History Reading and Such Questions

1) What are the three branches of government and what are the powers of each?
Legislative - Comes up with laws and show representation of states in Congress
Executive - Approves or vetoes laws, head of the country including the president as well as vice president and cabinet. President acts as commander-in-chief for armed forces/military.
Judicial - Court system, deals with the issuing the laws to the people so they can receive justice fairly.

2) How can these branches check and balance each other?
The Legislative branches can propose new laws, however, the Executive branch must review these and can decided whether or not they actually become laws. If the executive branch vetoes, then the Legislative can reverse the veto if it has enough support backing it. There must be a large majority for this to take place, but it can proceed if given enough help. There are many others for each branch to the other two.

3) What were the compromises to the constitution?
Slaves were to be counted as 60% of a person or 3/5. Also, the great compromise was Roger Sherman's idea of having two houses of Legislature that ensured an equal amount of senators for all states, as well as the House of Representatives that was based on a state's population.

4) Who wrote the Federalist papers?
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison

5) What was the Bill of Rights? Why did some states demand its inclusion before they ratified 

the constitution?
It was an attachment to the Constitution that clearly stated the rights of the citizens so that the governments could not abuse their power. It was this reason that some states wanted it in the Constitution because they wanted to know that the government couldn't go corrupt and assume ultimate control over its citizens.

6) What were the anti-federalists main fears about the constitution?
That the document would take away the very thing they fought for in the Revolution. Their liberties were being taken from them they felt. The rich were to be catered to more than the common people as well, and as such, the Antifederalists were more inclined to agree with strong local governments that were close to a people.

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1) Discuss the significance of Thomas Jefferson's quote: "A little rebellion now and then is a good thing...God forbid that we should ever be twenty year without such a rebellion...The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Because the fact that the citizens act upon certain things that happen in the government means that they are concerned with their country and care. The fact they rebel is 

2) Why did Shay's Rebellion happen?
Because the government was promising pensions and compensations for the soldiers that fought in the revolution and they weren't getting them. The veterans were also farmers and were getting tired and fed up with the lack of payment, so they came together and started a rebellion.

3) The constitution is "a political creation, hammered together in a series of artfully negotiated compromises. Discuss these compromises.

4) What was the Virginia Plan?
Bicameral plan to split the Legislature with the House of Representatives and Senate.

5) "No person held in service" was a euphemism for what?
The 'S' word - Slaves  :O

6) List the basic Powers and Checks of the three branches of the government.
Legislatures could write bills, but the executives had the final say whether it became a law. If vetoed, the legislatures can in turn hold a vote of 2/3 majority in order for them to overrule the president's rejection. Then the executives can appoint Supreme Court Justices, yet the Legislatures can check that and make sure they're good or not, and the Judicials can make sure each action taken by the Legislatures and the executives is within the realm of legalism stated in the Constitution.

7) Who wrote the Federalist Papers and why did they write them?
- Alexander Hamilton
- John Jay
- James Madison
They wrote the papers to persuade the (landowning) public to accept the idea of a strong federal government that was being proposed in the Continental Congress' meetings.

8) Briefly outline the first ten amendments.
1. Freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
2. Right to bear arms.
3. No more housing soldiers in the houses of citizens.
4. No unreasonable search and seizures without warrants.
5. Cannot be tried for the same crime twice-various other court rights
6. Fair and quick trial
7. Right to a trial by jury
8. No cruel and unusual punishment
9. Rights of citizens
10. State's rights cannot be interfered with by the Federal Government

9) Who could vote in the first election (what parts of the population)?
The rich, landowning population. (Whites of course, No girls allowed, no Indians)

10) How did Washington D.C. come be located on the banks of the Potomac?

11) What did Jay's Treaty do?

12) What was the "Whiskey Rebellion" and how was it put down?
The farmers were tired of their whiskey being taxed, as it was a very profitable item for their economy. To counteract their loss of profits, they stormed in with a rebellion that was met with George Washington along with the largest regiment of troops he'd ever assembled there to shock the irate farmers. This made it so that no one would be rebelling any time soon as Washington had sent a symbolic message through this event.

13) Describe the election of 1800? How was it finally resolved?
 
14) Who was John Marshall?
The Supreme Court Judge appointed by James Madison at the end of his presidential term. 

15) Why did France sell its North America possessions (the Louisiana territory) to the U.S.?
Because Napolean wished to start an empire and he had a plan in place and the land to carry it out in. But when he set out to establish this empire, his men came down with yellow fever and a number of other variables led to a large cost to his cause. He abandoned his plan due to his inability to keep up with the payments of it and in turn sold Louisiana and Westward lands to America.

16) What did Lewis and Clark do? Describe their journey?
They traveled west and explored the land purchased from the French by Jefferson. They traveled to many locations, met many natives, and sent back some amazing research and findings. 

17) How did Hamilton incur the wrath of Aaron Burr? Was he right in what he did? How did the ordeal end?
He did whatever he could to prevent Burr from being president/vice-president. He wanted everyone to vote for Jefferson instead of him because he felt that Burr was a tyrant/untrustworthy man. Burr was furious and challenged him to duel which resulted in Hamilton succumbing to a fatal gunshot wound. And it would seem that Hamilton did

18) What was Jefferson's Embargo Act? Why was it unpopular and what was it suppose to do?

19) What did Tecumseh try and do?
He tried to build an Indian Alliance so they could stand up to the United States and prevent westward expansion.

20) Describe the Battle of Tippecanoe?
American victory. General William Henry Harrison, future president, annihilates the Indian retaliation

21) Most historians call the War of 1812 a draw. Why?
No progress was made, both sides sign a treaty that really puts them back to the state they were in before the war. No mention of impressment is made, which is the reason USA joined the forces. No side receives an advantage, people just died to put it simply. OH yeah, and they burned the White House. :(

22) Describe the Battle of New Orleans.
British attack the Americans led by Andrew Jackson in a completely lopsided battle leaving British with 2000+ dead, and 18+ American casualties. Oddly enough, this battle was fought a good week or two after the treaty was signed that ended the war. Nonetheless, it is still counted as an American victory...but it kind of was a waste of time. :O 

23) What did the Monroe Doctrine state?
America will not tolerate European powers in the Western Hemisphere. It was the final step toward American Independence and it put itself at the head of fixing all problems in that part of the world. They figured that Russia, Spain, Britain, etc. weren't necessary, because the Americans were feeling truly independent.  

24) What was the Missouri Compromise?
Missouri could be a slave state, but nothing north of the Mississippi state could. Southerners were worried that they would lose power if there wasn't an equal amount of free states as there were slave states in the Congress/House of Reps.

Free States: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.

Slave States: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North/South Carolina =, Tennessee, Virginia.

25) How was the election of 1824 decided? Why was it called a "corrupt bargain"?
Clay pushed the electoral college to vote for Adams instead of Jackson, who won the population vote, and lead to Adams being president with Clay becoming the Secretary of State. 

26) List some of the labels attached to Andrew Jackson.
A murderer, adulterer, and his mother was a prostitute.

27) Was Andrew Jackson an Indian hater? What did the natives call him? What "Indian Wars" did he fight in and what was the outcome? What was his native "policy" as President?


28) How did Jackson come to symbolize the common people?
His movement was a grassmovement. He changed the voting system in the western states, and removed the prerequisite of owning land in order to vote. He really worked for the common people and the everyman, which made a lot of people like him.