UNIT 3

U.S. History 1301

The Era of Good Feelings

After the War of 1812 the Federalist Party collapsed

This lasted about 10 yearsPolitical ideas of the Federalists lived onSuccession of Presidents

Sec. of State Madison follows Jefferson Sec. of State Monroe follows Madison Sec. of State John Quincy Adams follows Monroe

The Virginia Dynasty

Presidents from Jefferson to MonroeAll well-cultured gentlemenGenerally dull and not activistLittle accomplished beyond Louisiana

Purchase and the War of 1812

Infrastructure

New forms of transportation built and developed Roads – Turnpikes and road networks connected cities Steamboats – Added the ability to travel upriver Canals – manmade waterways to connect ports and

waterways Most famous was Erie Canal that connected Lake Erie

with the Atlantic Railroads – Huge advancement in shipping freight and

peopleThese allowed for the growth of factories in

the North

How to pay for this?

Construction projects expensive but necessary

The tariff was the main source of revenue for U.S. govt.

Tariff = Tax on Imported Goods

Subsidies

A subsidy is money given from the govt. to a private group such as an industrial business, charity, or commercial group, usually to guarantee some service in return

Examples: Airlines, Planned Parenthood, Housing, Farmers

Sometimes subsidies can be good, sometimes bad

The Problem

Most imports coming into the SouthTherefore the South contributes greatly to

the budgetMost of the tariff money going to projects in

the NorthTariff quickly becomes an issue between

North and SouthGovernment waste exacerbates the problem

Collins vs. Vanderbilt

New steam technology applied to trans-Atlantic shipsCuts the passage from Europe to U.S. to two weeksEdward Collins proposes to Congress a business plan…

vs.

Adams-Onis Treaty

Feb. 1819 the U.S. purchases Florida from Spain

Cost $5 millionDetermined the disputed border between

Mexico and the Louisiana TerritoryPrompted the Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine

Spain weak after losing most of its holdings in the Americas

France weak also after the final defeat of Napoleon

The U.S. looks to prevent a comeback in the Americas

The Monroe Doctrine

Monroe Doctrine:No NEW European colonies in the Western Hemisphere

The Monroe Doctrine

How could the U.S. enforce this?Helped by Great Britain

Britain also does not want to see Spain or France comeback

Little real effect from the Monroe Doctrine until after the Civil War (Will play a major role in HIS 1302)

The Missouri Compromise

In 1819 Missouri ready to apply for statehoodWanted to become a slave stateThis would destroy the 11-11 free state /

slave state balanceMuch fighting until Compromise in 1820

The Missouri Compromise Terms

Missouri comes in as a slave stateMaine comes in early as a free stateIn the future:

*the Unorganized Territory will be closed to slavery*the Arkansas Territory will be open to slavery*the dividing line will be 36, 30

The Missouri Compromise

The Election of 1824

Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay

All ran as Republican candidatesNo opposition partyThe election was a 3-way splitNobody won a majority of electoral votesWho becomes President?

The Corrupt Bargain

Under the 12th Amendment (at the time) the House of Reps. would vote on who became President

Henry Clay was Speaker of the HouseClay sways the house to vote for AdamsAdams wins and appoints Clay as Secretary

of StateJackson & supporters infuriated

The Tariff of Abominations

Adams and Jackson fought over the tariff after Adams elected

North wanted to raise tariff to protect businesses

South argued it was unconstitutional for govt. to control economy

The issue will return under Jackson’s presidency

The Election of 1828

By 1828 the landowning requirement was removed from voting

Far more poor people able to voteAdams unpopular after Corrupt Bargain and

TariffDirty political campaign on both sidesJackson wins by a landslide

Andrew Jackson

A rough man from the frontier

War hero and generalStrong temperStrong executive,

unlike previous presidents

The Spoils System

Jackson begins the policyFires many executive branch employees after

taking officeReplaces them with his own selectionsEnsured loyalty of the branchAllowed greater corruption in government

Jackson as President

Jackson a strange mix of pride and humilityBelieved that the government should be open

to the peopleHe literally opened the White House to the

public on numerous occasions

Jackson’s Inauguration

Three Key Issues Under Jackson

The Nullification Crisis concerning the TariffThe Trail of Tears concerning the Native

AmericansThe renewal of the Bank’s charter

The Nullification Crisis

1832 Congress lowers the Tariff but only slightly

South disappointedSouth Carolina responds by declaring the

Tariff void in their stateThe problem?State trying to overrule federal law

The Nullification Crisis

Jackson sees this as an attack on the Constitution

Congress granted him the Force Bill which allowed him to use the military to enforce customs laws

South Carolina is unsupported by other states and backs down

Congress also passed a bill that would reduce the Tariff over the next few years

Indian Policy

By the 1820’s many Cherokees remained in Georgia

They assimilated into Southern lifeMany owned slaves and grew cottonAlong with other tribes owned 33 million

acres in the SoutheastCherokees resisted all offers to get them to

move

Indian Policy

Two key changes Jackson elected Gold discovered on Cherokee lands

Georgia tries to force the Cherokee to leaveJackson backs them up with the Indian

Removal ActSupreme Court initially denies the Cherokee

a hearing

Indian Policy

Georgia began seizing Cherokee propertyChristian missionaries who protested were

jailedSupreme Court finally tries to interveneJackson blatantly ignored their decisionFinally began a forced removal to the

Oklahoma territory

The Trail of Tears

The Bank

Functions of the Bank Lent to merchants Expedited foreign trade Handled private and business checking accounts Issued paper money backed by gold Held deposits from federal govt. Transferred govt. funds around the country Central bank of the economy Could force state banks to limit credit or encourage

them to lend

The Bank

Jackson hated banks, especially “The Bank”This represented the feeling of many farmers

and SouthernersThey believed the Bank gave the federal govt.

too much power over the economyBank’s charter was set to expire in 1836Nicholas Biddle was the head of the BankApplied for renewal of charter in 1832

The Bank

The renewal passes CongressJackson vetoes itUnleashed a storm of protest from

businessmen, state bankers, and economistsJackson called a tyrant for overriding the will

of the people

King Andrew I

Placeholder: Whigs creation, Van Buren

Manifest Destiny

One of the most important ideas of the early 1800’s

Term coined by John L. O’Sullivan, a NY magazine editor

Asserted the right of the U.S. to “overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the great experiment of liberty and federated self-government.”

Manifest Destiny = The belief that the U.S. should expand to the Pacific Ocean

The Oregon Country

Early pioneers moved cross country, mostly fur traders

Territory was shared with the BritishExplored and mapped the routes across the

continentHelped to create the Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail

Long & dangerous

Many geographic obstacles

Thousands of Americans went in the early 1840’s

Texas (Yay!)

In the 1820’s Mexico gave Moses Austin a land grant to settle Americans in Texas

Moses’s son Stephen F. Austin established the first American colony in Mexico

By 1835 20,000 Americans in Texas, with slaves

Mexico resisted numerous attempts to buy Texas by the U.S.

Texas

Changes in the Mexican government made things uncomfortable in Texas

Santa Anna becomes dictator and is hostile to American settlers

Santa Anna marches north in 1835 to disperse growing dissent

This act of aggression prompts armed response

First fight came in Feb. 1836

The Alamo

187 Texans defending against over 4,000 Mexicans

The Alamo was an old mission near San Antonio

Texans led by William B. TravisTrying to buy time for Sam Houston to form

the armyHeld out for 13 days, even though

surroundedSanta Anna hoped to avoid a fight, but

ultimately chargedHeroic action spurred the independence

movement

San Jacinto

Texas Applies for Annexation

Harrison elected in 1840, died after 1 month in office

John Tyler became President in 1841Texas had applied for annexation in 1836Jackson was too close to the end of his termVan Buren was too unpopularTyler finally able to secure annexation

Texas Annexation

2 reasons people opposed Texas would enter as a slave state Mexico would probably declare war

Senate refused to pass annexation treaty until March 1845, just before Tyler leaves office

James Polk elected in 1844, takes office in 1845

Polk a strong proponent of Manifest Destiny

Issues with Britain

Increased U.S. presence in Oregon leads to conflict

Britain and U.S. both claiming key territory

The U.S. declares “54-40 or fight!”

Britain goaded by MexicoUltimately a treaty was

signed in 1846 cutting the territory in half

The Slidell Mission

John Slidell sent to Mexico to negotiateOffered to pay Texas debts owed to Mexico

for $3.25 millionOffered $5 million for New Mexico and $25

million for CaliforniaExpected the mission to succeedInstead Mexico refused to meet with Slidell

The Border Issue

The treaty granting Texas independence claimed the border was on the Rio Grande

The Mexican govt. claimed it was invalidOnce Texas annexed this becomes a U.S.

problemPolk sends Gen. Zachary Taylor to the Rio

Grande as a defensive measureMexico considers this an invasion and an act

of war

War with Mexico

Gen. Zachary Taylor led army to the Rio Grande

Nicknamed “Old Rough-and-Ready”Charismatic general, liked by his men, also a

WhigFirst battle at Palo Alto in Texas, May 8, 1846Taylor then crosses the Rio Grande into

Mexico at MatamorosDue to discipline issues, Taylor forced to

move further south, towards Monterrey

Politics Interferes

Taylor succeeds at Monterrey, generously allows Mexican army to withdraw

Draws criticism from U.S. governmentStill, Taylor a popular figurePolk (Democrat) unwilling to let a Taylor

(Whig) take credit for the final victoryOrders Taylor to hold Monterrey but

transfers most of his army to Winfield Scott in New Orleans

The Last Campaign

Gen. Winfield Scott to lead an attack on Mexico City from New Orleans

Scott not nearly as popular as TaylorNicknamed “Old Fuss-and-Feathers”The plan was to land at Veracruz and march

to Mexico CityAfter a series of battles Mexico City fallsSanta Anna flees

Negotiations

Remnants of Mexican govt. left to negotiate surrender

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the war in 1848

Forced Mexico to sell all territory between the Pacific and Texas for $15 million

Also paid $3.5 million in debt to MexicoTreaty somewhat unpopular, but still passed

the Senate

Results

Mexican War achieved Manifest DestinyOnly one more land purchase before the final

borders of the 48 contiguous statesIronically, the land added almost killed the

U.S.In many ways, the Mexican War was a

forerunner to the Civil War

Religious Change

Charles Grandison Finney

Key figure in the Second Great Awakening

Focused on revival and new converts

Gave rise to Perfectionism

Religious Change

Many denominations created or changed significantly

Many key Calvinist and Orthodox doctrines rejected

Growth in major denominations: Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian

New or small groups also grew: Unitarians, Mormons, Oneidans

Perfectionism

New belief propagated in 2nd Great Awakening

Believed that human beings could become perfect and completely rid themselves of sin

Sin defined as selfishnessArgued that people could become entirely

selflessThis applied both on individual and corporate

levelsGave a strong religious impetus for social

reform

Social Change

Religious change will in turn affect social change

Many reform movements Prisons Asylums Temperance Women’s rights Antislavery

Antislavery

Grew with religious revivalStill a mix of viewsSome people completely abolitionistOthers simply against expansionRace often not a factor

Lincoln

“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality…

Lincoln

And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything.” Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Sept. 1858

Lincoln

I have never said anything to the contrary, but I hold that notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the white man. I agree with Judge Douglas he is not my equal in many respects – certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man.” Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Aug. 1858

Lincoln

“My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help save the Union…

Lincoln

I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause.” Letter of Abraham Lincoln, Aug. 1862

Placeholder (slaves vs workers)

Immigration

Largest group from Ireland, followed by Germany

Millions immigrated during the 1840’s and 1850’s

Irish especially faced discrimination when they arrived

Anti-immigration known as “Nativism”

Reasons for Nativism

Irish were CatholicStereotypes about immigrantsImmigrants usually poorImmigrants took jobs and lowered wagesLittle assimilation on the part of immigrantsImmigrants led to urbanization, lowering

quality of life in the cities

Urbanization

Massive increase to city populationsMostly happened in the NorthOne result of the Industrial RevolutionA trend that still continues todayLed to many problems within the cities

Problems of Urbanization

Slum neighborhoods and ghettosTransportationWaste disposalDiseaseCrimeFire hazardsWater supplyPolitical corruption