Politics and Power Colin Lumsden, Jonah Patton, Laszlo Martiny, Bree Ann Gray, Ansley Hames

Overarching Questions  How and why have different political and social groups competed for influence over society and government in what would become the United States?  How have Americans agreed on or argued over the values that guide the political system as well as who is a part of the political process?

Analyze the factors behind the competition, cooperation, and conflict among different societies and social groups in North America during the colonial period.  There was land controversy in America between the new English colonists and the Native Americans  The French and Indian War was a result from the land dispute in America  There was also dispute over religion between the Puritans and the non-Puritans  The state of Rhode Island was formed  People came to America for religious freedom  The dispute of politics and power between America and England led to the American Revolution

Explain how and why major party systems and political alignments arose and have changed from the early Republic through the end of the 20 th century.  Major political parties emerged from the revolution era  Federalists wanted a strong central government and supported the Constitution  Some Federalist leaders were John Adams and Alexander Hamilton  Democratic- Republicans wanted a weak central government and supported the Articles of Confederation  Some Democratic-Republican leaders were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

Explain how activist groups and reform movements, such as antebellum reformers civil rights activists, and social conservatives, have caused changes to state institutions and U.S. society.  The abolitionist movement led to the freedom of slaves  Famous people in the abolitionist movement were Fredrick Douglas, a former slave, Angelina Grimke, a former a slave owner, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a women’s rights leader  The women’s rights movement led to women getting more rights; for example jobs in factories  The Temperance movement wanted to prohibit alcohol; which the 18 th amendment was created

Analyze how arguments over the meaning and interpretation of the Constitution have affected U.S. politics since  When the Constitution was written the people thought it was just a revision of the weak Articles of Confederation  This then created the Federalist Party who supported the Constitution and Anit-federalist party who supported the Articles of Confederation  There was then checks and balances put it place  It gave each branch of government power over each other so no branch could have complete power

Analyze how debates over political values (such as democracy, freedom, and citizenship ) and the extension of American ideals abroad contributed to the ideological clashes and military conflicts of the 19 th century and the early 20 th century.  Some of Thomas Jefferson's influencers were Montesquieu, Thomas Paine and John Locke.  There influences helped Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence  Americans wanted freedom from the British which resulted in the Revolutionary War  Later in the 1860’s the Civil War broke out  The war broke out because of the fight for states rights in the North and South  The South wanted to have slavery while the North didn’t  The Union army won which helped allow slaves to gain freedom