Unit 2: Defining the Nation 
​(1790-1838) 

​In our second unit, we will focus on how the political machinery of the Constitution wrestled with the demands of the growing American nation. Our unit assessment will apply the content and skills learned to a team-based simulation in the form of a trial of President Andrew Jackson.
Picture
Detail from “The County Election” by George Caleb Bingham (1852).

Content focus:
  • Examine who was – and was not – included in the new American republic.
  • Consider the significance the evolving role of the three branches of federal government and their relationship to the public.
  • Address key debates over rights that emerge in this period, especially the "Indian removal" policies of President Andrew Jackson.
Skills focus:
  • Continue engaging in productive roundtable discussion.
  • Continue reading, analyzing, and annotating written primary sources.
  • Understand and articulate historical events from multiple perspectives.
  • Work collaboratively on a group project. 

Homework assignments

#201: “An Empire of Liberty”
  • Read Foner, 215-16 (“National Identity” and “Indians in the New Nation”)
  • Watch Crash Course US History #10: Thomas Jefferson & His Democracy (13:18), embeded to right. Note that a lot of ground is covered in this video because building a nation is a complex process. For our purposes, focus on the following key questions:
    • What was the nature of Jefferson’s “democratic vision”? Why – and for whom – was the American nation being constructed?
    • Identify concrete steps taken by Jefferson to promote his vision.
#202: "The Very Essence of Judicial Duty": Marbury v. Madison
  • Read “Judicial Review” in Foner on page 237
  • Read the Marbury v. Madison decision, pages 13-15 of the Course Reader
  • Consider:
    • What did Chief Justice John Marshall say was the chief purpose of written constitutions in Marbury v. Madison (1803)?
    • What did Marshall call the “very essence of judicial duty”?
    • Opposing judicial review, others have asserted that states (and not the Supreme Court) are the rightful judges of whether a law is constitutional. What would be some advantages and disadvantages of this arrangement?

Materials needed for class:
  • Please bring the Course Reader to class.
​#203 Jackson and Nullification
  • Read Foner 296-301 ("The Age of Jackson").
  • Watch Crash Course U.S. History #14: Age of Jackson (15:04), embedded to right.

Materials needed for class:
  • Please bring Foner to class.
#204: Indian Removal: Jackson's View
  • Read Foner, 301-304 ("Indian Removal" and "The Supreme Court and the Indians")
  • Read "Andrew Jackson's Speech to Congress on Indian Removal, December 6, 1830" in the Course Reader, 23-24.

Materials needed for class:
  • Please bring the Course Reader to class.
#205: Indian Removal: Cherokee Response
  • Read "Memorial of the Cherokee Nation, 1830" in the Course Reader, 25-27.
  • Consider:
    • What is meant by “the right of inheritance and peaceable possession”?
    • How might the Cherokee understanding of "sovereignty" differ from that of President Jackson – and, perhaps, other Americans?
    • What are the authors’ primary arguments against removal? Which do you think is their strongest argument? Weakest?

Materials needed for class:
  • Please bring the Course Reader to class.
#206: Indian Removal Role Play, part 1
  • No specific homework is due for class, though it may be helpful to review materials from the unit.

​Materials needed for class:
  • Please bring both Foner and the Course Reader to class.
#207: Indian Removal Role Play, part 2
  • Continue research for the role play.
  • Write a briefing (150-200 words) on your person’s position on the question. Please cite any outside sources that you referred to in writing your briefing with Chicago-style footnotes. This assignment will be graded out of 15 points for clarity, historical accuracy, and evidence of effective research.
  • To submit:
    • Within Google Docs select "File"→"Share…"
    • Select "Get shareable link"
    • Copy link
    • Paste link here on Canvas.
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​Materials needed for class:
  • Bring materials as required to present your role.