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A mountain man

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49ers: The 49ers were the people that moved specifically to look for gold. They were people that were looking to get rich quick. Like many other settlers, they faced the hardship of the terrible journey west, and the starvation and disease. When they arrived in their mining camps, they had little to no food, and they worked tiring, countless hours to no avail. Their legacy was their desire to get rich quick and their work ethic for it.
Chinese Immigrants: Many Chinese people moved to America to look for work. They did labor like mining and helping to build the Transcontinental Railroad. When they first started moving, they were mostly accepted and welcomed into the community, but as economic conditions lowered, so did tolerance for the Chinese. Many people blamed them for the population's mass poverty, and even created laws against them.
Mountain Men: Mountain Men moved west to hunt and participate in the fur trade. They had a hard move west, just like many other groups. When they got West, companies greatly overcharged for basic needs and supplies, up to fifty times the actual price. They also had a lot of exposure to disease and starvation/horrible conditions.
A group moving west

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A map of the Gadsden Purchase

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Florida: Before it belonged to America, Florida was owned by Spain. Many runaway slaves left to Florida with settlements there, and with the Seminole Indians. Many of these slaves and Indians would raid and get into America, and we didn't like that. We told Spain to keep these people away, but they failed at that. Andrew Jackson sent an army to Florida to end the Seminole raids, and they also captured 2 Spanish forts. Spain realized that they couldn't keep America out of Florida, and offered to sell it to America in 1821.
Texas Annexation: Before it was under America's control, Texas was a part of Mexico. The state fought for it's independence from Mexico. They requested to be added to the U.S, but they were declined because of the debate on whether or not Texas would be a slave state. The U.S finally decided to add Texas when Britain started to talk about colonizing it in 1845.
Oregon Country: In 1818, the U.S and Britain had agreed to share the Oregon Territory. Citizens in the U.S called for them to own the entire territory, and eventually in 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed, giving the U.S all land lower than the 49th parallel.
Mexican Cession: Before Texas was annexed, Mexico threatened America with war if they annexed it. Andrew Jackson offered money to Mexico for California and areas around it, and Mexico declined. Jackson then started a military show of force, and it led to a war with Mexico. Mexico then surrendered, and offered to give up Mexico for $15 million.
Gadsden Purchase: Most people who supported the Gadsden Purchase wanted the land to make a Southern transcontinental  railroad. The negotiation was made by the U.S ambassador to Mexico, James Gadsden in  1848. It was purchased for $10 million.
A map of the Mexican Cession

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A comic about Westward Expansion

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Manifest Destiny was the 19th century belief that Americans had not only a destiny, but a right to expand to and settle the West. People believed that God was telling them that it was their job to move West and live there.
A cartoon about Manifest Destiny

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Harriet Tubman, a famous conductor of the Railroad

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The Underground Railroad was the metaphorical name for the system of people and places that helped slaves escape capture to the north, especially Canada. Slaves got into contact with "conductors", who would help them escape their owners, and then shelter them during the day and give them food and water. They would then send them along to another conductor who would help them along to the next conductor, and eventually to safety. Slaves needed to use the Underground Railroad because there were slave bounty hunters out to catch runaway slaves, and they had nowhere to hide during the day while it was light outside. This led to the fugitive slave act being passed, which allowed slave hunters to capture slaves even in northern states.
A hiding place at a "station"

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A steamboat

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The steam engine was a machine that allowed steam from boiling water to be used  to power different machines. The water boiling was usually powered by coal. The steam engine allowed for factories to be located places that were far away from rivers, as most factories originally used water power. It led to a lot more pollution due to the use of coal in steam engines.
An early steam engine in a train

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A design model of an early power loom

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A power loom was a loom that made threads into cloth, in a very similar way to the original, except this one was steam powered. They greatly improved the efficiency and cost of producing cloths, but they did also lead to higher rates of child employment and it led to some protests.
A Power Loom

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A modern factory

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The Factory system was the system which began in England in the late 18th century. It was based on wealthy people owning large buildings, and hiring people to work in the building at a low wage. This helped lower the cost of production for a lot of products, and it opened up a lot of jobs. But it did create a lot more pollution, and it led to a lot of people working for unlivable wages.
An early factory

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A picture of a cotton field

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The cotton gin was a machine invented by Eli Whitney which separated the seeds from cotton. This allowed for much more clothing and other cloth products made of cotton to be produced and faster. On the negative side of this, it essentially revived slavery in the U.s, as it had been dying  out. When the cotton gin was invented, farmers were getting rich from cotton, and they wanted to grow more, which took more work and therefore more slaves.
A drawing of the cotton gin

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A textile mill

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The Industrial Revolution was the period in American history where manufacturing and mechanization took over the country. It was caused by the rapid growth in population, and the increasing amount of natural resources that were available. There was also a huge increase in consumer demand for manufactured products.
A factory

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A painting of the trail of tears.

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As Americans began to move west, they occurred more and more Native Americans. They wanted to farm and settle the native's land, and the Native's wouldn't allow that. Many Natives attempted to settle into American culture, and even gave up their own land to try and avoid being killed or arrested, but it was not enough. Andrew Jackson issued the Indian Removal Act, which allowed the government to relocate Native Americans to areas that already existed in the United States. This led to a death march nicknamed "The Trail of Tears", where Indians were marched to reserves from their homes by force.
A Map of the Removal Act

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The U.S National Bank

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Andrew Jackson was very opposed to the Second National Bank. When he was reelected, he strongly believed that it was because of his dislike of the Bank. He soon announced that he was going to withhold all fund for the National Bank. He then began depositing money in different state banks, 23 in total. He did this because the bank didn't give credit to those who wanted to move west, which was something he was in full support of. He also didn't believe in the political power the bank held.
A political cartoon about the bank war

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Explanation of tariffs

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When Andrew Jackson added a tariff to foreign imports, which was extremely unpopular in the South. It made it very hard for the South to support themselves, and they protested. Jackson refused to take back the tariff, because he thought that it would boost manufacturing in America. The Southern states started to talk about seceding. Eventually, the states starting talk of nullification, or just refusing to heed the tariff's orders. Jackson had to lower the tariff significantly twice to please the south.
A political cartoon about the tariff

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Explanation of the spoils system

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When Andrew Jackson was elected, he decided to change out many of the people in cabinet and political office with his supporters. This is called the spoils system. Jackson chose to do this because he believed that when people stayed in office for to long, they became corrupt. This led to political office and roles being changed far more often than they had before.
Political Cartoon of the Spoils System

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Original text of the Doctrine

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The Monroe Doctrine was the foreign affairs policy that said that America was to stay out of European affairs, and that Europe was to stay at American affairs. The Russian Czar was claiming land in the North section of the Pacific, and there was talk of European interference in the revolutions in Central and South America. The Monroe Doctrine was used several more times in foreign affair issues in American history, like during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the U.S navy surrounded Cuba.
Political Cartoon about the Monroe Doctrine

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A map of battles in the war

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One important effect of the War of 1812 was the pride it put in Americans for their country. Seeing that our small, new country could hold up against a global superpower like Britain put a huge boost in morale. Another important effect was the disappearance of the Federalist party. They were extremely opposed to the war, and once people saw how we held up, they started thinking that the Federalists weren't all that they seemed. The war also effectively got rid of Native American's ability to resist American settlers on the east side of the Mississippi, as two different generals had defeated the Natives drastically.
Some effects of the war

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American Soldiers in the War of 1812

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James Madison finally decided to declare war on England when they refused to stop impressing American ships and sailors. There had long been people in America calling for war because of Britain's actions when it came to trade laws.
A summary of the events of the War of 1812.

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A political cartoon about the Embargo Act

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By 1807, Britain and France had been at war for years. Britain began seizing American ships and demanding to "check" them before they traded with other countries. The British navy also began kidnapping sailors and forcing them to serve in the British navy, a tactic  Thomas Jefferson was completely tired of Britain's actions, and Congress passed the Embargo Acts. These completely stopped all trade with other countries. U.S ships were not permitted to travel to other countries ports, and the government was allowed to search and question ship captains to ensure they were traveling to domestic harbors. This put a huge halt in the American economy,and shipping-based industries came to an almost complete halt.
Another Explanation of the

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Cartoon of the trade with France

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When Spain gave the New Orleans Area back to France, America started to get scared. France was becoming somewhat of a superpower, and people in North America relied on the Mississippi for trade. Thomas Jefferson sent diplomats to France to try and buy New Orleans from the French. It turned out that France was willing to sell a lot more land in that area. France offered a lot of land for a good price, and the diplomats took it. When they came back, the American public had very mixed reactions. Some people were excited to get the new land, but a lot of others thought it was a silly idea to have bought the land.
The area of the Louisiana Purchase

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The Election of 1800

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The Twelfth Amendment says that instead of having the first place winner be president and the second place winner be vice president, the Electoral College will cast their votes for president and vice president separately. It also says that electors must vote for at least one person that isn't from your state. This amendment came from the election of 1800, where Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson tied for votes, and the House had to vote countless times to finally decide on Thomas Jefferson to president, leaving Aaron Burr, a member of an opposing party, as vice president.
The text of the Twelfth Amendment

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A political cartoon showing the Federalist's fear of immigrants.

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After the XYZ Affair and massive amounts of tension with the French, people began to be very suspicious of French immigrants and Democratic-Republicans. John Adams and the Adams Administration began to fear war with France, and that immigrants, especially French ones. Congress passed the Naturalization Act, which raised the U.S residency time requirement from five to fourteen years. The Alien Enemies act allowed the government to deport any male citizens of a different nationality, and the Alien Friends Act allowed the president to deport any non-citizen suspected to be plotting against the government. The most impactful act that Congress passed was the Sedition Act. This act allowed any person that spoke, wrote or drew out against the government to be legally punished.
A photocopy of the Alien and Sedition Acts

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XYZ Affair Comic

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The XYZ affair was the negotiation between three American diplomats and three still anonymous French representatives. When France started attacking American ships due to America's treaty with Britain, John Adams was furious and he knew it had to stop. He sent three diplomats, Charles C. Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall, to France to work out an agreement to get France to stay peaceful with the U.S. France tried to take a bribe from the U.S. The diplomats refused. When they came home and told everyone about how the negotiation had gone, the public was furious France's disrespect, and for a long while, there were calls for war with France.
Political Cartoon of the XYZ Affair

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Some basic beliefs of the Democratic-Republican Party

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Beliefs of the Democratic-Republican Parties: The Democratic-Republicans believed that much more power should be given to and held by the states. They opposed the idea that the entire country should bear specific state's debts. They were also firm believers in the fact that the common man should be voting and in power, rather than rich, educated and elite men
Beliefs of the Federalist Party: They believed in a strong central government, one where most of the power was held within the federal government. The Federalist party was in strong support of the Constitution when it was being drafted and voted on. They also believed that America's economy should be based on industrialization and big businesses.
A modern promotional poster for the Federalist Papers

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The Executive Cabinet

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George Washington set many precedents for presidents. One of the most long lasting was the he only stayed in office for two terms. He left at a time when the country really could have used his guidance, but he decided it would be better to step down. Every other president also stepped down after 2 terms until Roosevelt. He also set the precedent that the U.S would stay neutral in foreign affairs and wars, which helped keep the U.S safe until World War I. Washington also set the precedent of the executive cabinet. He put Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, and Thomas Jefferson as the Secretary of State, which wasn't discussed in the Constitution.
George Washington

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Burr v.s Hamilton duel.

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Alexander Hamilton was born in the West Indies. His father left the family at a young age, and Alexander got a job at age 11. His mother died of sickness in 1768. Hamilton impressed his boss so much that he pooled up money with a minister to send Alexander to America for an education. He attended King's College. in 1774, he wrote a pro-patriot political article. He joined the Continental Army in 1775, and fought in the battles at Long Island, Trenton, and White Plains. In 1777, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the army,  where he caught the eye of George Washington, who made Hamilton his personal assistant and adviser. For years, Hamilton wrote articles and letters for Washington. Around then, he married Elizabeth Schuyler, who was a rich woman from New York. After convincing Washington to let him fight in 1781, he led a charge at the Siege at Yorktown. After the war, Hamilton established his own law practice. He was a delegate at the 1787 Convention that reformed the Articles of Confederation. He strongly supported the Constitution, and he spoke out for it very strongly. In 1789, he was appointed as the first Secretary of the Treasury. He was a strong believer that the federal government should assume all the states war debts and collect taxes. He later got James Madison to compromise with him by offering Madison a capital near his hometown. He left when America had a much stronger economy in 1795. In July 1804, Hamilton died in a politics-fueled duel to Aaron Burr.
Famous quote by Hamilton.

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Cartoons showing each amendment in action.

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General Cornwallis surrendering to the Americans.

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A recreation of what Valley Forge supposedly looked like

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Amendment 1: This amendment protected the peoples right to freedom of speech, religion, and press. This means that any U.S citizen is free to speak out against their government and face no risk of prosecution. They may also worship however they want, if they want, freely with no government intervention. Amendment 1 also gives the people the right to speak out against the government in writing with no risk of prosecution.
Amendment 2: This amendment gives the people the right to bear arms. This means that people can privately own firearms for protection against specifically a tyrannical government, but any dangers.
Amendment 3: Amendment 3 gives people the right not to have to shelter soldiers at times of peace. This means that soldiers are not allowed to enter and lodge in peoples homes when there is no active warfare.
Amendment 4: This gives people the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. This means the government cannot search through and take any of your property unless they have a warrant or probable cause, which means a good reason to think you are doing or hiding something illegal.
Amendment 5: This gives people the right to be free from double jeopardy, which means people cannot be tried twice for the same crime. It also give you the right to no self-incrimination, which means people do not have to testify against themselves in court.
Amendment 6: This gives the people the right to
a. A fair and speedy trial, by an impartial jury. This means that everyone has the right to a trial, and the jury they are tried by must be random.
b. The Assistance of Counsel for his defense. This means that everyone has the right to an attorney, which the state can provide for them.
c.To be informed of the nature of and cause of the accusation. This means that everyone has the right to know what they are being tried for and why.
Amendment 7: This gives people in civil court the right to trial by jury the same as in criminal cases.
Amendment 8: This gives people the right to a reasonable bail and fine, which means the court can't set a ridiculous bail like $100,000 for a traffic ticket, or fine someone $1,000 for jaywalking. It also prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, which means the government can't use immoral methods of punishments for crimes.
Amendment 9: This amendment states that the People have rights that aren't listed in the Constitution.
Amendment 10: This amendment states that powers not listen in the Constitution as federal powers are distributed to the states.
The Bill of Rights

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Pictured: Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was a major advocate of federalism and served as first Secretary of the Treasury.

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Federalism is the separation between state and federal powers. For example, states are responsible for managing schools, marriages, and anything not specifically listed in the Constitution as a federal power; while the federal government is responsible for coining currency, declaring war, and establishing Post Offices. Both the state and federal governments have the power to collect taxes, establish and enforce laws, and build highways.
Diagram of federalism.

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Constitutional Convention.

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There are two ways to amend the constitution. The first and most common is for a bill to brought to the Congress floor, for the bill to be approved by 2/3 of both the House and Senate, and then for 3/4 of the states to approve the amendment. The second is for a convention to be called by the states. At this convention, the delegates will create a proposed amendment. 3/4 of the states delegates must ratify this amendment for it to be passed.
Diagram of how amendments are made.

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Veto stamp.

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The Founding Fathers included checks and balances in the Constitution to ensure that no one branch of government got too powerful.
Legislative: Can approve presidential nominations
Can control the budget
Judicial: Can declare laws unconstitutional
Can declare president's actions unconstitutional
Executive: Can veto bills, and the president appoints supreme court justices.
Diagram of U.S checks and balances.

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U.S Supreme Court

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Executive: Responsible for enforcing the laws. It is headed by the president, who must be 35 years old and a lifelong resident of the U.S. The president is voted in by the Electoral College.
Judicial: Responsible for interpreting the law. The judicial branch is led by the Supreme Court. There is no age restriction written in the Constitution for Justices, and they are hand picked by the president.
Legislative: The legislative branch is led by Congress. Members of the House must be 25 years old and have been a citizen for 7 years. They are elected. Senators must be 30 years old, and have been a citizen for at least 9 years. They are also elected.
Diagram of leadership of the three branches of government.

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Diagram of the 3/5 compromise.

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3/5 Compromise: The Constitutional Convention couldn't decide how to count slaves in the population. The North didn't think that slaves should count since the south didn't treat them as people, but the South wanted them to count so they could have more votes. The Convention eventually decided to count slaves at 3/5 of a person.
Great Compromise: People could not figure out how states should vote on issues. The smaller states wanted each state to have equal votes, but the bigger states wanted to go by population so they would have more say.
Electoral College: Some delegates wanted Congress to choose the president themselves. A lot of people argued that that would throw off the balance of power between the three branches. Other people thought it should be a popular vote, but others argued that would allow politicians to corrupt the public into voting for them. They eventually agreed on the Electoral College, which provided for a certain amount of electors to vote for president.
A map of the electors of the Electoral college.

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The first Constitutional Convention.

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The Articles of Confederation was overall a weaker document. It gave Congress no power to collect or impose taxes . They could create, but not enforce laws, and states could ignore federal laws. It also did not create a national currency which led to a lot of confusion for interstate trade. It also led to a rebellion called Shay's Rebellion, which was a rebellion by farmers who were losing their land and crops due to taxes from the war that they could'nt pay.It did have strengths though, in the fact that it gave Congress the power to declare war, and settle feuds between states, and the fact that it allowed for people to form new states, which was called the Northwest Ordinance.

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Lexington and Concord: In April 1775, a spy told General Gage that the colonists were hiding a huge amount of ammunition in the village of Concord. Gage sent 700 troops to seize the supplies. Colonist spies found out about the surprise attack, and Captain John Parker gathered a group of militia men to stop the attack. When the British arrived, neither side fired until one shot rang out(from which side is unclear) and started the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
Surprise Attack at Trenton: On Christmas night, Washington launched a surprise attack on German mercenaries that were hired by the British. He sent around 1,900 men as a diversion force, 700 as a blockade, and took 2,900 with him. They took hours to cross the Delaware. Neither the diversion force or the blockade were successful. Washington's men were still able to defeat the Hessians. This battle rejuvenated hope that America could still win the war.
Battle of Long Island: In March 1776, the British were forced out of Boston. Washington knew they would come back, and he was right. The British set up a fleet off the coast of New York. Soon after, they started sending troops to the shore. The British sent a small force at the Americans, and sent most of their troops to surround the Continental Army. The Americans were forced to retreat all the way to Pennsylvania. This battle gave the British control of New York for the rest of the war.
Siege at Yorktown: British General Cornwallis was retreating to Yorktown. Washington marched his army to Yorktown, and the French navy sailed to the coast of Yorktown as well. This left the British force surrounded. After 11 days of fighting, the British white flag went up. This battle
won the Americans the war.
A map of troop and navy movements of the war.

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Valley Forge was the Continental Army camp in winter 1777-1778. Washington chose this place because it was close to where the British were camping in Philadelphia, so he could protect the citizens and keep an eye on the British. It was also a good place to defend due to the terrain. General Friedrich von Steuben trained the American soldiers there, which turned the Continental Army from a large militia to a true army.
A painting of life at Valley Forge.

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A battle of the Revolutionary War.

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Britain had a much larger army than the Americans. They were better trained, and they had more money to supply their army. Even with all the British advantages, they still had some weaknesses. They were very unfamiliar with the territory, they were 3,000 miles away from supplies.

America knew the territory very well, and they had the morale to fight, since they were fighting for their freedom instead of for a king. They also knew how to use guerrilla tactics and "Hit and Run Warfare". Their weaknesses were that they had very little supplies, they had a very inexperienced army.
American troops gathering.

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(Going up)

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The Declaration of Independence.

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The Declaration of Independence was the document that declared the 13 colonies official independence from Britain. It was caused by Britain's overtaxing the colonist's, and their closing of Boston Harbor. It really let the world and Britain know that the American's were going to fight to be free from British Rule.
Benjamin Franklin and 2 other delegates examining the Declaration.

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The French and Indian War was the was the war between the British and French over land. It was caused by unclear boundaries set near the Ohio Valley. It led to Britain getting almost all American land, and France being driven out. It also led to Britain starting to tax the colonies heavily.

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The Tea Act was the act that took away all the taxes in the Townshend Act except for the one on tea, and created a monopoly on tea for The British East India Tea company. Britain wanted British East India Tea to make more money. It caused the Sons of Liberty to execute the Boston Tea Party.

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The Quartering Act was the act passed in 1765 that required all colonists to provide housing, food, and drink to British Soldiers should they need it. The British wanted the keep the colonies under closer control, so they sent soldiers to the colonies. It is expensive to feed and house soldiers, so they required colonists to house them. This caused citizens to get more and more angry and Britain.

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The Stamp Act was the act that placed taxes on all official documents, playing cards, etc. It was placed to help pay for debt from the French and Indian War. It caused colonists to start getting upset over taxes placed in the colonies

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Influences on Self-Government in the 13 Colonies

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Influences on Self-Government in the 13 Colonies

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The Magna Carta stripped a lot of the essentially unlimited and untapped power of the King of England. It allowed barons to have a say in how their government was run. The founding of Parliament gave a lot more power to regular citizens in England instead of just the king and the rich(i.e Barons). The English Bill of Right really allowed more and more citizens to have a say in Parliament. It also gave everyone the right to a trial by jury, and the right to petition the king. It also included the right to free speech, free elections to Parliament, and the right to arms.

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The middle passage was the miserable journey that slaves took from Africa to the New World. Slave traders would go to Africa and trade for slaves, or kidnap Africans, and chain them up to take them to the New World. Many slaves died on this trip, and it again grew the slave trade in the New World.

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The Triangular Trade was the trade route in between England, Africa, and the New World. Raw materials were sent from the New World to England, where they were manufactured and sent to Africa where guns and rum in particular were traded for slaves and sent to the New World. The colonies needed free labor, and they had raw materials, and England had manufacturing capabilities. Each of the three continents had something the other(s) wanted. It led to the grow of the slave trade in the New World.

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In the New England colonies, there was very little slave use, especially compared to the other regions. There were very long winters there, and mild and short summer. The soil was very rocky and there were extremely large forests. The economy was based on whaling, fishing, shipbuilding, and lumbering. The Middle Colonies had very fertile soil. There were hot summers, and cold winters. There were some forests, and some mountains in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There was slave use here for farming, but again not nearly as prevalent as in the Southern colonies. The economy was based on grain farming, trading, and fur. The Southern Colonies had an incredibly large amount of slave use due to the large amount of farms and plantations that existed in the South. The soil in the South was incredibly fertile. The economy was based on cash crops like tobacco, indigo, and cotton.