Engage Mod 4

Quite a bit transpired during the early 1800s! The election of 1800 pitted our nation's second president, John Adams (Federalist), against his former Vice President, Thomas Jefferson (Anti-Federalist). When Jefferson defeated Adams to become the third president of the United States, it was one of the first times that power was transferred peacefully from one political party to another. In history, for one political group to take power over another, it has usually taken bits and bits of violence...the election of 1800 marked a significant change away from that.

During Jefferson's presidency, his goal was to limit the powers of the presidency (as an Anti-Federalist would). Instead, he actually increased the presidential power significantly when he purchased the Louisiana territory from France, without first getting approval from Congress! This purchase was a great one, however. It doubled the size of our country, and only cost three cents per acre! Jefferson sent two men, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this territory.

Explore this link and see what you can learn about Lewis and Clark.

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/content/lewis-and-clark-expedition-interactive-map

Our fourth president, James Madison, was the next to take office. It was during his presidency that the War of 1812 took place, marking one of the most significant events of his tenure. The cause of the war? Well, Britain and France were constantly fighting at the time, and the U.S. was exporting products to both sides. Soon, British ships began kidnapping (impressment) American sailors and forcing them into their navy. This was an embarrassment and Madison's response was war. This war included many events, including the burning of the White House, the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the emergence of a war hero, whose greatest battle was fought two weeks after the war ended! That man's name, by the way, is Andrew Jackson.

Finally, in this unit you will learn about the expansion of the judicial branch of government. Chief Justice John Marshall of the Supreme Court decided many cases in his day, but among the most important were Marbury vs. Madison (1803), McCollough vs. Maryland (1819), and Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824) .