the war of 1812 4) secretary of state, james madison was popularly elected as jefferson’s...
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The War of 1812
4) Secretary of State, James Madison was popularly elected as Jefferson’s successor in 1808, inheriting the troubling foreign crisis that had been brewing in the Atlantic. British control of the high seas inevitably led to continued violations of American neutrality, forcing an unprepared United States to go to war in 1812.
The War of 1812
5) The war declaration was largely supported by a faction of Southern and Western Congressmen known as the “War Hawks.” Federalist New England heavily depended on British trade and strongly opposed the war. Reflecting growing sectional divisions, some New England states considered nullifying federal laws and some even discussed the possibility of seceding from the Union.
The War of 1812
6) The War of 1812 revealed how terribly unprepared America was for war. American forces started the war with a poorly organized invasion of British territories in Canada. By 1815, British forces had sailed into the Chesapeake and had overrun Washington D.C., setting the White House and the Capitol building ablaze.
The War of 1812
7) By late 1814, a large British fleet moved a force of over 8000 men south to take the City of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The commander of American forces in New Orleans was the fierce Indian fighter, Andrew Jackson.
The War of 1812
8) Jackson entrenched American forces along the east bank of the Mississippi River behind earthworks with several pieces of artillery in place. The position also had several natural defenses; to the right of the line was the Mississippi River; the left was an impenetrable swamp; and directly ahead was open territory that was divided by the Rodriguez Canal.
The War of 1812
9) On the early morning of January 8th, the British attacked Jackson’s lines. The attacks were a disaster, one British regiment even forgot the ladders that were necessary to cross the Rodriguez Canal and to scale the American earthworks. After the failure of two bloody assaults and the death of the commanding general, the British retreated. The British suffered over 2,000 casualties compared to 71 Americans.
The War of 1812
10) The Battle of New Orleans was celebrated as a great victory and Andrew Jackson was hailed as an American hero. Despite the reversal of military fortunes, the Treaty of Ghent had been signed in Belgium two weeks before the battle had taken place. The Treaty amounted to an armistice and neither side was able to claim victory.
Post-War Nationalism
1) The War of 1812 was globally insignificant compared to the sizeable British and French forces that were engaged in Europe. Stiff American resistance didn’t completely defeat the British, but simply convinced them that the war was going to be a greater expense than they had anticipated.
Post-War Nationalism
3) By asserting itself militarily, the young American republic had demonstrated to the empires of the world that it was no longer an insignificant power that could be overlooked in world affairs. American victories in the War of 1812 led to the spread of an incredible spirit of American nationalism.
(Nationalism = a feeling of intense patriotism that believes in the supremacy of the nation.)
Post-War Nationalism
Ex. – During the British assault of Fort McHenry outside Baltimore, Maryland, Francis Scott Key composed the words of the Star-Spangled Banner that would become the national anthem.
Post-War Nationalism
Ex. – The charred remains of the Presidential Mansion and the Capitol building became national symbols after they were repaired and it is rumored that the distinctive name the “White House” was adopted after the mansion was repainted to its original color.
The Era of Good Feelings
1) The last Federalist candidate to run for President unsuccessfully challenged Democratic-Republican James Monroe of Virginia in the election of 1816, receiving only 34 electoral votes to Monroe’s 183.
The Era of Good Feelings
3) Early in 1817, President Monroe embarked on a goodwill tour of the nation in order to inspect several recently expanded military defenses. The tour soon transformed into a publicity campaign and the President was warmly received in towns North and South.
The Era of Good Feelings
4) Even Federalist New England celebrated the President’s visit. A Boston newspaper editor was so encouraged by Monroe’s reception that he wrote that an “Era of Good Feelings” had descended upon American politics.
The Era of Good Feelings
5) Despite the fact that the Era of Good Feelings was defined by political unity, several sectional issues that threatened to seriously divide the nation were also revealed during this period.
Ex. – The Tariff, the National Bank, Northern Industry, States Rights, Westward Expansion, and Southern Slavery.
The Monroe Doctrine
1) Feelings of nationalism were translated into a newly ambitious foreign policy that sought to enlarge American influence abroad and to secure greater protection at home.
The Monroe Doctrine
2) President Monroe and his brilliant Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, negotiated several treaties with European powers.
The Monroe Doctrine
First, In exchange for Florida, Adams agreed that the United States would surrender its claims to the territory southwest of the Louisiana Purchase known as Texas)
The Monroe Doctrine
3) After the French Revolution and the defeat of Napoleon, the monarchies of Europe sought to extinguish democratic movements that threatened to transform into open insurrections. Popular uprisings in Spain and Italy were quickly overwhelmed with colossal military force at the hands of worried monarchs.
The Monroe Doctrine 4) Democratic
revolutions had more success in the Western hemisphere where the loose control of the Spanish Empire was met with rebellions in Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile during the early 1800s.
The Monroe Doctrine
5) Only the British Empire celebrated the independence of Latin American nations because this opened access to valuable foreign trade that was previously controlled by the Spanish. The dominant British Navy could now serve as protection for these upstart democracies in exchange for open trade with British merchants.
The Monroe Doctrine
6) The British foreign secretary proposed to the Monroe administration that the United States and Britain could issue a joint declaration to (A) renounce their own interest in claiming Latin American territory and (B) expressly warn the Empires of Europe to stay out of these newly independent nations.
The Monroe Doctrine
7) Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams cunningly responded to the offer by transforming the proposition into an exclusively American policy. Adams argued against the joint declaration for three reasons: (A) it represented an alliance with the British, (B) it denied America the possibility of future expansion in Latin America (Cuba, Texas, California, etc.), and (C) it was unnecessary.
The Monroe Doctrine
8) Adams correctly assumed that the dominant British Navy would protect Latin American ports with or without a joint declaration with the United States. This situation presented America with an opportunity to express its growing nationalistic fervor on the world stage by issuing the Monroe Doctrine of 1823.
The Monroe Doctrine
9) The Monroe Doctrine represented an aggressive American foreign policy that boldly forbid any future European involvement in the Western Hemisphere. In addition, it also declared:
The Monroe Doctrine
A) that the Western Hemisphere could no longer be colonized by the nations of Europe.
B) the republican governments in the Western Hemisphere were inherently different from monarchies of Europe
The Monroe Doctrine
C) that the United States would refrain from interfering with affairs in Europe
D) a warning that an attack on Latin America would be treated as an attack on the United States
The Monroe Doctrine
10) The Monroe Doctrine represented a bold expression of nationalism from the young American Republic. However, it was also an unenforceable policy that depended upon the shield of the British Navy in the Atlantic Ocean.
McCulloch vs. Maryland
5) In 1819, the State of Maryland placed a specific tax on a branch of the National Bank located in Baltimore, Maryland. Bank manager James McCulloch refused to pay the tax and the state of Maryland filed suit against McCulloch. Given the legal conflict between the national government and the state, the case went before the Supreme Court.
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McCulloch vs. Maryland
4) The case posed an interesting legal question, considering that the Constitution was fairly vague concerning conflicts between the federal government and the various state governments.
McCulloch vs. Maryland
6) John Marshall ruled against the state of Maryland on the basis of:
McCulloch vs. Maryland
A) The Supremacy Clause – Article VI of the Constitution declares that the national government is supreme over the states.
McCulloch vs. Maryland
B) Marshall argued that “the power to tax involves the power to destroy” and he added that the Constitution did not give the states the power to tax the federal government.
McCulloch vs. Maryland
3) Marshall’s landmark decision in the case of McCulloch vs. Maryland helped to overrule the states’ rights doctrine established by the 10th Amendment and decisively preserved Alexander Hamilton’s loose interpretation of the Constitution.
Sectionalism
1) Despite the growth of centralized authority, political unity, and nationalistic fervor during the Era of Good Feelings, the roots of several sectional issues were emerging during this time period that threatened to seriously divide the nation in the future.
Sectionalism
3) Despite political unity, economic divisions grew wider as a result of the War of 1812. The Embargo Act and the war itself forced the New Englanders to build more factories to compensate for the lost British trade. Without the threat of British competition, factories and manufacturing centers prospered and spread throughout the Northeast.
Sectionalism
4) After the war ended, the infant industries of the Northeast demanded a higher protective tariff in order to shield them from British competition. A nationalist Congress responded by raising the tariff tax from an 8% tax to a 20-25% rate.
PROTECTIVE TARIFF
Sectionalism
5) The new tariff rate noticeably impacted world trade because European nations responded with retaliatory tariffs against American goods. The profits on American exports noticeably decreased as they became subjected to increased European tariffs.
T A R I F F
T A R I F FTRADE
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Sectionalism
6) Southern agriculture accounted for the overwhelming majority of American exports and future increases in the protective tariff resulted in a serious sectional division over the issue.
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The Industrial Revolution
1) The Industrial Revolution had its roots in mid 18th Century (1700s) England with the development of steam power that was fueled by coal.
The Industrial Revolution
3) The first phase of the Industrial Revolution came to the United States in the early 1800s and was largely expanded as a result of the War of 1812. The first phase of the Industrial Revolution was based upon the mass production model of British textile (clothing) mills and was perfected with the introduction of interchangeable and uniform parts.
The Industrial Revolution
4) This industrial transformation was facilitated by several improvements in transportation.
Ex. – The construction of primitive highways like the Cumberland Road connected Western Maryland to Illinois and facilitated the distribution of products to various markets. (1811)
The Industrial Revolution
Ex. – Robert Fulton’s invention of the Steamboat greatly increased upstream navigation and trade, enabling commerce to easily flow in both directions. (1807)
The Industrial Revolution
Ex. – The construction of River Canals enabled the connection of various natural waterways. (The famous Erie Canal ran 363 miles with 83 locks to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie in 1825)
The Industrial Revolution
Ex. – Railroads soon became dominant because they were the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable form of transportation. The first railroad was established in 1828 and rapidly grew throughout the industrial Northeast.
The Industrial Revolution
5) Improvements in transportation also greatly facilitated westward expansion. Recent victories over Indian nations during the War 1812 had opened the lands of the Ohio River Valley and the Florida Territory to white settlement.
The Industrial Revolution
6) As the “West” grew in size and political influence, it greatly impacted American politics by further dividing the nation into sectional interests.
King Cotton
1) In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the first Cotton Gin, a mechanical device that easily separated cotton fibers from the sticky pit that contains the seeds.
King Cotton
2) The Cotton Gin enabled a slave that previously picked a pound of cotton per day to now pick over 50 pounds per day. This labor saving device exponentially increased cotton production in the South.
King Cotton
3) Cotton became highly profitable and spread quickly throughout the South. The search for virgin soil for cotton led to the westward settlement of several states throughout the Deep South. (Ex. – Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas.)
King Cotton
4) Unfortunately, the agricultural boom created by the cotton gin also saved the institution of slavery at the precise moment it was starting to fade in the South. The intense demand for slaves on cotton plantations seemed to be insatiable as the Southern plantation system grew.
King Cotton
5) By 1840 cotton accounted for over 50% of all U.S. exports. Cotton was the king crop of the South and now defined the politics of an entire region.
The Missouri Compromise
1) Sectional divisions concerning slavery were revealed in 1819 when the Missouri Territory applied for statehood as a slave state. At that time the number of Southern slave-states and Northern free-states stood evenly at eleven. The admission of slave Missouri would upset the delicate balance.
The Missouri Compromise
2) The House of Representatives favored the North because of the growing population and the flow of foreign immigrants resulted in more representatives. However, the Senate could be controlled by the South if Missouri was admitted as a slave state.
The Missouri Compromise
4) The South saw the prospect of Missouri statehood as a chance to strengthen the Southern voting block in the Senate in order to prevent attempts by the North to interfere with slavery.
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The Missouri Compromise
6) To break the deadlock in Congress, Henry Clay of Kentucky introduced a series of compromises that created a delicate balance between both sides.
The Missouri Compromise
A) Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state.
B) The territory of Maine was separated from Massachusetts and was accepted as another free state.
The Missouri Compromise
C) With the exception of Missouri, slavery would be forever banned in all territory in the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36’ 30 line of latitude. Slavery would be permitted in Missouri and all land south of the 36’ 30 line.
The Missouri Compromise
7) The Compromise of 1820 (The Missouri Compromise) passed as the result of moderate voices on both sides. However, the Compromise was a temporary solution, it failed to address the troubling sectional division created by the South’s “peculiar institution” of slavery.
The American System
1) In response to the populating of the West and the industrialization of the Northeastern, Henry Clay of Kentucky proposed a complex economic plan known as the “American System” in 1824 in order to tie nation’s sections together. The plan had three main components:
The American System
A) A strong banking system – easy credit would be used to encourage further industrialization
The American System
B) A protective tariff – this would protect young industries and help them prosper.
PROTECTIVE TARIFF
The American System
C) Internal improvements – the federal government would fund transportation projects in the states to facilitate the flow of trade across the country. Agricultural goods and raw materials would flow from the South and the West in exchange for manufactured goods from the Northeast, making the sections increasingly dependent upon one another.
The American System
2) In 1817, the Republican Congress passed a bill to distribute $1.5 million dollars to the states for internal improvements. However, President James Madison vetoed the bill because he believed that it was unconstitutional.
The American System
3) The Constitution did not specifically give the federal government the power to fund internal projects within the states and Madison did not believe it was a justifiable implied power of the federal government.
The American System
4) The states responded by funding their own internal improvements (New York and the Erie Canal). The debate over federally funded internal improvements would continue as a part of the larger debate over states’ rights leading up to the outbreak of the Civil War.
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