Post on 01-Apr-2015
transcript
The Role of Politics in
Sectionalism
James Monroe 1758 – 1831 Dem.-Republican 5th President (1817-25) Last President to have
participated in the Revolution
Former Gov. of VA, Secretary of State, and Secretary of War
Southerner, slave owner
“The Era of Good Feelings”
Term used to describe Monroe’s presidency
Right after War of 1812, Nationalism surged and Americans thought of themselves as Americans first, rather than of their region of the country
Collapse of Federalist Party left only 1 major political party, so little political disagreement
Tariff of 1816 British goods had
been cut off during War of 1812, but once war was over US market was flooded with cheap British goods
US industry had begun to grow during the war, but now was at risk with return of foreign goods
Tariff was championed by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun (West & South!)
Death of the First National Bank
Had been established as part of Hamilton’s Economic Plan
Congress did not renew its charter when it expired in 1811
State and private banks took over, issuing their own currency and over-lending, leading to high inflation
US government had to borrow money from these state and private banks to pay for the War of 1812, leaving it deeply in debt after the war
Second National Bank of the US
Not overly popular with small farmers because it was aimed at helping Eastern industrialists
Despite this, the need for federal regulation of currency prompted Calhoun, Webster, and Clay to force through a bill creating a Second National Bank in 1816
McCulloch v. Maryland
1819 Maryland attempted
to tax the Second National Bank
Supreme Court ruled that: 1) “necessary and proper” clause allows US gov’t to create a National Bank; 2) the federal government stands above the states and 3) the states can not interfere with federal agencies
Panic of 1819 National Bank offered
easy credit, overextended itself by giving more loans than it had money
When British banks called in their loans to US banks, The National Bank had to call in its loans, triggering US’s first economic depression
The Missouri Compromise
Missouri admitted as a slave state, but balanced by admission of Maine as a free state
No new slave states allowed north of Missouri’s southern border
Ends “Era of Good Feelings”
The Monroe Doctrine
US concerned that Spain would try to retake the newly independent nations in Latin America; also worried about Russian expansion in Alaska
1823: Pres. Monroe issued a formal statement of US policy
1) Europe would not be allowed to interfere in the affairs of countries in the Americas
2) No new European colonization would be allowed in Americas
3) US would not interfere in the affairs of countries in the Americas or in Europe
Gibbons v. Ogden 1824 New York had
granted a monopoly over all steam boat traffic
Supreme Court ruled that Congress alone has the right to regulate interstate and foreign commerce
Election of 1824 4 candidates for
president, all were Dem.-Republicans
New England supported John Quincy Adams
South supported William Crawford
West supported Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay
Election was so close, it went to the House of Representatives to decide the winner
“The Corrupt Bargain” Henry Clay (who was
Speaker of the House and hated Jackson) threw his support to John Quincy Adams in return for being named Secretary of State
Adams became president; Andrew Jackson denounced Clay’s deal as a “corrupt bargain”
Democratic-Republican Party splits
Andrew Jackson’s supporters became the Democratic Party
John Quincy Adams’ supporters became the National Republican Party
End of political unity, return of the two-party system
John Quincy Adams 1767 – 1848 National Republican 6th President (1825-29) Son of John Adams Adams objectives: 1)
Stronger federal government; 2)Federal construction of transportation infrastructure; 3)Found a national university; 4) Create high tariffs to protect US industry
“The American System”
John Quincy Adams’ & Henry Clay’s plan to tie the nation together
1) Protective tariffs 2) Internal
improvements to increase interstate commerce
3) A strong National Bank
South hated the idea of the “American System”
Southerners tended to be strict-constructionists, support states rights over strong central government
See no Constitutional support for a National Bank or federal construction of infrastructure
Tariffs hurt farmers Believed in doctrine of nullification – states
don’t have to enforce laws they interpret as unconstitutional or harmful to the state
“Tariff of Abominations”
Tariff of 1828 Highest tariff in US
history Designed to protect
US industries from cheaper English imports
Badly hurt South by raising prices of manufactured goods and by causing British to have less capital with which to buy Southern cotton
Election of 1828 Andrew Jackson vs.
John Quincy Adams Jackson was billed
as the “common man” while Adams was portrayed as an aristocratic elitist
Jackson won both the popular and electoral vote
Andrew Jackson 1767 – 1845 Democrat 7th president Nicknamed “Old
Hickory,” a tribute to his background as a frontiersman
War hero from both War of 1812 and Seminole Indian War
First president to survive an assassination attempt
Jacksonian Democracy
Suffrage extended to any adult white male
Jackson was 1st president to come from background of poverty, so he was the hero of the common man
Still, Jackson hated Native Americans and supported slavery
“The Spoils System” Jackson began new
tradition of dismissing what had been career government officials and replacing them with his party’s loyal followers
This still happens today – Presidents reward their supporters with important government jobs
Nat Turner 1800 – 1831 Virginia slave who
had religious “visions”
Practiced as a Baptist preacher (nicknamed “The Prophet” by other slaves)
Believed that God called on him to lead a slave rebellion
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
August 21, 1831 Slave uprising that
resulted in the deaths of 56 whites in VA
Quickly suppressed by the militia, dozens of slaves (including Turner) were executed for their roles in the rebellion
Led to bans throughout the South on educating slaves and allowing slaves to freely assemble without white supervision
South Carolina Nullification Crisis
1832: South Carolina declared new tariffs unconstitutional and thereby nullified
John C. Calhoun resigned as Vice-President to support SC position as a senator
Jackson considered this treasonous and prepared to use military force on SC to enforce the tariffs
SC threatened to secede (leave the US) if high tariffs weren’t repealed
Compromise of 1833 Henry Clay delayed
passage of the Force Bill which would give Jackson permission to take military action against SC until he could force through a bill that would gradually reduce tariffs over the next 10 years
Once this compromise tariff was passed, SC repealed its nullification and crisis was averted
Jackson and the National Bank
Jackson disliked the Bank
Congress passed a bill extending the Bank’s charter in 1832, but Jackson vetoed; instead, Jackson withdrew all of the federal governments deposits from the Bank and moved them to state banks
National Bank no longer had money to lend and closed
The Whig Party 1834: National
Republican Party changed its name to the Whig Party
“Whigs” in England were people who opposed the power of the king; American Whigs felt that Andrew Jackson had been abusive of his power as president
Election of 1836 Jackson supported his
VP Martin Van Buren as his successor
Van Buren easily won the Democratic nomination at convention (1st time national party convention used)
Whigs could not settle on one candidate to run and so their votes were split; Van Buren won
Martin Van Buren 1782 – 1862 Democrat 8th President (1837-
41) Former Vice-
President and Secretary of State under Jackson
Lost presidential elections of 1840 and 1848
Panic of 1837 State banks loaned
money freely without the National Bank to oversee them
Loaned more money than they had, leading to failure of many of the banks
Inflation soared, unemployment rose, businesses closed, many people lost everything
Ruined Van Buren’s presidency
Election of 1840 Whigs nominated
war hero William Henry Harrison after Henry Clay and Daniel Webster each proved too divisive to win majority support within the party
Harrison easily defeated Van Buren
William Henry Harrison 1773 – 1841 Whig 9th President (1841) Nicknamed “Old
Tippecanoe” from his fame as hero of Northwest Indian War
Shortest tenure in US history – president for only 32 days before dying of pneumonia