Nationalism,
Sectionalism,
& the Era of Good
Feelings
Unit III
NATIONALISM:
AN “ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS”
 What is NATIONALISM?
 First, let’s define
NATION.
 A large group of people
united by common
descent, history, culture,
or language, living in a
particular area.
 NATIONALISM is
extreme loyalty or
devotion to your nation
(right or wrong).
 Why was nationalism on
the rise at this time in
U.S. history?
REASONS:
• Success in War of
1812
• Nationalist economics:
Henry Clay’s American
System
• Boost in federal power
from Judiciary
• American art and
literature flourish
SECTIONALISM
SECTIONALISM is an
exaggerated devotion or
allegiance to the interests of a
region (the North vs. the
South).
 What is SECTIONALISM?
 First, let’s define REGION.
 Part of a country or the
world having definable
characteristics but not
always fixed boundaries
 Some REASONS:
 Differing economies:
Industrial (North) vs.
Agricultural (South)
 Issues over slavery
 Differences in population
growth (Immigration )
 Development of cities in
the North
THE “ERA OF GOOD
FEELINGS”: AMERICAN
NATIONALISM
1812-1855
EQ: How did domestic & foreign policies reflect
the nationalism of the times?
Economic
What nationalistic economic
policies surfaced during
the 1820’s?
The American System,
developed by
Senator Henry Clay
Henry’s Clay’s American System consisted of
three main policies:
Protective tariffs
Building new roads & canals to link the states
(Atlantic & Midwest)
Establish Second Bank of the U.S.
How do each of these policies promote
nationalism?
 Henry Clay’s American System
Food stuffs
to feed workers
NE
Manufactured
Goods
Manufactured
goods
West
Food
Stuffs
Manufactured
goods
Migration
 What new inventions are
being used in each region?
Raw materials
to cities
South
Raw
Materials
(cotton)
Cultural
Nationalism also influenced
art & literature
Literature – American Renaissance
James Fenimore Cooper
 The Last of the Mohicans
 First American to make a career
as a novelist
Webster’s American
Dictionary
Novelists expressed
pride in the new
nation and its
immense potential
Cultural
Artists – Depicted America’s beautiful
landscape
Hudson River School
Group of landscape painters
who used realistic detail to
depict the beauty of nature
and reflect the spirit of
nationalism
How do these images
reflect nationalism?
ELECTION OF 1816
James Monroe – DR, VA
THE VIRGINIA DYNAST Y
4 of the first 5 Presidents are
from Virginia
Monroe is
the last of the
“Founding
Fathers to be
President
THE MONROE DOCTRINE
Told Europe colonization was
over
Western Hemisphere is under
American control
Example of American
Nationalism
Political
 John Quincy Adams (President Monroe’s Secretary of
State) promotes national expansion
 Adams-Onis Treaty
 US gains Florida from Spain,
open to settlement
 Monroe Doctrine
 Latin American nations gained
independence from European countries
 Warned European countries to stay out of Latin
America
 How do these policies reflect nationalism?
 Domestic
 Supreme Court rulings under John Marshall
 Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835
 Favored a strong federal government,
gave more power to the federal
government
 McCulloch v. Mar yland (1819)
 Denied the right of a state to tax a
federal agency (a national bank)
 Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
 Upheld congressional power to regulate commerce
between states (NY steamboat monopoly)
 How did these decisions reflect nationalism?
SECTIONALISM –
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE NORTH AND SOUTH
EQ – How did the Nor th and South differ during the
early 1800s?
Sectional Differences Emerge
Missouri Territory applies for statehood
Why is this a problem?
There are an equal number of slave/free states, Missouri
would tip the balance
Henry Clay – Missouri
Compromise (1820)
Missouri = slave
Maine = free
(split from
Massachusetts)
36-30 line:
north= free,
south = slave
Dif ferences between North and South
North
South
Economy
Industrialized
Agricultural,
slavery
 Dif ferences between North and South
North
-Population grew
quickly
-Middle class
-Working class
-Immigrants face
prejudice
South
Pop.
Growth
&
Citizens
-Lower population
-Slower population
growth
-Lower education
 Dif ferences between North and South
North
-Industrialization
spread quickly
-Factories
-Cities grew
South
Cities,
Develop.,
&
Indust.
-Few large cities
-Limited regional
development
-Slavery spread,
plantations grow
What common interests and similarities
do these two regions share?
-Both rely on cotton crop
-King Cotton
-Both rely on new technology
-Cotton gin (Eli Whitney) makes cotton profitable
AMERICAN LAND
EXPANSION
17891819
VERMONT (1791)
KENTUCKY (1792)
THE TREAT Y OF GREENVILLE (1795)
 Cleared 2/3 of Ohio/Indian of Indian Tribes
 British abandon NW Territory, flee to Canada
PINCKNEY’S TREAT Y (1795)
 Normalized relations with Spain
 USA gains free access to Mississippi River
TENNESSEE (1796)
OHIO (1803)
LOUISIANA (1812)
ADAMS-ONIS TREAT Y (1819)
 Settled all border disputes between the USA and Spain
 Florida and Western lands were purchased for $5 million