THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES 1492-1877

Lecture 7THE AGE OF NATIONALISM AND

SECTIONALISM

THE WAR OF 1812

• Causes: America’s desire for Canada• Freedom of the seas: demand for neutral

rights for American shipping• Desire for Spanish Florida• Stopping Indian attacks on the frontier• The outgrowth of the Napoleonic wars in

Europe

THE WAR OF 1812

• Fighting between 1812-14• Northern theatre: 1813: Lake Erie

Commodore Perry defeats the British Navy “We have met the enemy and they are ours”

• Southern theatre: 1814: Andrew Jackson defeats the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

• August 24 1814 British take Washington D.C.• Burned the presidential manor

COMMODORE PERRY

BURNING OF WASHINGTON D.C.

THE WAR OF 1812

• Battle at Baltimore• Defense of Fort McHenry heroism inspires

Francis Scott Key to write the poem: “The Star-Spangled Banner” later national anthem

• 1814 Christmas Eve Treaty of Ghent• Fighting ends, prisoners are returned,

previous borders are restored• January 8 1815 Battle of New Orleans Andrew

Jackson defeats the British

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY

THE LEGACY OF THE WAR

• Leads to a rise of a national spirit • America becomes a nation• A second war of independence• New symbols of nationhood: national anthem• A general rise of patriotism• U.S. gains economic independence

A RISING SPIRIT OF NATIONALISM

• The war of 1812 reveals the need for new roads, canals, transportation development, this new national spirit manifests itself in three areas

• Economic nationalism• Judicial nationalism • Nationalist foreign policy

ECONOMIC NATIONALISM

• The American System promoted by Henry Clay, • -National bank• The charter of the Bank of the U.S. expires in

1811• 1816, a new charter is issued for 20 years• Starting capital 35 million, govt. provides 7

million, owns 1/5 of stock• Internal improvements:

ECONOMIC NATIONALISM• Internal improvements• Erie Canal, connects Great Lakes with Atlantic

Ocean• National Road from Maryland to Ohio• Tariff:• To protect market from cheap British goods,

Tariff of 1816• While helping the North, hurts the South• British can’t sell goods in the North, no money to

buy southern cotton

JUDICIAL NATIONALISM

• The Supreme Court asserts its supremacy• John Marshall chief justice 1801-1835• Through these decisions the legal and

constitutional foundations of the development of liberal capitalism are established

JUDICIAL NATIONALISM

• 1803 Marbury v. Madison judicial review• 1819: McCulloch v. Maryland the federal govt. is

supreme to the states, • “the power to tax involves the power to destroy” • 1824 Gibbons v. Ogden Aaron Ogden, exclusive

ferry rights across Hudson between New York and New Jersey Thomas Gibbons challenges Court: Hudson river flows not only in New York, but New Jersey violation of interstate commerce

NATIONALIST FOREIGN POLICY

• 1817-1825: John Quincy Adams , Secretary of State of Pres. Monroe

• 1817: Rush-Bagot Treaty demilitarizes the U.S-Canadian border

• Confirmation of the U.S.-Canadian border at 49th parallel

• 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty Spain cedes Florida to U.S.

• 1823: Monroe Doctrine

THE MONROE DOCTRINE• During Napoleonic Wars Spain collapses, Fears of French

takeover of Latin American colonies• Britain wants to make a joint declaration with U.S. against

the expansion of French colonialism• December 2, 1823 Monroe’s message to Congress• The American continent is not to be colonized by European

powers• Expansion of European influence would mean war• U.S. would not interfere with existing European colonies• U.S. keeps out of European internal affairs and wars• Main message: isolationist foreign policy

THE ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS

• Presidency of James Monroe (1816-24)• Last president of the revolutionary generation• Secy. of State of James Madison• Era of Good Feelings• Two exceptions

JAMES MONROE

EXCEPTION TO THE ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS

• Panic of 1819• Cotton prices plummet, South is hurt• Britain finds cheaper source of cotton in East India• 1819:11 slave holding states, 11 free states• Missouri applies for statehood, Congress postpones

until Maine applies• 1820 Missouri compromise• “a fire bell in the night” • Imaginary line is drawn at the 36.30 parallel going west• North of the line slavery is excluded, south of the line,

slavery is allowed

SECTIONALISM

• The manifestation of sectional (northern, southern, western) interests in American politics

• Main manifestation States rights movement: Nullification Crisis (1832-33)

• Constitutional basis: 10th amendment powers not delegated to federal govt. are reserved to states

• State compact theory Constitution a compact between federal govt. and states

THE NULLIFICATION CRISIS

• Spokesman: John C. Calhoun• Protest against high protective tariff 1828, 1832• South Carolina Exposition and Protest States can nullify

laws approved by federal govt. If fed govt. accepts nullification, no problem, if not states can secede

• 1833: South Carolina: declares Tariff null and void• Federal govt. blockades Charleston, South Carolina

begins to arm herself• Solution: compromise tariff a gradual reduction until

1842 proposed by Henry Clay

ECONOMIC SECTIONALISM

• Renewal of the bank crisis• Pres. Jackson: against bank, sees it as agent of

eastern financial interests• Withdraws govt. deposits from bank, it

collapses • After 1830’s greatest dividing issue: slavery