Describe the country's
physical landscapes, political divisions, and territorial expansion during the
terms of the first four presidents.
America, otherwise known as the United States of America, comprised of states
primarily on the East Coast during the terms of the first four presidents. The
country was first made of colonies created by British settlers that wished for a
new life. After they received the Louisiana territory their whole size
James Monroe and Robert Livingston were U.S. representatives that President Jefferson,
the third president of the United States, sent to France to attempt to buy New
Orleans. Jefferson threatened to form an alliance with Britain if New Orleans
wasn’t turned over, so Napoleon, emperor of France, who had taken Louisiana from
Spain, not only relinquished New Orleans but the entire Louisiana Territory for
fifteen million dollars. This new territory pleased Jefferson; it would provide
more and cheaper land for farmers in the next generations to come. With the
signing of the treaty of the Louisiana territory the size of the United States
doubled in size.
Manifest Destiny, a phrase used by leaders and politicians in the 1840s to
explain continental expansion of the United States, gave the Americans a sense
of mission or national destiny. Their destiny was to expand the size of the
United States because more land represented potential income, wealth,
self-sufficiency and freedom, or "from sea to shining sea".
Political divisions changed many times; viewpoints in political matters had
changed greatly when President Jefferson and Hamilton debated their issues. They
created two political parties, the republicans and the federalists. The
republicans were people who disagreed with the federalists who supported the
ratification of the Constitution. Federalists stood for a vigorous federal
government, while the republicans wanted to give as much power as possible to
the people, so they could have their liberties. When big industrial buildings
and farms began to develop, the United States divided into two sections, the
north and the south. In the North were all the big buildings and worker
factories. In the South were all the farms and slaves.
Talks about the Manifest Destiny occurrence and America's history.
Discusses the Manifest Destiny in details.
Discusses the Louisiana Purchase and how it was bought.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Selections from the Journals Arranged by Topic
by Miles Barth
The Americans: The National Experience
by Daniel Joseph Boorstin
The Great Plains
by Walter Prescott Webb
A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present
by Howard Zinn