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AN AMERICAN

IDENTITY 9.2 – Nationalism

MAIN IDEA A rising sense of national unity allowed some regional

differences to be set aside and national interests to be

served. This nationalism led to improvements in the

nation’s transportation systems. The Missouri

Compromise settled an important regional conflict,

while the election of 1824 led to controversy.

Nelson History Curriculum U.S. History through Reconstruction

NELSON HISTORY CURRICULUM 36

36 An American Identity: Nationalism 9.2

Learning Target: I can explain how a growing sense of nationalism allowed sectional differences to

be set aside to serve the interests of the country.

Directions: Answer the questions below in your social studies notebook.

1. Identify the disputes that existed between the U.S. and foreign nations after the War of 1812.

2. Summarize the four points of the Monroe Doctrine.

1. We are all Americans, but where we come from in the United States and our ethnic and religious

backgrounds shape our different cultures. Describe your cultural background, such as religion,

types of food, family traditions, beliefs, etc.

Nationalism – feelings of pride and loyalty to a nation.

American System – a series of measures intended to make the United States economically self-

sufficient.

Era of Good Feelings – an era of peace, pride, and progress.

Sectionalism – disagreements between regions of the country.

Missouri Compromise – settled conflict that had arisen from Missouri’s application for statehood.

Flashback

Preview

Vocabulary



Directions: Re-create the graphic organizer below in your social studies notebook to take notes as you

read.

Topic Information

Summary of Section:

Following the War of 1812

and success with peaceful

negotiations with foreign

nations, Americans

experienced a growing sense

of nationalism, or the feeling

of pride and loyalty to a

nation. U.S. representative

Henry Clay of Kentucky was a

strong supporter of National

Unity.

Clay believed a strong

national economy would

promote nationalism and

reduce regional conflicts. He

developed a plan that came to

be known as the American

System, or a series of

measures intended to make

the United States

economically self-sufficient.

He pushed for a national bank

that would provide a single currency, making interstate commerce easier. Clay wanted the money from

a protective tariff to be used to improve roads and canals. These internal improvements would unite the

country.

Increasing Nationalism

As you read, take notes:



Most roads in the United States were made of dirt in the early 1800s. Travel was difficult. To improve

the roads, Congress agreed with Clay and invested in road building. The Cumberland Road was the first

road built by the federal government. It began in Cumberland, Maryland and ran to Wheeling, West

Virginia. Construction began in 1815 and work was difficult, done without the benefit of today’s modern

equipment. By 1818, the road reached Wheeling. By 1833, the National Road, as the expansion was

called, stretched to Columbus, Ohio. By 1850, it reached Illinois.

Meanwhile, Americans tried to make water transportation easier by building canals. One of the largest

projects was the Erie Canal, which ran from Albany to Buffalo, New York. Construction of the canal

began in 1817 and was completed in 1825. British, German, and Irish immigrants dug the entire canal by

hand. The canal cost millions of dollars, but was worth the expense. The Erie Canal allowed goods and

people to move between towns on Lake Erie and New York City and the east coast. Its success sparked a

canal-building boom across the country.

While these projects were occurring, the United States enjoyed the Era of Good Feelings, an era of

peace, pride, and progress. The emphasis on national unity was strengthened by two Supreme Court

cases that reinforced the power of the federal government. In the 1819 case of McCulloch v. Maryland,

the Court asserted the implied powers of Congress in allowing for the creation of a national bank. In the

1824 case of Gibbons v. Ogden, the Court said that states could not interfere with the power of Congress

to regulate interstate commerce.

During the Era of Good Feelings, there were still disagreements between regions, which was known as

sectionalism. These disagreements threatened the Union. In 1819, Congress considered Missouri’s

application for statehood. It wanted to be a slave state. At the time, the Union had 11 free and 11 slave

states. Adding a new slave state would have tipped the balance in the Senate in favor of the South.

To protect the power of the free states, the House passed a special amendment. It declared that the

United States would accept Missouri as a slave state, but importing enslaved Africans into Missouri

would be illegal. The amendment also set free the children of Missouri slaves. Southern politicians

angrily opposed this plan. Eventually, the amendment was rejected and Missouri was still not added as a

state.

Formative Assessment:

Identify what was Nationalism.

Explain the purpose of the American System.

Analyze how building canals and roads benefits the idea of nationalism and the economy.

Missouri Compromise



Henry Clay convinced Congress

to agree to the Missouri

Compromise, which settled the

conflict that had arisen from

Missouri’s application for

statehood. This compromise

had three main conditions:

1. Missouri would enter

the Union as a slave

state.

2. Maine would join the

Union as a free state,

keeping the number of

slave and free states

equal.

3. Slavery would be

prohibited in any new territories or states formed north of 36°30’ latitude – Missouri’s southern

border.

Congress passed the Missouri Compromise in 1820. Despite the success of the compromise,

disagreements between the North and South over the expansion of slavery continued.

There was other controversy as well. In the election of 1824, Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but

did not have enough electoral votes to win office. Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives

had to choose the winner. When the House chose John Quincy Adams as president, Jackson’s supporters

accused Adams of corruption – making a deal with Henry Clay. These accusations grew worse after

Adams chose Clay to be secretary of state. This controversy weakened Adams’s support.


Summarize the Missouri Compromise.

Analyze the importance of the Missouri Compromise and its effects on the Union.



Following the War of 1812, Americans began to express an identify through literature, art, religion,

architecture, and education.

Writers

One of the first American writers to gain international fame was Washington Irving. Born in 1783, he

told about American history through humorous form of writing called satire. He warned we should learn

from the past and be cautious about the future. His most famous work is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,

published in an 1819-1820 collection.

Other writers focused on authentically American characters and society. The best known was James

Fenimore Cooper. Cooper was born in 1789 and wrote stories about the west and the Native Americans

who lived on the frontier. His novels told of settling the western frontier and included historical events.

His most famous work, The Last of the Mohicans, takes place during the French and Indian War. He

helped popularize Historical Fiction, a type of writing that places fictional characters in a real historical

setting.

Art

The writings of Irving and Cooper inspired painters, who began to paint landscapes that showed the

history of American and the beauty of the land. Early Americans had painted mostly portraits. By 1839,

the Hudson River School emerged. Artists at this school created paintings that reflected national pride

and an appreciation of the American landscape.

By the 1840s, style of artists began to change. They combined images of the American landscape with

scenes from people’s daily lives.

Religion & Music

Through the early and mid-1800s, several waves of religious revivalism swept the United States.

Meetings were held for the purpose of reawakening religious faith. These meetings could last for days

and include large sing-alongs. At these meetings, people sang songs called spirituals, a type of folk-hymn

found in both white and African American traditions.

Popular folk music of the period reflected the unique views of the growing nation, such as celebrating

the Battle of New Orleans.

Architecture & Education

Before the American Revolution, most architects followed the style used in Great Britain. Following the

American Revolution, Americans began to model their architecture after the styles used in ancient

Greece and Rome. They admired these ancient cultures because they contained some of the same

democratic and republican ideals as the new American nation did. Buildings were often made of marble

and stone and included large columns.

American Culture



Americans also embraced educational progress. Many believed that democracy would only succeed in a

country of educated people.

Eventually, the idea of a state-funded public school gathered support. In 1837, Massachusetts created a

state board of education and other states soon followed.

Directions: Answer the questions below in your social studies notebook.

1. Identify the Era of Good Feelings.

2. Analyze the impact of the Supreme Court cases, McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden,

on the federal government.

3. Analyze the impact of transportation improvements, such as canals and new roads.

4. Summarize the problem caused by Missouri’s request for statehood.

5. Summarize the Missouri Compromise.

6. Identify the Characteristics of American Culture during the 1820s and 1830s for each of the

following: Literature, Art, Religious Music, Architecture, and Education.

7. Many Americans believed an educated society is needed to maintain a democracy. Do you

believe this to be true? Explain why an educated society is needed or why it is not.

Review


Describe the characteristics of each of the following new developments in American Culture during

the 1820s and 1830s.

Literature

Visual Art

Religious Music

Architecture

Education



Then & Now Poster

Directions: You are going to create a Then & Now poster. Your poster will feature two side-by-side

frames, highlighting sectionalism and nationalism from the early 1800s and 2000s.

On one side, you will label and list the changes and issues that helped create nationalism in the early

1800s and label and list the issues that caused sectionalism in the 1800s. You will include at least one

image for nationalism and one image for sectionalism.

On the other side, you will do the same as above for today. Think about issues that create national pride

and issues that divide the nation. You will include one image for nationalism and one image for

sectionalism.

Your poster will be colored.

Closure Activity



Directions: Use the chart below to answer the following questions in your social studies notebook.

1. Which two cities experienced the greatest growth in population due to the Erie Canal being

built?

2. Infer why these two cities would have experienced such a boom to their population as a result

of the Erie Canal being built.

Analyzing Charts

Albany, NY

Buffalo, NY

Chicago, IL

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

18201830

1840

Erie Canal's Effect on Population Growth

Albany, NY Buffalo, NY Chicago, IL



1. Nationalism is the feeling of,

a. of pride and loyalty to a nation

b. disagreements between the different regions of the U.S.

c. the dividing of free and slave states

d. the combining of territories to form states

2. Sectionalism is,

a. of pride and loyalty to a nation

b. disagreements between the different regions of the U.S.

c. the dividing of free and slave states

d. the combining of territories to form states

3. All of the following were conditions of the Missouri Compromise, EXCEPT

a. Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state

b. Maine would enter the Union as a free state

c. Anytime a state entered the union as a slave state, a free state would also be admitted

d. Slavery would be prohibited in states and territories north of 36°30’ latitude

4. Describe Henry’s Clay’s American system and his plan to create more nationalism.

5. Analyze the benefits of canal and road building on the United States.

Section 9.2: Assessment

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