Ch.12, Sec.1- The Rise of Nationalism

The Era of Good Feelings After the War of 1812 was over, the U.S. enjoyed a time of peace that came to be called the Era of Good Feelings. James Monroe was the president during this time. The U.S. and Great Britain still disagreed about who controlled the waterways along their borders, with both wanting to keep their navies and fishing rights on the Great Lakes. In 1817, they compromised in the Rush-Bagot Agreement. This limited naval power in the Great Lakes for both sides. Another treaty, called the Convention of 1818, gave the U.S. fishing rights off parts of the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts. It also set the border between the U.S. and Canada at the 49 th parallel.

The Issue of Florida Another dispute involved the U.S. border with Spanish Florida. Americans wanted to settle in the area, and they were upset over Seminole raids in U.S. towns and helping runaway slaves. President Monroe then sent troops led by Andrew Jackson to secure the border. In April 1818 Jackson’s troops invaded Florida to capture Seminole raiders, beginning the First Seminole War. During this war, Jackson fought Spanish and Seminole. He took over most of Spain’s important military posts and overthrew the governor of Florida. He did all of this without receiving direct orders from President Monroe.

The Issue of Florida cont. Jackson’s presence in Florida helped convince Spanish leaders to settle all border disputes with the U.S. in the Adams-Onis Treaty of Under this treaty, Spain gave East Florida to the U.S. and gave up its claim to West Florida. In return, the U.S. gave up its claims to what is now Texas. The U.S. also agreed to take responsibility for up to $5 million of U.S. citizens’ claims against Spain.

The Monroe Doctrine The Spanish colonies of Central and South America began to challenge Spanish rule. By the early 1820s most of these Latin American countries had declared independence from Spain. Revolutionary fighter Simon Bolivar, called the Liberator, led most of these fights. President Monroe thought that European powers might try to take control of the newly independent Latin American countries. On December 2, 1823, Secretary of State Adams and President Monroe decided to warn European powers not to interfere with the Americas in a warning known as the Monroe Doctrine. It stated that foreign powers should not create new colonies in North and South America. The U.S. would view any European interference with Latin American governments as a hostile act. Few European countries challenged the Monroe Doctrine, which has played a major role in shaping U.S.-Latin American relations.

Sec.2- Expansions and Improvements

The Missouri Compromise A major regional conflict arose in 1819, when Congress considered the application of Missouri to enter the Union. Pro-slavery leaders in Missouri wanted to join the nation as a slave state. At the time, the Union had 11 free and 11 slave states. Because free states in the North had a greater population, they controlled the House of Representatives. However, adding a new slave state would make the Senate in favor of the South. Northern representatives in the House therefore passed a legislative amendment that would accept Missouri as a slave state with certain restrictions. Importing slaves into Missouri would be illegal, and the amendment also required all children of Missouri slaves to be set free when they reached age 25. The Senate rejected this, preventing Missouri from becoming a state.

The Missouri Compromise cont. To settle this, Henry Clay helped Congress reach the Missouri Compromise, which had 3 main conditions: 1. Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state, 2. Maine would join the Union as a free state, 3. Slavery would be prohibited in any new territories or states formed north of 36 degrees 30 latitude (Missouri’s southern border). Congress passed it in Maine became a state on March 15, 1820, and Missouri was admitted to the Union on August 10, This led to Clay earning the nickname Great Pacificator, or peacemaker.

Internal Improvements To strengthen the economy, Clay wanted a protective tariff. He wanted the money made from this tax to be used to improve roads and canals, or artificial waterways. These internal improvements would connect the regions of the country and make trade easier. Clay’s plan was known as the American System. Congress did pass a protective tariff, but very little of the money was actually used for internal improvements.

New Roads and Canals The Cumberland Road was the first road built by the federal government. It ran from Cumberland, Maryland to a town called Wheeling. Then the Panic of 1819 hurt the economy, stopping the expansion. Construction began again in the 1820s. In 1833, the National Road, as the extended road was called, stretched to Columbus, Ohio, and to Illinois by During the early 1800s canal construction increased in the U.S. with the largest being the Erie Canal, running from Albany to Buffalo, New York. They started building it in 1817 and finished in The success of this canal started a canal-building boom across the country.

The Election of 1824 John Quincy Adams ran against Andrew Jackson in Jackson won the popular vote, but he did not have enough electoral votes to win. It then went to the House of Representatives. With Henry Clay backing Adams, they chose Adams as president.

Sec.3- The Age of Jackson

Jacksonian Democracy Many states removed property requirements for voting, which allowed more white men to vote and become active in politics. Andrew Jackson was the first person ever to run as a Democrat. Jackson defeated Adams in the election in 1828, and his victory was considered a victory for the common people. To show this, he had a large party with a group of common people at the White House, leading to a lot of damage there. Jackson also rewarded some of his supporters with government jobs, called the spoils system. However, he only changed about one fifth of federal officeholders.

The Nullification Crisis In 1828, Congress passed a tariff with very high rates, called by southerners the Tariff of Abominations. Vice President John C. Calhoun opposed the tariff and supported states’ rights. The dispute between state and federal governments became known as the nullification crisis. Congress passed a new tariff in 1832, leading to Calhoun resigning as vice president to support his home state, South Carolina. South Carolina said if the federal government used force to collect these taxes, they would withdraw from the Union. Jackson said he would send in federal troops into South Carolina to enforce federal laws, but the two sides reached a compromise. Congress said they would lower the tariffs little by little over several years if South Carolina’s leaders agreed to enforce the tariff law.

The Second Bank of the United States Several states passed laws that taxed branches of the national bank. James McCulloch, cashier of the Bank’s branch in Maryland, refused to pay this tax. The state took him to court and the case, McCulloch v. Maryland, went to the Supreme Court. The Court made two important rulings in this case. 1. Chief Justice John Marshall said the elastic clause allowed Congress to establish the Bank. 2. Federal law was superior to state law, which challenged states’ rights.

Van Buren’s Presidency Jackson’s opponents formed the Whig Party. However, Van Buren, Jackson’s vice president after Calhoun resigned, won the presidency. Shortly after he took office, the country experienced a financial crisis called the Panic of In the election of 1840, William Henry Harrison ran with running mate John Tyler using the slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”. Harrison would go on to win the election.

Sec.4- Indian Removal

The Black Hawk War In 1827, officials ordered the removal of all Indians from Illinois. Black Hawk and his followers ignored this. When the Sauk returned from their winter hunt in 1830, white settlers had moved into their village. Black Hawk decided to fight, but it wouldn’t last long. By August 1832, the Sauk were running out of food and supplies, leading to Black Hawk surrendering.

The Indian Removal Act Jackson wanted the Indians in the Southeast to move West so American farmers could settle there. Jackson pressured Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act in 1830, which authorized the removal of American Indians who lived east of the Mississippi River. Congress then established Indian Territory as a new Indian homeland, most of which is today Oklahoma. The Choctaw were the first American Indians to settle on the Indian Territory. Some Choctaw leaders then signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, which gave more than 7.5 million acres of their land to the state. The Choctaw then traveled from Mississippi to the Indian Territory in the winter of Federal officials did not provide enough food or supplies, so one fourth of them died of cold, disease, and starvation. This caused other Indian tribes to resist removal. Creeks wanted to stay on their land in Alabama, but federal troops led 14,500 of them, mostly in chains, to the Indian territory. Chickasaw also went west in the winter of because they were promised better supplies. However, a lot of them died during the move West as well.

The Indian Removal Act cont. The Choctaw were the first American Indians to settle on the Indian Territory. Some Choctaw leaders then signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, which gave more than 7.5 million acres of their land to the state. The Choctaw then traveled from Mississippi to the Indian Territory in the winter of Federal officials did not provide enough food or supplies, so one fourth of them died of cold, disease, and starvation. This caused other Indian tribes to resist removal. Creeks wanted to stay on their land in Alabama, but federal troops led 14,500 of them, mostly in chains, to the Indian territory. Chickasaw also went west in the winter of because they were promised better supplies. However, a lot of them died during the move West as well.

The Cherokee Nation Many Cherokee believed they could prevent conflicts with settlers by adopting the culture of white people. They became Christians and opened schools where they learned to read and write English. In the early 1800s, Sequoya developed a writing system that used 86 characters to represent Cherokee syllables. In 1828, they began publishing their own newspaper called the Cherokee Phoenix. John Ross, a plantation owner, was their first principal chief.

The Trail of Tears However, when gold was discovered on their land they were also told to move West. They refused, so the Georgia militia attacked Cherokee towns. The Cherokee then sued the state. They claimed they were an independent nation, and the government of Georgia had no legal power in the territory. In 1832, in a Supreme Court case called Worcester v. Georgia, Chief Justice John Marshall agreed. He said only the federal government, not the states, had authority over the Cherokee. Georgia ignored the court’s ruling, and Jackson did not enforce it. Jackson instead said let Marshall enforce it since it was his decision. The Georgia militia also destroyed their newspaper, and they were forced to move to the Indian Territory. This 800 mile march from was called the Trail of Tears. One fourth of the Cherokee died on this march.

The Second Seminole War The Seminole decided they weren’t leaving without a fight. In 1832, some Seminole leaders were forced to sign a treaty promising to leave Florida within 3 years. They also agreed that any Seminole of African ancestry would be considered a runaway slave. The Seminole had taken most of these runaway slaves in as family members. A leader of the Seminole named Osceola then called on the Seminole to use force to resist removal. This started the Second Seminole War. At first, the Seminole won many battles, but the U.S. forces captured Osceola in 1837, and he died in prison. The Seminole still continued fighting to the surprise of the U.S. troops. By 1842, the U.S. Army had captured and removed about 4,000 Seminole and killed hundreds of others. Also, 1,500 U.S. soldiers were killed. After spending millions of dollars on this war, U.S. officials decided to give up the fight, and the Seminole stayed in Florida.

Sec.5- American Culture

American Tales One of the first American writers to gain international fame was Washington Irving, who was famous for writing stories like “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. James Fenimore Cooper published The Pioneers, which was the first of five books that were a part of the Leatherstocking Tales. He also wrote Last of the Mohicans. He made popular a style of writing called historical fiction. Catharine Maria Sedgwick was probably the most successful female author of her time, writing novels like A New England Tale, Hope Leslie, and Married or Single.

A New Style of Art In the 1830s, a group of artists called the Hudson River school came about. They primarily painted landscapes, mostly of the Hudson River valley. The leader of this group was Thomas Cole.