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Democratic-Republican Era - Coggle Diagram
Democratic-Republican Era
Revolution of 1800: Federalists did not ragequit. They handed power over peacefully. "GG"
12th Amendment: Separate votes for VP and President
Thomas Jefferson
Domestic Policy
Louisiana Purchase: Even though the Constitution doesn't say you can buy land like this, he did it anyway.
Lewis + Clark Expedition: Just as you have to search and scan the map at the start of a Fortnite map, they needed to search the new territory.
Sacagewa: Indian guide who knew everything
He wanted land for this
Foreign Policy
The Barbary Pirates
Jefferson sent the US Navy and defeated them.
Embargo of 1807
Goal: Stop the impressment of sailors by the British Navy and the seizing of ships by Britain and France
Result: Disaster for American economy. Britain and France didn't need the USA as much as the USA needed Britain and France.
Haitian Revolution
Jefferson was a slaveholder! Jefferson supported the institution of slavery. He was worried the revolt would inspire slave in the USA to revolt too! He chose slavery over freedom to support.
Jeffersonian Democracy
Laissez-Faire: Government should not interfere with the economy
Agrarian Society: People living on Farms
James Madison
Domestic Policy
Hates Banks! Lets the First US Bank's charter expire.
After War of 1812: We need a 2nd Bank.
Native Americans
The Battle of Tippecanoe
Foreign Policy
Madison gets played by Napoleon. Declares war on Britain.
Madison is MADison!
War of 1812
Treaty of Ghent: Status Quo Treaty
Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson becomes famous
Nationalism/Patriotism
End of the Federalists
Industry
The Tariff of 1816: Protect American goods from British competition.
Hartford Convention
British Blockade
Forced Americans to make their own goods.
This was put into place to protect this
2nd Barbary War: Ended piracy issue permanently.
Florida Land Grab: Madison claimed that West Florida was actually part of the Louisiana Purchase all along. He told Spain, "When we bought Louisiana from France in 1803, this part was included. You guys just didn't realize it." (This was not true, but Spain was too weak to argue).
James Monroe
The Era of Good Feelings
Domestic Policy
Henry Clay: The man who
MOLDED
America into its next
SHAPE
The Missouri Compromise: Missouri wanted to join the U.S. as a Slave State. This would upset the perfect balance in the Senate (11 Free States vs. 11 Slave States). Northern states blocked it; Southern states threatened to leave.
Missouri enters as a Slave State.
Maine breaks off from Massachusetts and enters as a Free State (keeping the balance 12-12).
The 36°30' Line: They drew a line across the map. Slavery was banned north of this line for all future territories.
The American System
: Economic Independence (Stop relying on Britain).
Infrastructure: Building roads and canals to connect the West (farmers) to the East (factories).
The Cumberland Road (National Road): The first major highway built by the federal government.
Erie Canal: Started in 1817, it connected the Great Lakes to New York City, making trade way cheaper.
Bank of the U.S. (re-chartered in 1816 under Monroe) – to stabilize money.
Tariffs (Tariff of 1816) – A tax on British goods to make Americans buy American-made stuff.
Foreign Policy
The Monroe Doctrine (1823): The most famous foreign policy in U.S. history.
The Rule: The U.S. warned Europe that the American continents were "closed to future colonization."
Seminole Wars
Adams-Onís Treaty (1819): The U.S. acquired Florida from Spain.
Andrew Jackson learned he could disobey orders because Monroe did not stop him.
Election of 1824
The Corrupt Bargain: Imagine the class votes for a class president. The popular kid (Jackson) gets the most votes. But the teacher (Henry Clay) decides to pick the smart kid (JQA) instead. Then JQA immediately gives the teacher a shiny apple. The whole class screams, "That's not fair!"
John Quincy Adams
Domestic Policies
National Vision: Proposed a national university, naval academy, and observatories ("Lighthouses of the Skies").
Result
: Blocked by Jackson supporters who saw it as elitist waste.
The Tariff of Abominations (1828): A massive tax (up to 45%!) on imported goods like wool, iron, and hemp.
Southern Response: The South's whole economy was based on selling cotton to Britain. They were terrified Britain would stop buying American cotton to punish the U.S. for the tariff.
Nullification Crisis
The Big Idea: He argued that the Union was a club of states. If the federal government passed a law that hurt a state (like this tariff), that state had the right to "Nullify" (cancel/ignore) the law.
Significance: This argument—that states can ignore the federal government—is the seed that eventually grows into the secession of the South in 1860.
Calhoun secretly wrote the South Carolina Exposition and Protest.
JQA's own Vice President, John C. Calhoun (from South Carolina), turned against him.
Anti-Spoils System: Refused to fire political enemies or hire friends based on loyalty.
Result
: Left him with no political allies to fight for his agenda.
Native American Policy: Tried to protect Creek Indians from losing land in Georgia.
Result:
Georgia governor ignored him; Congress refused to help. Showed federal weakness.
Foreign Policy: Failures in Panama and Trade Wars with Britain. Failed to buy Texas.
The Vote: Andrew Jackson got the most popular votes and the most electoral votes, but he didn't get a majority (more than 50%).
The Rules: When no one gets a majority, the House of Representatives chooses the winner.
The "Deal": Henry Clay (who came in 4th and was out) was the Speaker of the House. He hated Jackson. He threw his support behind JQA.
The Result: JQA became President, and immediately named Henry Clay his Secretary of State.
The Reaction: Jackson screamed that it was a "Corrupt Bargain" (a rigged deal). He spent the next four years attacking JQA, ensuring JQA accomplished almost nothing.
Andrew Jackson
Foreign Policy
French Debt Crisis: Threatened to seize French ships until they paid their old debts. (They paid).
Texas Independence: Refused to annex Texas (make it a state) to avoid a slavery fight, even though he wanted it.
British West Indies Trade: Successfully negotiated open trade with British colonies (fixing JQA's failure).
Jacksonian Democracy
Expansion of Suffrage (Voting Rights)
The Change: States dropped the requirement to own property to vote. Now, all white men could vote.
The Result: The number of voters tripled. The "regular guys" (farmers, factory workers) finally had power over the "gentlemen."
The Spoils System: "To the victor belong the spoils."
The Policy: Jackson fired long-time government workers (who he called "corrupt elites") and hired his own loyal supporters.
Good: Opened government to regular people (democracy).
Bad: Led to corruption and unskilled workers.
Analogy: The New Coach. The new football coach comes in and fires all the assistant coaches from the old regime. He hires his best friends and drinking buddies to replace them, saying, "I only want people who are loyal to me."
The Inauguration Party:
The Event: Thousands of "regular people" flooded the White House to celebrate. They broke furniture, muddied the carpets, and Jackson had to escape out a window. It shocked the D.C. elites.
Nominating Conventions: Public meetings to pick candidates (more democratic) instead of secret "King Caucus" meetings.
Domestic Policy
The Nullification Crisis (States' Rights)
The Cause: The Tariff of 1828 (Abominations). South Carolina hated it.
The Villain: John C. Calhoun (Jackson's VP). He told South Carolina they could "Nullify" (cancel) the federal law.
The Threat: South Carolina threatened to secede (leave the U.S.) if Jackson tried to collect the tax.
Jackson's Move: He passed the Force Bill, giving him permission to use the U.S. Army to invade South Carolina and collect the taxes at gunpoint. He famously threatened to hang Calhoun from the first tree he could find.
The Compromise: Henry Clay (The Great Compromiser) stepped in and lowered the tariff over 10 years. South Carolina backed down.
Analogy: The Staring Contest. South Carolina screams, "I'm running away from home!" Jackson racks a shotgun and says, "Try it." South Carolina quietly sits back down.
The Bank War (Economy)
The Enemy: Nicholas Biddle (President of the Bank). Jackson believed the Bank was a monster that made the rich richer and cheated the poor.
The Weapon: The Veto. When Congress tried to renew the Bank's charter early, Jackson vetoed it.
Significance: Before Jackson, presidents only vetoed laws if they were unconstitutional. Jackson vetoed this just because he hated it. It vastly increased presidential power.
Killing the Bank: He didn't just wait for it to die. He ordered the Secretary of the Treasury to withdraw all federal money from the B.U.S. and put it into small state banks (called "Pet Banks").
The Aftermath: With no central bank to regulate money, the economy went wild and then crashed in the Panic of 1837 (right after Jackson left office).
Analogy: Canceling the Credit Card. Jackson thinks the family credit card (The Bank) is evil. He cuts it up. Now the family has to use cash everywhere. It feels free at first, but soon they run out of money and can't pay the bills.
Indian Removal
The Motive: Gold was discovered on Cherokee land in Georgia. White settlers wanted the land for cotton.
Indian Removal Act (1830): The law that authorized the president to negotiate treaties to move all tribes west of the Mississippi River.
Worcester v. Georgia (1832):
The Ruling: The Supreme Court (John Marshall) ruled that the Cherokee were a sovereign nation and Georgia could not take their land.
Jackson's Response: He ignored the Supreme Court. "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it."
Significance: This violated the system of Checks and Balances. The President openly defied the Supreme Court.
The Trail of Tears (1838): The forced march of 15,000 Cherokee to Oklahoma. 4,000 died of cold, hunger, and disease. (Note: This technically happened under the next president, Van Buren, but it is Jackson's policy).
