The Era of Jackson

Generally, the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist

Generally, the federalist was a term used to refer to the supporter of the proposed constitution. The group had some influential leaders such as Alexander Hamilton, John Kay, and John Adams. The core argument of the federalist relied upon their belief and support for the proposed constitution. According to them, it was essential to have a firm national government. The anti-federalists, on the other hand, refers to the individuals who opposed and campaigned against the ratification of the constitution. According to the anti-federalist, the proposed law gave the executive branch too much power creating a firm central government instead of focusing on the confederation of independent states (Nedelsky 312). The significance of this great debate is that it led to the formation of the Bill of Rights, a proposition that the Federalists were against at first. The creation of the Bill of Rights was a pivotal point in American history due to its contribution to liberty in the country.

Thomas Jefferson and the Federalists

Question 2

Thomas Jefferson was a Republican when he became the third president of the United States of America. His election caused the federalists to worry due to this ideologies and beliefs that conflicted with theirs. For instance, Jefferson advocated for limited government, unadulterated states’ rights as well as a primarily agrarian economy. In essence, the stance taken by Jefferson during his campaign had put the values and ambitions of the federalists in jeopardy as he disagreed with all their ideologies about the nation (Nedelsky 312). However, upon taking office, several events occurred that laid to rest the worries of the federalists. First, during his inauguration, Jefferson declared that “we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” This declaration aimed to heal the political differences and gave the federalist hope. Secondly, he made several concessions to the demands of his opponents, such as taking Hamilton’s advice and strengthening the American Navy. These events showed the federalists that Jefferson was willing to accept some of their ideologies, thus laying to rest all their worries.

The War of 1812

Question 3

Generally, in the war of 1812, the United States took on Great Britain, which at the time was the most significant naval power in the world. The Americans got into the war after the then president James Madison declared war on Britain as a result of the British restrictions on U.S trade as well as America’s desire to expand its borders. The British troops outnumbered the American soldiers, and they marched to Washington D.C and burned most of the public building. The official conclusion of the war came when the commissioners signed a treaty on December 1814 (Hickey 36). The agreement did not resolve any issue, but the Americans concluded that they had won the contest because they were able to demoralize Britain, forcing them to sign the agreement as they were too weary to win the war. Francis Scott Key was an essential figure during the war after he created the Star-Spangled Banner, a song to commemorate the American victory at Fort McHenry. The battle should not be forgotten because it led to the creation of the United States’ national anthem as well lay down the seed for Anglo-American comity that sustained the longest unfortified border in the world.

The Age of Jackson

Question 4

“The age of Jackson” is a popular term that identifies Andrew Jackson’s presidency. From the perspective of a Northern abolitionist, Jackson’s presidency affected their lives in that it undermined all their efforts by banning the delivery of abolitionist literature in the south as well as forbidding the discussion of billing that restricted slavery (Hietala 46). From the view of a Cherokee Indian from Georgia, Jackson’s presidency affected them by depriving them of their fundamental rights. President Jackson’s policy removed the Cherokees as well as other tribes from their homelands to the unsettled west. From the perspective of a planter in South Carolina, this presidency helped them economically through the cotton boom, which revived a flagging plantation slave economy in the region. Therefore, “the age of Jackson” had a different impact on people in various areas in the country.

The Westward Expansion

Question 5

The westward expansion refers to the widespread migration in the 19th century after the United States federal government acquired the land west of the Mississippi River. The westward expansion should be criticized as an American conquest because the influential European settlers exploited their knowledge as well as resources to remove the Indians and other natives from this land under the validation of the manifest destiny (Hietala 69). However, this was only an American conquest as the settlers continued claiming lands for their benefits, including those previously promised to the natives. As such, the actions of the settlers were not a manifestation of destiny but rather their greed for resources available in these lands.

The Events Preceding the Civil War

Question 6

The primary events that led to the Civil War include; the end of the Mexican war, the fugitive slave act, the release of ’Uncle Tom’s Cabin,’ the Bleeding Kansas, Supreme Court ruling on Dred Scott’s case, rejection of the Lecompton constitution, John Brown’s raid, and the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. The north and the south were experiencing a significant amount of tension resulting from the issue of slavery (Etcheson 28). Although the events preceding the Civil War were numerous and diverse, they all had the underlying factor of slavery and states’ rights. Therefore, the Americans’ decision to fight fellow Americans was a culmination of provocation as well as a series of confrontations playing around the subject of slavery.

Works Cited

Etcheson, Nicole. Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty in the Civil War Era. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004.

Hickey, Donald R. The War of 1812: A forgotten conflict. University of Illinois Press, 2012.

Hietala, Thomas R. Manifest design: Anxious aggrandizement in late Jacksonian America. Cornell University Press, 1985.

Nedelsky, Jennifer. “Confining Democratic Politics: Antifederalists, Federalists, and the Constitution.” (1982): 312.