Expansion

Not long after the Constitution was ratified the United States turned its attention to expanding it's borders beyond the original thirteen colonies.  With the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800 and his ideals of an "agrarian republic" Jefferson would soon take drastic measures to expand the size of the United States.  In 1803, Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States and put the wheels of expansion and exploration in motion.  In the years following, the United States would push the boundaries of expansion through negotiations, war, and conquest.

Theme:

According to Thomas Jefferson, the ideal government was one that was small and focused on individual liberty.  To accomplish this ideal, Jefferson sought to create a nation of farmers, believing that farming and agriculture were the cornerstone to a successful democratic republic.  Practically, in order to accomplish this goal the nation needed to grow and expand in size to accommodate this desire.  The desire to growand expand   would continue and become the hallmark of Manifest Destiny, the policy of expanding west to the Pacific Ocean.

Essential Questions:

• What was so revolutionary about the election of 1800?

• How did Jefferson's presidency differ from Washington's and Adams'?

• To what extent did Jefferson abuse his power as president with the purchase of Louisiana?

• What was the impact of the Louisiana Purchase on the growth of the United States? Native Americans?

• How did the War of 1812 impact American expansion?

• What was so "common" about Andrew Jackson?

• How did Jackson's policies of Indian removal impact American expansion?

You will be able to:

• Articulate the difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and how the differences played out during the election of 1800.

• Analyze the impact of the Louisiana Purchase on the expansion of the United States.

• Explain how events/ideas/scientific discoveries during the Lewis and Clark expedition have shaped present day policy, etc.