Emerging Conflicts in American History

1. Growth and Conflict: America
Grows Up

2. Election of 1808
 James Madison hand-picked to succeed Jefferson
 Highly qualified; lots of governmental experience
and well respected
“All men having power
ought to be distrusted to a
certain degree.”

3. Effects of Napoleon’s War
 Continental System + British Orders in Council
+ Impressment = Embargo Act of 1807 > Non-
Intercourse Act > Macon’s Bill No. 2
 Macon’s Bill No. 2:
Whichever nation
repealed its restrictions
first, the U.S. would
trade with them
exclusively

4. Betting on the Wrong
Horse
 Napoleon’s foreign minister
suggests that the French
decrees might be lifted if
GB lifted its Orders in
Council
 Message was deliberately
ambiguous
 Madison guessed GB
would repeal first to ensure
U.S. didn’t’ trade with
France first.
 Bad bet.

5. Fighting the Indians
 “war hawks”: Southern and
Western Congressmen that
called for war against Indians
and the British
 Blamed British for “inciting
insurrection” amongst the
tribes
 Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa
(“the Prophet”), attempted to
organize a confederacy of all
tribes east of the Mississippi,
inspiring a revival of traditional
culture.
 Defeated by William Henry
Harrison at the Battle of
Tippecanoe.
 Ended the Indian confederacy

7. A “Second War for Independence”
America’s reasons for entering the War of
1812:
“Freedom of the seas”
Possible territorial expansion
To resolve Indian issues
Increase America’s power and
international standing
"Second War for American
Independence."

8.  Initial goal: Conquer Canada and Spanish Florida
 Poorly planned and poorly executed by poor
generals. The Americans lost.
 The British pressed on towards Washington D.C. and
set fire to the Capitol and the White House

9.  Dolley Madison did not run into the
burning White House to save George
Washington’s picture.
 The Truth: Dolley refused to leave the
White House in the hours preceding the
burning of Washington before being
assured that the large portrait of George
Washington was
removed from the walls and
taken safely away from
potential destruction or
defacing by the encroaching
enemy

10. War Games!

11.  Battle of Baltimore (Battle of Fort
McHenry)
 Turning point of the war
 Outmatched by British fleet
 24 hours of bombardment
 Americans prevailed

13. In 1814 we took a little trip,
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississipp'
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,
And we met the bloody British near the town of New Orleans.
Chorus:
We fired our guns and the British kept a comin'.
There wasn't nigh as many as they was a while ago.
We fired once more and they begin to runnin',
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
We looked down the river and we see'd the British come...
There must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring;
While we stood beside our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.
Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise.
If we didn't fire a musket till we looked 'em in the eyes.
We held our fire till we see'd their faces well;
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave 'em--Well.
Chorus
They ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles,
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em 'em,
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
We fired our cannon till the barrel melted down,
So we grabbed an alligator and we poured an other round.
We put the ball between his teeth and powdered his behind,
And when we touched the powder off the 'gator lost his mind.
Chorus
They ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles,
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em,
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

14.  The British target NOLA
 Jeopardizes Mississippi
River
 Americans led by Major
General Andrew Jackson
 Defeated the British
 Occurred after the war
had officially ended
 Made Jackson an instant
war hero and made
Americans consider the
war a “Win”

15. A Federalist Funeral
 New Englanders were strongly against the war
 Hartford Convention: NE Federalists drew up a
series of demands to avoid another war
 2/3 vote for an embargo, new state, or war.
 One-term president
 Abolition of the Three-fifths clause
 Some talk of secession.
 Presented after the Battle of New Orleans
 Made them look like unpatriotic crybabies
 The Federalist Party never recovered

16. Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent: Ended the
War of 1812
 Armistice (cease-fire)
 No land given or taken
 Impressment left unmentioned

17.  The destruction of the power of Indian
tribes
 GB generally ended impressment
 Death of the Federalists
 New war heroes
 Gained international respect
 There was an upsurge of patriotism and
sense of national pride

19. James Madison
Dates in Office: 1809-1817
Nickname: “Little Jemmy” or
“His Little Majesty”
Political Party: Democratic-
Republican
Major Events:
• Battle of Tippecanoe
• War of 1812
• Hartford Convention

20. Era of Good Feelings
“Era of Good
Feelings”
 Only one viable
political party,
supposedly the nation
was politically united
 There was an
upsweep of
nationalism after the
war.
 James Monroe
nicknamed the “era of
good feelings”
president

21. Nascent Nationalism
 Knickerbockers: American fiction writers nicknamed
for Washington Irving’s The Knickerbocker Tales.
 The Tale of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow
 James Fenimore Cooper (The Last of the Mohicans)
 The first American histories and literary magazines
were published.
 Painters began painting American landscape scenes
(not mimicking European art).

22. Bell Ringer
What are the limitations on
democracy in the early 19th
century?

23. Rush-Bagot Agreement
Treaty between the U.S. and GB
Demilitarized the Great Lakes region
 Basis for demilitarized border between
U.S. and Canada

24. The American
System
 Created by Henry Clay (SotH)
 New economic plan
 A strong banking system
 Protective tariff to boost American
industry
 Build transportation infrastructure
 Southern conflict over “internal
improvements” (roads/canals)
 Felt the tariff only benefited the
North
 Didn’t see benefit in paying taxes
for roads and canals in other states
 Since these things were not in the
Constitution, they should be left up
to the states (10th Amend.)

25. Cumberland Road
 AKA: the National
Road
 Ran from western
Maryland to Illinois
 One of the first
major improved
highways in the US
to be built by the
federal
government.

26. Western Growing Pains
 9 new frontier states; admitted
free/slave alternately
 Westward movement fueled
by cheap land and easier
transportation
 "Wildcat banks“: State
chartered banks, usually in
sparsely populated areas.
 Distributed their own currency
and gave easy credit.

27. Panic of 1819
 Panics nearly every 20 years throughout the
19th century
 1819, 1837, 1857, 1873, 1893
 The BUS deeply involved with over-speculation
(over-valuing, over-crediting) of frontier lands
 Leads to financial panic
 Hit the West especially hard
 The BUS calls in loans from western "wildcat" banks 
bankruptcy  farmers lose their farms  blame the
B.U.S  distrust of Eastern banks

28.  Monroe Doctrine-
Declared that the
American continents
should no longer be
viewed as open to
colonization
Issued in response
to Russia; applied to
all Europeans
nations

29. James Monroe
Dates in Office: 1817 - 1825
Nickname: The Era of Good
Feelings President
Political Party: Democratic-
Republican
Major Events:
Panic of 1819
Monroe Doctrine
Missouri Compromise
Adams-Onis Treaty
The Rush-Bagot Agreement

30. The “Corrupt Bargain”
Four Candidates:
Wm. H. Crawford,
A. Jackson, H.
Clay, J. Q. Adams
No majority in
electoral college
Vote goes to
HOR

31. The “Corrupt Bargain”
 Henry Clay KY(South) =
too few votes
 Jackson main rival (both
Westerners);threw
support to Adams
 Adams later named
Henry Clay to be SOS.
 Called the "Corrupt
Bargain“ by Jacksonians
 Political turning point
 End of Era of Good
Feelings
 Increased political action

32. JQ Adams: The Chuck Norris of the 1800s?
 Seen as honest, hard-working,
and highly respected for his
intelligence
 Adams maintained a strict
regiment of constant exercise
that included a swift swim
across the Potomac every
morning; <1hr at 58 years old!
 Kept a pet alligator in the East
Wing of the White House

33. John Quincy Adams
Dates in Office: 1825-1829
Nickname: Old Man Eloquent
Political Party: Democratic-
Republican
Major Events:
“Corrupt Bargain”
Continued support of the American
System
Ummm…. That’s about it.

34. The Age of Jackson

35. Going “Whole Hog” for Jackson
 Andrew Jackson started campaigning for 1828
immediately following the “corrupt bargain."
 Mudslinging came from both sides
 Adams was dishonest and had procured the services of a
servant girl for a Russian tsar's lust.
 Jackson was crude, rude, prone to whiskey (fairly true),
and Rachel Jackson was an adulteress.
 Jackson wins in a landslide
 Sectional split: S/W for Jackson, N for Adams
 Aided by new laws removing land qualifications for suffrage

36. Jackson as a Hero of the Common Man
 Seen as the Hero of the
Common Man; also seen as a
political villain
 Born among the common
people rather than the
elite of society
 Son of poor Irish first
immigrants
 First from the West
 More interested in sports and
fighting than education
 Fought in the American
Revolution at 13y/o
 Great military leader; “Old
Hickory”

37. Jackson as a Hero of the
Common Man

38. A New Democracy
 Modern political democracy: Broad voter-base, an
established political party, policies favoring
specific interests
 The Democratic-Republican party was renamed
the Democratic party because of the democratic
reforms set by Jackson
 The Democratic Party’s symbol of a donkey
comes from political satire of Andrew Jackson
that said he was as stubborn as an ass.

39. Jacksonian Democracy
Expanded Suffrage
Manifest Destiny
Spoils System
Strict Constructionism
Laissez-faire Economics
Distrust of large banks

40. Jacksonian Democracy
 Spoils System: The practice of rewarding
political supporters with public office
Jackson felt this increased democracy by
preventing an aristocratic, ruling class.
Critics said it allowed unqualified people
into office and led to corruption.

41. Tariff of Abominations
 (Pre-election) Jacksonians promoted a 45% tariff,
thinking it would never pass, making Adams look bad.
 Tariff of 1828 (AKA: Tariff of Abominations)
 NE liked the tariff since it
protected manufacturers;
Daniel Webster (Mass.)
 Southerners and Westerners,
hated it because it drove up
the cost of things that they
purchased; John C.
Calhoun (SC)

42. Nullification Crisis
 South Carolina Exposition
 Written by John C. Calhoun (VP)
 Asserted the states’ right to nullify
the tariff
 VA and KY Resolutions; 10th Amend.
 “Nullies”; threatened secession if
tariff not lifted
 Tariff of 1832: Removed the
worst parts of the Tariff of 1828
 Nullies were still unhappy and
nullified this tariff
 Threatened secession again

43. Nullification Crisis
 Jackson readied the
military to invade
SC.
 Tariff of 1833:
 Compromise tariff by
Henry Clay
 The tariff would be
reduced by ~10%
over 8 years.
 Force Bill (AKA
"Bloody Bill" in the
Carolinas): Authorized
the president to use
force if necessary to
collect the tariff

44. The Bank
War
 Andrew Jackson disliked the
BUS
 Felt it only benefitted the wealthy
 Promoted wildcat banks and “soft
money” for the benefit of Western
farmers
 Henry Clay hoped to make
Jackson a one-term president
 Re-chartered the BUS four years
early in order to put Jackson in a
lose-lose situation
 Veto = Angry Northerners
 Approved = Southerners and Westerners
angry they got “sold out”
 Jackson vetoed the bank as
expected

45. The Bank War
Common men still supported
Jackson for fighting for them,
even though they lost their
farms.
Jackson takes BUS $ and puts in
wildcat banks
BUS President Nicholas Biddle
calls in loans from wildcat banks
Financial chaos and forclusures,
especially in S & W

46. Birth of the Whigs
 National Republicans
(AKA: Whig) Party.
 Anti-Jackson
 Pro-American System,
esp. internal
improvements
 Generally wealthy
northerners
 Supported a strong
central government, esp.
Congress

47. King Andrew
 King Andrew I (by
Whigs)
Called him a tyrant
Too much political
power
 Jackson used power of
the veto and his party
leadership more than
any other president

48. Election of
1832
 Jackson (Democrat) vs. Clay
(Whig)
 Political firsts:
 The emergence of a third party,
the Anti-Masonic Party
 Opposed Freemasonry (Jackson
was a Mason); later expanded its
platform to gain members
 Most became Whigs after decline
 The use of national nominating
conventions
 The use of a printed party
platform

49. The Indian Problem
 Traditional policy – Allow
Native Americans to remain
east of the Mississippi as long
as they became assimilated or
"civilized.”
 Jacksonians wanted to open land
for settlement
 Indian Removal Act (1830):
Authorized the removal of
Native Americans who lived
east of the Mississippi River to
lands in the West
 Indian Territory created (OK)

50. The Indian Problem
 Bureau of Indian Affairs: Purpose
was to ensure the Indians were
properly moved off their land (by
force, if necessary)
 Choctaw forcibly moved; ¼ died
 Creek resisted; captured by military,
then moved
 Chickasaw forcibly removed, but better
supplies for their journey
 Cherokee assimilated: Set up schools
to learn English, invited missionaries,
learned how to read and write,
developed their own government
(modeled after U.S. Constitution);
Didn’t matter.

51. Quote
 "I have no motive, my friends, to deceive you.
I am sincerely desirous to promote your
welfare. Listen to me, therefore, while I tell
you that you cannot remain where you are
now. It is impossible that you can flourish in
the midst of a civilized community. You have
but one remedy in your reach. And that is to
remove to the West and join your
countrymen."
 President Andrew Jackson, Washington, 1835,
addressing Cherokee delegation

52.  Cherokee Nation v. Georgia: Cherokee sue to
retain land; SCOTUS refuses to hear case
 Worcester v. Georgia: Georgia law had no
power over the Cherokee, only national law
 Jackson ignored the ruling and began to remove
the Cherokee
 Violation of Presidential oath
“The Court has done its
duty. Let the nation now
do theirs.”
Justice Joseph Story
“John Marshall has
made his ruling, let
him enforce it!”

53. Trail of Tears (1838-39)
 Cherokee nation forcibly removed from its lands east
of the Mississippi to Indian land in OK
 Faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced
march. Over ¼ died on the journey.
 In all it is estimated that over 15,000 Indians lost their
lives during the time of the Indian Removal Act
“These are
crying sins, for
which we are
answerable
before a higher
jurisdiction.”

54. Quote
 "Whole nations melt away like snowballs
in the sun. The White men have
surrounded us, leaving only a little spot of
ground to stand upon, and it seems to
be their intention to destroy us as a
Nation."
Chief Dragging Canoe, The Trail of Tears
Cherokee Legacy, Rich-Heape Films, 2006

55. Quote
"I fought through the Civil War and have seen
men shot to pieces and slaughtered by
thousands, but the Cherokee removal was the
cruelest work I ever knew."
Georgia militiaman, Jahoda, 1939

56. Andrew Jackson
Dates in Office: 1829-1837
Nickname: “Old Hickory”, “King
Mob”, “King Andrew I”
Political Party: Democrat
Major Events:
President of the “common man”
and the democratic “mobocracy”
Spoils System
Biddle’s Bank War
Tariff of Abominations,
Nullification Crisis, and the Force
Bill
Indian Removal Act
Trail of Tears
Worcester v. Georgia

57. Short Answer Practice
 Answer parts a, b, and c
a) Briefly explain ONE event or action that
supports the claim that Andrew Jackson was a
hero of the common man.
b) Briefly explain ONE event or action that
supports the claim that Andrew Jackson was a
tyrant.
c) Briefly explain ONE event or action taken
against Andrew Jackson’s policies.

58. Letter to the Treasury Dept.
You are going to be writing a letter that contains at
least three (3) reasons why ANDREW JACKSON
should or should not stay on the $20 dollar bill.
Use facts from your ANDREW JACKSON notes.
(you may suggest another president to be on the
$20 bill)
To Whom it May Concern:
I am ___(name)________, and I am writing to you
about the image of Andrew Jackson on the United
States $20 dollar bill. I have three reasons why I
believe he is/isn’t a good choice for our currency.