products of the South. In 1792 only 1,500 tons of cotton were raised. The reason was because southern farmers did not feel cotton was a worthwhile crop.

But in 1793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.  With this invention cotton production quickly increased.  The age of Jefferson was a time of great change. The country's society, its economy and its government grew rapidly, due to the cotton gin.

About the authors:
Kali C. & Joanna R. are Itasca District #10  TEAM 7 students in Mr. Peel’s 7^th Grade Social Studies Class.

Western Travels
c9s2 Shane D. & John P.

Even before the Americans won their independence, the lands to the west were greatly coveted.  Population was beginning to skyrocket and places were beginning to become overpopulated.  The Atlantic cities were important to the country for the economy, but the lands west of the Mississippi were essential for population growth.

By the early 1800’s, the lands west of the Mississippi River had taken on a new meaning.  Instead of being considered land unsuitable for settlement, it became known as the new frontier. 

Until about 1803 the east to west boundary of the U.S. was from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River .  However, even though the citizens were able to settle in the west there were still Spanish lands on the west coast. 

In the 1800’s Spain signed a treaty with France that gave the Louisiana Territory to France .  At the time Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor of France and was intending to use the land to settle in North America .  However, this did not happen.

This made President Jefferson and the people of America extremely jealous.  There were many major trade cities that the Americans needed for major trade in the Mississippi River Valley .  However, later in the 1800’s the Americans would yet be satisfied with possession of the Mississippi .

Napoleon became involved in many European wars and could not afford to settle in the river valley.  He decided to put the lands up for sale and Americans began urging Congress to purchase the area.  Congress finally gave in and bought the Mississippi and the land west of it all the way to the Rocky Mountains .

In 1804, Jefferson asked Louis and Clark to chart some of the lands that they had just purchased.  They traveled along the Mississippi River through the Rocky Mountains, all the way to Fort Clatsop .  They returned down the Yellowstone River . 

Another explorer named Pike plotted the southwest and determined it uninhabitable.  The Americans began traveling slowly to the Northwest and numbers began to steadily grow.  For example, in the 1700’s, population was less than 4 million people but in the 1800’s the numbers went up to 7 million people!

However, some colonists felt that the expansion to the west was dangerous.  A group of New Englanders formed an organization called Essex Junto.  They worked against president Jefferson’s plans and feared that votes in the west would easily out number votes in the east.

The Essex Junto decided upon a plan for the construction of a northern confederacy.  It consisted of New England seceding from the union (breaking away).  However this plan didn’t go over well with leaders like Alexander Hamilton.  Because he rebelled against this plan, the Essex Junto was defeated and New England remained in the United States .   

About the authors:
Shane D. and John P.
are Itasca District #10  TEAM 7 students in Mr. Peel’s 7^th Grade Social Studies Class.
Hobbies include:
Shane: Watching TV, Playing Sports, Video Games, Relaxing, and Playing with Friends.
John: Leggos, Video Games, Reading , Writing, and Relaxing.

AMERICA AND WORLD AFFAIRS
c9s3 Brian K. & Dan W.

Many Americans’ attitudes changed towards France in the late 1700’s. Many of them had been sympathetic to the democratic ideas expressed in the French Revolution. However, in the early 1800’s, Napoleon’s rise in power turned some Americans against France . This was because many of the ideas of the French Revolution gave way to Napoleon’s efforts to create a huge empire in Europe . By 1800 most of Europe was at war with France . So, by the early 1800’s, a lot of Americans no longer favored the French cause.

Some Americans, however, were equally against Great Britain at this time because several British policies of the early 1800’s worked directly against American rights and goals. Impressment was a British policy that angered Americans. Impressment - the seizure of sailors from American ships. Great Britain kept a powerful navy to fight against Napoleon’s France , but Great Britain needed trained sailors. So Britain took U.S. sailors. They said they only took sailors who deserted from the navy. But this was not true.  So many Americans wanted war against Britain .

So Jefferson decided to take action. Neither country wanted to respect and honor America ’s neutrality. The Embargo Act of 1807 halted oversea trade. But this act failed.

When James Madison took office, he followed Jefferson ’s policies. People believed that the blockade of trade had something to do with the bad economics. So Madison declared war on Britain .

slowly back then, the word of the treaty did not reach America until after the last battle at New Orleans in which America won under their leader General Andrew Jackson. The war of 1812 was mainly a military draw. The war ended British impressments, the U.S. once again became a major trading power, and the U.S. also gained Europe ’s respect. Because of this the U.S. did not become involved in any European wars for 100 years.

Some people in New England did not support the war at all. This is because the trade with Britain was slow. And people in New England wanted to build ties with England . Many were eager to build trading again. So this would support businesses in the growing colonies.

In the post war years people tried to build a better society. Slavery grew, as the cotton was needed.  But the slavery problem grew, as more and more slaves were needed on plantations. People began to start movements to free the blacks. But this would all change in the years to come. 

About the authors: Brian K. Dan.W are Itasca District #10 TEAM 7 students in Mr. Peel’s 7^th Grade Social Studies Class.
Hobbies include: Baseball, watching Family Guy & the Simpsons.