Civics_Ch12_info

=**Living in America Background Information**=

**Impacts of Individuals:**
There are numerous individuals who have made major impacts on the United States before and after the formation of our nation. Through the next several years of taking Social Studies, you'll learn the many individuals who made major impacts. This section will highlight some of the major, longlasting impacts of individuals. This section will focus on early U.S. History (colonization to the Civil War) as preparation for next year's history course. There are various types of leaders. Political leaders are involved in the government and make leadership decisions for the nation. Military leaders are involved in aspects involving the armed forces. A commercial leader are involved in business or economics. Reformers are those who bring massive change to their nation for a positive good. An innovator or inventer is one who comes up with a new item or a new idea that make improvements to the nation. A cultural leader is involved in changing or bringing forth understanding of a culture.
 * **Christopher Columbus**: Looking for a western route from Europe to India (rather than traveling through the Middle East). He ended up landing in the western hemisphere, which no one knew existed. As a result, he "discovered" America, not because he was the first to the western hemisphere, but since it led to colonization in the "New World." Columbus died never realizing he didn't get to India. He believed that he did reach India or at least the East Indies and therefore called those on the islands where he landed Indians.
 * **Pocahontas**: Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement, but had to establish friendly relations with the Indians in order to survive. Pocahontas established friendly relations with the colonists at Jamestown and served as an interpreter helping the colonists to stay safe and established trade with the natives.
 * **Thomas Paine**: When the British passed new taxes on the colonies in the 1760s were burdensome to the colonists in terms of being taxation without representation, numerous colonists began speaking up against the British tyranny led by many including Samuel Adams. In the 1770s, Paine wrote //Common Sense//, which first suggested independence as the colonists were upset due to the new taxes that were taxation without representation.
 * **Patrick Henry**: He was one of the many colonists who supported independence and gave a speech titled "The War Inevitable" in which he said that the struggle between the colonists and the British would fight. In this speech, he made the famous statement //give me liberty or give me death.//
 * **Thomas Jefferson**: Certainly a supporter of the movement for independence against the colonists. He was the one who wrote the Declaration of Independence that was approved on July 4, 1776. After the nation won its independence, Jefferson would be the first secretary of state under President Washington. He would go on to become the 3rd president of the United States. As president, Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase.
 * **George Washington**: Supporter of the movement for independence and became the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. He was able to keep the army together during very tough times in the Revolution including a very harsh winter at Valley Forge. After winning the war, the colonies developed the Articles of Confederation, which were weak and failing. Therefore, Washington led the Contstitutional Convention in Philadelphia to write the new Constitution. He would become the first president and therefore "Father of our country."
 * **Lewis and Clark**: In 1803, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark were sent by Thomas Jefferson to depart from St. Louis and explore the Louisiana Purchase. On their journey, they were guided by Sacajewea, a Native American.
 * **James Madison**: Another important Founding Father who favored independence and also favored the new Constitution. He took a very active role in writing the new Constitution and had many of the ideas for it, which earned him the nickname "Father of the Constitution." He played a major role in the new principles of the Constitution. He became president after Jefferson (4th) and was in office for the War of 1812 during which Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner as the British bombed Fort McHenry.
 * **Andrew Jackson**: Important general during the War of 1812 winning the key Battle of New Orleans, which ended the War of 1812. He would become the 7th president and while in office he faced a crisis in terms of the Constitution. Some states (Southern states) believed states had the right to declare a federal law null and void (which would mean a state wouldn't have to obey a federal law if it didn't want to). This Nullfication Crisis would hurt the federal system. Jackson put a stop to the crisis and preserved the federal system and power of the federal government over the states.
 * **James Polk**: The time period of the 1840s dealt with America looking to expand to the Pacific. Polk led Manifest Destiny, or the belief that America had the right to expand to the Pacific. President Polk led the nation into the Mexican War with Mexico and ended up wtih gaining the Mexican Cession which was the western territory that completed America's expansion to the Pacific. Polk was out of office when gold was discovered in California, which was part of the Mexican Cession that ended up leading to the Gold Rush.
 * **Eli Whitney**: An inventor and innovator who made major change for the United States. He invented the cotton gin, which made the cultivation (growing) of cotton a cash crop - a crop that is mass produced. This expanded the demand for cotton, which led to major growth in the South. Unfortunately, it also led to more of a demand for slaves in the South due to the expanding cultivation of cotton. The cotton gin was able to produce 50 times more cotton than one person was able to previously.
 * **Francis Lowell**: Also an innovator who began the factory system in Massachusetts, which began factories in the North. The combination of Whitney's cotton gin and Lowell's factory system led the South become more of an agricultural based society and the North becoming more of an industrial society. The textile industial was the first major industry put into the factory system. Before this system, individuals produced finished products in their own place of business.
 * **Abraham Lincoln**: President at the outbreak of the Civil War who wanted to end slavery. His leadership led the Union, or the North, in the Civil War to preserve the Union and free the slaves. He would free the slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation. His faith in God and his leadership in the biggest crisis facing our nation is what makes him a prime example of leadership and character. This is also why he is considered one of the greatest presidents in our history.
 * **Frederick Douglass**: He was a reformer during the Civil War era. He was a run-away slave who became one of the most outspoken abolitionists. He spoke on the evils of slavery and became friends with Abraham Lincoln. He was able to convince Lincoln to free the slaves. He was very important to the anti-slavery movement in the United States and his influence helped free the slaves.
 * **Ulysses S. Grant**: He was one of the most famous generals in the Civil War. He had numerous accomplishments. He fought in the western theater of the war and was able to gain control of the Mississippi River. Due to this success he was brought to the eastern theater to fight against the South's Robert E. Lee. General Grant was able to force General Lee to surrender at Appomattox Court House virtually ending the Civil War since Lee's army was the biggest.
 * **Robert E. Lee**: General of the biggest Confederate army and symbol of the South. He showed loyalty in terms of staying loyal to his state. When President Lincoln offered him command of the Union army, he turned the offer down because his state of Virginia was leaving the Union and joining the Confederacy. General Lee felt a loyalty to his state over the entire nation and therefore went on to fight with the Confederacy. General Lee's land was taken by the Federal government after the war. Today, it is Arlington National Cemetery.

**Historical Sites:**
There are many sites to visit around our nation that will enable visitors to learn about America.
 * **Raleigh's Lost Colony**: In the 1580s, Sir Walter Raleigh sent ships to the "New World" with the goal of forming a colony. After several attempts, no colony formed since those who were sent kept coming back to England. Finally, Raleigh got a group to stay when they arrived on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. However, due to war with the Spanish Armada back in England, Raleigh was unable to send a supply ship to Roanoke Island to resupply the colonists there. After a couple of years, he was able to send a resupply ship, but there was no trace of the settler's on Roanoke Island. To this day, no one knows for sure what happened to them. This became known as the "Lost Colony."
 * **Jamestown**: Located in Virginia along the James River, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement founded in 1607. It struggled at first until Captain John Smith organized the colonists and got everyone to work and build the colony. This is the time period on Pocahontas came to help establish friendly relations with the colonists. John Rolfe was famous in Jamestown for beginning the cultivation of tobacco, which became a key crop for Virginia and helped the colony to grow.
 * **Plymouth Rock**: Located in Massachusetts and is where the Pilgrims landed when they came on the Mayflower in the 1620s. They were not allowed to practice their version of Christianity in England so they came to the New World to have religion freedom - to worship God how they wanted to, not how the British crown demanded. Those on board the ship wrote the Mayflower Compact, which was the first written set of rules. The Pilgrims all agreed to live according to the will of God.
 * **Fort Pitt**: Located in Pittsburgh, PA where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio River. During the French and Indian War, the French (who had colonies west of the Appalachian Mountains) were building a series of forts to connect their colonies. Fort Duquesne was one of their more important forts since it was located on these three rivers. The British and colonists led by General John Forbes destroyed Fort Duquesne and rebuilt it and renamed it Fort Pitt, after British Prime Minister William Pitt.
 * **Independence Hall**: Located in Philadelphia, PA where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written. On July 4, 1776 Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence was discusses, edited, and approved. This is also the location of the Liberty Bell, which rang out to gather the citizens to hear the reading of the document. It cracked beyond repair and today is a symbol of freedom. In 1787, the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution and set up the government we have today.
 * **Valley Forge**: Located near Philadelphia and became a famous site from the Revolutionary War. This is where George Washington and the Continental Army spent a very harsh winter during the winter of 1776. Washington lost large numbers of his soldiers at Valley Forge, but also was able to train the soldiers with help of Marquis de Lafayette (France) and Baron Friedrich von Steuben (Prussia). His army came out of Valley Forge smaller but more able to fight. Washington was a great leader staying with his army.
 * **Gateway Arch**: Located in St. Louis, Missouri, which is known as the "Gateway to the West." This is where Lewis and Clark left on their expedition ordered by President Jefferson to explore the new Louisiana Purchase in 1803. On their journey, Lewis and Clark met Sacajawea who served as an interpreter and a guide.
 * **Fort McHenry**: Located in Baltimore, Maryland and is the site of a massive British bombing on the American fort during the War of 1812. This bombing took place in 1814 after the British burned Washington D.C. During the bombardment, a lawyer named Francis Scott Key was negotiated the return of a POW and watched the bombardment from the bay. He wrote about what he was witnessing, which became known as the Star Spangled Banner, which would eventually become our National Anthem.
 * **Alamo**: Located in San Antonio, Texas and is where Texans and American volunteers fought against Mexico for Texas's independence in the 1830s. This particular fight was a Mexican victory, but overall Texas would win its independence from Mexico. Texas would be an independent nation for several years before becoming an American state. Davy Crockett was a famous American killed at the Alamo. Sam Houston was a famous Texan who would lead Texas at its independence and would serve in the government when it became a state.
 * **Gettysburg**: Located in Pennsylvania and is the location of the most famous and turning point battle of the Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee took his army into the North after two major Confederate victories, but would be defeated by the Union army under General George Meade. This battle is considered the turning point battle because the Union would go on to win more major battles and looking back on the Civil War even though Lee's army could continue to fight for two more years, this is the loss that condemned Lee's army. Lincoln took part in a dedication ceremony and gave his Gettysburg Address.
 * **Pearl Harbor**: Located in Hawaii and is where the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base on December 7, 1941 bring the United States into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that this was a "day that would live in infamy," or a day that America would never forget...a day that would change America forever. The //U.S.S. Arizona// was the battleship with the most lives lost that was sunk at Pearl Harbor. Today, the ship still rests at the bottom of the harbor and inside are over 1,000 soldiers who lost their lives on that fateful day.
 * **Washington D.C.**: America's capital city where the federal government operates. This is where the White House, Capitol building, and the Pentagon are all located. Other sites to see here are the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Memorial, WWII War Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial wall. The White House is located on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and is where the President lives. The Capitol building is where the Congress works. Arlington National Cemetery is a major site to see as well.
 * **Mount Rushmore**: Located in South Dakota and is where four president are sculpted on a mountain. The presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
 * **Grand Canyon**: Located in Arizona and is a famous site, which is large gorge.

**Changes in American History:**
There have been numerous changes in U.S. history.
 * __Communication__: At its founding, the main way of communicating was sending word by horseback or walking to visit a person. In the 1800s, the telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse and therefore Morse Code. During the Civil War, President Lincoln often went to the War Department office to see if he got any telegraph messages...he loved this "instant communication!" After the Civil War, in the late 1800s, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. The telephone served as the main mode of communication throughout the 20th century until the Internet was developed in the 1990s. Now, we have email, instant messaging, text messaging, and Skype.
 * __Transportation__: At its founding, horse and wagon was the main mode of transportation or sail boat in America. Robert Fulton invented the steamboat in the early 1800s, which changed travel and shipping by river. As the steam engine was developed, by the late 1800s, the main mode of transportation was the railroad. Rails were built all around the nation. In the early 1900s, the automobile revolutionized transportation and air travel was even developing.
 * __Right for Minorities__: The women's movement in the 1800s ended in 1920 with the 19th amendment, which guaranteed the right of women to vote. Women's right to vote was pushed by women such as Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Carrie Chapman Catt. African-Americans had a lot more to endure in terms of rights since Africans were brought to America as slaves. The slaves were freed from the Civil War and the 15th amendment giving blacks the right to vote, but still suffered discrimination and segregation in the South, which ended due to the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. Today, there is much more equality than in other points in American history.

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