Sectionalism and Slavery
Lesson Timeline
1791-First National Bank of the U.S. 1816-Second National Bank of The U.S 1816-1817 American System 1817- Bonus Bill 1828-Tariff of Abominations 1846-Walker Tariff Act 1850- Compromise of 1850
Nationalism
A wave of nationalism arose in the United States in the period following the War of 1812. Nationalism can be defined as a loyalty to an entire nation and not just one geographical section. The United States had just fought a war against Great Britain. The economy of the country was doing well, and the nation was expanding as new states were added to the Union.
American System
American System President James Madison used this new national spirit as the theme of his annual message to Congress in 1815. He proposed a program that included a protective tariff, banks, and internal improvements such as roads and canals. Representative Henry Clay of Kentucky referred to the plan of the tariff, national bank, and internal improvements as the American System. The American System included: • a protective tariff • the formation of a national bank • a strengthening of the national infrastructure including transportation improvements Henry Clay's goal with the American system was to strengthen and unify the nation.
California
California There were events in California that would challenge the political viewpoints in all sections of the country. The territory of California had enough settlers to apply for statehood by 1849, and the search for gold brought many people to the area. The territory's representatives requested admittance to the Union as a free state. The admission of California would change the balance of the fifteen free and fifteen slave states in the Senate. The Senate also had to abide by the requirements of the Missouri Compromise. The dividing line established by the Missouri Compromise passed through the middle of California.
Supporting themes for this lesson
Economics Geography Government Anthropology Sociology
The Tallmadge Amendment
James Tallmadge, a representative from New York, proposed an amendment to the bill to admit Missouri to the Union. The Tallmadge Amendment would stop any new importation of slaves into Missouri after its admission as a state. The balance of free and slave states was maintained from 1820 to 1850 with the admission of three free states and three slave states.
National Bank
National Bank A national bank was another important economic issue that contributed to the growth of sectionalism. The First Bank of the United States was created on February 23, 1791. It would be used as the financial agent for the federal government. Any income paid to the government, such as taxes or import duties, would be deposited into a national bank. The bank would also issue bank notes to ease the shortage of paper currency. These bank notes could be used to pay taxes or to buy goods. Madison chartered the Second National Bank on April 10, 1816. To encourage manufacturing in America, Madison proposed a protective tariff which was passed in 1816. A protective tariff would charge a tax, or duty, on goods imported into the United States. This would limit the number of imports and protect the American manufacturers who produced these goods. On April 16, 1816, Madison signed the bank bill that reestablished the new national bank. The only issue that remained was internal improvements. the purpose of the Tariff of 1816 was to allow American manufacturers to compete with foreign manufacturers by raising the costs of imported goods. John C. Calhoun, a representative from South Carolina, proposed what he called a Bonus Bill that would fund internal improvements. He wanted to finance these improvements with a 1.5 million dollar charter from a new bank of the United States. Congress passed Calhoun's bill in February 1817. The support of the American System was an attempt to unite the sections of the country. The people of the North, South, and West had mixed emotions about supporting these proposals. John C. Calhoun proposed the bonus bill to fund internal improvements using federal money. President Madison vetoed the bill, calling it unconstitutional The fate of the American System would set the political tone in the United States from 1815 to 1850. Some people believed the American System was an opportunity to fulfill the motto of E Pluribus Unum on the Great Seal of the United States. The opportunity to truly become "out of many, one" was at hand. Each section of the country would benefit from at least one aspect of the American System.
Population
Population Early politicians wanted a way to measure the population of the United States. This would become very important in the results of presidential elections and representation in Congress. In 1790, U.S. Marshals were sent out to take a count of the population. Imagine how long it would take men on horseback to count 3.9 million people, the population in 1790. The U.S. Census Bureau began to identify the mean center of the population every ten years. The mean center pinpoints the imaginary line through the United States where there are as many people on one side as the other. The mean center of population in America in 1790 was 23 miles east of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1850, the mean center had moved 320 miles west to Parkersburg, West Virginia. In 1850, Parkersburg was part of the state of Virginia. The 2000 Census identified the mean center of population in Phelps County in the state of Missouri. The issue of a national bank would become an important aspect of the presidency of Andrew Jackson, who served from 1829 to 1837. "During his first term, Jackson vetoed a bill renewing the charter of the United States Bank...When the public money, which had been withdrawn from the Bank of the United States, was deposited in the local banks, it became easy to borrow money. Speculation extended to every branch of trade but especially to western lands." Barnes and Co. A Brief History of the United States.
Bank Speculations
President Jackson did not support the use of paper money to buy public land. He issued the Specie Circular in 1836, which required the purchase of public land to be made in gold or silver. This requirement ended the land boom in the West. The federal government now had a surplus of money. The Specie Circular prevented average, working-class people, who did not have silver and gold, from purchasing land in the West "The mid-1830s witness an economic boom, characterized by inflation and speculation in public land sales and road and canal projects. The speculation is fueled, in part, by the following three policies: • The removal of federal funds from the official bank of the United States and from other banks. • A distribution of the federal surplus from these banks to state banks. • A requirement that specie (gold or silver coin) be used to buy public lands (which leads to falling land sales and specie shortages). The pressure on many banks increases and a lack of confidence in the state banks abounds. The resulting bank panic in 1837 causes many banks to fail over several years." Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. When the banks closed, many business owners were no longer able to sustain their businesses, resulting in very high rates of unemployement
Economy and Internal Improvements—What Changed
President Madison reversed his position on the internal improvements he first proposed. Madison vetoed Calhoun's Bonus Bill because he did not believe Congress had the constitutional authority to fund the internal improvements. This began a chain of events that brought significant changes to sections in the West, North, and South. The Western sections and some regions in the South were in need of these internal improvements. The Northern section had the money to fund internal improvements and eventually built roads, railroads, and canals to the West. These improvements bound the two regions together economically. the building of transportation systems to connect the regions to each other was needed for economic growth While the economies of the Northern states continued to thrive, the South did not have the money to fund internal improvements. Internal improvements financed by the American System might have changed the economy in the South. A mixed economy of agriculture, manufacturing, and small farms may have lessened the South's dependence on slavery and changed the course of history. Slave owners in the South were dependent on slave labor for their farms The Westerners and Southerners also wanted internal improvements of roads and canals to help tie the sections together. Some internal improvements helped unite the country, but there was still a lack of total unification among the states economically, politically, and geographically.
Sectionalism
Sectionalism The foundation of our government today is "out of many, one." Having these words on the Great Seal of the United States did not necessarily guarantee this was true in the early 1800s. In fact, the states were divided into sections based on economic and political issues. Even though America was now a unified group of states, sectionalism was beginning to divide the new government. Sectionalism is a division of interests and needs. One aspect of sectionalism is a political loyalty to a group of people or a particular region of a country. The United States did not remain united in several issues throughout the 1800's including slavery, economic differences and state versus federal rights The issue of sectionalism was an integral part of the political, economic, and territorial expansion of the United States from the beginning until the mid-1800s. States became divided into sections over various issues that would eventually explode into the Civil War on April 12, 1861.
Economic Division
Some of the states such as Kentucky and Tennessee were considered part of the Southern and Western regions in the early 1800s. Delaware aligned with the Southern states over some issues and the Northern states over others. Delaware was originally a Middle colony and later became a slave state. The economic divisions between the North, West, and South were not clearly defined. The issue of slavery widened the chasm of sectionalism between the states. Sectionalism divided the country along economic and emotional lines
The American System did not receive widespread support in Congress. In 1816, there were nineteen states in the Union.
States in the order they joined the Union 1.Deleware 2.Pennsylvania 3.New Jersey 4. Georgia 5.Connecticut 6.Massachussets 7. Maryland 8. South Carolina 9. New Hampshire 10. Virginia 11.New York 12. North Carolina 13.Rhode Island 14. Vermont 15.Kentucky 16.Tennesssee 17. Ohio 18. Louisiana 19. Indiana The states of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey supported all three components of the American System. The Western states opposed the national banks because they wanted state access to paper money and loans. The Southern states opposed the tariff but supported some of the internal improvements. Some Southern leaders believed that accepting federal money for internal improvements would bring too much federal control into their states.
1815 - What Remained the Same
Tariff The protective tariff passed in 1816 was one aspect of the American System that survived. During the presidency of John Quincy Adams, the Tariff of 1828 became a political issue. This tariff created new duties and raised others. It was passed by Congress and became known as the Tariff of Abominations in the South. John Quincy Adams was reluctant to sign the Tariff go 1828, knowing it would likely cost him reelection The country also had to address the political, social, and economic issues of slavery. The U.S. Congress faced the political issue of slavery for the first time in 1820. By 1819, three more states had been added to the Union. Mississippi Illinois Alabama
Texas
Texas The question of slavery in the territories was not raised again until after the annexation of Texas at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848.
E Pluribus Unum
The Great Seal of the United States contains the Latin motto E Pluribus Unum. The translation of this phrase is "out of many, one." The phrase describes the creation and development of the United States of America. Under the government of the Articles of Confederation, thirteen colonies became thirteen states. These thirteen states then formed a new government when the Constitution was ratified. Today, the Latin phrase is an important aspect of our government. It describes how the fifty states of the United States together form one federal government. This commitment to be united is fulfilled in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. One of the goals is "to promote the general welfare." This means the power of the federal government as authorized by the people can be used to provide assistance to those in need. What would you do if your city or town experienced the harsh effects of a natural disaster that damaged all the homes in your neighborhood? On a local level, who would be responsible for the general welfare and recovery of the neighborhood? Who should decide what are the priorities for the people? The Federal Government's task is to find fair solutions for all citizens. The knowledge and information gained in this lesson will help you understand: • the contribution of economic issues of tariffs, national banks, and internal improvements to sectionalism in the first half of the 1800s • the political effects of sectionalism in the United States from the addition of territory and the issue of slavery • the relationship between the Missouri Compromise (1820) and the Compromise of 1850 • the elements of the economies of the three sections (North, South, and West) during the first half of the 1800s No one would disagree with the federal government providing emergency services to a town that had been devastated by a tornado or hurricane. Federal money is used to construct bridges, dams, or roads that many states or cities cannot afford to build. Federal funds may be used to partially finance a subway in a large city, even though this project would not benefit anyone living in a small, rural town in Montana. However, a new dam may provide cheaper electricity, drinking water, or water for irrigation in this same Montana town. These projects are known as internal improvements.
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise The population of the state of Missouri was growing rapidly, and by 1818, it had reached 60,000. Many of the settlers who came to Missouri were from the Northern territories where slavery had been forbidden. Others had migrated to Missouri from the slave states of Kentucky and Tennessee. The admission of Missouri would upset the balance in the U.S. Senate of eleven free states. This was important to the South because the North, with a larger population, had more representatives in the House of Representatives. Do you remember the large and small state arguments at the Constitutional Convention?
U.S. History on the Road
The U.S. History on the Road section serves as your connection to the past. You are encouraged to research any topic in this lesson. Click here to read about the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Allegheny Portage Railroad, and the Erie Canal. Remember, the foundation of our government today is "out of many, one." The American System addressed the issues of the tariff, internal improvements, and a national bank, which contributed to the movement toward sectionalism. Despite the differences that resulted from various policies and laws, Americans needed to find a way back to a nationalism and solidarity. A sense of unity would be required to solve issues that divided the states, especially the issue of slavery. Without this unity, the nation would continue toward the path of civil war.
Geographic Regions
The issues of states' rights and nullification were raised in both the Northern (Hartford Convention) and Southern states (Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina) in the early 1800s. At that time, the United States was divided into three general geographic regions, the North, South, and West. Each of these regions had specific economic interests. The Northern states depended on manufacturing, commerce, fishing, and shipbuilding. The economy of the West was mostly based on small farms, although not all Westerners were farmers. The South's economy depended on the plantation system. This map displays the economic divisions during the early 1800s. "But not everyone in the South was a cotton planter. Tobacco, rice, sugar, hemp, peas, beans, livestock, and wheat were also widely grown products. Less than 1 percent of all Southerners owned more than 50 slaves, and most Southern farmers owned no slaves at all. On the other hand, most farmers aspired to own slaves and become large planters. The economic importance of cotton as a way to financial success would be significant in giving conscious identification to the South as a political entity." Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Founders and Frontiersmen. Economic Expansion and Sectionalism.
