Nationalism v Sectionalism

1. Nationalism v Sectionalism

2. Important Questions • What is sectionalism? • Where do you suppose this concept originated? • What are some of the issues behind sectionalism? • Ultimately, what do you think it will take to put an end to sectionalism?

3. Era of Good Feelings President James Monroe

4. Era of Good Feelings • period of national unity and cooperation following War of 1812: • President Monroe enjoyed enormous popularity and national support • Political parties were getting along • Short duration • Power of federal government • States’ rights • Slavery • sectionalism

6. Era of Good Feelings • Era of Good Feelings replaced by sectionalism • Sectionalism is the to a state or a region over the nation as a whole • Eventually led to the Civil War (1861-65)

7. Sectional Differences • North • Favored the Bank of the United states • Favored increased immigration • Favored government financial improvements • Divided on the issue of territorial expansion • The commercial North favored policies which would protect its industries from foreign competition (tariffs), increase trade and provide a strong banking system

8. Sectional Differences • South • Opposed the Bank of the United States • Opposed protective tariffs • Opposed new immigration • Favored territorial expansion • Opposed government financed internal improvements • The agricultural South hoped to increase its cotton exports& favored less interference from the Federal government

9. Sectional Differences • West • Opposed the Bank of the United States • Divided on the tariff issue • Favored increased immigration • Favored territorial expansion • Favored government financed internal improvements • The agricultural West wanted federal protection and transportation improvements but opposed regulated banking (too many farmers)

11. Regroup • What Does the Era of Good Feelings refer to? • What is the difference between sectionalism and nationalism? • What did the North want? • The South? • The West?

12. Controversy Over States' Rights

13. States’ Rights • Introduced by Madison & Jefferson in VA & KY Resolutions in 1798 • What was the issue then? • States’ Rights: • Federal government created by the states to serve the states • When the federal gov’t passes laws states believe to be unconstitutional, the states can declare the laws to be “null & void” & do not have to enforce these laws

14. Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions,1798 Thomas Jefferson James Madison

15. States’ Rights • Nullification • the doctrine that a state may refuse to enforce a “federal” law it considers unconstitutional • Why is this a dangerous idea?

16. States’ Rights • Tariff of Abominations (1828): • the highest tariff since founding of the nation: • protected new American industries from cheap foreign competition • raised rates on new materials and manufactured goods • western and northern congressmen united to pass tariff law (who is feeling squeezed?)

17. States’ Rights • South strongly opposed tariff for following reasons: • increased prices of foreign manufactured goods • feared foreign nations would increase tariffs against southern cotton exports • What would be the result of increased tariffs on US exports?

18. States’ Rights • South Carolina Exposition and Protest (1828): • hostile to Tariff of Abominations • written by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina • South Carolina Exposition and Protest stated the following: • the Federal Government was created by a compact among the states to serve the states • states therefore had the power to declare laws of Congress unconstitutional

19. Tariff of Abominations 1828 South Carolina Exposition & Protest John C. Calhoun

20. States’ Rights • laws declared unconstitutional were “null and void” (nullification) • the law would remain null and void until it was added as a constitutional amendment (strict construction) • if the problem was not resolved, the state had the “right to secede” from the Union • secession – the right of a state to leave or break away from the Union

21. States’ Rights • nullification and secession violated Article VI of the Constitution, which states: • when a state law is in contradiction with a federal law, it is the federal law that must be obeyed • the power of the Federal Government is supreme • nullification violates principle of federalism: • states cannot declare laws of Congress unconstitutional • this power rests solely with Supreme Court

22. States’ Rights • Nullification by South Carolina (1832): • 1832: new tariff law provided only modest reduction of Tariffof Abominations • South Carolina passed Ordinance of Nullification: • voided new tariff • threatened secession

23. Force Bill “Disunion by force is treason”! Andrew Jackson President Jackson

24. States’ Rights • President Jackson: • opposed nullification and secession • felt both could destroy the Federal Government • Jackson asked Congress to pass the “Force Bill”: • would empower President to enforce tariff in South Carolina • army and navy to be employed • precedent set by Washington in Whiskey Rebellion

25. States’ Rights • Compromise Tariff of 1833: • Senator Henry Clay introduced a compromise, which provided for the following: • a gradual reduction of tariff over ten year period • level to eventually reach that of Tariff of 1816 • Compromise Tariff and Force Bill passed on the same day by Congress: • South Carolina withdrew Ordinance of Nullification & nullified Force Bill • Crisis temporarily solved; states’ rights & nullification still unresolved

26. States’ Rights • Cherokee Indians (1828) • State of Georgia invoked dcotrine of states’ rights to remove Cherokee Indians • US Supreme Court ruled that the Indians could stay • President Jackson hated the Indians & refused to enforce the law • More than 100,000 Indians forcible removed to modern Oklahoma on Trail of Tears

27. Regroup • The idea of states’ rights was advocated by whom? • What was the Tariff of Abominations? • What was the Southern response to the T of A? • What does secession mean? • What was Jackson’s strategy for defeating the Southern nullifiers? • What temporarily settled the issue of states’ rights? • What was the Trail of Tears?

28. Andrew Jackson & The BUS • Jackson saw BUS as monopoly that favored wealthy elite • BUS refused many loans to small businesses/farmers • Paid dividends to Northern stockholders • BUS made contributions to political candidates • BUS prevented state banks from issuing currency that would devalue existing currency

29. Andrew Jackson & The BUS • Congress passed a bill to re-charter the bank in 1832 • Jackson vetoed the bill • Re-elected overwhelmingly in 1832 • Jackson took re-election as sign people wanted BUS dead • Jackson wanted money in states banks and wanted loans for small businesses and farmers • Part of Jacksonian democracy concept

30. Southern Sectionalism & Representation

31. Southern Sectionalism and Representation Problem • Southern Sectionalism: • Southerners favored their section over the national interest • Constitution must be interpreted by its exact words (strictconstruction) • states had all other powers (reserved) • power to regulate slavery therefore belonged solely withthe states

32. Southern Sectionalism and Representation Problem • Senate Representation: • Southern states concerned about two major issues: • allowing slavery in new federal territories • maintaining equal balance between the representation of slave and non – slave states in the U.S. Senate

33. Southern Sectionalism and Representation Problem • Missouri Compromise (1820): • Missouri Territory applied for statehood as a slave state: • threatened Senate balance between 11 free and 11 slave states • population of North twice as large as South • North therefore controlled House of Representatives • South needed to maintain balance in the Senate

35. Missouri Compromise • Terms of the Missouri Compromise: • Missouri admitted as slave state • Maine admitted as a free state • all territory of Louisiana Purchase north of the 36° -30’ Parallel Line would be free • all territory south of the line would be slave

36. Wilmot Proviso (1846): • Resolution to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired in war with Mexico: • Calhoun condemned proviso as anti – states’ rights • threatened nullification and secession • Wilmot Proviso passed the House • rejected in the Senate

37. Regroup • What is southern sectionalism? • Why does the South need to maintain the balance between free & slave states? • How is the problem solved (in the short-term)? • What are the terms?

38. The Mexican War 1848

40. The Mexican War 1846-48 • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican War: • U.S. adds New Mexico and California (Mexican Cession) • Mexico recognizes Rio Grande River as the southwest border of Texas (why are rivers bad borders?) • U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for the new territory

41. The Mexican War 1846-48 • Mexican War divided America along sectional lines: • northeasterners condemned war as plot to seize land and extend slavery (so what?) • southerners and westerners strongly supported war (why?)

42. The Mexican War 1846-48 • Gadsden Purchase (1853): • U.S. paid Mexico $10 million for strip of land south of the Gila River in Arizona and New Mexico • provided a railroad route into California • considered “conscience money” by many Americans ($10 million) • What is “conscience money”?

43. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

45. Regroup • What was the Treaty that ended the Mexican American War? • What states became part of the US as a result of the Mexican Cession? • How was the Wilmot Proviso supposed to impact the acquisition of territory from Mexico? • What was the Gadsen Purchase?

46. California Statehood • 1849: California admitted as state: • slavery outlawed • political crisis renewed • balance between slave and free states threatened in the Senate: • 1849: 15 free and 15 slave states • South threatened secession (again!)

47. Compromise of 1850 • Proposed by Senator Henry Clay (Kentucky) to prevent secession • Clay received strong Senate support from the following: • Stephen A. Douglas (Illinois) • Daniel Webster (Massachusetts) • What do these states have in common?

48. Henry Clay & The Compromise of 1850

49. Compromise of 1850 • Terms: • California admitted as a free state • territories of New Mexico and Utah to follow popular sovereignty • popular sovereignty – policy of allowing voters of a territory todecide if they wanted slavery • Texas paid $10 million to cede land to New Mexico • slave trade prohibited in District of Columbia (slavery permitted) • Fugitive Slave Law strongly enforced

50. Compromise of 1850 • Compromise of 1850 temporarily ended the sectional crisis • What will it take to permanently settle the sectional crisis? • Why is that nearly impossible without conflict?