People in the newly emerged American Republic experienced a surge of nationalistic feelings that impacted the US policy in several ways. First of all, the state’s economic growth led to an increased need for a national currency to facilitate trade between different regions. As a result, President Madison and Congress organized the First and Second Bank of the United States which met opposition from Southern commercialists only (Shi and Tindall 394). Moreover, tariffs were imposed on imported goods to facilitate national manufacture (Shi and Tindall 394). Additionally, the judicial processes of the early 19th century favored the Nationalistic policy, supported by the Supreme Court (Shi and Tindall 397). Thus, after the War of 1812, Nationalism prevailed in legal and financial institutions that affected the development of the United States.
The government attempted to maintain the American system during the period of rapid financial improvement. Its leading proponent was Henry Clay, who claimed to see no difference between the regions of America but the united country instead (Shi and Tindall 399). The tariffs, national currency, and enhanced transportation network offered by the system were beneficial for Northern states primarily. Such a situation produced a fierce debate over the effectiveness of the system. Westerners and Southerners feared the excessive powers given to Philadelphia, a state governing the national bank (Shi and Tindall 400). Thus, the nature of reforms was ambiguous and brought a rise of hostile attitudes from the regions that gained the least.
The presidency of James Madison expired so he recommended James Monroe to be the next leader. After the victorious election, Monroe won a title for his government: “An Era of Good Feelings” (Shi and Tindall 400). Namely, the beginning of his rule was considered peaceful by politicians of the United States, although the stable condition of the country changed soon. First of all, low-priced land trade and excessive raw materials manufacturing caused the Panic of 1819, a financial crisis (Shi and Tindall 401). However, the people apart from the North tended to criticize the Second National Bank for its failure (Shi and Tindall 401). Additionally, Sectionalism arose after the Northern states started to condemn Southerners for the slavery-based economy. Therefore, the bright start of Monroe’s career was darkened by the conflicts of the distinct regions and emerging Sectionalism.
The Nationalistic policy was upheld in the international relationships as well. Although the war between the United States and Britain had ended, disputes over the territories remained. The Rush- Bagot Treaty of 1817 and the Convention of 1818 resolved the majority of these issues (Shi and Tindall 405). Nonetheless, the conflicts with Spain occurred because of uncontrollable Indian raids and the expansionistic policy of the US Army commanded by Andrew Jackson
(Shi and Tindall 406). The General invaded Florida, then a Spanish colony; after lengthy negotiations and martial incursions, the territory was integrated into the United States. Moreover, Monroe proclaimed his famous Doctrine that forbade any colonialism from European countries, which established the American nation as a strong power in the Western world (Shi and Tindall 409). Thereby, the American diplomacy approaches were aligned to the main course of Nationalism and proved the independence of the United States.
The second Monroe’s term was not as optimistic as the first one. As a result, the Democratic Party appeared as the opponent of the Republicans. Andrew Jackson was a figure popular among ordinary people because of his military campaigns and connectedness to the non-commercial population. The other influential politicians considered him an uneducated man with the too strong (Shi and Tindall 412). Although Jackson did not win the election of 1824, he gained numerous supporters that condemned Adams, his competitor (Shi and Tindall 413). The administration of Adams was largely disliked both by politicians and the general people. Finally, common voters chose Jackson as their president since most of the population with civic rights was now composed (Shi and Tindall 417). Thus, the period after the end of Monroe’s presidency was marked by political turmoil and schism.
The short period of economic fluctuations and political intrigues nurtured two spirits: nationalism and sectionalism. Initially, nationalistic moods prevailed in the whole country affected by the victorious end of the war with Britain. The American politicians mainly were from entrepreneurial or judicial circles—thus, well-educated people. Specifically, they proposed financial and legal initiatives that favored free trade and national manufacturing. For this purpose, presidents like Madison and Monroe supported the National Bank, high tariffs for imported goods, and the internal development of each state. The sponsor and primal proponent of the nationalistic policy were Clay, who argued to enhance transportation. Additionally, the American government firmly opposed any European invasions to set the country in the global arena. In brief, the leaders of 1815 to 1828 aimed to build a union of the states.
However, this view was shared by the political elite and not common people. The nationalistic politicians came from the North part of the United States and promoted the laws and regulations that favored their region. They did please the Westerns when they provided the roads and bridges for goods shipments but did not count the Southern states in their plans for improvements. For Southerners who owned slavery-based plantations and a limited amount of factories, the economic reforms were not beneficial. As a result, sensationalistic views emerged as discontent, and economic regression became common in the South. Yet, the solid political leaders that would interfere with Northern authorities did not rise until 1828. Therefore, the nationalistic force was dominant in the period, although sectionalism existed and was popular among Southern states.
The United States diplomacy achieved a level where the country could oppose the terms suggested by its opponents. Namely, Britain and other European countries still considered the Western Hemisphere as a territory for their expansionist endeavors. The war with Britain ended the foreign supremacy but did not resolve the territorial conflicts. To settle these issues, the treaties were signed that created a clear border between the American territories and other countries’ dominions. Moreover, the Monro’s Doctrine proclaimed the unwillingness of the States to tolerate foreign invasions. Although it was not considered legal in Europe, the determination of Americans threatened the possible colonists and prevented further interruptions of Europe. Thus, the United States of America solidified its position as an independent country dominant among the Noth and South continents.
Another subject of international relations was the conflicts with Spain. Namely, the American military felt it possible and appropriate to capture Florida, which was under Spanish control. General Jackson disobeyed the governmental order to remain peaceful on the Spanish territory while conflicts with the Indians. Initially, this initiative met condemnation, but the U.S. Army felt proud of the invasion. The American people considered the soldiers national heroes; this led to the approval of the Florida seizure. Afterward, the United States forcefully bought the region and became almost entirely dominant in Northern America. Accordingly, the nationalistic motifs guided the policies of Monro and the martial decisions of General Jackson; the victory over European colonialism and triumphal expansion of the States territory raised the nationwide pride.
The period of economic growth and prosperity was suddenly stopped by the crisis of 1819. The first reason for this misfortune was the change in the demand for American goods. The manufacturers delivered rough products to European countries and gained great profit from this. However, the unexpected fruitful harvest in Europe lowered the need for foreign products. The farmers had already produced them in significant amounts and now had nowhere to ship them. This event resulted in reducing the revenues of ordinary people and elite entrepreneurs and plantations as well. The other problem lay in the increased interest of the commercialists in loans. The manufacturers wanted to attain more profit and willingly decided to take debts to improve and widen their businesses. The enterprise did not recoup since the lack of demand for the products. Finally, the people who undertook the risk failed and lost their money. Thus, the greed and unpredictable nature of the market led to the crisis of the economy in 1819.
The other important reason was the low prices for the land in the Western region. The government wanted to stimulate the production in the minor industrial areas and allowed the selling of national land considerably cheap. However, some people wanted to take advantage of such a possibility. Consequently, they started to buy land with the hope of selling it overpriced, but the economic disbalance prevented them from that. As the poverty level raised and banks landed money to people reluctantly, the demand for the land was over. Hence, the urge for heightened income and unsuccessful investments resulted in an even worse economic situation.
Work Cited
Shi, David, and George Brown Tindall. America: A Narrative History. Tenth, W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.