mcgraw hill, chapter 7 summery

CHAPTER 7
The Jeffersonian Era

CHAPTER SUMMARY
The period covered by this chapter was marked by the troubles and triumphs of a young country
as it began to shape its identity and place as a nation. Having achieved political independence
and establishing a structure of government a generation earlier, Americans now embarked on
using their freedom and making order in their politics. This search for a national identity touched
almost every aspect of American life. Uniquely “American” tastes in music, literature, and art
developed. Medical care evolved and became more professionalized. Religious denominations
with ties to the colonial era declined as the Second Great Awakening resonated across the
country. Technology, unrestrained by mercantile regulations, expanded and began to take on
unique American contributions. Throughout it all beckoned a western frontier that proved
irresistible to white settlers. The greatest expansion of the American territorial base would soon
follow, most notably with the Louisiana Purchase. An American approach to democratic politics
also began to take root. At the center of this was Thomas Jefferson. A pragmatic politician who
was also a committed idealist, Jefferson deserves to be the symbol of the age that bears his name.
But the Jeffersonian era would not be a peaceful one. As England and France persisted in their
violations of American neutral rights, Jefferson tried to keep the peace, but at the same time he
raised the fears of his political enemies. In the end, the larger enemy was England, and the result
was the War of 1812. This war did more than test the American military; it also tested the
nation’s ability to survive deep internal divisions that threatened America’s independence as
surely as had the forces of Great Britain. In the final analysis, these divisions did not destroy the
country or its war effort. The war did not produce a glorious American victory, but the United
States did emerge from the conflict with its independence intact and with a heightened sense of
American nationalism.

OBJECTIVES
A thorough study of Chapter 7 should enable the student to understand and evaluate:

1. Thomas Jefferson’s views on education and how his views were put into practice; the role of
education in producing a “virtuous and enlightened citizenry”

2. Evidence of American cultural nationalism as it was expressed in the first two decades of the
nineteenth century

3. The impact of the American Revolution on American religion, as well as the causes and
nature of the Second Great Awakening

4. The changes in, and effects created by, technology in America, including significant
improvements in farming, the factory, interchangeable parts, and water and road
transportation

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5. Jefferson’s political philosophy and the extent to which he was able to adhere to it as he
sought to maintain the United States as a simple agrarian republic

6. The causes and consequences of the Jeffersonian–Federalist struggle over the federal
authority and the judiciary

7. The factors leading to the French sale of Louisiana to the United States and Jefferson’s
reservations concerning the constitutionality of the purchase and the significance of his
decision to accept the bargain

8. The motives for Jefferson’s sponsorship of explorers of the west such as the Lewis and Clark
expedition, and the importance of such explorations

9. Burr’s “conspiracy” and Jefferson’s response to it

10. The diplomacy of presidents Jefferson and Madison and the reasons for their failure to carry
out a foreign policy of “peaceable coercion” with England and France

11. The causes of the War of 1812, about which there is much disagreement among historians

12. The problems caused by Tecumseh’s attempts at confederation and by the Spanish presence
in Florida as Americans surged westward and southward

13. The state of the nation in 1812 and how President Madison went about waging war against
England

14. The connections between the War of 1812 against Great Britain and the various Indian wars
that were a part of this story

15. The extent, the nature, and the actions of the domestic opponents of the War of 1812

16. The combined efforts of the American diplomats and the international problems facing Great
Britain, which together contributed to a satisfactory American peace settlement

MAIN THEMES
1. How Americans expressed their cultural independence

2. The impact of industrialism on the United States and its contribution to technology

3. Jefferson’s role in shaping the American character and government

4. How the American people and their political system responded to opportunities for territorial
expansion

5. The internal American divisions that beset the Jeffersonian era

6. How American ambitions and attitudes came into conflict with British policies and led to the
War of 1812

7. How Americans were able to “win” the War of 1812 and achieve a reasonable peace
afterward

8. The impact of the War of 1812 on American nationalism

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POINTS FOR DISCUSSION
1. What was the “vision of America” shared by Jefferson and his followers? How did American
cultural life in the early nineteenth century reflect the republican vision of the nation’s
future?

2. Many Federalists feared Jefferson’s election to the presidency. On what did they base their
fears? What did Jefferson do to increase or allay those fears?

3. Was Jefferson’s election in 1800 a “revolution” in any sense of that term? In what ways did
he both alter and accept Federalist belief and practices?

4. Describe the status of medical care in the early 1800s. What had changed and what was
similar to care in the colonial era? Describe the changing status of women in medicine.

5. What were the causes and consequences of the Second Great Awakening? How did this
renewed religious enthusiasm mesh with the culture and politics of the Jeffersonian era?
What impact did the Awakening have on Native American life and culture?

7. What influence did England’s Industrial Revolution have in America? Who were the notable
inventors in early America? In what areas of the economy did they tend to have success?
How did new technology contribute to changes in transportation? How did new technology
alter Jefferson’s vision for America?

8. Analyze Jefferson’s presidential personality. What public image did he put forth, and how
was this image a projection of his ideas for the country? Were there any contradictions
between his public image and his beliefs?

9. Define the conflict between Jefferson and the Federalist-dominated federal court. What
strategies did he adopt? How did Chief Justice John Marshall respond? Was this just political
posturing, or were genuine issues and differences at stake?

10. Explain the international circumstances that made the Louisiana Purchase possible. Why did
Jefferson struggle over the purchase? Analyze the consequences of his decision. What were
the goals of the Lewis and Clark expedition? Analyze its impact on nineteenth-century
America.

11. How might Aaron Burr’s “conspiracy” have been judged by New England Federalists, by
Jeffersonian Republicans, and by western settlers? Explain.

12. What were the causes of the War of 1812? Was it a justifiable war for the United States? Did
pre-1812 British policies threaten American independence? What Americans did not consider
the war justified and why?

13. The War of 1812 was generally opposed by New England merchants. Why was this the case
given that this war was supposedly fought for freedom of the seas? Why did these people not
see a British threat at any time before or during 1812? Put yourself in the place of these
merchants and explain their point of view.

14. Why were New England Federalists so opposed to the War of 1812? How did they carry out
their protests? Was secession a justifiable alternative at this point? Why were these

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Federalists unsuccessful in the end? What happened to the Federalists after the War of 1812?

15. What steps did the United States take to avoid what would become the War of 1812? Why
did Americans insist on asserting American neutral rights? How did Jefferson and Madison
compare as diplomats? Why were these Republicans unable to avoid war in the end?

16. Why were both belligerents seemingly incapable of executing an effective offensive strategy
during the War of 1812? Analyze one American victory and explain the reasons for the
triumph.

17. The conflict between white Americans and western Indians was certainly more conclusive
and probably more significant for the American future than was the war against England.
Analyze this statement, discussing the causes and consequences of America’s early “Indian
problem.”

18. In what ways did the United States “win” the War of 1812?

MAP EXERCISES
1. Identify the states in the Union in 1800 and the organized territories.

2. Locate the Oregon country, British America, and the Spanish possessions.

3. Note the limits of the Louisiana Purchase and the geographic features associated with it:
rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, passes. Locate the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

4. Identify the states in the Union in 1812 and the territories belonging to the nation.

5. Identify the principal ports along the Atlantic coast and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

6. Note the routes of troop movements, the battle sites and dates, and the extent of the British
blockade.

INTERPRETATIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON MAPS AND TEXT
1. The period covered in this chapter was one of significant technological advancement in
America, especially in trade and transportation. How did developments in technology help
Americans overcome geographic barriers? Where did these technological developments take
place?

2. What did we buy when we bought Louisiana? What was clearly ours and what claims were
challenged by other nations? Why were the boundaries so unclear?

3. One of the purposes of the Lewis and Clark expedition was to “gather geographical facts.”
What did they learn?

4. What did Zebulon Pike learn about the Louisiana Purchase on his expedition? How did his
accounts mislead future settlers?

5. Why did northern and southern frontiersmen want to expand into Canada and Florida? How
did foreign occupation of these areas hinder western expansion in other regions?

6. Locate the major routes taken by the British when they invaded the United States. What
geographic considerations played a part in the choice of where to attack? What made these

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7. Locate the routes taken by American forces. What geographic considerations played a part in
the choice of where to attack? What made these sites important?

8. Which regions of the country gained the most from the War of 1812? Which felt that they lost
as a result of the war? Explain.

9. Study America’s expansion into Florida. What impact did the War of 1812 have on this
movement?

LIBRARY EXERCISES
The following exercises will require students to consult sources found in most college libraries.
Using these library resources and the text, they should be able to answer the following:

1. Consult a modern map of Washington, D.C. How is the modern city related to the one shown
in this chapter of the text? How did the landscape change to allow the city to grow?

2. After the War of 1812, “the nation’s most pressing economic need . . . was for improvement
in its transportation system.” What was done to address this need? Study the text and your
library resources, draw the roads and canals that were begun to meet this need, and assess the
geographic obstacles that had to be overcome.

ESSAY QUESTIONS
These questions are based on the preceding map exercises. They are designed to test students’
knowledge of the geography of the area discussed in this chapter and of its historical
development. Careful reading of the text will help students answer these questions.

1. Why were some Federalists so upset with the westward movement and with Jefferson’s
purchase of Louisiana? Why did both westward expansion and the purchase of Louisiana
threaten the Federalists’ political power and the programs they supported? How did the
Federalists use the court system to fight back?

2. What part did the Louisiana Purchase play in the failure of the Burr conspiracy? What groups
might have supported Burr if Louisiana had not been part of the United States?

3. The Louisiana Purchase removed a major point of contention between the United States and
a European power, but left many others. Which areas of possible conflict remained, and what
were the sources of these potential conflicts?

4. Why was New England opposed to the War of 1812? How did the expansion of the United
States help provoke opposition to the war in New England?

5. What was Tecumseh’s plan to stop the expansion of the United States? What geographic
features worked in his favor? What geographic features worked against him?

6. What were the motives of the “War Hawks”? How did their goals shape American strategy
during the War of 1812?

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7. Weigh American military objectives at the start of the War of 1812.

8. How did geography determine both British and American military strategy during the War of
1812?

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Joyce Appleby, Inheriting the Revolution: The First Generation of Americans (2000)
Frank Bergon, ed., The Journals of Lewis and Clark (1989)
Jeanne Boydston, Home and Work: Housework, Wages, and the Ideology of Labor in the Early
Republic (1990)
Thomas C. Cochran, Frontiers of Change: Early Industrialization in America (1981)
Bernard De Voto, The Journals of Lewis and Clark (1953)

Gregory Evans Dowd, A Spirited Resistance: The North American Indian Struggle for Unity,
1745-1815 (1992)
Joseph J. Ellis, After the Revolution: Profiles in Early American Culture (1979)
James Henretta and Gregory Nobles, The Evolution of American Society, 1700-1815, rev. ed.
(1987)
Donald R. Hickey, The War of 1812 (1989)
Charles Mayfield, The New Nation (1981)
William G. McLoughlin, Revival, Awakenings, and Reform (1978)
Peter S. Onuf, The Language of American Nationhood (2000)
Nathan Rosenberg, Technology and American Economic Growth (1972)
Robert W. Tucker and David C. Hendrickson, Empire of Liberty: The Statecraft of Thomas
Jefferson (1990)

For Internet resources, practice questions, references to additional books and films, and more,
see this book’s Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/unfinishednation4.