Homework Four Answers - Student Seventeen

1.Explain why the North supported higher tariffs, but the South opposed them.

         The North supported higher tariffs because it reduced competition with foreign goods. The tariffs made it so that a fee was paid in order for the seller's incoming goods to be sold in America. This helped the North by allowing them to sell their own goods at a much lower price, thus enabling them to have more sales and make more money. The South however did not support higher tariffs because they wanted the competition from other countries to reduce its costs in producing cotton.

3.Who was the most politically conservative of the early presidents, after George Washington? Explain.

          James Monroe was the most conservative  president of the 19th century. Monroe disliked national power so much that he even opposed the ratification of the Constitution in 1787. In 1823, Monroe submitted one of his most lasting and influential contributions, the “Monroe Doctrine.” This doctrine stated that Europe should not add any new colonies to either North or South America, because the political and economic system of Europe was so dissimilar to those in the new found United States. Monroe declared that Europe should not even interfere with the Western Hemisphere. Still today, some Presidents have cited this doctrine when Europe has attempted to become too involved in our hemisphere.    

4.Many say the War of 1812 was an unnecessary war. Your view, please?

       I think the War of 1812 was a necessary war. The British were still attempting to govern the American people by enlisting them as English sailors. America had already won it's independence from Britain, but England was still bothering them by doing things such as setting fire to the White House and the Capitol in Washington D.C. I think the war just enforced the fact that America is its own country, and is not a force to be reckoned with.

5.Choose any mystery or discussion question from the lecture, and write about it. Was the “Louisiana Purchase,” an exercise of power?

       Yes, I think it was an improper exercise of power principally due to what is clearly stated in the Constitution. It states in Article IV, section 3, paragraph 1, that, “New states may be admitted by the Congress into this Union.” Thus Jefferson did not have the authority under the Constitution to purchase the Louisiana territory.

6.Pick the decision you like most, and the one you like least, by the Marshall Court. Explain.

        The decision I like the most by the Marshall Court is the Dartmouth College V. Woodward (1819). This decision gave colleges with a corporate charter the right to govern themselves outside of state regulations. The state can not infringe them. The decision I like the least is the Cherokee Nation V. Georgia (1831). This case established that the Cherokees were not a race and thus were not allowed to sue in Federal court, and due to that, Georgia could remove them. I do not agree with the expectation that the Indians had to become “Americanized”. After all, we were the ones who invaded the country that they were living in.

8.Describe something that surprises you about the map of the United States in 1840.

        On the map, the fact that the Oregon Country was claimed by both America and England surprised me. About seventeen years prior, the “Monroe Doctrine,” had been established, and the Louisiana Purchase had also happened about thirty-six years earlier. So why would England and America still be disputing the territory?

Honors Questions

H1.I think we overpaid in buying the Louisiana Purchase, and that it was unconstitutional also. Do you agree?

       I do not think we overpaid in purchasing the Louisiana territory, but I do think that it was unconstitutional. The Louisiana Purchase practically doubled the size of our country, and it gave the country new land for new and existing resources like farming, mining and cattle raising. So the money used to purchase Louisiana was repaid by the endless financial opportunities that arose from it. However, the purchase of the land was an improper exercise of power by President Jefferson. It was not specifically stated in the Constitution that the President had the power to purchase new territory. That was actually the job of the Legislature. However the Supreme Court ruled in 1828 that the federal Government had the power to govern new territories, which implicitly included the ability to acquire new territories first.

H2.Pick your favorite political party from the lecture, and explain why.

       My favorite political party would have to be the Democratic-republicans, because they stood for a conservative form of government. They believed that the federal government should not have too much power, and that this power should in fact be given to the people. Isn't it ironic that the Democrats of the 1800's were one in the same with the Republican party which stands for all things conservative? The Democrats of today, are the complete opposite of the conservative Republicans.

H4.It is said that Andrew Jackson was the first modern president. Why, and would you have voted for him?

       Andrew Jackson was the first modern President, because he established the tools of the modern Presidency. He vetoed more bills than all the presidents before him combined. He removed people from office who did not agree with him. He gave executive orders as the President regarding his views on the power of the law. Yes, I think I would have voted for him because he stood up for the common man. He was strictly constitutional, which I like. He interpreted the Constitution the way it was written, not the way he wanted to. I think that if we had more government officials like Jackson, we would not have  some laws in place today, like Roe. V. Wade.

Alexa W