Passages History 1301 Chapter 9 Outline

Chapter Outline

Settlement of the War of 1812 allowed Americans to concentrate on securing the contested borders of the United States and to develop their country’s vast resources.

A.     New Borders:  Native American peoples faced increasing incursions on the frontier, and settlers flocked into new areas as soon as the federal government took control, either through treaties or by force.

1.       In both the South and the Northwest, whites established forts and asserted their authority.

2.       Some groups, especially the Cherokees, adopted “civilized” ways, but even these peoples were not accepted.

B.     The Spanish in Florida:  In Florida, Andrew Jackson enhanced his hero status with the American people by subjugating the Seminoles and Creeks, and contention with Spain over his actions led to the Adams-Onís Treaty, which gave the Southwest to Spain and all lands east of the Mississippi to the United States.

C.     Building a National Economy:  The federal government endeavored to build a truly national economy by establishing better transportation networks and providing assistance to businesses in the form of protective tariffs.

D.     Banks, Corporations, and Law:  A second national bank was chartered in 1816, and the Supreme Court aided business by upholding a number of cases dealing with economic matters.

E.      Roads and Canals:  Roads and canals became ever more important to the development of commerce, with the National Road connecting the Potomac River to the Ohio River, and the Erie Canal connecting Lake Erie to New York City.

F.      Steamboats:  Steamboats began to ply the rivers of America, especially after Robert Fulton’s invention was modified for the relatively shallow waters of the Mississippi and its tributaries, and wherever the steamboats went, villages and towns sprang up.

Growth patterns across the United States illustrated the regional diversity of the nation and hinted at problems for the future of the country.

A.     The Creation of the Cotton South:  The South experienced tremendous development as cotton production enveloped the region.

1.       Slavery continued to increase, with many hands needed on cotton plantations.

2.       Population tripled in much of the Deep South, as opportunists migrated both from the North and from older plantation states in the Upper South.

B.     Emergence of the Northwest:  The Northwest was the fastest growing region, as particularly young people migrated in hopes of more economic opportunity.

C.     Farm and Factory in the Northeast:  The Northeast became known for the development of manufacturing, with the textile industry the best example of industrial growth.

Expansion was exciting to Americans, but it had its consequences, some positive, some problematic.

A.     The Panic of 1819:  The country experienced an economic downturn in 1819 when competition with Britain caused prices to drop; surprisingly, Americans did not blame President Monroe for the Panic of 1819, and he won reelection.

B.     The Missouri Compromise:  The country faced an internal crisis in 1820 when Missouri asked to join the Union as a slave state, and it required a great deal of compromise to settle the issue, albeit for the short term.

C.     Vesey’s Revolt:  South Carolinians viciously put down a slave revolt led by Denmark Vesey, illustrating their determination to maintain control of their society.

D.     The Monroe Doctrine:  Responding to unsettled conditions in Europe, President Monroe issued a policy statement that would become the basis for American foreign policy for almost a century: The Monroe Doctrine asserted that the United States would accept no further colonization in the Americas by European nations.

The presidential election of 1824 illustrated the political realignment and reinvention that was taking place in the United States.

A.     Lafayette’s Return:  When the French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, made a return visit to the United States that year, Americans greeted him warmly – in part because he exemplified the aspects of themselves that they admired most.

B.     The Adams Twilight:  In contrast, that year’s presidential election illustrated how little thought many Americans gave to the electoral process.

1.       Many eligible voters failed to vote at all, and the low turnout may have contributed to the fact that none of the three major candidates received enough electoral votes.

2.       In what presidential hopeful Andrew Jackson dubbed the “corrupt bargain,” the presidency went to John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay became his Secretary of State.

C.     Adams’ administration was lackluster, and Jackson’s supporters appeared to be simply biding their time until 1828.

D.     The Anti-Masons Organize:  American politics seemed filled with conspiracies, but perhaps none received as much attention as that raised by the Antimasons, a reform organization determined to oust Masons from prominent political positions.

E.      Birth of the Democrats:  As the 1828 election approached, a new political party, the Democrats, emerged in support of Andrew Jackson and the common man; his election brought some vindication for 1824, but his happiness was tempered by the loss of his beloved wife Rachel.

Conclusion: The United States experienced tremendous changes during the early 1800s. A number of new states emerged from territories in the Southwest and the Northwest. Industrialization continued to gain importance in the Northeast, while agriculture, specifically cotton production, ruled the South and fostered the slave system. Transportation networks continued to spread outward, carrying settlers into wider areas of the country. Expansion brought conflict, however, with sectional feelings becoming more apparent in the presidential elections and elsewhere. By 1828, Andrew Jackson headed a new Democratic party, and some Americans were beginning to wonder if the country could survive so much diversity and democracy.