American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804

Analyze the impact of landmark Supreme Court cases like Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland on the federal government’s power. Consider how Chief Justice John Marshall’s decisions influenced the power balance between federal and state governments.

Explore the principles of Jeffersonian democracy, particularly Jefferson’s advocacy for a society based on agrarianism and individual rights while maintaining a complex relationship with the institution of slavery. Are these principles contradictory? Why or why not?

Examine the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 in the context of the political and international tensions of that era. Discuss whether these acts were a necessary measure for national security or a threat to American principles of liberty.

Discuss the implications of the Louisiana Purchase on the United States’s territorial expansion, including the ethical dilemmas Jefferson faced in acquiring the territory and its impact on Indigenous American populations and the institution of slavery.

Evaluate the French Revolution’s influence on American political thought and policy, and how reactions to the revolution and its aftermath deepened political divisions within the United States.

Trace the formation and evolution of early American political parties, focusing on how the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans emerged and the key issues that defined their rivalry.

Analyze the election of 1800 and its aftermath. Is this election accurately referred to as the “Revolution of 1800?” How did this election reflect the maturation of the United States’ political and electoral systems?

Investigate the role of women in the early Republic, focusing on the concept of “Republican Motherhood.” How did this role empowered women in the political and social spheres of the time, and how did it limit them?