Week 9 — Readings & Resources · Jeffersonian & Jacksonian America

Course: U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Hartwell
Objectives covered: Objective 6 — Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, the market revolution, Indian Removal

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser. Nothing to buy or download.

This week's reading load is moderate: 2 short videos + 2 short readings + the two primary sources you'll use in the Workshop and Assignment. Read or watch one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 50–65 minutes if you do everything.

Order that matches the lecture: ① Jefferson and the early republic → ② Jacksonian democracy → ③ the primary sources (read both before the Workshop) → ④ the Trail of Tears

A habit to carry forward: before you trust any historical claim — in these resources or anywhere — apply the four moves: who made it, when, why? What's the context? What do the exact words say? What other source would you check?

① Jefferson's America: the Louisiana Purchase and Marbury

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–3. The Purchase doubled the country; Marbury v. Madison gave the Supreme Court the power to say what the Constitution means.

Reading — "The Louisiana Purchase" (Khan Academy, US History → The Early Republic)
🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history
Why it's assigned: a clear, free overview of the Louisiana Purchase (1803), Jefferson's constitutional dilemma, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Find it under The Early Republic unit.
⏱ ~8 min

Reading — "Marbury v. Madison" (National Archives, Milestone Documents)
🔗 https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marbury-v-madison
Why it earns the click: the authoritative, accessible explanation of why Marbury v. Madison (1803) matters — Chief Justice Marshall's establishment of judicial review, the power of the Supreme Court to strike down unconstitutional laws.
⏱ ~8 min

② Jacksonian Democracy and the Market Revolution

Maps to Lecture Segments 5–6. Jackson expanded white male suffrage and waged war on the Bank; the Erie Canal and early industrialization transformed the economy.

Video — "Age of Jackson" (CrashCourse US History #14)
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beN4qE-e5O8
Why it's assigned: a compact overview of Jacksonian democracy — the spoils system, the Bank War, and what "common man" politics actually meant for different groups. Good preparation for the week's discussion.
⏱ ~13 min

Reading — "Jacksonian Democracy" (Khan Academy, US History → The Age of Jackson)
🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history
Why it earns the click: plain-language coverage of expanded white male suffrage, Jackson's political style, and the Market Revolution (Erie Canal, early industrialization). Find it under The Age of Jackson unit.
⏱ ~10 min

③ The Primary Sources — Read These Before the Workshop

Critical: read both sources before attempting the Workshop (P) or Assignment (I). The Workshop asks you to source, contextualize, and corroborate them; the Assignment asks you to write an argument from them. Arrive prepared.

Primary source — Andrew Jackson, Message to Congress on Indian Removal (December 6, 1830)
🔗 https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/jacksons-message-to-congress-on-indian-removal (National Archives — Milestone Documents)
🔗 https://docsteach.org/document/jackson-indian-removal/ (National Archives DocsTeach — document images + transcription)
Why it's assigned: Jackson's official argument, delivered to Congress, for why removing the Indigenous nations east of the Mississippi was "benevolent." Read it carefully for what it claims — and for what it leaves out.
⏱ ~12 min

Primary source — Memorial of the Cherokee Nation (December 1829, presented to Congress January 1830)
🔗 https://www.teachushistory.org/indian-removal/resources/memorial-cherokee-nation-december-1829 (Teach US History)
🔗 https://history.house.gov/Records-and-Research/Featured-Content/Cherokee-Memorial/ (U.S. House of Representatives History, Art & Archives)
Why it's assigned: the Cherokee Nation's formal legal and political response, presented to Congress before Jackson's message, asserting their treaty rights and sovereignty. Read it as the corroborating voice that Jackson's message silences.
⏱ ~10 min

④ The Trail of Tears

Maps to Lecture Segment 7. The legal fight, the forced removal, and the death toll.

Reading — "The Trail of Tears" (National Park Service)
🔗 https://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/what-happened-on-the-trail-of-tears.htm
Why it's assigned: the NPS Trail of Tears National Historic Trail overview covers what happened — the forced march, the routes, the death toll. Factual, concise, and from a reliable government archive.
⏱ ~8 min

Optional deeper reading

• Library of Congress — Indian Removal Act: Primary Documents — a research guide with links to multiple primary sources from both the U.S. government and Cherokee Nation perspectives.
  🔗 https://guides.loc.gov/indian-removal-act/digital-collections

• Worcester v. Georgia (1832) — National Archives Milestone Documents — the full text of Chief Justice Marshall's ruling that the Cherokee Nation was "a distinct community occupying its own territory, with boundaries accurately described, in which the laws of Georgia can have no force."
  🔗 https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents (search for Worcester v. Georgia)

• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian — "Resisting Removal" — a Native-centered account of Cherokee resistance to removal, including their legal and political strategies.
  🔗 https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/removal-cherokee/resisting-removal.html

Pick-one quick path (≈30 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these and you'll be ready for the quiz and workshop:
1. Read the Marbury v. Madison overview (group ①) — 8 min.
2. Watch CrashCourse Age of Jackson (group ②) — 13 min.
3. Read Jackson's Indian Removal message (group ③, first link) — 12 min.
4. Skim the Cherokee Memorial (group ③, second link) — enough to know its main claim.

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Hartwell and use the National Archives, National Park Service, Khan Academy, or Library of Congress fallback resources listed above.