11.3 Nationalism and Sectionalism Manifest Destiny Continued

The Era of Good Feelings With the End of the Madison Administration and the beginning of the Monroe Administration in 1817 became known as The Era of Good Feelings. The Federalist Party provided little competition to the Democratic-Republicans and with a one party system the country grew more connected and United. Nationalism grew as feelings of pride, loyalty, and protectiveness increased toward the US.

Growth and National Unity President James Madison’s Plan for making the US economically self-sufficient after the War of Representative Henry Clay called the Plan the American System in support of the New Nationalism created after the war of It had three main parts  Establish a protective tariff - a tax on imported goods that protected the nation’s businesses from foreign competition  Establish a national bank - It promoted the use of a single currency making trade within the United States easier. In 1816 Congress set up the second Bank of the US Most regional banks had used their own currency  Improve the country’s transportation systems - Poor roads made transportation slow and costly. It called for the creation of better roads and the building of canals

Transportation Link Cities and creates National Unity Roads and Canals connected the country from one end to the other. North to South and East to West. The National Road – started in 1806 in Cumberland, MD and extended by 1841 to Vandalia, IL 1790 – 1855 is called the Age of Canals.  The Most famous canal the Erie Canal Completed in 1825 connected Lake Erie (Buffalo, NY) to New York City.  It allowed farm products from the Great lakes region to flow east and people and manufactured goods from the East to flow west.  This Trade helped New York City become the nation’s largest city. Doubling its population between 1820 and The Railroads led to the decline of canals by 1850 there was 9000 miles of track.

Supreme Court decisions lead to growth and National Unity McCulloch v. Maryland – the state of Maryland wanted to tax its branch of the national bank in order to destroy the national bank.  If this tax were allowed, the states could have power over the federal government.  The Court ruled that states do not have the right to tax the federal government. The Constitution and its laws are the Supreme Law of the Land. Gibbons v. Ogden – Two steamship operators fought over shipping rights on the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey.  The Court ruled that interstate commerce could be regulated only by the federal government, not the state governments.

Boundary settlements led to Growth and National Unity These agreements gave the US official control to some of its land claims and helped to secure its borders. The Rush-Bagot Agreement with Great Britain limited each side’s naval forces on the Great Lakes. The Convention of 1818 with Great Britain set the 49th parallel as the US - Canadian border as far west as the Rocky Mountains The Adams-Onis Treaty – Spain in 1819 handed Florida to the United States and gave up claims to the Oregon Country for 5 million dollars.

Monroe Doctrine With the US more stable and more United than it ever had been. The US begins looking outward and began to flex its power toward stabilizing the rest of the Western Hemisphere President Monroe said that the Americas were closed to further colonization. He also warned that European efforts to reestablish colonies would be considered “dangerous to our peace and safety.”

Monroe Doctrine Continued Finally, he promised that the United States would stay out of European affairs. It showed that the United States saw itself as a World Power and protector of Latin America. Several Latin American colonies had successfully fought for the independence from Spain and Portugal. European monarchies planned to help Spain and Portugal to regain their colonies hoping to keep the urge to revolt from reaching Europe.

Sectionalism At the same time that National Feelings grew. Regional interests began to create conflict over the issues that separated them. The South – relied on a plantation economy that used Slavery. The Northeast – focused on manufacturing and trade  Many Northern States banned Slavery soon after the American Revolution. The West – Settlers wanted cheap land.  The Northeast wanted to keep land expensive so they would not lose their workers to the promise of owning their own farms.  The South wanted to keep it expensive in order to expand their plantations as they saw fit.

Sectionalism: North vs. South The Missouri Compromise In 1817 there were 11 Slave states and 11 Free States. Keeping the Balance of power in the Senate. The Northern States wanted to ban slavery in Missouri The Southern States - claimed that the Constitution did not give Congress the power to ban slavery.  They worried that free states could form a majority in Congress and ban slavery altogether. Missouri Compromise (Clay’s Plan) of 1820 suggested that Maine entered the Union as a Free State and Missouri enter the Union as a Slave state  This kept Free States and Slave States balanced.  It also banned slavery north of 36º30’ line except for Missouri.