LARGER LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR UNIT TWO EXAM
Unit Two: The New Republic and Jacksonian America, 1783-1850
1. This unit begins with the creation of the Republic in the years immediately following Independence.
You should have a clear understanding of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and
which constituents were hurt by these failures--in other words, how did a decentralized form of
government hurt the groups in question? These groups form the nucleus of voices clamoring for a
Constitution. They are known as the federalists. There are a variety of motivations for wanting to
create a Constitution including class, political, and ideological interests--you should be able to
discuss them all. You must also be able to discuss the groups who opposed a Constitution--the
Anti-federalists--and their motivations and actions. Finally, you need to know how the
Constitution became ratified.
2. You should have a clear understanding of the functions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
You also need to know about the debate over religion that the Constitution sparked.
3. In the first Presidential administration of the New Republic Alexander Hamilton and Thomas
Jefferson laid out two competing visions for America. You should be able to discuss both of theses
different visions and why they disagreed with one another. Finally, you should be able to analyze
how the forces of history pushed America towards one vision instead of the other.
4. You need an understanding of the two political parties that arose from the two competing visions
noted above. Who were the Federalists and who were the Republicans? What issues divided the
two parties? (Warning: don't confuse the Federalist Party with the federalists who argued for the
Constitution, although there is some overlap.)
5. You need an understanding of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. What was his philosophy of
governing? Was he consistent in his administration? What were his major accomplishments?
What happened with the judiciary under his administration?
6. You should know why we fought the War of 1812--which interest groups were for it and which were
against it? What happened during the war that threatened to tear the nation apart, and why didn't
it? What resulted from the war? What issues of sectionalism emerged in the flush of nationalist
excitement following the war?
7. This unit lays the groundwork for the Civil War by outlining the sectional differences that evolved
following the Transportation, Market, and Industrial Revolutions. You should understand each of
these revolutions--what brought them about, and how they changed the way Americans both
created and distributed goods. You should also understand how the Industrial Revolution
changed the way companies organized the relations of production--meaning the relationships
between management and workers--and what impact that had on patterns of alcohol
consumption. You should be able to explain how industrialization changed gender roles, paying
special attention to rise of the Northern middle class. You should understand urbanization,
immigration, and nativism. You should be able to account for the responses to the Industrial
Revolution in communal experiments and reform movements.
ID'S SECOND UNIT EXAM
the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution:
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Little Turtle's Rebellion Shay's Rebellion, 1786 the
Sans Souci Club The Federalist Papers Federalists and Anti-federalists the Virginia Bill for
Establishing Religious Freedom
the Early Republic: Washington through Jefferson
Report on the Public Credit Report on Finance Report on Manufactures
