Transcript The American Nation - ststanislausclasspe

The Nation Grows and Prospers
1790–1825
The Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution—a long, slow process, begun in Britain,
that completely changed the way goods were produced
– Gradually machines replaced hand tools.
– New sources of power such as steam replaced human and animal
power.
– The economy began a gradual shift toward manufacturing.
– New technology transformed the textile industry. A water-powered
loom that could weave cloth faster replaced older, hand-operated
looms.
– Instead of working alone in their homes, many workers went to
work where the machinery was—in large mills near rivers. This
new system of work is called the factory system.
How Early Settlers Traveled
Great Wagon
Road
across Pennsylvania
Wilderness Road
opened by Daniel Boone; through the
Cumberland Gap into Kentucky
Flatboats down
the Ohio River
into Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois
Southern trails
westward from Georgia and South Carolina to
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana
Northern trails
from New England, New York, and
Pennsylvania into the Northwest Territory
Steamboats Improved
Transportation
• Robert Fulton launched his own steamboat, on the
Hudson River. It carried passengers from New York
City to Albany in record time.
• Soon, steamboats were carrying passengers up and
down the Atlantic coast. Steamboats carried
passengers and goods on the Mississippi, Ohio, and
Missouri rivers.
Canals Improved Transportation
The Erie Canal
• Some New Yorkers had the idea of building a canal linking the
Great Lakes with the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. The Erie
Canal would let western farmers ship their goods to New York.
• New York governor DeWitt Clinton persuaded the state
legislature to put up money for the Erie Canal.
• Work began in 1817 and was finished in 1825. The cost of
shipping goods dropped to about one tenth of what it had been
and helped make New York City a commercial center.
• The success of the Erie Canal led other states to build canals,
too.
The Era of Good Feelings
James Monroe
• A Republican; defeated the Federalist candidate
for President in the election of 1816.
• A popular, easygoing President, he hoped to
create a new sense of national unity. One
newspaper wrote that the United States was
entering an “era of good feelings.”
• When he ran for a second term, no candidate
opposed him.
The United States Gains Florida
• Southerners worried about the Creek and Seminole
Indians of Florida raiding Georgia settlements.
• In 1818 Andrew Jackson led American troops into
Florida. Spain protested but was busy with revolutions in
Latin America.
• Spain agreed to give Florida to the United States for $5
million.
Latin American Nations Win
Independence
The Monroe Doctrine
The Background
• In 1815, Prussia, France, Russia, and Austria formed an
alliance aimed at crushing any revolution in Europe.
They seemed ready to help Spain take back its colonies
in Latin America.
• Russia claimed lands on the Pacific coast of North
America.
• The British feared their trade would be hurt if Spain
regained control of its former colonies. Thus, Britain
suggested the United States and Britain issue a joint
statement guaranteeing the freedom of the new nations.
The Monroe Doctrine
Monroe’s Foreign Policy
• President Monroe acted independently of Britain. He
issued a foreign policy statement known as the
Monroe Doctrine.
• The United States would not interfere in the affairs of
European nations or their existing colonies.
• At the same time, European nations should not try to
regain control of the newly independent nations of
Latin America.
The Jacksonian Era
1824–1840
The Growing Spirit of Equality
Affected Voting Rights
• The United States was growing rapidly.
• Many new states were in the west, between the
Appalachians and the Mississippi.
• More people gained suffrage, or the right to vote. In
western states, any white man over age 21 could vote.
• In eastern states, reformers worked to expand suffrage.
By the 1830s, most eastern states had dropped the
requirement that voters own land.
The Dispute Over the
Election of 1824
The Candidates
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The Election
• William Crawford became too ill to campaign.
• Andrew Jackson won the popular vote.
• No candidate won a majority, or more than half, of the
electoral vote. The election went to the House of
Representatives.
• The House named John Quincy Adams President.
Hard feelings
In the electoral vote, Henry Clay had finished last, so he was
out of the running when the election went to the House. He
was Speaker of the House. He urged House members to vote
for Adams. Later, Adams named Clay his Secretary of State.
Jackson and his supporters said that Adams and Clay had
worked together to steal the election.
John Quincy Adams, with support in New England
Henry Clay, with support in the West
Andrew Jackson, with support in the West
William Crawford, with support in the South
The Spoils System
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When he took office, Jackson fired many government employees and
replaced them with his supporters.
Critics accused Jackson of rewarding Democrats for helping to elect
him instead of choosing men who were qualified.
Jackson said he was serving democracy by letting more citizens take
part in government. He felt that ordinary Americans were capable of
doing government jobs.
The practice of rewarding supporters with government jobs became
known as the spoils system.
Native Americans Are Forced From
Their Homeland
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The Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Seminole nations lived in the
Southeast. Settlers wanted the Indian’s land for growing cotton.
President Jackson sided with the settlers. The federal government set aside
lands beyond the Mississippi and had begun to persuade or force Indians to
move to land that had been set aside.
Georgia claimed the right to make laws for the Cherokee nation. The Cherokees
went to court, arguing that their treaties with the federal government protected
their rights and their property. When the case reached the Supreme Court, the
Court agreed that the Constitution protected the Cherokees.
President Jackson refused to enforce the Court’s decision. In the Cherokee
case, he backed states’ rights.
Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. It forced many Native
Americans to move west of the Mississippi.
The United States Army drove more than 15,000 Cherokees westward.
Thousands perished during the march. The long, sad journey west became
known as the Trail of Tears.