US Political Freedoms Prior

to 1820

The Bill of Rights (1791)

A series of Amendments to the Constitution designed to protect people and the states from the abuses of government

Amendment I

Freedom of Religion

Freedom of Assembly

Freedom of Petition

Freedom of Press

Freedom of Speech

Remember RAPPS?

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

No illegal search and seizures

Searches may only take place under a warrant OR with reasonable suspicion

Amendment V

Indictment by a Grand Jury

No Double Jeopardy No self-incrimination No person shall be

deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law

Government may not take private property without fair compensation (eminent domain)

Amendment VI

Right to a speedy and public trial

Right to trial by an impartial jury

Right to be confronted with the witnesses against him

Right to an attorney

Amendment VII

Provides for trial by jury in civil cases (lawsuits)

Amendment VIII

No excessive bail

No excessive fines

No cruel and unusual punishments

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people

Amendment XI (1795)

Establishes “sovereign immunity” – citizens cannot sue a state in federal court for monetary damages, but may sue a state if the state is in violation of federal law

Amendment XII (1804)

Changes the rules for electing the president and vice-president

Old rules – whoever got the most votes for president won, whoever got the second most votes became vice-president!

All men created equal?

Originally, only WHITE, PROPERTY OWNING MEN were allowed to vote in the US!

Role of Women

Primary role was as wives, mothers, and homemakers

Poor, single women might work outside the home as servants

Had few property rights, could not vote

Abigail Adams Wife of John Adams

Pushed for women’s rights to education, own property, and have a voice in politics

"...remember the ladies … Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands … all Men would be tyrants if they could … [we] will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”

Native American Relations

As more white settlers pushed west, they came into increasing conflict with Native Americans

Natives were NOT considered US citizens, and so had few rights

US law protected settlers over native interests

Tennessee & Kentucky become states

First settled by whites in the 1750s and 1760s

Led to conflicts with native groups

Kentucky became the 15th state in 1792

Tennessee became the 16th state in 1796

Western Indian Confederacy

Many Great Lakes area tribes worked together to present a united front against US expansion

Badly defeated US troops in battles in 1790 and 1791

Battle of Fallen Timbers

August 20, 1794, near Toledo, Ohio

US troops under “Mad” Anthony Wayne defeated Indian Confederation under Blue Jacket

Ended the Northwest Indian War

Tecumseh Shawnee tribal leader

Attempted to unite all Natives against US

Opposed treaties with US government

Allied himself with the British during the War of 1812

Killed during the war

Treaty of Greenville August 2, 1795

Natives agreed to surrender most of Ohio and areas that are today Detroit and Chicago for $20,000 in goods and the creation of a permanent boundary between US and Indian territory

Future settlers ignored the negotiated boundary

Battle of Tippecanoe Nov. 7, 1811

US forces under Harrison attacked Tecumseh’s Indian alliance’s HQ in Indiana, shattering the new Indian confederacy

Tecumseh fled to Canada and joined with the British

British support of the Indians would be a contributing factor to the start of the War of 1812

William Henry Harrison

Governor of the Indiana Territory

Became a national hero due to his victories in both Tecumseh’s War and the War of 1812

Known as “Old Tippecanoe”

Later elected President of the US

Slavery: a “necessary evil”

3/5ths Compromise in Constitution only counted slaves as 3/5 of a person

Slaves were NOT citizens and had no legal rights

Some free blacks in the North did enjoy citizenship

By 1800, close to 1 million slaves in US, or about 1/6 of the population

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin

Machine that separated usable cotton from its seeds

Made cotton farming more profitable and led to the rise of “King Cotton”, the South’s dependency on the cotton trade

Growth in the cotton trade led to further growth in slavery

Beginnings of the Abolitionist movement

Many people opposed slavery

Most northern states passed laws ending slavery there

Even some slave owners like Washington and Jefferson felt slavery was immoral