12.5 Sectionalism pp. 402-405

Objective: Explain why rivalries between sections of the country increased.

A. A Split Into Sections (pp. 402-403) Many people in the early 1800s were wondering whether sectionalism—rivalries based on the special interests of the North, the South, and the West—might divide the nation. Representing the West was Henry Clay (Kentucky); speaking for Southern interests was John C. Calhoun (South Carolina); and protecting the interests of New England was Daniel Webster.

B. Statehood for Missouri? (p. 402) In 1819 the Missouri Territory asked Congress to be admitted as a slave state. At the time, there were 11 slave states and 11 free states. Admitting Missouri as a state—whether slave or free—would disrupt the balance of power in the Senate.

C. The Missouri Compromise (pp. 403-404) Henry Clay’s solution to the crisis, called the Missouri Compromise (1820), narrowly passed only because Maine had also requested admission as a state. Clay’s proposal called for Maine to enter the Union as a free state and Missouri to enter as a slave state. As for the rest of the Louisiana Territory, slavery would be prohibited north of the 36°30´N latitude line.

The Missouri Compromise (1820)

D. The Election of 1824 (p. 404) Sectional differences, not political parties, influenced the Election of 1824. The candidates, though all Republicans, came from different sections of the country: John Quincy Adams (Northeast), William Crawford (South), Henry Clay (West), and Andrew Jackson (Old Southwest). Not surprisingly, no candidate won a majority of electoral votes, so the House of Representatives had to choose the President.

E. A “Corrupt Bargain” (pp. 404-405) Henry Clay, with the fewest electoral votes, was out of the running; so was William Crawford, who had become seriously ill. Clay used his influence as Speaker of the House to get Adams chosen President. When Adams then named Clay as his Secretary of State, many outraged supporters of Jackson claimed that a “corrupt bargain” (secret agreement) had been arranged.

F. New Party Politics (p. 405) The Election of 1824 ended the Era of Good Feelings. Differences among the Republicans deepened. Jackson’s followers became known as Democrats. Adams and Clay led the political group called the National Republicans.

Review: Which powerful young Congressman represented the South? The West? The North? What were the three parts of the Missouri Compromise of 1820? Who was our sixth President? What was the so-called “corrupt bargain”?