American History 1--HIST 2111 (OER): Chapter 7: The Early Republic

Thomas Jefferson’s electoral victory over John Adams—and the larger victory of the Republicans over the Federalists—was but one of many changes in the early republic. Some, like Jefferson’s victory, were accomplished peacefully, and others violently, but in some form all Americans were involved. The wealthy and the powerful, middling and poor whites, Native Americans, free and enslaved African Americans, influential and poor women: all demanded a voice in the new nation that Thomas Paine called an “asylum” for liberty.¹ They would all, in their own way, lay claim to the ideals of freedom and equality heralded, if not fully realized, by the Revolution. Read all Chapter 7 from the American Yawp.

Questions to be thinking about as you move through the content of this chapter

1. How did the Haitian slave revolt influence the United States?
2. How was the American understanding of race changing between 1790 and 1820? What role did science play in this process?
3. Describe the idea of “Republican Motherhood.” What does it say about the place of women in American society between 1790 and 1820?
4. In what ways was the United States becoming more democratic between 1790 and 1820? What peoples still remained unequal in this period?
5. What sorts of policies did Thomas Jefferson pursue as president? What was his approach to issues such as taxes, government spending, western land and relations with other countries?
6. What ideas did Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa advocate? How successful were they in their goals for Native Americans?
7. What were the main causes of the War of 1812? Describe the fighting in this war.
8. What were the results of the War of 1812? How did the War of 1812 impact American identity?
9. Why were the Federalist unsuccessful as a political party after 1800? What role did the War of 1812 and the Hartford Convention play in the decline and eventual collapse of the Federalist Party?
10. Describe the Monroe Doctrine. How did it represent a major change in American foreign policy?