Chapter 10 - Shaping a New Social, Cultural, Religious, and Political Identity - 1815-1850 Flashcards
What three major themes dominate the Era of Good Feelings?
1) Tensions and conflicts were minimized, both in domestic politics and international relations.
2) A growing sense of nationalism/national identity.
3) The reality of Sectionalism (regional identity) became obvious.
What two trends were at odds with each other during the Era of Good Feelings?
The growth of nationalism and sectionalism.
What years encompass the Era of Good feelings?
1816-1825.
Who was elected to the Presidency in 1816?
James Monroe.
Who was the final Revolutionary-Era president?
James Monroe.
Who was the first post-War of 1812 President?
James Monroe.
Why was the War of 1812 a watershed moment in American History?
It killed off the Federalist Party.
What did James Monroe do to drive the final nails into the coffin of party politics?
1) Appointed a Federalist to the Office of Secretary of State.
2) Appointed Federalists to numerous other important offices.
3) Took a tour of New England. A historically Federalist stronghold.
What cause the Panic of 1819?
1) Risky Credit Arrangements
2) Unsound monetary policies
3) Inflated Bank Notes
Did the Panic of 1819 Significantly Effect How People Viewed Monroe?
Nope. He was re-elected easily in 1820.
In 1819 did the federal government control the nation’s financial system?
No.
What was the result of an unregulated financial system?
Hundreds of types of currency being issued by hundred of banks.
In Pennsylvannia, how many types of currency were circulating in 1817?
109 Types.
What happened to ease American tensions with Great Britain?
1) The U.S. and Britain agreed on the 49th parallel as the border between the two nations.
2) The U.S. and Britain agreed to remove all warships in the Great Lakes Region.
What treaty eased American relations with Spain?
The Adams-Onis Treaty.
What were the effects of the U.S. concluding arrangements with Britain and Spain?
1) Border Wars and Military Conflict With Britain and Spain Were Far Less Likely.
2) The U.S. Could Freely Extend to the Pacific Ocean.
Define nationalism.
A strong sense of national identity that engenders intense loyalty to one’s nation.
What distinguishes nationalism from patriotism?
Patriotism is typically based on political ideals rather than ethnic or cultural component.
What event nationalized Americans?
The War of 1812.
Where was nationalism born and when?
France in the 1790’s.
Who were two prominent Jeffersonians were nationalized by the War?
James Madison and James Monroe.
How did American Nationalism showcase itself in economics?
Republican adoption of Hamilton’s Old Economic Program, often called the American System.
What were the three main components of the American System?
1) Created a Second Bank of the United States (SBUS)
2) Congress Enacted the Tariff of 1816.
3) Madison and Monroe Funded Major Improvements in Road, Canal, and Railroad Construction.
How did the federal government make the Second Bank of the United States the most powerful bank?
By investing a lion’s share of funds into the bank.
What did the Tariff of 1816 place a tariff on?
Imported British manufactured goods.
What regions that generally disliked tariffs supported this tariff?
The South and West.
What was the initial opposition to internal improvement spending?
Madison and Monroe insisted that a Constitutional Amendment was needed if the federal government was going to fund road construction. Monroe finally funded the projects without an amendment.
How did nationalism showcase itself in the judiciary of the United States?
By the Supreme Court increasing the power of the federal government and decreasing the range of authority for the States.
What did the Supreme Court’s decisions do for the economy?
They created a strong pro-business environment where laws were uniform and states could not invalidate their contracts.
How was nationalism shown diplomatically?
Through the Monroe Doctrine.
What are the four points of the Monroe Doctrine?
1) North, Central, and South America are off limits for future European Colonization.
2) The U.S. would consider it a threat if a European state attempted to extend its undemocratic and unrepublican political systems into the western hemisphere.
3) The U.S. Would Not Interfere with any existing European colonies in America.
4) The U.S. Would Stay Out of European Internal Affairs and European Wars.
How did the Monroe Doctrine work even though the U.S. did not have the power to enforce it?
Great Britain wanted similar objectives and no nation was willing to challenge the British Navy.
Did the Monroe Doctrine affect U.S. policy initially?
No it did not. It had an effect similar to that of George Washington’s Farewell Address.
List all the areas nationalism was showcased in the United States during the Era of Good Feelings.
1) The Economy
2) The Judiciary
3) Diplomacy
What invention revolutionized the economy in the south?
The Cotton Gin.
Who invented the Cotton Gin?
Eli Whitney.
What had been the cash crop of the South prior to 1800?
Tobacco.
Why was cotton not the cash crop prior to 1800?
Because there were seeds in the cotton that needed to be removed by hand.
How many times more cotton did the cotton gin allow slaves to process?
Fifty times more.
What happened to the price of cotton and the foreign demand for cotton after the invention of the cotton gin?
The price of cotton plummeted and British consumption skyrocketed.
Was Eli Whitney ever able to profit off of his machine?
Not as much as normal. Large amount of cotton gin piracy occurred where people built their own cotton gins and Whitney was never able to enforce his patent rights.
What other concept did Eli Whitney pioneer to change the economy?
The use of interchangeable parts as opposed to each part being crafted by hand.
What are the three impacts of the South’s shift from Tobacco to Cotton?
1) It Gave New Life to a Seemingly Dying Slave System in the South.
2) The South’s dependence on Cotton isolated it economically from the North. The South didn’t manufacture goods. They traded with Britain and developed a regional economy and social structure.
3) It fueled westward expansion since cotton rapidly depletes soil.
