The Book of US History

By: Bianca Goodman

Chapter 1 A strong and balanced government

• Federalist and anti-federalists came together to compose the Constitution.

• The framers of the constitution wanted a government that was strong enough to govern but not so strong that it endangered citizens.

• The preamble describes the purpose of the constitution and the government the constitution creates.

• The articles establishes how the government is structured and how it can be changed through the amendments.

• The amendments include the Bill of Rights and other changes that have been made to the Constitution.

Chapter 2 Divided Powers

• The Constitution established the principle of federalism( the division of power between the federal and state government).

• Any power not granted to the federal government would remain with the states. These powers are called reserved powers.

• Some powers that are delegated to Congress are not fully denied to the states. These powers are called concurrent powers because both state and federal governments can use the power.

Chapter 3 The Constitution was amended

• Article V was written to give a procedure for amending the Constitution.

• 10 amendments protecting rights had been changed becoming part of the supreme Law of the Land. They are known as the Bill of Rights.

• Lots of amendments have been proposed over the years but only 17 have been ratified bringing the total number of amendments to 27.

Chapter 4 The Nations first years

• The Unites States was a rural area and was also expanding beyond the 13 colonies.

• Farming was one of the most important economic activities because the US had little industry

• Lack of reliable transportation made most states and regions remote from each other.

Chapter 5 Economic changes in the US

• Slater's mill began industrialization(the transformation from producing goods by hand to producing goods by machine.

• Eli Whitney’s cotton gin sped up the production of cotton, making it the nations leading crop.

• Eli Whitney also introduced interchangeable parts which made manufacturing and paved the way for mass production of goods.

• The mass production of goods helped bring about change from a traditional economy(resources are used for purposes and goods are formally exchanged) to a market economy( prices and wages on goods are determined by supply and demand.

Chapter 6 Social Changes in the Republic

• Dorothea Dix reform efforts brought change in the penal system and health care.

• Horace Mann pushed for public schools in Massachusetts.

• Many reformers blamed crime on alcohol abuse and called for temperance, moderation in drinking habits.

• The movement to end slavery was the biggest reform. Free African Americans formed several antislavery societies.

Chapter 7 Debate over slavery

• Territorial expansion became the start of the debate over slavery.

• The expansion of slavery was renewed when the United States acquired land in the Southwest in its war with Mexico and when California applied for admission to the Union as a free state

• Henry Clay cam up with plan, Compromise of 1850. It admitted California into the Union as a free state, divided the rest of the Southwest into two territories, and ended slave trade in Washington.

Chapter 8 A Nation divided

• Dred Scott and his wife sued for their freedom in court. The Scotts lived with their owner in the free territory of Wisconsin. They based their suit on that living in a free territory was enough to make them free people.

• The court rejected the idea that Dred’s stay in Wisconsin made him a free man. The courts decision invalidated the whole idea of “free soil” and opened all territories to slavery.

• The presidential election finally split the North and South. Abraham Lincoln won with less than 40 percent of the votes, all in the North.

• South Carolina seceded form the Union, several weeks later six more states pulled out. Southern forces opened fire on Fort Sumner. This started the Civil War.

Chapter 9 Effect of War on Soldiers

• The Civil War was extremely brutal because of the new and deadlier weapons such as the rifled musket.

• Doctors didn’t know much about diseases or infections nor did they understand about sanitary procedures in surgery.

• Poor hygiene was another problem, soldiers bathed and drank from latrines.

Chapter 10 Contributions of women to the war

• Some women disguised themselves as men and enlisted into both armies. Other women served in the dangerous role of spies.

• Southern women worked as nurses and turned their homes into medical shelters because the fighting was on their home land.

• With the men fighting in the war, women stepped in to perform jobs to support their families and the war effort.