1. Explain why the North supported higher tariffs, but the South opposed them.
Tarrifs in essence tax foreign goods and so weaken international competition and trade. Now the weakened competition gave the North an advantage and made it able to raise the prices of goods, and increase their profit margin. The south however had a different outlook, they had to tolerate the North's raised prices and to make matters worse their exports were subjected to retaliatory tarrifs by countries tarrifed by the United States, so obviously the South opposed tarrifs, while the North supported them.
2. Who was the most politically conservative of the early presidents, after George Washington? Explain.
James Monroe: He realized even before the Government became conceivably intrusive that a goal of Government should be to downsize itself. He saved money by demilitarizing our border with Canada, vetoing Government built roads, and making sure Europe and America did not interfere with each other.
3. Many say the War of 1812 was an unnecessary war. Your view, please?
I would disagree entirely, England was trying to destabilize America by harassing American sailors, inciting American Indians to war and even burning the White House. America, in the interests of long-term stability needed to shed off England's influence once and for all.
4.Pick the decision you like most, and the one you like least, by the Marshall Court. Explain.
I like Marbury Vs. Madison most because it put a check on congress so that if they made an unconstitutional law it could be nullified. I dislike Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia because it gave rise to the unfair treatment of Native Americans and in the end the atrocity known as the trail of tears.
5. Identify the figures in the cartoon, provide an approximate date, and describe the likely viewpoint of the cartoonist:
If this cartoon was made near to the time period it depicts than it was made during the negotiations between America and Britain at the end of the war of 1812, 1814.The fat bullheaded man symbolizes britain, the bear symbolizes the Russian Czar, and the woman holding the flag is America (more specifically Madison and his being depicted as a woman perhaps also carries a meaning.) The cartoonist is clearly an American Patriot because of his unfavorable depiction of Britain, and his idealized depiction of America.
6. Describe something that surprises you about the map of the United States in 1840.
What surprises me is the massive amount of unorganized unsettled territory in the Northwest. Also the Amount of territory still owned by Mexico is impressive.
H1. I think we overpaid in buying the Louisiana Purchase, and that it was unconstitutional also. Do you agree?
First off I disagree that we overpaid because the dollar/acre ratio is much less than what we were prepared to pay for other territories. as to its constitutionality I agree it is unconstitutional, but luckily Jefferson, a founding father( although not a framer of the constitution) was able to understand what exceptions to the Constitution were excusable.
H2. Pick your favorite political party from the lecture, and explain why.
I would like to study the anti-masonic/whig party because their influence on American society seems to be the first influence that is profoundly different from the democratic-republican party.
H3. It is said that Andrew Jackson was the first modern president. Why, and would you have voted for him?
He was our first modern president because he was a pragmatic president who realized, "Politics isn't fair," he was able to see that the most effective way of working for his own good was to make the Government more efficient and accountable so that he could get reelected. He did not hold himself to a moral code in which public good took priority over personal good, but rather tried to advance both. This is largely similar modern politics today except that our statesmen today have become infatuated with personal good over the will of the people.
-Paul R.