The Politics of Sectionalism From Jefferson to Davis
Thomas Jefferson Jefferson Republican Party view: sovereignty of the states Interpretive debate over the Constitution “strict constructionism”
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) Federalist Party: believed necessary to protect national security. Republican Party: viewed as an infringement of constitutional rights and threat to political opposition. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798) Nullification crisis Where did sovereignty lie? Are we national or state citizens?
The Napoleonic Wars United States a Neutral Nation during the European Wars but still saw effects of the fighting At issue: Impressment Chesapeake Affair, 1807 1807 Embargo Act
The War Hawks Arrive- 1810 Henry Clay- Kentucky John C. Calhoun- South Carolina Felix Grundy- Tennessee
Major Rivers, Roads, and Canals, 1825–1860
The Missouri Compromise, 1820–1821
Andrew Jackson Intense distrust of the Eastern “establishment” His heart and soul was “with the plain folk” Believed that common men were capable of uncommon achievements Andrew Jackson’s presidency was instrumental in bringing politics into the center focus of many American lives. Promised a more democratic system of politics for the common man Key Principles: Majority Rule, Limited Power of the National Government, Aggressive Use of the Presidential Veto
Nullification Debates John C. Calhoun (South Carolina) Vice President Senator Who decides if a law is constitutional? Jackson threatened to use force against SC when it tried to nullify the federal tariff. In response to John C. Calhoun’s theory of nullification nationalists advanced the idea of the perpetual union.
The Petticoat Affair
The Republic of Texas Mexico feared a hostile takeover by the United States to buy the territory To strengthen border areas the Mexican government offered land at reduced costs to Americans who would convert to Catholicism 1836- Texas Revolution
Major Battles of the Mexican-American War The War’s Effects on Sectional Conflict The Wilmot Proviso The Election of 1848 The California Gold Rush
The Compromise of 1850
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN THEATER POSTER With its vivid word pictures of slavery, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin translated well to the stage. Stowe herself was among the many who wrote dramatizations of the novel. Scenes of Eliza crossing the ice of the Ohio River with bloodhounds in pursuit and the evil Simon Legree whipping Uncle Tom outraged northern audiences and turned many against slavery. Southerners damned Mrs. Stowe as a “vile wretch in petticoats.”
Bleeding Kansas Key Terms: Popular Sovereignty and Free Soil
The Kansas-Nebraska Act,1854
The Election of 1860
Secession