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Showing results 31 – 40 of 67

Glossary Term – Organization

Democratic-Republican Party

The Democratic-Republican Party was formed by Thomas Jefferson and others who believed in an agrarian-based, decentralized, democratic government. The party was established to oppose the Federalists who had supported and pushed through the ratification of the US Constitution. The party came into power with Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1801 and held the nation’s highest office through the election of Andrew Jackson in 1824. Jackson’s election was contentious, however, with the party dividing its support between him and John Quincy Adams....

Glossary Term – Organization

First Bank of the United States

The first Bank of the United States was chartered in 1791 with support from Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Thomas Jefferson and other small-government-minded politicians objected to the establishment of a national bank, arguing that it was not constitutional. The bank worked much in the way Hamilton envisioned, providing economic stability for the new country. In 1811, however, the bank ceased operation when Jeffersonian Republicans refused to renew its charter.

Glossary Term – Person

Samuel Chase

Samuel Chase (1741–1811) was a delegate to the Continental Congress (1774–1778) and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Though he opposed ratification, Chase was largely responsible for drafting clauses protecting trial by jury and freedom of the press. In 1796 he was appointed justice of the Supreme Court by Washington. Eight years later he was impeached at the behest of Thomas Jefferson, the Republican president, after Chase, a Federalist, spoke out against democratic “mobocracy” from the bench. Chase was not convicted, however,...

Glossary Term – Person

Thomas Jefferson

Glossary Term – Person

Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr (1756–1836) was an influential politican and the third vice president of the United States. Though he had a prominent career before his rivalry with Alexander Hamilton, Burr is best remembered for killing Hamilton in a duel in 1804. Burr was born in New Jersey and educated at Princeton (then the College of New Jersey). In 1775 he joined the Continental Army to fight in the Revolutionary War. After the war, Burr practiced law in New York City and in 1784 was elected to the state assembly. He continued his political career in the...

Glossary Term – Person

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) was an influential African American intellectual in early America. Born free in Maryland, Banneker became an accomplished mathematician, astronomer, surveyor, and writer. In 1791, Banneker was selected to be part of team approved by George Washington to survey and plan the new national capital at Washington, DC; a park in the city was eventually named in his honor. Banneker was best known for the almanacs he published from 1791 to 1797; he sent a copy of his first almanac to Thomas Jefferson, challenging the...

Glossary Term – Person

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1705–1790) was one of America’s first renaissance men—his career included work as a statesman, scientist, writer, printer, and diplomat. Born in Boston, Franklin eventually settled in Philadelphia. He published Poor Richard’s Almanack for twenty-five years and later wrote an autobiography that is still in print. His inventions, such as the bifocal lens and the Franklin stove, as well as his investigations into the properties of lightning, earned him international recognition. Widely popular in...

Glossary Term – Person

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) seized power in France at the end of the French Revolution and turned his focus toward expanding his empire. In 1803, Napoleon sold the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. Also in 1803, just before crowning himself emperor, Napoleon began waging wars for expansion, conquering most of Europe. Conflict between France and Great Britain complicated things for neutral America, with the warring countries placing restrictions on American trade. The United States responded to the restrictions with the...

Glossary Term – Person

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804) shaped the financial, political, and legal systems of the young United States. Born in poverty in the Caribbean, Hamilton was sent to New York to receive and education. He was sympathetic to the demands of rebellious colonists and he joined the militia when the Revolution began. In March of 1777 Hamilton was appointed to George Washington’s staff as an aide-de-camp and later distinguished himself at the Battle of Yorktown. He married Elizabeth Schuyler, of the eminent Schuyler family, and went on to serve in...

Glossary Term – Person

John Adams

John Adams (1735–1826) served as a leader in the American Revolution and as the nation’s second president. Born in Braintree, Massachusetts, Adams attended Harvard College and began practicing law. In 1764, he married Abigail Smith, beginning a long and successful marriage and intellectual relationship. In the 1760s, Adams became a leader in the American resistance against parliamentary acts and British rule. From 1774 to 1777, Adams served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses and nominated George Washington as...