Transcript 1803-1828 and the Presidency of James Monroe

The Monroe Presidency
► President
1817-1825
► Monroe
had cautious
attitude toward
governmental powers &
was a “hands-off” leader
► He
was the last of the
“Revolutionary
generation” to hold high
office
James Monroe
Click
“Era of Good Feelings”
►A
period of national harmony & political
cooperation
► Early in his presidency, Monroe toured the
United States to visit and meet Americans
(George Washington was the last President
to do this.)
 Monroe paid his own expenses & tried to travel
without an official escort
 Former President John Adams commended
Monroe’s “unassuming manner”
Nationalism
► Nationalism
► There
– pride and loyalty to a nation
were strong feelings of nationalism
and unity during the “Era of Good Feelings.”
Sectionalism
► Sectionalism
you live
► Regional
– loyalty to the region where
differences soon started to divide
the nation
► People thought of themselves as
Northerners, Southerners, or Westerners
Sectionalism - Differences
► The




different U.S. regions disagreed on:
slavery
the need for tariffs (taxes on imports/ exports)
a national bank
internal improvements (funded projects such as
canals and roads)
The South
► John




C. Calhoun
SOUTH
Slavery
States’ Rights
War Hawk
The North
► Daniel





Webster
NORTH
Free Trade
American Businesses
Tariffs
Great orator (speaker)
The West
► Henry
Clay
 WEST
 War Hawk
 Resolved disputes
through compromise
 Missouri Compromise
 “American System”
The Panic of 1819
► Economic
recession
began in 1818
► Banks failed;
unemployment and
foreclosures soared
► Monroe took small
actions
► Ended by 1823
Some Possible Causes: inflation, public debt from the War of 1812,
beginning of American boom-and-bust
economic cycle, and the Louisiana Purchase
“The American System”
► Henry
Clay’s idea to boost the economy and
prevent future problems included:
 a protective tariff
 a program of internal improvements (canals &
roads)
 national bank
► Many
people disagreed with this plan &
thought it favored wealthy business owners
in the North. Very little of this plan went
into effect.
Florida Cession - 1819
► Florida
ruled by Spain, but Spain had very
little presence
 Inhabited by pirates, outlaws (criminals), and
Native Americans
► Seminole
Indians attacked across the border
(encouraged by British privateers)
Florida Cession
► Andrew
Jackson “dealt with” the Native
Americans and British
 Troops invaded Florida
 Jackson captured & hung
British instigators
► U.S.
negotiated with
Spain for Florida
► Spain ceded Florida
without a fight
The Missouri Controversy
► The
South wanted Missouri admitted as a
slave state.
► The North wanted Missouri admitted as a
free state.
► Either
way, power in the Senate would be
unbalanced.
The Missouri Compromise - 1820
► Question
of whether to
permit slavery in new
states and territories
► No clear way to
determine Missouri’s
status
► Admission as a slave
state would skew
political balance
The Missouri Compromise
► Maine
applied
for admission at the
same time
► Missouri admitted as
a slave state, Maine
as a free state
► Balance in Senate
preserved
► Set 36º30' as
boundary between
slave and
free territories
36º30'
The Monroe Doctrine - 1823
► Stated
that the U.S. would
defend the Western
Hemisphere from
European interference
► The
U.S. would not bother any
existing European colonies but
would oppose any new ones.
► Basically
- “You stay in your
hemisphere, we’ll stay in ours.”
Effect of the Monroe Doctrine
► Monroe
changed U.S. foreign policy by
stating that the United States would take
action against European nations that tried
to build new colonies in the Americas.
► It
has remained an important part of U.S.
foreign policy for over 180 years.