John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe

Overview of the four presidents following George Washington...

·         John Adams –

            In 1796 John Adams officially became the second president of the United States. Upon becoming president, he made it clear that he was dedicated to make a strong federal government, showing his federalist views.  He also made it clear that he did not want the young country to get into the European wars at the time. That’s why it was so troubling to him when the crisis with the French became a problem. They began beating up the young country and refused to make an peaceful agreement. That’s when the XYZ affairs took place. Under the threat that the French could attack at any time, Adams agreed that the army had to be built up, and stand prepared. The following years were used building up the Navy and Army, as to prepare for the war against the French. Luckily this war didn’t take place, but it was still extremely close, and lead to improvements to our protection from outside threats.

·         Thomas Jefferson –

            In the election of 1800 a great shift took place. The previous two presidents had both been federalists, but as Thomas Jefferson came in as the third president, the democratic-republicans took the stand for the first time. Jefferson made it clear by the way he acted, dressed, and lead, that he was greatly in favor of creating a small government with great democratic ideas. He dressed very normally and discussed with an even attention to each individual no matter their ranking. One foreign policy event that Jefferson saw as president was the Impressment and the Embargo act. During the Impressment British started seizing American ships that they saw crossing the ocean for trading. To stop these acts, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act that forbids the trading to Britain, in hopes that this punch to their economy would help peace between the two countries.  As a result to this act, foreign trade drop greatly, and American local farmers and merchants needed to step up to fit the demands of the growing country.

·         James Madison –

            Come 1809, America was once again searching for a new president. James Madison was the man who stepped into the fourth presidents position. America was under some difficult times when Madison took office, and something clearly had to be done. The British was a growing power in the world, and many Federalists were eager for war. They accused the British of urging Indian attacks, and many others longed for expansion into Canada.  When 1812 came, there was no option but to start the second war with Britain. It was a tough war for the Americas. Just like their original war with Britain, they had a natural disadvantage with their smaller army, but also home court advantage at the same time. Americans also had a tough time agreeing on whether or not they should actually be going into war again. Finally after two years, both countries stopped fighting and signed the Treaty of Ghent. This ended the war in a draw, no land gained or lost. Although the Americans had not taken the land from the British, they now had formed a peaceful way of ending future disputes.

·         James Monroe –

            Once Madison’s time was up as president, America voted for James Monroe to become the fifth president of the United States.  Monroe was another Democratic-Republican candidate, and was a very popular candidate in the 1817 election. All in all, the United States seemed to be flowing more smoothly than ever. Following the war, they had a boost in the economy, and had hopes to continue to be a great nation.  They called it the Era of Good Feelings. Although it was good times for many aspects of American life, there was also a few problems to the south in Florida. Spain had always owned the very southern point of the United States, and on the boarder there were occasional attacks that needed to be stopped. In attempt to expand the nation as well  as avoid possible future problems, Monroe set to work trying to gain this bit of land for America. Spain knew they had little control over their land in Florida and other parts of the continent, so they decided to strike a deal with America. They signed the Adams-Onis treaty which finally gave the United States ownership of Florida as well as land stretching all the way to the Pacific Ocean. For only 5 million dollars, America had finally gotten a lot of land stretching from sea to sea. Spain kept their Texas and Mexico, but it was with great joy that the Americans moved even further into the country.

Colonial Victory in the American Revolution

This is an article that tells how the colonies won the American Revolution....   

Colonial Victory in the American Revolution

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In 1776 the colonies made a big decision. With Patrick Henry’s cries of “give me liberty, or give me death,” they raged into war to fight for the freedom they believed in.  Although a nation of any size would tremble at the thought of taking on the British army, the young American colonies chose to defend their freedom with great determination. The success the colonies had within the Revolutionary War was a great start to building the great nation America is today. With the great leadership of George Washington, the knowledge of their own home land, and the help of foreign allies, the colonies were able to use their immense courage and determination to fight all odds, and attain independence.

                Although it takes more than one man to win a war, there was one man that certainly played a necessary part in the colonists’ victory. This man was George Washington.  Not only did he lead our country as our first president, but this great man also led the way through the American Revolution. When the Second Continental Congress first decided that taking arms to the British might be a necessary action, they turned to the young leader for direction. With no promise of salary or safety, Washington eagerly accepted the position and set to work making an army out of the untrained colonists. Untrained colonists was not the only difficulty Washington faced however, Washington himself was also untrained being a war leader. With hard work however, Washington and his army gradually learned how to fight. Washington’s hard work, gathering troops, and learning strategies is one way he showed his great leadership in the war. As the leader of war, Washington was expected to make some daring choices. On Christmas night, with nearly all the future of America relying on Washington, he decided to make a risky attack at Trenton. He decided to send his troops across the Delaware, and attempt to surprise the Hessians. This could not have worked out better; George Washington had made a key move to giving hope to the colonists and a head start in the war. Yet another great example Washington provided, to prove his excellence as a leader was at Princeton. A great many troops from the British Army came back to the place of Trenton hoping to take down Washington’s forces. However, George Washington encouraged his men, and would not let go. The men within his army remember Washington riding straight through the fighting, encouraging all the men to keep at it. A true leader shows more concern for his army than himself, and that’s just what Washington showed his army. The inspired colonists went on to win this war and others. Without Washington, it is hard to imagine that all the separate colonies would have been able to work together and make it through the war against the British. The way he rallied forces, planed out daring strategy’s, and was determined to succeed were all crucial aspects for the colonists’ victory over the British.

                Looking back at the American Revolution, it is also clear that the colonists’ knowledge of their own land, or the lack of knowledge for the British, also became an important part for the colonists in the Revolutionary War. The main reason it was so difficult for the British to fight over seas was clearly the distance. This distance made it hard for the British to react quickly and know when and where to send their troops. A second downfall for the British’s long range attack was the great difficulty of getting supplies all the way across the ocean. Although the British had lots of ships going both the ways, the constant need was sometimes tough to stay on top of, as well as expensive. The sea also brought an easy target for the colonists. Later on in the war, America allowed ships to attack the supply carrying British ships before they even made it to land. The final way American colonists were able to make full use of their over sea advantage was through knowing their land better than the British.  The British fell prey to many surprise attacks from the colonies. Key battles may not have turned out favoring the patriots had they not had this simple advantage. The geography of where the fighting took place, no doubt, gave the colonists a much desired advantage. 

                Even if things were looking up for the Americans, the constant threat of the British army was hard to keep up with. In 1778, the Continental Congress was able to become allies with a much needed foreign force, the French. Ben Franklin helped arrange the signing of the Treaty of Alliance, and with it, the military aid from France. This military aid played a crucial part to America’s victory.  The French alliance, gave hope to all Americans that this revolution was entirely possible. When the French sent 5,000 troops to help out the Americans in the Yorktown battle, the colonists had gained the upper hand against the British, numbering 17,000 to 8,000. With this advantage the colonists were able to win battles more decisively and finally forced the Britain government to surrender. Upon the creation of the treaty of Paris, the mortified Britain government finally named the United States a “free sovereign and independent states.” This might not have happened had the states not made the recent alliance with the French, and clearly the foreign forces did help create independence for Americans.

                When the Congress first made the decision to take arms against the British rule, they didn’t know quite what would happen. At that point the British army was one of the strongest in the world, and for the young nation to choose arms for their freedom was very brave indeed. Through their high determination, they were able to win the war, and with it, their freedom. George Washington’s leadership, the geography of the battles, as well as the French alliance the colonists made, were all crucial parts for the colonials to come on top in the American Revolution. The battles and difficulties the colonists’ faced, only proves how important their freedom was. A need for liberty is what got them into the Revolutionary war, and the dedication to freedom is what got them through.

New England, Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies

This is information about the different colonies that formed in America...

New England

Picture caption: The Pilgrims sharing the First Thanksgiving.

Primary Settlers:

   - New England was where the Pilgrims landed in 1620.

   - Many of the Pilgrims originally were of strictly Puritan faith.

Base of Their Economy:

   - The people of New England were big on farming for much of

      their economy.

   - They also used the sea by fishing.

   - They built ships from the supply of the forest.

Political Structure:

   - The Puritans originally had the religion and the government intertwined.

   - Roger Williams separated the religion and government in Rhode Island.

Religion:
   - Much of New England started out Puritan.
   - The original colonies weren’t tolerant of other religions.

Geography/Climate:
   - Coast soil was thin and rocky, Inland had richer soil.

   -The winters were extremely cold.

Middle Colonies

Picture caption: The Middle Colonies relied heavily on farming.

Primary Settlers:

   - Before England gained ownership of the land, the Dutch ruled  .    over New Amsterdam. Later to be named New York.

  - Variety of settlers including Dutch, Puritan, Scots, and Quakers.

Base of Their Economy:

   - The people of the middle colonies mainly based their economy                                                                                                                                                                                               .    on farming.

   - The surplus of corn and wheat was sold to the New England.

  

Political Structure:

   - There were some big landowners.

   - Port towns of the Middle Colonies thrived (Including: New York and Pennsylvania).

Religion:
   - In Pennsylvania, there were Quakers. Quakers believed that all were equal.

   - There was a tolerance of many religions in some Middle Colonies.

Geography/Climate:
   - The rich soil and climate of the middle colonies were perfect for farming.

Southern Colonies                    

Picture Caption: Slaves were forced to keep vast fields in good order.

Primary Settlers:

   - Majority of the first settlers in Maryland were Catholic.

   - Protestants and other religions joined them when they

     needed more people.

Base of Their Economy:

   - Tobacco was a major cash crop for the southern                                                                                                                 

     colonies. However, they later switched mainly to rice.

   - They bought many slaves, and used them to farm much

     of the land.

Political Structure:

   - Virginia’s House of Burgesses was the first representative assembly of the colonies.

Religion:
   - Maryland was mainly Catholic.

   - The Act of Toleration (1649) said that all Christians could practice in Maryland.

Geography/Climate:
   - The south had a hot climate, and richest soil of the colonies. (Perfect for their crops)