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Summary Of First American Political Hernanigans By Richard Larson

1123 Words5 Pages

Most often when we think about the past, our Founding Fathers and early Presidents, we picture the men we see in portrait and history books as dignified, soft spoken men in dressed in formal attire and white powdered wigs. However, as Larson narrates the First American Political Campaign for President it is not so unfamiliar to our more recent history and current day. After years of being ruled by a one-party system, declaring independence from Great Britain, and designing a new form of government for America, our nation to a deep dive into bipartisan political shenanigans and a view into the future of our nation each four years there to come. In this essay I will discuss some aspects of Larson’s book and take a critical look of American political …show more content…

Adams, a Massachusetts born and Harvard-educated lawyer was better known as political philosopher and delegate of the First and Second Continental Congress, instrumental in our nations independence, then what we consider a Politian. His opponent was one of the most prominent names we hear when studying American history, one Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was first seen in our history books as principal authors of the Declaration of Independence. Born in Virginia to a large plot of farming land and high social standing in which he was raised, he studied, read law and was known to write eloquently and so authored this fundamental document for our nation. After George Washington served his terms as 1st President for our nation, the late 1790’s brought about our first full-fledged election, complete with mud-slinging, debate and the all-to-familiar dirty-tactics we see in modern-day elections. With Adams at the helm of the Federalist Party worry spread that there was far too much support for England and centralized government he leaned toward. Jefferson and the Republican Party, on the other hand, advocated for more decentralized state governments that would continue to maintain the American character of opportunity and …show more content…

But Jefferson’s party couldn’t disagree more. Jefferson and the Republicans feared that this approach and thinking would be unfavorable to the freedoms fought for and was designed for the elite and wealthy, undermining rural Americans. Jefferson was a man of the people and enlightenment science, reason and natural law were seen to him as superior to authoritarian rule. Federalists and Adams position juxtaposed Republican thought and distrusted that common people would have aptitude to properly govern the new nation. Alexander Hamilton, whose views align with Adams stated that "the people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right." (Hamilton, 1787). He went on to describe the need for a 2 house system that would create a system of checks and balances necessary to divide power and ensure government could not over-power the people in which it was designed to

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Gordon Wood achieved great success among his peers with the publication of his book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, for which he was awarded the Bancroft Prize, as well as the John H. Dunning Prize, both in 1970. In it, Dr. Wood breaks down the process of how American political thought developed from early protests against British measures in the construction of the world's first federal republic. He does so by giving us in detail using a number of different sources, historical information on the reasoning behind the revolution. Dr. Wood walks us through how our government started with a monarchical society which was hierarchical, and later transformed, and emerged as a more recognizable modern society, in where a more commercially oriented and capitalistic government came to light. Wood writes, “[Americans] learned how to define the rights of nature, how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty, how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.

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John Adams is famous for defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre, Both Samuel Adams and John Adams knew that the state of Massachusetts was both dreaded and distrusted by a lot of other colonies, especially New York and Pennsylvania. The Massachusetts legislature appointed Samuel Adams and four others to represent Massachusetts in the Second Continental Congress in 1775. At the Second Continental Congress, he pleaded for independence from Britain and a confederation of the colonies. Congress eventually approved and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Samuel Adams was among those who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 (Samuel Adams-

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John Adams, an accomplished lawyer was a leader of the American Revolution, who was against the British colonial policies, more so the imposition of high taxes and tariffs to the people. He was very significant in the framing of the American constitution following his background in law. He served as one of the delegates in the Continental Congress that happened in the 1770s. He later participated in making of the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution war in 1783. He served as the first vice president of the United States of America and later became the second president after George Washington.

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He signed the Declaration of Independence and he was a governor of Massachusetts. He worked with with the Continental Congress and he represented the colonies. He was one of the first in the Congress to declare separation from Britain. Adams was as verbal in the Congress because the other people who surrounded him. Adams was still known for what he did in the congress.

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The election of 1800 was considered to be a turning point of the fate of the United States; therefore, it is often considered as the ‘Revolution of 1800.’ The rivalry for the leadership position of the United States was particularly very heated. Between Federalist John Adams and Republican Thomas Jefferson, to both Republican candidates of Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr; each candidate viciously fought for the right to claim the title. In the United States prior to the election of 1800, George Washington, a federalist, ran the country.

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Samuel Adams held such an important part in gaining independence for America, but he was the most underappreciated. Many people seem to overlook Adams because he didn't leave many primary sources behind like a journal, notes, or letters etc.. Adams studied journalism at Harvard, and went on to pursue this by defending colonists against royal authorities who overstepped their boundaries. Then from 1764, when the Stamp act arose, he had one main focus- to fight for American Independence. In the 1760’s and 1770’s Adams fought against the British for the American colonists.

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John Adams, born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree, Massachusetts, was the first vice-president and the second president of the United States. He was also a very influential person in America. Although he wasn’t really the most famous president, he contributed to many aspects throughout his presidency and political career. Most of his contribution includes his writings, speeches and essays, his part in the office, and his role in the signing of important documents. Due to his high knowledge of the law, he was able to write responses and essays that were very influential to governments.

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John Adams was the second president of the United States in 1797, and one of the greatest figures in American History. He served on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence and then helped persuade the Second Continental Congress to adopt the declaration which is when America gained its independence. Throughout all his accomplishments, it wasn’t just smooth sailing, he hit challenges and adversity that set him back. Although, when he signed the Declaration of Independence proclaiming America’s freedom on July 4, 1776, the rest was history. John Adams continually advised congress and the common people that they should break away from Britain.

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John Adams made a great impact on American society by being one of the people to sign the Declaration of Independence. However, Thomas Jefferson left more of an impact, because he more than doubled the size of the United States, and was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, Jefferson had more of an impact on American society. John Adams was the 2nd President, and the very first vice president, making it impossible to not be influenced by him. He was also the leader in the Continental Congress.

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In the 1790s, there were two men who had different beliefs regarding how the United States should function. The two men were Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the leader of the Republican party and Hamilton was the leader of the Federalist party. The political parties were created by Hamilton and Jefferson based on their differences in opinion on how the country should run. For example, Jefferson believed that the government should be self-governed and all of the power should go to the individual states.

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The presidential election of 2016 and the presidential election of 1800 were two of the most divisive and partisan elections in the history of the United States, and many of the lessons learned from the election of 1800 have carried on through the years and become relevant to the election of 2016. While the election of 2016 was widely regarded as unusual, the election of 1800 was also unusual in its time for some very similar reasons, and Edward J. Larson’s book, A Magnificent Catastrophe, describes that election in dramatic detail. Similarities between the two elections included rampant partisanship, divisions within parties, negative political attacks, and the occasional scandals, though the impacts of these were not the same for both elections.

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Samuel Adams was also very well known because he signed the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was the document that made the United States a free country from Great Britain. When John Hancock died, Samuel Adams became the governor of Massachusetts. He had said many things that were inspirational, such as, “Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by

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Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. President was a leading figure in America's early development. Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a plantation on a large tract of land near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. When he grew up he became an Democratic-Republican, opposing a strong central government and wanting to give the states more individual freedoms. Through his work in the Declaration of Independence he promoted personal freedom. Jefferson used his presidential powers to build economic stability, start the their of the emancipation of slaves, and write Americans freedom.

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Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist who believed in his loose Constructionist views, a support for manufacturing and trade, and a strong national government. Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, believed in his strict Constructionist views, a support in agriculture, and a strong state government. These two both played impacts on the Early Republic. However, Hamilton’s views on the Constitution, the central government, and an ideal economy greatly influenced the formation of the United States in the Early Republic times. Hamilton’s loose constructionist ideas overrode Jefferson’s strict constructionist views, as seen in the National Bank.

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Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, born on April 13, 1734, in Shadwell, Virginia. A boy born in a wealthy family. He was later known for being one of the top leaders of the American revolution, and the author of The Declaration of Independence. He was the nation’s first secretary of state; second vice president, member of First Congress, and the third President of the United States. He made many great contributions to the country such as, he made the Louisiana purchase, he wrote The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, advocated for free public education, launched the Lewis and Clark Expedition, participated in the founding of the Library of Congress, founded the University of Virginia, revolutionized gardening and advanced sustainable

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