Chapter 12: The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism (1812-1824)

On to Canada over Land and Lakes

The Americans attempted to invade Canada from Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain. However, they were beat at all of the battle sites. The Americans then tried to attack by way of sea and became successful. Oliver Hazard Perry- captured a British fleet in Lake Erie. General William Harrison's army overtook the British at Detroit and Fort Malden in the Battle of the Thames which occurred in October 1813. Thomas Macdonough- naval officer who forced the invading British army near Plattsburgh to retreat on September 11, 1814 and who also saved the upper New York area from being conquered.

Washington Burned and New Orleans Defended

Andrew Jackson- defended the entire South for a period of about 6 months before his greatest victory in the Battle of New Orleans. Francis Scott Key- An American prisoner who was aboard a British ship and watched the British fleet bombard Fort McHenry; writer of the "Star Spangled Banner."

The Treaty of Ghent

Tsar Alexander I of Russia- called for both the Americans and the British to make peace because he didn't want his British ally to lose strength in the Americas which would allow for Napoleon take over Europe. The Treaty of Ghent, was signed on December 24, 1814 in Ghent, Belgium, and was an armistice. John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay went to Ghent for the signing. Both sides stopped fighting which allowed for the conquered territory to be restored.

Federalist Grievances and the Hartford Convention

Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island met in the year of1814 in Hartford, Connecticut for a secret meeting to discuss their disgust of the war and to redress their grievances. The Hartford Convention's final report demanded: Financial assistance from Washington to compensate for lost trade from embargos. Constitutional amendments requiring a 2/3 vote in Congress before an embargo could be imposed, new states admitted, or war declared. The abolition of slavery. That a President could only serve 1 term. The abolition of the 3/5 clause. The prohibition of the election of 2 successive Presidents from the same state. The Hartford resolutions marked the death of the Federalist party who nominated their last presidential candidate in 1816.

The Second War for American Independence

The War of 1812 showed the other nations around the world that America would defend their own beliefs. The most impressive result from the War of 1812 was a higher level of nationalism. The army and navy had now expanded and the Bank of the United States was revived by Congress in 1816.

"The American System"

Congress instituted the 1st protective tariff, which was the Tariff of 1816, solely for the purpose of protection. British companies tried to make American factories close by selling their British goods for much less than the American factories price. The tariff placed a 20-25% tax on the value of dutiable imports. Over time, the tax price continued to rise, creating problems of no competition between companies. Due to nationalism, Henry Clay developed a plan. It was called the American System and had 3 main parts: A strong banking system, to provide easy and abundant credit. A protective tariff, behind which eastern manufacturing would flourish. A network of roads and canals.

President Madison -vetoed the bill to give states some financial aid for infrastructure, but deeming it unconstitutional. The Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans were strongly against building federally-funded roads because they felt that theyd further drain away population and create competing states beyond the mountains.

The So-Called Era of Good Feelings

The Federalists ran a candidate for the presidential race for the last time in 1816. James Monroe won the election. The time during the administrations of President Monroe was known as the "Era of Good Feelings" because the two political parties were getting along.

The Panic of 1819 and the Curse of Hard Times

The Panic of 1819 was the first financial panic since President Washington took office. The main cause was the over-speculation in frontier lands. The Bank of the United States became a financial devil to western farmers because it foreclosed many farms.

Growing Pains of the West

Between 1791 and 1819, 9 states from the West had joined the United States and accepted the Constitution. People moved out west because of cheaper land in other regions. The Land Act of 1820 allowed a buyer to purchase 80 virgin acres at a minimum rate of $1.25 an acre. The West also demanded cheap transportation and cheap money.

Slavery and the Sectional Balance

The House of Representatives slowed the plans of the Missourians of becoming a state by passing the Tallmadge Amendment. It called for no more slaves to be brought into Missouri and called for the gradual emancipation of children born to slave parents already there. The amendment was later defeated by the slave states in Congress.

The Uneasy Missouri Compromise

Henry Clay introduced the proposed compromise that decided whether or not Missouri would be admitted to the U.S. as a slave state. Congress decided to admit Missouri as a slave state in 1820. But, Maine, which was apart of Massachusetts, had to be admitted as a separate, free state. Therefore, you have 12 slave states and 12 free states. The Missouri Compromise made by Congress forbade slavery in the remaining areas in the Northern Louisiana Territory, except for Missouri. James Monroe was elected again as the nations President in 1820.

John Marshall and Judicial Nationalism

The case of McCulloch vs. Maryland in 1819 involved an attempt by the state of Maryland to destroy a branch of the U.S. Bank by imposing a tax on the Bank's notes. John Marshall declared the U.S. Bank constitutional by invoking the Hamiltonian doctrine of implied powers which strengthened federal authority the case of Cohens vs. Virginia (1821) involved the Cohens appealing to the Supreme Court for a guilty charge of illegally selling lottery tickets by the state of Virginia who won allowing for the conviction to be withheld. Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824) grew out of an attempt by the state of New York to grant to a private concern a monopoly of waterborne commerce between New York and New Jersey. This meant that no other company could use the waterway. New York soon after lost the case.

Judicial Dikes Against Democratic Excesses

Fletcher vs. Peck (1810) Georgia legislature granted 35 million acres to private speculators; the next legislature cancelled the bribery-induced transaction. John Marshall let the state give the acres to the private speculators calling it a contract and constitutional. The decision protected property rights against popular pressures. Dartmouth College vs. Woodward (1819) Dartmouth College was given a charter by King George III but New Hampshire wanted to take it away. John Marshall ruled in favor of the college. Daniel Webster- "Expounding Father" who served in both the House and Senate.

Sharing Oregon and Acquiring Florida

John Quincy Adams- Secretary of State to President James Monroe. The Treaty of 1818 allowed the Americans to share the Newfoundland fisheries with the Canadians and provide a 10-year joint occupation of the Oregon Country without giving up the rights or claims of either America or Britain. With the many revolutions that took place in South America, Spain was forced to take a vast majority of its troops out of Florida. General Andrew Jackson went into Florida saying hed punish the Indians and recapture the runaways who were hid in Spanish Florida. Not only did he accomplish those goals, but he also captured St. Marks and Pensacola, the 2 most important Spanish posts in the area. The Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819- Spain ceded Florida, as well as Spanish claims to Oregon in exchange for America's abandonment of its claims to Texas.

The Menace of Monarchy in America

After Napoleon's fall from power in 1815, the Europeans wanted to completely eliminate the system of democracy. George Canning- A British foreign secretary who asked the American minister in London if the United States would band together with the British in a joint declaration renouncing any interest in acquiring Latin American territory, as well as, specifically warning the European dictators to keep their harsh hands off the Latin American republics.

Monroe and His Doctrine

Secretary Adams thought the British had feared that the Americans would eventually seize Spanish territory in the Americas which would jeopardize Britain's possessions in the Caribbean. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 - President Monroe, in his annual address to Congress, warned the European powers that its two basic features were non-colonization and nonintervention. He stated that the era of colonization in Americas was over & also warned against foreign intervention. He also warned Britain to stay out of the Western Hemisphere, and that the United States would not intervene in foreign wars.

Monroe's Doctrine Appraised

The Europeans higher powers became offended by the Monroe Doctrine largely because of America's soft military strength. President Monroe was more concerned with the security of America when he issued the Monroe Doctrine. He basically warned the Old World power to stay away. The Doctrine however, thrived off nationalism.