The Enlightenment and American Democracy

Transcription

1 STANDARD The Enlightenment and American Democracy Specific Objective: Describe the Enlightenment and the rise of democratic ideas as the context in which the nation was founded. Read the summary to answer questions on the next page. Enlightenment Ideas An intellectual movement that spread from Europe to the Americas Influenced the thinking of leaders of the American Revolution Core beliefs: Truth can be discovered through reason. What is natural is also good and reasonable. People can find happiness in this life. Society and humankind can progress and improve. People s liberty should be protected by the law. Enlightenment Philosophers John Locke, an English philosopher, expressed the idea that people are born with natural rights. These rights include the right to life, liberty, and property. According to Locke, people have the right to change or overthrow a government that does not protect their natural rights. Baron de Montesquieu, a French writer and philosopher, argued for separation of powers within the government. In his view, each branch of government should serve as a check on the other branches power. Jean Jacques Rousseau, another French philosopher, believed in the natural goodness of people and in individual freedom. He argued that government should be formed and guided by the general will of the people. Cesare Bonesana Beccaria, an Italian philosopher, promoted new ideas about the justice system. He argued that people accused of crimes had certain rights, and he advocated abolishing torture. His ideas were based on the belief that governments should seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Effects of the Enlightenment Enlightenment ideas encouraged people to use observation to make new discoveries, rely on reason, and question traditional authority. The principles of the Enlightenment led many American colonists to challenge the authority of the British monarchy. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he drew on the ideas of John Locke. The Declaration of Independence states that all men have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Many ideas in the Constitution are based on the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers. CSS Specific Objective : Review 19

2 STANDARD The Origins of the American Political System Specific Objective: Analyze the ideological origins of the American Revolution, including the Founding Fathers philosophy of unalienable natural rights, the debates on the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and the addition of the Bill of Rights. Read the summary and charts to answer questions on the next page. Ideas Behind the American Revolution In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson drew on the writings of John Locke. Locke was a British philosopher who said that if government became tyrannical people should resist it. Locke s Ideas People are born with natural rights of life, liberty and property. Government has power by the consent of the people. People have the right to change or abolish a government that does not protect their natural rights. Ideas in the Declaration of Independence American colonists had unalienable rights that the king could not take away. These rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People have the right to alter or abolish a government that threatens their unalienable rights. Debates on Drafting the Constitution At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, delegates from the states debated many issues as they created a new form of government. The chart below summarizes these debates. Key Issues North versus South Should slaves be counted as population for determining congressional representation? Division of Powers How should power be divided between the states and the federal government? Separation of Powers How can the authority of the federal government be limited? Resolution The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed for three-fifths of a state s slaves to be counted as population. The Constitution gives delegated powers, such as control of foreign affairs, to the federal government. The states are given reserved powers, such as supervising education. The Constitution created three branches of government executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch limits the power of the others in a system of checks and balances. The Bill of Rights At least nine states needed to ratify, or approve, the Constitution. Opponents, called Antifederalists, argued that the Constitution lacked protection of individual rights. Supporters, called Federalists, said that the Constitution gave only limited powers to the national government. The Federalists finally promised to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution so that it would be ratified. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the Constitution. It is a summary of citizens rights and freedoms. CSS Specific Objective : Review 21

3 STANDARD The History of the Constitution Specific Objective: Understand the history of the Constitution after 1787 with emphasis on federal versus state authority and growing democratization. Read the summary and charts to answer questions on the next page. States Rights vs. Federal Authority The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. In matters that concern the nation as a whole, a strong central government composed of three branches takes precedence over any individual state government. However, the Constitution reserves certain powers for the states. Disagreements between states rights and federal authority led to conflicts such as the Nullification Crisis and the Civil War. Event Issue Outcome Nullification Crisis In 1832 South Carolina moved to nullify, or declare illegal, tariff laws passed by Congress in 1828 and South Carolina threatened to secede if the tariffs were enforced. The Civil War ( ) After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, South Carolina was the first state to secede from Union. Vice President John C. Calhoun, from South Carolina, developed a nullification theory. He said that a state had the right to nullify a federal law within its borders and to withdraw from the Union if it were not allowed to nullify a federal law. Most Southerners saw the conflict over slavery as a struggle between the states rights of self-determination and federal control. The Confederacy declared that states rights took precedence over the Union, the Constitution, and federal laws. Expansion of Democracy The Bill of Rights did not extend to all Americans. The Constitution has been amended to allow more citizens to participate in the government. President Andrew Jackson saw South Carolina s actions as a direct challenge to the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. He threatened to use federal troops to enforce the law. Congress lowered tariffs, avoiding confrontation. Lincoln said states did not have the right to secede. When Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter, a Union fort in South Carolina, the Civil War began. The Union victory four years later led to the abolition of slavery and the readmission of the Confederate states to the Union. Amendment Ratified Effects 13th 1865 Abolished slavery throughout the United States 14th 1868 Gave all citizens equal protection under the law Gave citizenship to those born or naturalized in the country 15th 1870 No one may be prevented from voting due to race, color, or previous condition of servitude Resulted in literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses to limit voting rights of African Americans 19th 1920 Gave women the right to vote 24th 1964 Abolished poll tax 26th 1971 Gave 18 year-olds the right to vote CSS Specific Objective : Review 23

4 STANDARD Effects of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Industrial Revolution Specific Objective: Examine the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction and of the Industrial Revolution, including demographic shifts and the emergence in the late nineteenth century of the United States as a world power. Read the chart to answer questions on the next page. Event Civil War and Reconstruction Industrial Revolution Effects The need for war supplies during the Civil War led to rapid growth of industry and cities in the North. The Civil War destroyed the South s economy. Because the war was fought mostly in the South, its bridges, roads, and farmlands were destroyed. Property values declined, personal and government debts increased, and the population suffered devastating losses. New labor systems such as the contract system and sharecropping kept many former slaves locked in a cycle of debt and poverty. Constitutional amendments and other laws abolished slavery and guaranteed basic rights of former slaves. African Americans became educated and took part in state and federal government. Southern states restricted African-American voting rights through literacy tests and poll taxes. Grandfather clauses allowed many poor illiterate whites to vote but discriminated against African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that these laws did not refer specifically to race and so did not violate the 15th Amendment. Jim Crow laws established segregation. In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court said that separate but equal facilities did not violate the 14th Amendment. Demographic Shift Both sides lost thousands of young men. African Americans moved from rural to urban South; in some cities, African Americans became the majority. African Americans also moved to Northern cities and to the West. The United States shifted from a mostly rural to an industrial society after the Civil War. Railroad lines expanded. People, raw materials, farm produce, and finished products could be moved quickly throughout the country. Demographic Shift Mechanization of farming displaced many farm workers, especially African Americans. U.S. Emergence as a World Power In the late 19th century, U.S. industry made more products than American citizens could consume. The United States looked abroad for raw materials for manufacturing and new markets for selling U.S. goods. The need for foreign trade was a factor in the growth of American imperialism. CSS Specific Objective : Review 25

5 STANDARD Religion and American Society Specific Objective: Describe the contributions of various religious groups to American civic principles and social reform movements. Read the summary to answer questions on the next page. Various religious groups have influenced American principles over the years. They have inspired changes in the way people lived and in the laws of the United States. Religion and the Founding of America Many groups came seeking freedom of religion Puritans, Quakers, Catholics, Jews. Puritan New England established traditions of self-government, and family-centered communities. Their belief that God rewarded hard work led to the Protestant work ethic that focused on individual responsibility and blame for social conditions. Quaker Pennsylvania promoted religious tolerance, equality, and early opposition to slavery. The Great Awakening (1730s 1740s) used Christian revivals to encourage people to question traditional authority, including that of the British monarchy. 1790s Civil War Second Great Awakening revivals that led to social reform and growth in church membership Individuals should seek salvation and improve themselves and society (linked to ideas of Jacksonian democracy and belief in power of common people). Slaves in the South interpreted Christian teachings to include a promise of freedom. Free African Americans in the North formed their own churches, which provided schools and other services. Beginning in the 1840s large numbers of Irish and German Catholics immigrants faced religious prejudice. They eventually increased America s religious diversity. Reconstruction ( ) Free African Americans in the South formed their own churches. African-American ministers were community leaders and churches became centers for support. Churches helped open the first public schools and universities for African Americans. Progressive Movement ( ) The Progressive movement included goals of protecting social welfare and promoting moral improvement. Many Protestant churches supported work on these goals. The Social Gospel movement advocated labor reforms, social justice for the poor, and the establishment of settlement houses. Protestant groups were supporters of the Prohibition movement in the early 1900s. The Women s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) became the largest women s group in U.S. history. CSS Specific Objective : Review 45

6 STANDARD Religious Revivals in America Specific Objective: Analyze the great religious revivals and the leaders involved in them, including the Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, the Civil War revivals, the Social Gospel movement, the rise of Christian liberal theology in the nineteenth century, the impact of the Second Vatican Council, and the rise of Christian fundamentalism in current times. Read the chart to answer the questions on the next page. Religious Revival Leaders Key Ideas First Great Awakening 1730s 1750s Second Great Awakening c Civil War Revivals Especially the Great Revival, Fall 1863 Summer 1864 Social Gospel Movement Christian Liberal Theology Mid-19th century Second Vatican Council Christian Fundamentalism 1970s present Jonathan Edwards, Puritan; emotional sermons George Whitefield, British; traveled in America Charles Grandison Finney Abraham Lincoln Confederate Generals such as Lee, Jackson, and Polk Washington Gladden, Congregationalist Horace Bushnell, Congregational minister Pope John XXIII Pope Paul VI Jerry Falwell, Moral Majority Pat Robertson, 700 Club, and Christian Coalition Revival of personal commitment to religion Challenged traditional authority: established churches, British leaders People must improve themselves and society Huge increase in church membership Prayer meetings and Bible reading Affected both armies, in Virginia and Tennessee Salvation through service to the poor Worked for labor reform Inspired the settlement house movement and political reformers Less emphasis on the importance of conversion Resisted theory of evolution Renewal of the Roman Catholic Church Opened Catholics to closer ties with other Christians; reached out to Jews and Muslims Greater interest in social movements Roots in the early 20th century, opposed theory of evolution Literal interpretation of the Bible Social conservatives on issues such as abortion, homosexual rights, and school prayer CSS Specific Objective : Review 47

7 STANDARD Religious Intolerance in America Specific Objective: Cite incidences of religious intolerance in the United States. Read the summary to answer questions on the next page. Intolerance toward Mormons Joseph Smith founded the Mormon religion in upstate New York in Mormons had some different beliefs from other Protestants. Their practice of polygamy (having more than one wife) was especially troubling to their neighbors. Protestants often threatened and attacked them. Mormons moved from New York to Ohio and then to Illinois to escape persecution. Their leader, Joseph Smith was killed in Illinois by an anti-mormon mob. The group then followed Brigham Young and finally settled in Utah. Intolerance toward Catholics Most of the early settlers in the American colonies were Protestants who opposed the Roman Catholic Church. For many years, Protestants were afraid that Catholics would try to take over the country and make the Roman Catholic Church the official religion. Millions of Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany entered the United States between 1830 and People in cities opposed them because of their religion and because they were poor and willing to work for low wages. Mobs in cities attacked and harassed Catholic immigrants. Catholic immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s had a similar experience. Nativists favored Anglo-Saxons born in the United States and attacked Catholics and other immigrants. The Prohibition movement was largely a Protestant movement. It especially targeted Catholic immigrants for whom alcohol was a part of their social and business life. Many German, Irish, and Italian immigrants lost their businesses that made or sold alcoholic beverages. Intolerance toward Jews Between 1870 and 1920, millions of Jews migrated to the United States from Eastern Europe. Many were driven from their homes and villages because governments in Russia and other countries supported attacks against them. When they arrived in the United States, they were often treated poorly for the same reasons as other immigrants they were poor and willing to work for low wages and people feared their religion. Businesses, colleges, and social clubs often refused to admit Jews. CSS Specific Objective : Review 49

8 STANDARD Freedom of Religion Specific Objective: Describe the principles of religious liberty found in the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment, including the debate on the issue of separation of church and state. Read the summary to answer questions on the next page. Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.... First Amendment to the Constitution, ratified 1791 History Many colonists had come to America so they could practice their own religion freely. Puritans came to New England to escape the requirements of the Church of England. Huguenots (French Protestants) left France to escape laws and requirements of the Roman Catholic Church. The First Amendment was part of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to be sure citizens would be protected from a powerful central government. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the First Amendment builds a wall of separation between church and government. Today, we refer to the separation of church and state. Establishment The Establishment clause means that the government cannot decide on a single religion that everyone is required to follow. It has also come to mean that the government cannot support one type of religion over another. For example, the government cannot allow one religion to use public buildings and not allow another religion the same right. Free Exercise The Free Exercise clause means that the government cannot prevent people from worshipping or interfere with the way they choose to worship. For example, the government cannot require religions to worship on one particular day or decide what they can do during a service. Conflicts Over Interpretations People disagree about how to interpret these clauses. In some cases, the United States has approved spending money that helps religious schools. Other times, courts have prevented it. Public schools may not officially sponsor, promote, or require any prayers by students. However, students may choose to pray on their own. CSS Specific Objective : Review 53