Unit 2: Building a New Nation
Timeline
Trigger Words
Primary Sources
The Alien Enemies Act
The Alien Enemies Act generally stated that if one was an enemy to the United States, the illegal alien would be imprisoned and/or deported back to his home country, given that he was of the age of fourteen. The Alien Enemies Act was enacted to protect the United states from invasion.
This document is significant because it shows the beginnings of national security. The government starts providing for the common defense, even in the face of opposition. Rachel M. |
Ratification Maps
This is an interactive map that shows which states voted to ratify the Constitution. When mousing over each state, it becomes apparent that the majority of each state's citizens were Federalist who voted to ratify the Constitution.
These polls and statistics are significant because it shows the citizens of the United States of America joined forces and chose to have a strong central government to protect each and every person to the best of it's ability. This was one of the first of many decisions to strengthen the country as much as possible. Rachel M. |
"Gerrymander"
The Gerrymander was created in a political cartoon by an anonymous illustrator. The Gerrymander is a winged behemoth with large talons, a hooked beak, and a forked tongue. This great beast has the names of counties in Massachusetts inscribed along his body, as a warning to the citizens in these counties to be cautious about how they vote.
This political cartoon is significant because it is one of the first cartoons to use fear to sway constituents. The anonymity adds an aura of mystery to the cartoon. Rachel M. |
The Fall of Washington or Maddy in Full Flight
This political cartoon depicts John Madison and a fellow politician or congressman running from Washington D.C. with sacred papers, leaving burning buildings behind them. Men are just standing around watching the fall of Washington, conversing.
The significance of this document is shown through the men standing, watching Washington go up in smoke. It shows the opposition Federalists felt from Anti-federalists because the men watching could be thrilled that the central government is falling, not even being able to keep the British at bay. Rachel M. |