mcgraw hill, chapter 8 summery

CHAPTER 8
Varieties of American Nationalism

CHAPTER SUMMARY
Following the War of 1812 the United States was captured by a new spirit of nationalism. What
was optimistically called the “era of good feelings,” during James Monroe’s presidency, was
underway. Old party divisions and nagging sectional differences seemed to be fading.
Government support for internal improvements such as roads was but one factor that encouraged
a general resumption of territorial expansion. As new lands were acquired in the north, south, and
west, significant economic growth followed. Advocates of a vibrant nationalism were not
confined to settlers pressing outward. They could be found on the Supreme Court under Chief
Justice John Marshall; in the halls of Congress, where Henry Clay preached his American
System; and in the administration of Monroe’s successor, President John Quincy Adams.
But this spirit of unity was not complete. Running against this sense of nationalism were
sectional animosities that would clearly express themselves politically. An early sign of disunity
appeared during the debate over Missouri statehood and brought forward the related issues of
slavery and slave expansion. The immediate question concerned control of the Senate. This
question would be dealt with through the Missouri Compromise, which preserved the national
balance between free and slave states. But the debate over Missouri revealed enormous regional
differences over slavery and foreshadowed the national splintering to come. Another sign of
political disagreement came as the result of the election of 1824. Andrew Jackson received the
most popular and electoral votes, although not a majority. Although the election was decided by
the House of Representatives, in accordance with the Constitution, Jackson’s failure to gain the
presidency opened the Republican party to charges of corruption. The result was the end of the
one-party system. As a Democrat, Jackson did win the election in 1828 outright and occupied the
presidency as one of the most popular national figures since George Washington. No matter that
the “era of good feelings” had been replaced by a new two-party system. Under President
Jackson the nation now appeared to have entered a new era, this one for the “common man.”

OBJECTIVES
A thorough study of Chapter 8 should enable the student to understand:

1. The effects of the War of 1812 on banking, shipping, farming, industry, and transportation

2. The myth and reality of the “era of good feelings”

3. The causes and consequences, both economic and political, of the Panic of 1819

4. The nature of the sectional debate over the admission of Missouri to the Union, and how that
debate influenced sectional feelings and attitudes regarding slavery

5. How the Marshall Court changed the federal judiciary and how the Court’s decisions altered
the relationships between the federal government and the states, and between the federal
government and business

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6. The rationale behind the Monroe Doctrine and its impact on America’s relations with both
Europe and Latin America

7. Presidential politics during the “era of good feelings” and its impact on the political system

8. The goals of President John Quincy Adams and the reasons for his failure to achieve most of
them

9. The reasons why Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1828 and the significance of his
victory

MAIN THEMES
1. How postwar economic and territorial expansion shaped the United States during the “era of
good feelings”

2. The defining of political authority through John Marshall and the Supreme Court

3. How sectionalism and nationalism could exist at the same time and in the same country

4. How and why the “era of good feelings” came to an end and a new two-party system
emerged

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Analyze the economic and political consequences of the War of 1812. How and why did the
war stimulate American nationalism and expansion?

2. When and what was the “era of good feelings”? How did nonwhites figure into this era? Why
was the era so short-lived?

3. Explain the roles of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in the acquisition of Florida.

4. What role did government play in promoting territorial expansion after the War of 1812?
What role did private industry play in the Old Southwest? In what ways was the story of
expansion in the West consistent with the myth of the American West? How did it depart
from that myth? How was westward expansion also a story of American diversity?

5. What was the Great American Desert? Was its name deserved? What was its impact on
westward expansion?

6. Why did a sectional crisis over slavery emerge during the “era of good feelings”? Why did
the Missouri Compromise fail to permanently end the national debate over slavery?

7. How were Federalists able to continue to influence public policy even though the Federalist
Party did not exist after the War of 1812? How were the national Republicans of the 1820s
similar to the Federalists? How were they different?

8. What were John Marshall’s contributions to the rise of nationalism after the War of 1812? In
what specific areas did he increase the power of the national government?

9. Analyze the background, purpose, and impact of the Monroe Doctrine. Was it a reasonable
and justifiable policy for the United States?

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10. Why did John Quincy Adams win the election of 1824 and lose the election of 1828? What
factors contributed to his loss and the revival of partisan differences during the 1820s?

11. How did American nationalism influence American foreign policy? What forces, if any,
tended to negate that influence? Why was American nationalism not able to override
sectional differences?

MAP EXERCISES
1. Identify the states and territories in 1828. Specify which were slave and which were free.

2. Identify the Missouri Compromise line and the territories affected by it.

3. Locate the Old Northwest, Old Southwest, and edge of the western frontier in the early
1820s.

INTERPRETATIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON MAPS AND TEXT
1. What migration and settlement patterns helped determine that Missouri would want to enter
the Union as a slave state?

2. What impact did the manner in which states were previously admitted to the Union have on
the reaction to the admission of Missouri?

3. Why would the South accept the Missouri Compromise? What does this tell you about the
nature of the plantation system and attitudes toward the institution of slavery and its ability to
expand?

4. What potential existed (as the result of the Missouri Compromise) for an eventual upsetting
of the balance between slave and free states? Which section stood to gain more from any
change in the balance between free and slave states? Why might one section gain more than
the other? What might be the long-term impact of that imbalance?

5. How did the Missouri Compromise reflect the tensions between political parties at the time,
especially tensions that were the result of the expansion of the nation?

LIBRARY EXERCISES
1. Consult contemporary maps (1820s) of the Louisiana Purchase. Did Americans believe there
was much potential for settlement in the unorganized territory where slavery was prohibited
by the Missouri Compromise? What evidence can you cite to support your answer?

2. Study the section in the text on the Great Migration. What routes did this migration take?
What impact did the migration have on relations between East and West?

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.

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1. What impact did the War of 1812 have on America’s westward movement, and what
demands did this postwar movement put on the government?
2. How did knowledge of the geography of the West in the 1820s help make the Missouri
Compromise possible? What does this compromise tell us about American attitudes toward
the natural limits of slavery and the nature of the plantation system as of the early 1820s? Did
attitudes differ between the North and the South on this subject?

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leonard Baker, John Marshall: A Life in the Law (1974)
Alexander M. Bickel, Justice Joseph Story and the Rise of the Supreme Court (1971)
George Dangerfield, The Awakening of American Nationalism (1965)
John Mack Faragher, Daniel Boone: The Life of and Legend of an American Pioneer (1992)
Don E. Fehrenbacher, The South and Three Sectional Crises (1980)
Morton J. Horwitz, The Transformation of American Law, 1780-1865 (1977)
Frederick Merk, History of the Westward Movement (1978)
Ernest R. May, The Making of the Monroe Doctrine (1975)
R. Kent Newmyer, John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court (2002)
Robert V. Remini, Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire: 1767-1821 (1977)
Glenda Riley, The Female Frontier (1988)
Thomas Shevory, John Marshall’s Law (1994)

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.

GENERAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 5–8
These questions are designed to help students bring together ideas from several chapters and see
how the chapters relate to one another. Some questions will also help students explore how
changes in the landscape and in geopolitical conditions are significant to understanding
American history.

1. After the War of 1812, there emerged a group of Republicans who urged the nation to
consider national issues rather than local or sectional matters. So persistent were they that
many members of their party contended that they were abandoning the basic principles laid
down by Jefferson. Were they? Was this new group Jeffersonian or something else? Examine
the things the nationalists proposed for the nation, and then compare their plans with those of
Jefferson and Hamilton. To which leader do the nationalists seem more closely allied? What
does this tell you about the nature of political parties and political ideas at this time? Also,
how does the emergence of the nationalists relate to the decline of the Federalists?

2. How were American Revolutionary ideals translated into political realities? Compare the
Declaration of Independence with the programs of the Hamiltonian Federalists and the
Jeffersonian Republicans, and explain which of the two you believe more closely adhered to
the spirit of this Revolutionary document.

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3. During the period being studied here, several strong individuals emerged to shape the course
taken by the United States. Select four persons, including at least one nonpolitician, you
believe most influenced America between 1775 and 1820, and explain your choices.

4. Review the conditions that existed under the Articles of Confederation. How did the
Ordinance of 1785 fit into this context? What problems did the ordinance seek to address?
Was it successful? What was the environmental effect of the Ordinance of 1785?

5. During this period, the West emerged as a major force in the nation’s political, economic, and
cultural development. Describe the West’s influence in each of these areas. What specific
actions did the federal government take between 1783 and 1820 to encourage westward
settlement. Also examine how the Northeast and Southeast reacted to the growth of western
regions. What new technologies contributed to the development of these two regions?

6. Describe the development of transportation between 1783 and 1828. What major advances
had occurred? What people in the country most benefited from these changes? What people
were most adversely affected by the changes? What were the major problems confronting
future transportation development in 1828?

7. During the period just covered, assess the status of women in America. Write an essay in
which you discuss some of the political and cultural changes—what you believe were both
positive and negative—for women in the nation.

8. Write an essay explaining which interpretation (or combination of interpretations) best
explains the coming of the American Revolution. Write a second essay explaining which
interpretation (or combination of interpretations) best explains the impact of the American
Revolution on the first decades of American society.