How Did The Louisiana Purchase Establish American Nationalism

Alexys Boone

The Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, and the Monroe Doctrine helped to establish American nationalism by working together to bring us all together as a nation.

The Louisiana Purchase helped to establish America’s nationalism by gaining and expanding land. In 1800 France gained New Orleans. Thomas Jefferson, who was president at the time, made an attempt to gain use of the Mississippi river so he sent an ambassador to France to do so. Also in 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte needed to gain money to fight the British so he offered to sell the entire Louisiana territory to the U.S. The U.S. accepted and bought the territory for 15 million doubling size of U.S.

The war of 1812 helped to establish American nationalism because

for the 1st time because of this the citizens came together as Americans, not just as citizens of individual states. The main causes of the war was the U.S. was upset because the British was preventing neutral U.S. ships from trading with France, by British impressment, they believed the British was giving aid to the natives, the U.S. wanted to take Canada from Britain and The embargo act of 1807. The war ended by the treaty of Ghent in December 1814. America earned respect, the citizens came together, Francis Scott Key writes the star spangled banner, and James Monroe came into office with the “Era of Good Feelings”.

The Monroe Doctrine helped to establish American nationalism by issuing the doctrine so that Americans can settle west. The Monroe doctrine was named after president James Monroe. The doctrine was issued in 1823 and marked the start of the U.S. policy of preventing European powers from colonizing in the western hemisphere. It was manifest destiny. The idea that God wanted Americans to settle west. The Monroe doctrine stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in north or south America would be views as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention.

The Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, and the Monroe Doctrine helped to establish American nationalism by working together to bring us all together as a nation. The Americans went through wars and laws and still anaged to become stronger as a nation and consider themselves as Americans instead of citizens of different states. It brought along many hardships and also good things like the star spangled banner that is national song today that represents Americans as a whole. These three things that throughout history helped America become the nationalized state it is today.