Unit Nine: The Nationalist Era

The Era of Good Feeling

A Sense of One• The War of 1812 effected the nation in many

ways, but the largest was a sense of nationalism (a sense of identity, loyalty, and ownership in one’s nation) that spread across the nation.

• People for the first time began to start to indentify themselves first as Americans, instead of from the respective state they came from.

• Nationalism is a major driving force in the development of a nation through a common language, goals, traditions, and native soil (being born an American).

• Many people believed that America was now truly its own nation, which needed to be built up to rival the European countries.

Election of 1816• Before James Madison left office he stressed

this Nationalist feeling in his last Annual Address (state of the union) pointing out that America needed to focus on a strong national defense, protection for domestic manufacturing, internal improvements to better connect the nation, and a second Bank of the United States.

• In the Election of 1816, Madison chose to not run again; instead James Monroe (Democratic/Republican) ran against and defeated the Federalist candidate Rufus King on the premise of national unity not division (an illusion to the Federalist plot during the War of 1812).

Era of Good Feelings

• The administration of Monroe was known as the “Era of Good Feelings” (coined by Benjamin Russell of the Columbian Sentinel) due to the general unity of Americans and nationalist legislation, programs, and rulings that took place during it.

• It was because, in the Election of 1820 Monroe won re-election unopposed due to the fact that the Democratic-Republicans were the only political party (only time America has been a one party system).

American Nationalism• During the “Era of Good Feelings”, nationalism

was expressed in the defense, economy, judicial system, and diplomacy stressing the importance of the national interests over special interest groups, geographical sectors, and state governments.

• One move during the “Era of Good Feelings” was toward centralizing power in the hands of the Federal government.

• During this time period though as different people sought after the office of the Presidency underlining hostilities did develop between different geographic sectors known as sectionalism, as did other issues.

National Defense • Defense Nationalism came from a need to be

better protected in times of war, as was learned from the disasters of the War of 1812.

• For a better national defense, Congress made legislation for a standing army of 10,000 men, appropriated money to enlarge the navy, and to restructure the West Point Military Academy (1802).

• Congress also pushed for more control over the state militias during peace time and war.

Economic Nationalism • The new nationalist agenda required money to

fund its programs and Congress issued a protective tariff( a tax on imports for the purpose of making foreign products more expensive than domestic) in the form of the Protective Tariff of 1816.

• The tariff was opposed for two reasons: one by southern farmers and New England shippers because it would hurt their business and that it was a break from the simple revenue tariffs.

• The Tariff was passed though due to the want for America to supply its own goods and be independent from foreign suppliers.

Economic Nationalism• The new nationalist agenda also needed

capital to allow for the government to borrow money and private businesses and citizens to fund different enterprises.

• To carry out this function Congress created the Second Bank of the United States and gave it a 20 year charter.

• The greatest proponents of the BUS were John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster.

• The BUS had the ability to issue bank notes (paper money) backed by gold and silver to control state banks and serve as a national currency.

Domestic Improvements

• To better connect each state and the nation as a whole, Congress wanted to initiate internal improvement projects.

• John C. Calhoun proposed a Bonus Bill that would create permanent federal funding for internal improvements and Congress passed it, but

President Madison vetoed the bill because he did not think that internal improvements were the responsibility of the Federal government, but rather state responsibilities.

Domestic Improvements

• A push for better connecting the nation spurred a transportation revolution in America.

• In 1811 work started on the first National Road (Cumberland Road) for East-West travel going from Cumberland Maryland and eventually reaching Vandalia, Illinois making it easier for settlers to move West.

• Other major road projects were left up to states, or private companies who built roads called turnpikes ( a toll or fee is charged to use the road). They also built toll bridges.

Cumberland National Road

Domestic Improvements• Roads were not the main system of

transportation in America though, it was river systems and new canals (man made waterways) that were built.

• The state of New York funded a major canal project called the Erie Canal to connect the Hudson River Valley with the Great Lakes which connected the interior with the Eastern seaboard and turned Buffalo into a major city.

• River travel was also increased by John Fitch’s invention of the steamboat (1787) and Robert Fulton’s Clermont or Fulton’s Folly (1807) demonstrating its commercial prospects making a whole new subculture in America, steamboat culture.

Water Travel

Domestic Improvements• Another major transportation device to connect

the nation was the Railroad or Iron Horse. (The “cars” were first pulled by horses).

• The first railroad charter in America was issued to the New Jersey Railroad (1815) to John Stevens who built a steam carriage to carry passengers.

• The major mark in the American railroad industry was the success of Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb (1830) locomotive for the B&O Railroad, it pulled a train of passenger cars from Baltimore to Ellicott City (top speed 10 mph).

• This led to the eventual spread of railroads to better connect the nation.

Early Railroads

Domestic Improvements• Another major invention to connect the nation

was the telegraph invented by Samuel F.B. Morse (1830s) and a communication system called Morse code (series of dashes, dots, and breaks) to receive and send messages. The first telegraph wires connected Washington D.C. to Baltimore, Morse sent the first message, “What has God wrought”.

• During the 1820s the U.S. postal service made advances toward a modern mail delivery system to better connect the nation, although it would not be until 1896 with the “Rural Free Delivery” (RFD), did everyone receive their mail in a timely manner like we do today.

Telegraph

Judicial Nationalism

• Judicial Nationalism was pushed by the U.S. Supreme Court to give more power and authority to the Central/Federal government.

• The string of nationalist decisions were handed down by the Chief Justice John Marshall who was a strong believer in national supremacy.

• The Supreme Court used the doctrine of stare decisis (let it stand) that established judicial precedents for future cases. (The court itself in a sense was making laws by how they ruled in a court case)

Judicial Nationalism• The Supreme Court’s Nationalist decisions started

with the court case Marbury vs. Madison in 1803, which was Marshall’s first major precedent.

• Marbury v. Madison (1803) – Supreme Court has power of Judicial Review (the ability of the S.C. to review any laws that fall under the Constitution for Constitutionality).

• Fletcher v. Peck (1810) - Supreme Court could overturn state laws that interfered with the U.S. Constitution.

• Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee (1816) – U.S. Supreme court has appellate jurisdiction over state civil courts dealing with Federal statutes, treaties, or deal with the U.S. Constitution.

Judicial Nationalism

• Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) – The Supreme Court protected private property rights in the form of contracts from state interventions by applying the Contract Clause of the Constitution to private corporations.

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) – Supreme Court stated that Congress had the ability of implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause (elastic Clause) and Federal institutions could not be taxed by states.

Judicial Nationalism• Cohens v. Virginia (1821) – U.S. Supreme

Court has appellate jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases dealing with Federal statutes, treaties, or dealing with the U.S. Constitution under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. (Federal law is over state law)

• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) – Supreme Court stated that Congress had the right to regulate interstate commerce (business conducted between states) and states had the right to regulate intrastate commerce (business conducted only in one state).