United States History to 1877

Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s

USI.7

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the challenges faced by the new nation by

a) identifying the weaknesses of the government established by the Articles of Confederation;
b) identifying the basic principles of the new government established by the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights;
c) identifying the conflicts that resulted in the emergence of two political parties;
d) describing the major accomplishments of the first five presidents of the United States.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Begin the unit by asking students what the major differences between Hamilton and Jefferson were.
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson had opposing views on the role of the national government. That opposition resulted in the creation of two political parties.
Explain to students that people of the new republic disagreed about the degree of power granted to the federal government. Many people believed that individual states should have retained greater political influence, and they were suspicious of a strong central government. Others felt the federal government should be strong and exercise many powers. These two different points of view led to disagreements over the ratification of the Constitution of the United States; it was also the source of the creation of two political parties -- the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans.
Have students create a chart that will compare the political views of the Federalists (leader Alexander Hamilton) and the Democratic Republicans (leader Thomas Jefferson). Encourage students to use their textbooks and additional information provided by the teacher to complete the charts. Have the students complete the Federalists Versus Democratic Republicans Comparison Chart worksheet. For a copy of the worksheet, CLICK HERE.
After students have taken notes on the two political parties, place the students into small groups of three or four, and have each group create a political poster that illustrates the political ideas of either the Federalists or the Democratic Republicans. Have students use pictures and create political slogans for their posters.
Have the students share their posters with the class. Lead a follow-up discussion on which political ideas are most important to people today or which political ideas of the past are still concerns in the present.
Explain to the students that the debate over the role of the national government has continued throughout United States history.
Point out the major party differences to include:

Alexander Hamilton

Leader of Federalists
Favored strong national government
Favored limits on states' powers
Favored development of industry on a national scale
Favored a national bank

Thomas Jefferson

Leader of the Democratic Republicans
Favored a weak national government
Supported states' powers
Favored small business and farmers
Opposed a national bank

Use graphic organizers available at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm (Score Graphic Organizers), http://teacherresourcecatalog.pwnet.org/docs/Reading.pdf (Reading Strategies for Content Teachers), or http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/ (ReadingQuest: Reading Strategies for Comprehension) to assist the students as they organize the following background information on Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.
Background information is available on Alexander Hamilton at:
http://www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org/
http://www.constitution.org/img/found009.htm
Background information is available on Thomas Jefferson at:
http://www.monticello.org/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html
http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/ http://www.americanpresident.org/history/thomasjefferson/

WEB SITES

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=560
The First American Party System: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans: The Platforms They Never Had from Edsitement

http://www.hamiltonsociety.org/
Alexander Hamilton

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html
Thomas Jefferson

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