The War of 1812 &
the Upsurge of Nationalism
1812-1824
The American continents… are henceforth not to be considered
as subjects for future colonization by any European powers. ~
President James Monroe, 1823
AP Focus
● War vs. Britain for 2nd time in 30 years put serious
strains on American economy, political system, and
military. Treaty of Ghent didn’t really resolve
anything other than agreeing to end the war.
● New England Federalists are strong opponents of
the war, and actually consider seceding from the
Union.
● After the war, a feeling of increased patriotism and
nationalism sweeps nation. Era of Good Feelings.
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AP Focus
● Henry Clay advocates the American System
● As US continues to expand westward, the question
of what to do about slavery takes on an
increasingly larger role. Sectionalism arises.
● 1823: Monroe Doctrine: warning to Europe that US
will not tolerate further European interference in
western hemisphere
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The War of 1812
● Heightened sense of nationalism ushered in the
first meeting of Congress in 1811.
● New, young Democratic-Republican senators from
the South and West urged war with Britain to
secure a place in the global political structure for
U.S.
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● “War hawks” such as Henry Clay from KY and John
C. Calhoun from SC insisted that this war would
finally clear Britain’s influence from North America
● Aside from dealing with the British at sea,
Americans hoping to eliminate threat of Englisharmed Native Americans
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APUSH rule #34:
When in doubt, pick “Henry Clay”
He will
haunt you
until midDecember!
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Mr. Madison’s War
● Clashes with Indians in present-day Indiana
caused many on the frontier to feel justified in the
call for war.
● The British refuse to lift trade restrictions
● immense political pressure pushed President
Madison to ask Congress for declaration of war in
June 1812.
● “Mr. Madison’s War”
● New Englanders & Federalists had greatest
opposition
● War hawks successful in amassing large enough
coalition to officially declare war (Southern and
Northern Democratic Republicans, Westerners on
frontier)
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Tecumseh and the Prophet
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Tecumseh & the Prophet
● Shawnee Indian who grew up in the violent Ohio
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Country
With his brother “the Prophet” (he once predicted
an eclipse) he led a confederacy of Indians in the
Ohio/Great Lakes region
Supplied by the British, attacked Americans
1811: The Prophet defeated by William Henry
Harrison’s army at the battle of Tippecanoe
(Tecumseh was away, recruiting in the South)
Tippecanoe and Tyler too
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On to Canada over Land and
Lakes
● Canada was an important battleground, British
forces weak there
● Why attack Canada? End British influence over
Native Americans in Great Lakes region
● US should have focused all efforts on Montreal, but
instead split up forces into three: Detroit, Niagara,
Lake Champlain
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Bad military strategy in Canada
(again)
Rather than strike
with full force
directly at
Montreal, the
source of British
power in Canada,
American forces
pursued a poorly
conceived “divided
invasion” strategy.
Have we learned nothing from the French and Indian War?
Always attack the capital!!
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U.S. Looks for success on the
Lakes
● American Navy led by
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Oliver Hazard Perry
One of the best middle
names ever
Captured British fleet
on Lake Erie
“We have met the
enemy and they are
ours”
“Don’t give up the
ship!”
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Perry’s victories / Battle of the
Thames
● With the British fleet captured, Perry led an
invasion of Canada from Detroit
● Met a British-Indian alliance and defeated them at
the Battle of the Thames, 1813
● British ran away early from this battle, Tecumseh
and his warriors left in the dust, and were routed
● Tecumseh died in this battle and so did his
confederacy
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September 1814: Battle of
Plattsburgh
● Next British attack was to come from Montreal
South, in hopes of invading New York
● If British succeeded, this could have split the Union,
as most people from NY to MA did not want any
part of the war
● Luckily for the US, the British fleet was commanded
by the amazingly inept Admiral Prevost.
● A smaller US naval fleet was able to outmaneuver
the British at Plattsburgh, destroy their fleet, and
send them back to Canada.
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Washington Burned
● While Americans were able to repel British attack
on New York, could not save Washington D.C. from
being burned to ground in August, 1814
● Capitol Building and White House burned down
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Star Spangled Banner
● British amassed at Fort McHenry near Baltimore
● U.S. soldiers held the fort through night of bombing,
inspiring prisoner of nearby British ship to write poem
about it.
● Francis Scott Key put words to an old drinking song to
express his love for his country and called it The Star
Spangled Banner
● http://youtu.be/gQAnaZzNXDM
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January 1815: New Orleans
Defended
● General Andrew Jackson led southern troops. Able
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to cut through British from Alabama to New
Orleans and thwart English attempt to control
Mississippi River at Battle of New Orleans
This battle, while an impressive victory for U.S.,
was completely unnecessary since it was fought 2
weeks after signing of peace treaty that ended war.
Jackson emerged as American war hero
Casualties: 2,000 to 70
Helped him become President later
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Treaty of Ghent
● Ended War of 1812
● Anglo-American peace urged by Russian czar, who
wanted the British to focus on Napoleon in Europe
● Signed by US and British in Belgium on Christmas Eve,
1814
● end of the fighting
● The return of any conquered territories to their rightful
owners
● Settlement of boundary between Canada and U.S. that
had been set before the war
● Essentially, war ended in a draw
● Neither side gained any concessions, restitutions or
apologies
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Reactions: Treaty of Ghent
● Most Americans pleased because they had fully
expected to lose territory
● Despite their complaints, the war did allow for
manufacturing, especially in New England, to
flourish.
● Country became a bit more independent from
European markets
● Turned out to be the beginning of America’s
industrial revolution.
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Federalist Grievances
● Serious ideological split divided nation during War
of 1812: between Federalists (New England, high
population density) and Democratic-Republicans
(everybody else)
● NE vehemently opposed to war effort and direction
Democratic Republicans were taking the nation
● Small minority at Hartford Convention (Conn.,
1814) proposed seceding from Union
● = one of those conventions that didn’t amount to
much but is always asked about on the AP test.
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1814: Hartford Convention
● Demands of Hartford Convention:
● Abolish the 3/5 compromise (to reduce southern
representation)
● Limit president to a single term
● Prohibit election of successive presidents from same state
(3 of 4 presidents had been from ‘Virginia Dynasty’)
● Hartford envoys arrived to DC with their demands just
as news of New Orleans victory reached town… then
news of Treaty of Ghent
● Bad timing! Complaints seemed petty
● Biggest effect was the death-knell of the Federalist
party, which would be wiped out by election of 1816
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Recap of New England’s role in
USA
● Colonies founded on (religious) freedom from Britain
● Birthplace of military activities in American Revolution
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– Boston Massacre, Tea Party, Lexington & Concord
Home of John Adams, Sam Adams
Elite, Federalist, wealthy merchants
Pro Constitution & trade with Britain, anti French Rev.
anti Jefferson, anti Madison, anti embargo
Some merchants actually helped British during War of
1812
Now, talk of secession. Federalism not too popular right
now.
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Second War for Independence
● Even though the US gained nothing in terms of
land, or any promises from the British to stop
impressment, etc., it was a “coming of age”
moment for US in terms of international diplomacy
● US announced it can stand toe to toe with the
mightiest empire in the world, and has to be taken
seriously
● Economically, forced US to become self-reliant,
increased manufacturing
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Nascent Nationalism
● Nationalistic spirit was the biggest product of War
of 1812
● New contributions in art, literature
(Washington Irving &
James Fenimore Cooper)
● 1816: Congress revives national Bank of United
States
● Shut down during War of 1812, but again needed as
debt mounted during war
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Nascent Nationalism
● Tariff of 1816: passed by Congress to combat influx
of cheap British goods
● British were having a “clearance” sale to get rid of
goods that they weren’t able to ship to America for
the past few years… at much cheaper prices than
Americans could offer
● Tariff of 1816 added a 25% tax to certain British
imports, encouraged Americans to buy “made-inAmerica” products
● Start of a protectionist trend. From now until
Depression, tariff going to be a big deal
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Henry Clay & The American
System
● Grand scheme to make a profitable home market
● Three part system:
● 1. Strong banking system to provide abundant credit
● 2. Protective Tariff to help eastern manufacturing
● 3. Revenues from tariff would fund roads and canals
in West.
● To improve transport of raw materials and manufactured
goods throughout country.
● Remember, roads at this time were horrible –
especially in the West, which gave this idea the
most support.
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Madison vetoes ‘American
System’
● 1817: Congress votes for $1.5 million in road
improvements, but vetoed by President Madison –
he & many Democratic-Republicans thought it was
unconstitutional
● Many New Englanders also opposed this. (they had
all the roads they needed)
● States forced to fund their own improvements, e.g.
1825 Erie Canal
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Henry Clay
This painting hangs in the
corridors of the House of
Representatives, where Clay
worked as a glamorous,
eloquent, and ambitious
congressman for many years.
Best known for promoting his
nationalistic “American
System” of protective tariffs
for eastern manufactures and
federally financed canals and
highways to benefit the West,
Clay is surrounded here by
symbols of flourishing
agriculture and burgeoning
industries in the new nation.
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The Era of Good Feelings
● With renewed sense of independence and national
pride, Americans elected James Monroe as president
in 1816.
● Monroe, a Democratic-Republican, destroyed the
Federalist candidate with 183 to 34 electoral votes
● Dying gasp of Federalist party – ushered in an era of
one-party rule
● His presidency called the “Era of Good Feeling” by a
New England newspaper
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The Era of Good Feelings?
● Somewhat of a
misnomer
● National pride but also
tensions
● Tariffs
● Slavery
● Sectionalism
● On the other hand,
Monroe won reelection
with every electoral
vote but one (G.
Washington)
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Panic of 1819: Economic
problems
● Usually countries experience inflation during wartime
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and then period of recession after war
Hit hard by drop in demand for agricultural goods
abroad and widening trade deficit with Britain
Bank of US forced to demand payment from state banks
in hard coin.
Frontier banks had very limited amounts of coin due to
high number of agricultural customers who had
amassed large amounts of debt in loans.
These western or wildcat banks could not pay back the
BUS in hard coin, and the amt. of currency in circulation
became very low
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Panic of 1819
● Panic of 1819 threatened Era of Good Feeling that
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Monroe had enjoyed his first presidential term
deflation, depression, bankruptcies, bank failures,
unemployment, soup kitchens, overcrowded debtors’
prisons
Main cause was overspeculation in frontier lands
Bank of US foreclosed mortgages on many western
farms
Poor western families hit hardest – would later
become supporters of Jacksonian democracy
Jackson would shut down the bank in 1833
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Growing Pains of the West
● As country moves west, territories apply for
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statehood
Conflict: US had had a balance in Senate between
slave states and free states. Any new state would
upset the balance with 2 new Senators
Why all of the new people?
“Soil butchering” of tobacco drove farms
westward.
New land open with victories over Indians
Land Act of 1820: cheap land for settlers
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Slavery and the Sectional
Balance
● Sectionalism: tensions between sections of country
● Slave south, free North, new West – all have their own
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interests
1819: Missouri applies for admission to statehood
House of Reps passes “Tallmadge Amendment” saying
that if Missouri becomes a state, slavery cannot
continue there
Population of North is becoming larger and larger
Tallmadge Amendment defeated in Senate
While North had advantage in House of
Representatives, N&S (free & slave) were equal in
Senate, 22 Senators for each type
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1820: Missouri Compromise
● If Missouri were made a free state, would that mean
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all new states would be free?
Would Congress try to outlaw slavery in the old
South?
The South had to keep the Senate balanced to keep
slavery
New states in southern half of the frontier justified
slavery by expressing economic need for large, stable
workforce
Those settling North had no economic need for the
enslaved
Henry Clay played leading role in the Missouri
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Compromise
1820: Missouri Compromise
● Admit Missouri as a slave state
● Cut off Maine from Massachusetts (New Hampshire
was already in the way) and make it its own state
● 2 new states, one free, one slave
● BUT – future states (north of 36° 30’) in Louisiana
Territory would all be free states
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Effects of Missouri Compromise
● North and South would play nice for another 34
years
● Eventually, outrage over “the peculiar institution”
would reach a boiling point – and lead to Civil War
● Missouri Compromise put a bandaid on the
problem
● Allowed US to become stronger before it fought
itself in Civil War – and likely allowed it to survive
a civil war
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Thomas Jefferson on this issue
The Missouri question… is the most portentous one
which ever yet threatened our Union. In the
gloomiest moment of the revolutionary war I never
had any apprehensions equal to what I feel from this
source… this momentous question, like a fire bell in
the night, awakened and filled me with terror….
[With slavery] we have the wolf by the ears, and we
can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. ~ Thomas
Jefferson, 1820
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John Marshall and Judicial
Nationalism
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John Marshall and Judicial
Nationalism
● Chief Justice of Supreme Court – during career he
significantly increased the power of the federal
government (he was a Federalist)
● 1819: McCulloch v. Maryland – denied Maryland
the right to tax the Bank of the United States
● “Loose construction” – Constitution derives from
the people and thus permits the gov’t to act for
their benefit
● All means that are appropriate and not prohibited
by, but consist with, the letter and spirit of the
Constitution are constitutional [paraphrase]
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John Marshall and Judicial
Nationalism
● 1821: Cohens v. Virginia – Supreme Court asserts
its right to review the decisions of state courts in all
questions that involve federal government
● 1824: Gibbons v. Ogden – denied New York the
right to give a monopoly to a steamboat company
that did business in NY & NJ. Interstate commerce
is for federal government only.
● Somewhere, in the distance, applause is heard
coming from the grave of Alexander Hamilton
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Sharing Oregon
● Treaty of 1818: US and Britain agree on Northern
border (Canada), as well as a 10-year “joint
occupation” of Oregon
● In other words, we both claim the land, but as none
of us actually live there, let’s agree not to fight
about it for at least 10 years
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Acquisition of Florida
● Revolutions in South America: Argentina 1816,
Venezuela 1817, Chile 1818.
● Americans naturally supportive of independence
against monarchies
● Spain has its hands full, and is vulnerable
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Acquisition of Florida
● 1818: On pretext of fighting the Seminole Indians
and hunting runaway slaves, Andrew Jackson leads
army through Florida and just happens to also
capture two Spanish forts
● Seminoles split off from Creek Indians, who had
been allied with Britain in War of 1812, and had
fought Jackson in South.
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Acquisition of Florida
(continued)
● Jackson’s actions in Florida seriously overstepped his
bounds
● Cabinet member John Quincy Adams (son of John)
decided to take these actions and use it to the US’
advantage
● As Spain was so tied up with revolutions in South
America, why not demand Florida from them? They
certainly can’t defend it
● 1819 Florida “Purchase” / Adams-Onís Treaty: US
gains all of Florida, Spain cedes claims to Oregon. U.S.
abandons claims to Texas, which becomes part of
Mexican province… (2 years before Mexicans win
independence from Spain)
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Meanwhile, around the Globe…
● European monarchies restore control in Europe.
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Rebellions put down in Italy and Spain
Russians claim Alaska and expand into California
Rumors of Euro monarchs sending forces to put
down Latin American rebellions and restoring
control to King of Spain
Britain controlled seas, benefitted from Latin
American trade, supported revolutions
British proposal to US to join forces to prevent
Europe from invading new Latin American
republics
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Don’t do it!!!!
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Background of Monroe Doctrine
● John Quincy Adams saw through British proposal
● British only worried US would take Cuba and be a
threat to British West Indies – this alliance would
prevent that
● If America did nothing, Britain’s powerful Navy
would still prevent continental Europeans from
invading Latin America
● So why agree to anything that would tie the hands of
US?
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Monroe Doctrine
● Delivered by president in 1823. Became basis of
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U.S. foreign policy
Never an actual law
Called for European noncolonization (directed at
Russia) and nonintervention in Latin American
Era of colonization is over, if you disagree, just try
us…
While U.S. did not have military means to enforce
the doctrine in its early years, they knew that no
European Navy could beat British
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Monroe’s Doctrine Appraised
● Latin American reaction: Most did not even know it
happened. Those who did knew British were real
enforcers of the seas
● Most famous of all post-1812 nationalism
● Supported patriotism and isolationism
● Increased America’s reputation on global stage
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Crash Course
● http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMXqg2PKJZU
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