7c The First 5 Presidents

Explore the first 5 US presidents and their impact on a growing nation!

Use textbook pages 116-119 to complete the worksheet. 1. Congress and the first 5 presidents have made decisions establishing a strong government that helped the nation grow in size and power. 2. Americans chose George Washington to lead our nation as the first president under the brand new Constitution. 3. Washington set the standard for all future presidents. 4. Washington picked the first judges, presided over the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution, and the development of the new nation's capital. 5. Under Washington's presidency plans for a new national capital. This Federal Territory is named District of Columbia, located on the Potomac River where Maryland meets Virginia. 6. Benjamin Banneker, an African American astronomer and surveyor helped design the capital. 7. John Adams was vice president under Washington and is elected the 2nd president of the United States in 1796. 8. Adams worked to create a strong foreign policy so the nations of Europe would respect the United States. 9. A political opposition group led by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson took shape during Adam's presidency. These 2 groups differed in their understanding of the Constitution. This created a two-party system. 10. One group, the Federalists, wanted a stronger national government. 11. The Democratic Republicans is the name of the opposing political party. 12. John Adams lost to Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1800. Jefferson is the 3rd president of the United States. 13. In 1803 Jefferson purchased a huge piece of North America owned by France. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States. 14. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the land of the Mississippi River. 15. James Madison is voted to be the fourth president of the United States. 16. During Madison's presidency America is caught between the fighting of France and Britain. Great Britain's ships kept trying to stop American trade with France by pirating American ships. 17. In 1812 Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain. 18. In 1814 Britain signed a peace treaty ending the War of 1812. As a result Europe gained new respect for the young United States. 19. During the war Francis Scott Key was on a ship in the Baltimore Harbor as the British ships shelled Fort McHenry. As the morning came Scott saw a shredded flag still above the fort. He wrote words on the back of an envelope that became the "Star-Spangled Banner" our country's national anthem. 20. President number five is Virginian James Monroe. 21. During Monroe's presidency America pushed west and many new states joined the union. 22. A crisis over the issue of allowing slavery erupted in the new territories. 23. The Missouri Compromise divided the Louisiana Purchase lands into slave and free. 24. Many countries in South America were declaring independence from European kings. To protect these nations James Monroe developed a plan called the Monroe Doctrine. 25. President Monroe warned Europe's nations not to interfere in any part of the Western Hemisphere. The doctrine sent a message to any king or emperor to stay away!