Mr. Kersey.org - Mr. Kersey's Lecture Notes

A New National Identity

(Lecture Notes from Mr. Kersey's 8th Grade U.S. History Class)

Between 1812 and 1840 the people of the U.S. developed their own national identity.
America expanded and grew, and so did her people.
Americans became proud of their country and their sense of nationalism grew.
Many called this period an “era of good feelings.”

James Monroe was elected in 1816.
During Monroe’s administration two major issues regarding the U.S.’s northern and southern borders were resolved.

The Convention of 1818 settled the border dispute between the U.S. and Canada. The new border ran along the 49th parallel all the way to the Rockies. The two sides agreed to a share the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. signed the Adams-Treaty with Spain in 1819, which gave us Florida.
In exchange the U.S. gave up its claims to present day Texas, and assumed some of Spain’s debt.

James Monroe issued a statement of U.S. foreign policy in 1823 that became known as the Monroe Doctrine.
The Monroe Doctrine, which Britain agreed with, declared that North and South America were now off-limits to European colonization.
Monroe was basically saying to Europe and the rest of the world, “You worry about your hemisphere, and we’ll worry about ours.”
The Doctrine angered lot of folks, but rarely did anyone challenge it.
The Monroe Doctrine established the U.S. as a power in the western hemisphere and in the world.
It was a change from our ‘don’t bother us, we won’t bother you’ approach to the world.

As the nation grew, slavery became an issue.
Southerners did not want to see any more free states added to the Union.
Northerners felt the same way about slave states.
Henry Clay proposed the Missouri Compromise.
Under the agreement, Missouri would be added as a slave state and Maine would be added as a free state.
Also, no new states formed north of 36°30’ latitude would be slave states.
Congress passed the compromise in 1820.
The compromise ended up being a temporary fix.

Jackson gave many jobs in his administration to his most loyal supporters. This became known as the “spoils system.”
This practice continues today.
Jackson also had a group of informal advisors made up of friends and supporters known as the “kitchen cabinet.”
Today the president has advisors that are not in the cabinet or confirmed.

Andrew Jackson strongly supported the expansion of the US.
Jackson urged Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act in 1830
The law moved Native American tribes from areas in the south east to a newly created Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.
Many tribes resisted but they failed and eventually all were forced to move west.
The Cherokee sued, instead of fought, but it was decided that they had no rights as US citizens.
In another case, Worcester v. Georgia, the court decided that the states had no right to move the Indians. Only the federal government could do that.
With Jackson’s support, Georgia ignored the ruling.

The Cherokee were forced to move west on an 800 mile forced march called the Trail of Tears.
Almost a quarter of the 18,000 Cherokee died on the way.

During the period of 1812-1840, many American artists and writers began to produce truly American works that blended European ideas with American character.
Washington Irving wrote Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
James Fenimore Cooper wrote The Last of the Mohicans.
American architecture began to reflect ancient Greek and Roman styles, which represented our democratic values.