FONAMENTS: AMERICA

SMALL TIMELINE

Boston Massacre: colonies were starting to get fed up with

Britain. No taxation without representation: protesters were
fired were fired upon the British army. (1770)
Boston Tea Party: no taxation on tea and colonies got angry.
Disguised as Indians. Britain decided to close the port. 1773
1774: 1st Continental Congress: to reclaim their rights. They
refused to accept imported goods: the leader was Joseph
Galloway
1775: 1st shots exchanged: Lexington and Concord/ Boston
under siege/ Battle of Bunker Hill which the British won/
Americas commander in chief was George Washington/ Marquis
Charles Cornwalls in charge of Britain.
1776: Still Battles/ Thomas Pain: book Common sense and the
crisis/ Britain gave up Boston/ Thomas Jefferson wrote the
Declaration of Independence. The 2nd of July it is voted in
congress/ 4th of July independence/ War
1777: British surrendered at Saratoga/ France entered the war.
1779: Spain entered the war
1781: Mutiny: soldiers said they wouldnt fight anymore.

STATES/ EVENTS

Ohio: capital: Columbus 11m inhabitants. Buckeye state, has

the same colors of the US flag. Scarlett carnation.
Katrina: August 2005. 2000 people died. Started at the
Bahamas, it hit New Orleans.
Idaho: capital Boise- Jam state. 1.500.000 inhabitants.
Republican Potato crops. Migrations. Snake River: house
canyon: deepest gorge in the US.
Texas: 2nd largest populated state. Beyonc, Mathew
McConaughey. Capital: Austin. Energetic resources. 6th oil
producer in the world. Natural gas, wind power. 5th state more
consumer of energy
Senecas Falls Convention: debate whether women could have
the right to vote.
Connecticut: 3rd smallest state. Capital: Hartford. Nickname:
constitution state. The not-make state. Meryl Streep.
Abraham Lincoln: April 4th 1856, conspiracy assassination, he
dreamed about being murdered and in fact it came true. He was
killed before watching a play.

Illinois: 102 counties. Capital: Springfield. Northern Illinois. 9,8

million inhabitants
South Carolina: Capital: Columbia
Kansas: Capital: Wichita. Sunflower state. To the stars through
difficulties bleeding Kansas. 1861 became a free state. Most
productive agricultural: corn, wet, sunflowers. Zinc, salt, etc.
Manufacturing center.

SLAVERY

13 colonies slaves from Caribbean via Atlantic Slave Trade.

Plantation labor.
Indentured servants: they worked 7 years. Couldnt stay after 7
years. They had white apprentices but it was really expensive
and they realized it was cheaper to buy slaves.
1688: Quakers: peace/God. Opposed the use of slaves.
9th September 1739. Stono Rebellion (plantation activity)
o From South Carolina to Florida to complain
o Promise of freedom by the Spanish (to annoy the British)
o 60-100 slaves were caught by militia
o 21 white 44 slaves killed.
1740 Negro Act
o Prohibition of direct slave imports to Carolina from Africa
due to fear of insurrection.
o 1807 Thomas Jefferson advises abolition of intern slave
trade= smuggling.
o Kunta Kinle= Roob (Alex Hayley)
o 1830 Indian Removal Act + Abolitionist movement: right
to get rid of the Indian Population
o 1850 DC abolishes slave trade: Quakers + slaves holders
wanted repatriation.
o Slaves introduced the slaves code.
o 1861 Slaves were considered contraband of war.
Released: army or refugee camps.
o 1862 Slavery was abolished following Emancipation
Declaration.
o People in the south were industrial

1920s and THE AMERICAN DREAM

It meant upward mobility and home ownership. The success of

the gold rush, making money, all the opportunities, freedom,
satisfaction: the idea of a New Start
Frontier of life: movement to find better things. Welfare state:
education, medical care, pensions, housing (past)
Financial success was less important prior to the 1920s.
The California Dream was a variation of the American Dream.

CONTEXT

1910s there was WWI, USA was reluctant to join in the war.
1916 Americans were paying 77% of income taxes.
1917 they entered the war and in 1918 in France, General John
Pershing directed the American Expiatory Forces: they won the
battle of Verdun, Nancy. Their Army was superior and they
managed to crash the German forces.
Europeans had to pay the USA for helping them out at the war.

1920s

Harding was the president (1921-1923). He inherited a lot of

debts. He reduced taxes and immigration. He died before he
could see the results.
1923-1929 were called The Coolidge Boom: Laissez-faire
economy policies: demand supply.
Distribution of the radio began. People had money not only to
survive but to spend on luxury.
By 1925 taxation had dropped significantly. Credit was easy to
obtain, income taxes were below market-level.
Credit meant money people didnt have. When theres too much
money circulation theres inflation and the bottom falls out of
the market.
In the urban areas cars started to be seen, there was a ban on
alcohol because it wasnt healthy: bootleggers (sold stuff
illegally): Al Capone.
Beginning of the jazz era: Black music/ white customers,
building up a fan base: Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Dizzie
Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sara Vaughn, Billie Holliday (they sang
about themselves)
There were certain groups that took to the streets to express
their voice over some social issues.
1920s: 19th amendment: freedom for women
There was a very important influence on Paris for Americans.
Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein (openly homosexual)

There were the nouveau riche who controlled the stocks

markets and threw private parties (West Eggs) and the Old Eggs
who were the traditional rich people.
SHORTFALL= PLENTY (summary)= EXCESS= DECEIT and LIES:
stock market dealers.
Production went down and people couldnt buy food: Wall Street
Crash: Depression.
Hoover was accused to help Bolsheviks in Russia. The Crash
wasnt his fault but he had to take the blame.

NEW DEAL

3 Rs= Relief (poverty) Recovery (economy) Reform (politic

system)
1933-1934= 1st New Deal: consisted of aid for agriculture,
railway system, industry, relief to the banking system.
1935-1938= 2nd New Deal: establishment of Trade Unions
(Wagner Act) and minimum wages. Social Security Act, Housing
authority, Farming Security Administration (Working class, poor
people)

POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE US

Republican Party= Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

o Anti-slavery
o Progressive
o Right wing
o Agrarian economy
Federalist Party= Alexander Hamilton and John Adams
o Business
o Banking
o Industrial economy
Between 1800 and 1812 there was the Indian-American war.
The Republican Party wanted the war because they had no
representation in the English Parliament but were paying taxes.
The Federalist Party didnt want the war because of the trading
with Indians.
In 1812 the Republican party split in 2 because they argued
about who would succeed Jefferson: Democrat Party (Andrew
Jackson, Martin Van Buren) and Democrat-Republican Party
Democrat Party: not in favor of education, it would undermine
the authority of the church. They couldnt care less about Native
Americans.
The federalist Party disappeared and the Whig Party was formed
(1850)

1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act.= lands were freed for settlement by

white people.
Anti-slavery people joined the Northern Whig Party and formed
a new Party: Republican Party.
In the south there were lots of agriculture and husbandry
(ramaderia) but oil was discovered there
Democrat party consisted of: North Democrats/South
Democrats (more slaves)
In 1861, in the Civil War the Democrat Party split again between
those who wanted war and those who wanted peace. Those who
wanted the war formed the National Union Party (against
federalism)
In the next election Lincoln won (republican). In 1865, Andrew
Jackson became an independent president running under the
Republican Party despite he was a democrat from the South.
Independent Party (Andrew Jackson) approved the 13th, 14th, 15th
amendments concerning slavery and civil rights and the
reconstruction of the country. This had the support of the
Democrats.
The Republicans were in favor but were using a federalist
option. Everyone wanted the Reconstruction except the
Redeemers (start of white supremacy). They didnt accept the
amendments.
The freed slaves had rights and could move around:
Redeemers: people who didnt agree with the reconstruction
amendments, they didnt recognize the rights of freed slaves:
democrats/slaves
Southern states= democrats (solid south)
Rich from the north went down to southern states to reconstruct
them: carpet baggers. They carried bags made of carpets but
were suspicious (carrying such a bag made them so)
Scalawags were the southern people who didnt mind the
northern coming. (nowadays= naughty boy)
Sometimes white rappers are called carpet baggers.
People from the north were the Yankees.
1876: elections Rutherford B. Hayes (Rep. Party) won and he
was corrupt.
Only 3 states were unredeemed (Louisiana, South Carolina,
Florida), still under reconstruction. It succeeded to a certain
extent but the plan had to be abandoned because the troops
were removed and it wasnt possible without military presence.
1930s G. Depression + New Deal (F. D. Roosevelt) the black
support went to the democrats (substantial)

1947 Harry S Truman was the next president he had a civil

rights agenda.
POST WWII. The Republican Party started to attract to
conservatives.
Gallup Poll: processes into statistics opinions of people. In 2014
it was: 30% Democrat 23% Republican 45% Independent.
3 chambers for 3 powers (legislative, executive, judicial)
GOP: Great Old Party (another name for Republicans)