War Of 1812 Dbq Essay

The years right after the War of 1812 “saw a growing spirit of nationalism throughout the country.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 192) During this time, 6 more states were added: Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, and Alabama. Important leaders during this time period were John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay of Kentucky, and John C. Calhoun. Henry Clay called nationalism the “American System.”
Since colonial days, America had been “a source of raw materials for Europe, particularly Britain, and a market for British finished goods.’’ (Keesee, Sidwell, 192) American manufacturing would “shake up this long standing agreement.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 192) A tariff is a tax on imported goods. A protective tariff is “an unusually high tariff designed

to shield a nation’s manufactures from potentially fatal foreign competition.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 192) The Tariff of 1816 was America’s first “protectionist legislation.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 192)
The charter for the 1st national bank expired in 1811, causing private banks to issue inflationary paper money. The war only worsened financial problems created by inflation, which made it difficult for the national government to meet its “obligations.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 192) The Republicans during the 1790s were “brutally opposed to both a national bank and a protective tariff. When in power, however, they tended to set aside their misgivings over the constitution in favor of such ‘Federalist’ measures”. (Keesee, Sidwell, 193) In 1816, a 20-year charter on a 2nd bank of the United States was approved. Such a bank would assist economic growth by providing “uniform currency, a source for loans to the public and private sectors, and a depository for government revenue.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 193)
The definition of internal improvements is “Funding for roads, canals, and harbor developments that would reinforce commerce and communication…Why should Maine… be taxed to pave a road in Maryland?” (Keesee, Sidwell, 193) The gravel of the national road finally reached from Baltimore, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois.
After the War of 1812, the renewal of trade and the “growth of domestic industry and western land sales” gave the country “economic good times.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 194) The panic was basically a depression. In Liverpool, England, the price of cotton fell “sharply,” because of high American prices and low prices from India. (Keesee, Sidwell, 194) Also, the protective tariff of 1816 caused “oppressive monopolies.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 194) The second cause was irresponsible banks. The banks gave loans to settlers in the western territories. Many defaulted on their loans which caused “bitterness” towards the National bank. (Keesee, Sidwell, 194)
Since new states were being admitted so quickly, people got upset over slavery in the new states. Some wanted slavery to be completely abolished, and others wanted slavery to be legal. People were confused about whether it was okay to have slaves in that area. Luckily, the representatives in DC came up with a solution. The Missouri compromise of 1820 proposed that Maine be admitted as a Free State and Missouri as a slave state, and slavery wouldn’t be permitted north of Missouri’s southern border. Democratization gave the average citizen a greater voice in his government. Voting was extended to all adult white males. There was a strong two-party system
“From 1796 to 1820 a congressional caucus selected the presidential and vice-presidential nominees for its party.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 196) A caucus is a “closed meeting of party leaders.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 196) People were upset because they believed that the caucus was choosing “for the people.” The 1824 election “discredited” the caucus system.
There were four candidates in the presidential election of 1824.

Andrew Jackson, John Q. Adams, William H. Crawford, and Henry Clay were the candidates. Clay couldn’t possibly win, but he could, as Speaker of the House, vote for any candidate. He voted for Adams. When Adams became President, he chose Clay for Secretary of State. People though t that it was a corrupt bargain between Adams and Clay so that Adams would win and Clay could be Secretary of State. The 1828 election ended up being an “Adams-Jackson rematch.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 197) Jackson’s running mate was John C. Calhoun. Adams said that “The reign of King Mob seemed triumphant,” meaning that the mob had chosen

Jackson.
Jackson was born in Carolina backcountry in 1767.His parents were Irish-Presbyterians who had left Ulster 2 years before his birth. His father, Andrew Sr., died in an accident while clearing fields 2 days before Andrew Jr. was born. At 13 he joined the patriot army to fight the British. After the war he studied law in Salisbury, NC. “His grit earned him the admiration of his ranks, ‘He’s tough as hickory,” they would say, and so he was.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 199)
As president, he was not an innovator. Jackson thought that men who held their position for too long would be corrupted by their power. Jackson replaced only 20% of officeholders during his presidency. Spoils system means Jackson’s replacement of officers. The spoils system, in fact, lasted for half a century. Jackson’s cabinet members got their jobs as “political rewards for services performed during the campaign,” but they didn’t really influence his decision. (Keesee, Sidwell, 200) Jackson’s true advisors were a close group of friend’s critics called his “kitchen cabinet.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 200)
In 1828, Congress passed a new tariff which mainly southerners were worried about. They called it the “Tariff of Abominations.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 200) The south opposed it because it destroyed their economy, which relied on shipping. In December 1828, South Carolina denounced the tariff as being unconstitutional. Calhoun wrote a pamphlet that brought up the topic of nullification, meaning the states could nullify any act that was unconstitutional. Daniel Webster argued that a state could neither secede nor nullify an act. John Q. Adams proposed a modification to the tariff which was passed, making the tariff lower, but still higher than Southerners wanted. Finally, Clay proposed the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which was passed on March 1, gradually reduced the tariff.
In 1832, Nicholas Biddle proposed a 20 year renewal of the bank’s charter, even though it didn’t expire until 1836.The recharger bill passed congress, but Jackson vetoed it.

The 1st third party was the Anti-Masonic Party. Jackson won the election again with Van Buren as his vice-president. In October 1833, Roger B. Taney, the new secretary, removed federal deposits and put them into state banks. The Specie Circular of 1836 required that gold or silver coins must be used to buy property instead of paper money.
About 94 treaties were forcibly signed by Indian tribes. The treaties were considered “legal justification” for moving the Indians westward. (Keesee, Sidwell, 204) The Seminole War extended from1835 -42.The Seminole Indians were resisting removal to the west. Almost 1500 Americans and an unknown number of Indians died in the battles. The Cherokees tried to resist by going to court. Justice John Marshall decided in favor of the tribe. Andrew Jackson said, “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.” (Keesee, Sidwell,

204)
Anti-Jackson forces came together to form the Whig party. The Whigs were also a nationalistic party. In 1834, the Whig party “won” 98 seats in the House of Representatives. The Whigs had a plan for the 1836 election. They would put in so many candidates that the votes would be too divided and the vote would be thrown to the House of Representatives. Then, their 98 members would vote for Van Buren, and he would win. Only a few weeks passed after Van Buren became president when the Panic of 1837 began. As discussed before, there were two major causes. Van Buren proposed an independent treasury, but Congress didn’t pass the bill until 1840.
William Henry Harrison and John Tyler ran for president and vice-president in the 1840 election. The Whigs presented Harrison as “a humble, but heroic backwoodsman while Van Buren was dainty and aristocratic.” (Keesee, Sidwell, 208) When Harrison won the election, he got pneumonia during his inaugural speech and died, which made Vice-President John Tyler the president.

Works Cited
Keesee, Timothy, and Mark Sidwell. “The Age of Jackson.” United States History, Fourth ed., BJU Press, 2012, pp. 192–209.