Module 4: Creating a New Nation - 1788 to the 1840s

Martina and Terrance loved the experience of traveling with you during the westward expansion. You observed how the debate over the ratification of the Constitution created two groups of people, Federalists who supported it and Anti-Federalists who were against the Constitution as it was written. As debates over issues like the Bank of the United States and the Jay Treaty, continued to occur in the new government, the two groups evolved into the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republicans. The ideas that each group supported are still evident in our political thinking today. You learned how a belief in “Manifest Destiny” encouraged Americans to go west and settle the land that was acquired through purchase and conquest. New technologies like canals, railroads, and the cotton gin encouraged further growth and settlement of the West. You saw how the United States went to war against England to protect its sailors and settlers, and how the results of this war led to the development of the Monroe Doctrine. You also learned how President Andrew Jackson sparked the “age of the common man,” which saw many changes to the political process in America.