Nationalism and Sectionalism

1. Nationalism and Sectionalism Chapter 8, Section 2 (pages 264-267)

2. Nationalism • After the end of the War of 1812 and the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine, Americans enjoyed a rising sense of Nationalism. • Nationalism is feelings of pride and loyalty to a nation.

3. Henry Clay and the American System • Henry Clay was a Senator from Kentucky. • He believed a strong national economy would promote unity and reduce regional conflicts. • He developed a plan known as the American System-a series of measures intended to make the U.S. economically self-sufficient.

4. The American System • Under the plan, Clay advocated for: • The preservation of a national bank that would strengthen the economy • Place protective tariffs on goods to increase revenue. • Use the revenue from the tariffs to fund the construction of roads and canals. • Clay believed that these internal improvements would unite the country.

5. The Cumberland Road • The Cumberland Road was the first road built by the federal government. • The road ran from Maryland to Wheeling in what is now West Virginia. • The road was 66 feet wide and was built entirely by hand. • Eventually, the road reached as far west at Illinois.

6. The Erie Canal • The Erie Canal connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie. • The Canal made travel between the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes possible. • Construction was finished in 1825 and again, the canal was completely built BY HAND!

7. The Era of Good Feelings • Between 1815 and 1825, , the U.S. enjoyed the Era of Good Feelings, an era of peace, pride and progress. • Projects such as roads and canals were sources of pride for Americans. • Two supreme court cases would also reinforce the power of the federal government.

8. Important Supreme Court Cases McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) • The Supreme Court asserts the implied powers of Congress could be used to form a national bank. (Bank of the United States.) Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) • The Supreme Court decides that states could not interfere with the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.

9. The Missouri Compromise • Even during this time of progress, disagreements between different regions known as sectionalism, threatened the Union. • Missouri was to be admitted into the Union as a slave state. • This would have upset the balance of 11 free and 11 slave states. • The decision to allow Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state caused many disagreements in Congress. • Henry Clay convinced Congress to agree to a series of compromises, known as the Missouri Compromise.

10. Conditions of the Compromise • Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state. • Maine would be allowed to enter the Union as a free state, keeping the number of slave and free states equal. • Slavery would be prohibited in any new territories or states formed Northof 36-30’ latitude, Missouri’s southern border.

12. The Election of 1824 • Andrew Jackson won the most popular votes, but did not have enough electoral votes to win the election. • The House of Reps chose John Quincy Adams as president. • Many thought that Henry Clay had influenced the vote, especially after Adams made Clay his secretary of state.