AP HISTORY
CHAPTER 12
War of 1812 / Era of Good Feelings
War of 1812
(1) Twelfth Congress 1811
a. Many young hotheads were elected and this differed from the view of the previous
congress.
b. Most were from the south and the west
c.
o Henry Clay
 Becomes known as the “great Compromiser
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o John C. Calhoun
 From South Carolina
o Felix Grundy
 Tennessee Represenativie that was one of the western “war hawks”
o “War Hawks”
 New Hotheads elected to Congress that were opposed by the Federalists
 They sought a war with their old enemy
 They had experienced enough of the manhandling (impressment) of
American sailors by the British
 They also had issue with the Orders in Council of the British that stemmed
the flow of American goods into Europe
 Those in the west sought to wipe out renewed indian threats to pioneer
settlers
(2) Reasons for the War of 1812
a. continuing Indian problems on the frontier
 Tecumseho Shawnee tribal leader that created a far flung confederation with the intent to
avoid all things associated with the “paleface”
o Challenged the tribes to return to cultural and traditional values.
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William Henry Harrison
o Governor of Illinois
o Led an army on Tecumseh’s headquarters at Wabash and Tippecanor
o Tecumseh’s brother “The Prophet” led an attack with a small force on Harrison’s
army
o He was routed and Harrison and his army burned the settlement.
o Propelled him to national attention.
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Battle of Thames
o 1813 battle in which Tecumseh lost his life and essentially ended any hope of an
indian confederacy
b. freedom of the seas
 impressment
o from 1808-1811 over 6000 US Citizens were carried off to work on British
ships
o This and the story of the U.S. Frigate, the Chesapeake, in 1807 led to National
honor being at Stake.
c. land hunger
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Canada
o Widely considered to be the base of the Indians
o Northern warhawks wanted Canada
Florida
o Less vocal warhawks secretly had desires for Florida.
(3) New England resistance to the war
 “Mr. Madison’s War”
o Most of the Federalists that remained were centered in New England
o They opposed the acquisition of Canada as it would add more agrarian states and even
further hurt their influence
o They also sympathesized with the British.
o Vote for war was 79-49 in the house and 19 -13 in the Senate
(4) Naval victories
 American ships were more skillfully handled, had better gunners, and had more reason to
fight
 Oliver Hazard Perry
o Built a fleet of ships for control of the Great lakes
o “We have met the Enemy, and they are ours”
o Inspired a slumping American Cause
o Forced the British to evacuate and they were overtaken and defeated by Harrison
 Thomas MacDonough
o Lake Champlaign Waterway
o Snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and saved upper New York
 USS Constitution
o Frigates
o Newer stronger sides
o Heavier Firepower and larger crews that included 1 out of every 6 were free blacks
(5) Burning of Washington, DC
o Dolly Madison
o Saved key elements of US History before the british attacked Washington
o Including the portrait of George Washington
o Francis Scott Key – Fort McHenry
o Wrote the “The Star Bangled Banner” while detained on British ship that was
bombarding Fort McHenry in the area of Baltimore
o Fort McHenry did not fall
(6) Battle of New Orleans 1814
 Treaty of Ghent had already happened but news had not yet reached the Americas
 Andrew Jackson
o Led a Group of Tennessee Volunteers
o Free Black volunteers
o For a total of 7000
 Jean Lafitte
o In return for a pardon of crimes he helped Jackson defend New Orleans
 Even though, the war had been over, it boosted American nationalism and Self confidence
(7) Hartford Convention Dec 1814
 New England Federalists were in constant opposition to the war
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Some proposed secession from the Union
Even offered the notion of a separate peace with Britain.
Late in 1814 as the capture of New England seemed eminent
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut sent delegates
List of Grievances included:
o Financial compensation from Washington for lost trade
o 2/3rds vote in congress for embargo to be placed
o Abolishment of 3/5ths compromise
o Limit presidents to 1 term
o Same state could not account for successive terms of president
Nullification
By the time the 3 envoys reached Washington with their demands, news was just arriving
about New Orleans and the Treaty of Ghent
Viewed as traitorous and was the nail in the coffin of the Federalist party
(8) Treaty of Ghent
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December 24, 1814
Essentially was an armistice
Every thing went back to the status before the war
No mention made of original grievances such as the Indian menace, search and seizure of
American vessels, Orders in Council, Impressment and confiscations
These are proof that the Americans did not win and neither side was able to impose its will.
Americans boasted “Not One Inch of Territory Ceded or Lost”
(9) Results of the War of 1812
a. informal recognition of rights on the high seas
b. sectionalism reduced – Federalist Party now dead
c. brilliant naval tradition established
d. new war heroes – Jackson, Harrison, Perry
e. Indians forced to make terms and relinquish vast areas north of Ohio River and sizeable
portions of territory in the south
f. manufacturing increased because of blockade – stimulated by orders for war goods
Era of Good Feelings 1816-1824
James Monroe- Continued the Virginia Dynasty
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1816 Election Federalist ran a candidate for what would be their last time
o 183-34 Electoral votes
1820 Monroe had no real challengers
Second Bank of the United States
 Chartered under Monroe to last from 1816-1836
 Charter would come up again under Jackson’s Presidency
Tariff of 1816
 First tariff in history instituted for protection not revenue
 It was a much like the idea of Hamilton but was meant to protect national interest
John C. Calhoun – SC
Henry Clay – KY
Daniel Webster – NH
Clay’s American System
 Consisted of three main parts
o Strong Banking system
 Provides ample and adequate credit
o Protective tariff
 Intended to help Eastern manufacturing flourish
 Revenues would provide funds for third element
o Network of roads and canals
 Especially in the Ohio Valley
 Would allow for the flow of foodstuffs and raw materials from the South
and West to North and East
 This would also allow manufactured goods to flow west and south
 This would bind the country together politically and economically
Calhoun’s Bonus Bill
 Promised to provide federal funding for roads and canals, but President James Madison
vetoed it in 1817 because he believed the U.S. Constitution did not grant the power to
provide money for internal improvements.
Land Act 1800
 In 1799, the legislature of the Northwest Territory selected William Henry Harrison to
represent the territory in the United States House of Representatives.
 Upon taking his seat, Harrison immediately asked the House to assist in encouraging
settlement of the Northwest Territory.
 On April 15, 1800, the government approved the Harrison Land Act.
 Under this law, people had the opportunity to buy land in the Northwest Territory
directly from the federal government. The purchasers also could use credit to make part
of their purchase.
Land Act 1820
 The Land Act reduced the number of acres that Ohioans had to purchase from
160 to eighty and the cost from $2.00 per acre to $1.25 per acre, in an attempt to
encourage additional land sales.
Treaties of the period:
(1) Rush-Bagot Agreement 1817
a. Due to fears of another invasion attempt by the Americans into Canada
b. Limited naval armament on the lakes
(2) Treaty Line of 1818
a. Permitted Americans to share the coveted Newfoundland fisheries with Canada
b. Also fixed the vague northern limits of Louisiana along the 49th parallel
c. Extended from lake of the woods (Minnesota) to the Rocky Mountains
d. Provided for a 10 year joint occupation of the Oregon country without a
surrender to rights or claims of British or Americans
(3) Adams-Onis Treaty 1819
a. Mislabled the Florida Purchase Treaty
b. Jackson in Florida
i. Followed and hanged two Indian chiefs after a quick military trial
ii. Siezed two Spanish posts
iii. Executed two British subjects for assisting Indians
iv. Deposed the Spanish Governor
c. J.Q. Adams, demanded huge concessions from the Spanish
d. Spain Ceded Florida and claims to Oregon while the Americans ceded claims to
Texas
e. Set the Western boundary of the United States along rocky mountains until the
42nd Parallel at which time it shot due west to the Pacific
(4) Russo-American Treaty 1824
a. In response to Monroe Doctrine
b. Fixed Southernmost limits of Russia at 54 40-Present tip of Alaskan panhandle
Monroe Doctrine 1823
 John Quincy Adams
 George Canning
o Wanted to keep the other European powers out of the New World fearing that its
trade with the New World would be harmed if the other European powers further
colonized it.
o The United Kingdom, for much of the early years of the Monroe Doctrine, was the
sole nation enforcing it through the use of its navy (the United States still lacked
sufficient naval capabilities to contribute to the effective enforcement of the
doctrine as declared).
Transportation and Technology
(1) Erie Canal 1825
a. First proposed in 1807, its construction began in 1817.
b. The canal contains 36 locks and a total elevation differential of about 565 feet
(172 m).
c. It opened on October 26, 1825.
d. Ran about 363 miles from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo,
New York, at Lake Erie.
e. Built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic
Ocean to the Great Lakes
f. Helped New York eclipse Philadelphia as the largest city and port on the
Eastern Seaboard of the United States
(2) Cumberland or National Road 1811
a. The first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal
government.
b. About 620 miles long, the National Road connected the Potomac and Ohio
Rivers and was a gateway to the West for thousands of settlers.
c. The road reached Wheeling (Terminating point) on August 1, 1818
(3) Robert Fulton 1807
(4) Eli Whitney 1793
Panic of 1819
 The first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States followed by a general
collapse of the American economy which continued through 1821
 The Panic announced the transition of the nation from its colonial commercial status with
Europe toward a dynamic economy
 This was symbolize by the ideas and philosophies of laissez-faire capitalism.
 The severity of the downturn was compounded by excessive speculation in public lands
and fueled by the unrestrained issue of paper money from banks and business concerns.
 Many people criticized Clay’s American System with its tariffs, etc
 Marked the end of the Era of Good Feelings
Tallmadge Amendment 1819
 Proposed amendment to a bill requesting the Territory of Missouri to be admitted to the
Union as a free state.
 This amendment was submitted on February 13, 1819, by James Tallmadge, Jr., a
Democratic-Republican from New York.
 In response to the debate in Congress regarding the admission of Missouri as a state and
its effect on the existing even balance of slave and free states, Tallmadge, an opponent of
slavery, sought to impose conditions on Missouri that would extinguish slavery within a
generation.
 Passed the House by a close margin but failed to pass the Senate.
Missouri Compromise 1820
 Response to the proposed Tallmadge Amendment
 Submitted by Henry Clay
 Passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States
Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories.
 Prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30′
north except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri.
 Took place during the presidency of James Monroe.
Marshall Decisions:
(1) McCulloch v. Maryland 1819
(2) Cohens v. Virginia 1821
(3) Gibbons v. Ogden 1824
(4) Fletcher v. Peck 1810
(5) Dartmouth College v. Woodward 1819
American Literature beginnings:
Washington Irving
James Fenimore Cooper