Major Concepts:

1. The American Revolution had many effects -- political, economic, constitutional, social, legal, and ideological -- beyond the winning of independence from Great Britain.

2. Challenges faced by the young nation led to broadened interpretations of the Constitution.

Objectives: The student will be able to:

1. Present evidence that the American Revolution resulted in an enlarged participation of average citizens in their community's political, economic, and social life.

2. Explain how the Federalists and Republicans of the early national period both gained their objectives.

3. Trace the development of a town, village, or city from 1800 to 1835, reporting its growth in population, the development of its economy, and its cultural life.

Suggested Activities:

1. Distribute a map of the city of Troy drawn between 1800 and 1835. Ask students to locate and identify the names of streets in the business district from Rensselaer Street to Burden Avenue. Ask the class as a whole to classify the names into three or four groups according to some characteristic or concept that they feel might explain why the townspeople so named their streets. They should note that all the streets running north and south except River Street are numbered while all the streets running east and west (or better from the river, east) are common nouns (names of persons, places, or things). They should also recognize that one group of streets is named for concepts or ideas closely related to the newly formed nation -- Eagle, Peoples, Congress, Federal, State, and Liberty; another group's names derive from the economy, such as Canal, Ferry, and Mill (point out to students that Burden also fits in this group, because its name comes from the Burden Iron Works); and a third group derives its names from the early presidents of the United States.

   Allow students to identify streets, parks, etc. from their own residences that may have similar names. In the capital district of New York State, for example, nearly all the cities and villages founded by 1825 have Congress, Liberty, and State Streets, parks, centers, or buildings.

2. Ask the students how to spell "color," humor," "torn," "down," and "country." Tell them that these words had different spellings in colonial and early national times. Many words now ending in "or" formerly ended in "our" (and still do in British English); many one-syllable words such as "torn" and "down' added a final "e." Words now ending in "y" following a consonant formerly ended in "ie."

   Inform students that the "spelling bee" became a significant social event following the American Revolution; it continues to be very popular in the Midwestern states that formed part of the new territory granted to the United States following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The original educational -- and perhaps political -- purpose of this event was the desire to purge Americans of any remnant of Crown rule in the country. One of the many efforts to "decrown" the states was the introduction of new spellings of words. In a very literal sense, to master these new spellings was an expression of being a proved American.

   For a contemporary example, have students collect and analyze the words/terminology espoused by Òpolitical correctnessÓ advocates and/or conservatives.

   Ask students to review their texts and other resources to find additional evidences of the citizens of the new United States purging vestiges of the colonial past or replacing them with American cultural, political, and linguistic inventions.

3. Divide the class into two groups. Assign the role of "Federalists" to one group and "Republicans" to the other. Distribute to each group the major position that the original Federalist Party or Republican Party took on political issues of the day. Have the groups design"billboards," "political slogans," "political cartoons," "newspaper advertisements," "public notices," etc. on the following issues:
   1. creation of a national bank.
   2. federal policies supporting domestic manufacturers.
   3. foreign alliances.
   4. world political neutrality.

4. Assign each student to investigate the development of a town, village or city between 1800 and 1835. The students should identify, as much as possible, characteristics of growth in population, ethnic composition, religious denominations, manufacturing, government, public participation, social customs, education, and so forth.

5. Students are to present their findings through a vehicle of their choosing so that the displays demonstrate the following:

   1. That Americans were in the process of moving beyond the quest for independence to building a nation and making it work.

   2. That Americans believed strongly (but with significant limitations) that all persons should be involved in the new move to liberty, property, justice, etc..

   3. That, by 1835, Americans had well-developed understandings of democracy.