The War of 1812 and the Rise of

Nationalism

• Nationalism (n.) – loyalty or devotion to a nation, especially an attitude, feeling, or belief characterized by a sense of national consciousness; an exaltation of one nation above all others, and an emphasis on loyalty to and promotion of national culture and interests as opposed to subordinate areas or other nations.

• Sectionalism (n.) – devotion to one’s region; holding the interests of a region over the interests of the whole nation.

Post-War Nationalism

• Nationalism was reflected in the post-War period through increased national pride, an emphasis on national issues, an increase in the power and scope of the national gov’t, and a growing sense of American identity.

• In what ways was nationalism present after the War of 1812?– Patriotism– Political– Economic– Cultural

• Economic Nationalism– The War of 1812 illustrated problems with

roads and transportation in the west– 1807-1814 – years of Embargo and

blockades had enabled American manufacturing to develop.

– 1815 – cheap British goods flood the American market

– Henry Clay calls for an “American System”

Mechanization• Samuel Slater

– 1791 - establishes first textile mill in Rhode Island– Textile factories emerge slowly, but boom from

1807-1814– After Treaty of Ghent, 150 of 151 mills close in

Rhode Island…– Tariff of 1816 implemented to protect textiles.

• Eli Whitney– 1793 patents the Cotton “Gin” – device for

removing seeds from cotton; leads to cotton “kingdom” in deep south and a renewed commitment to slavery.

– 1798 – interchangeable parts – contract for gun manufacturing for the US Gov’t

“American System”Proposal ActionProtective Tariff •Adopted 1816; 20-25%

National Bank •BUS Rechartered in 1816

Road / Canal Building •National Road (aka Cumberland Road) construction begins•Bonus Bill (1817) vetoed by Madison; ”internal improvements” seen as unconstitutional•States must undertake their own projects:•Erie Canal (1817/1825); Ohio & Erie Canal (1832)

Cumberland Road

Erie Canal (1817-1825)

• 363 miles; connects Lake Erie to the Hudson

• Impact of the Erie Canal– Cost of shipping 1 ton of grain from Buffalo to

NYC drops $100 to $5; time from 20 days to 6.– Food prices drop as a result; potato prices drop

50% (hurts New England farmers, who move west).

– Towns and cities emerge on the canal; transforms the Trans-Allegehny west into a center of commercial agriculture.

How Locks Work

IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION (ROADS, CANALS, STEAMSHIPS, AND

RAILROADS) LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A:

NATIONAL MARKET

ECONOMY !!!!!

Cultural Nationalism• Literature

– Webster’s New American Dictionary– North American Review (1815)– Knickerbocker School – group of NY writers who

gain recognition• Washington Irving – The Sketch Book (1819)

– Rip Van Winkle; Legend of Sleepy Hollow• James Fenimore Cooper

– Writer from frontier NY– The Spy (1821); The Leatherstocking Tales; The

Last of the Mohicans– Themes explore the contrast between the

“natural men” of the American wilderness v. the artificial men of the “civilized” world

• William Cullen Bryant– First American poet to gain recognition– Thanatopsis (1817)

• Art– Hudson River School

• American landscape artists• Romanticized images of the American West

Thomas Cole “The Oxbow” (1836)

Asher B. Durand “Kindred Spirits” (1845)

Politics

• Death of the Federalist Party– “Era of Good Feelings” / One party rule

emerges– James Madison elected 1816 / 1820

• Makes “tour” of the nation on 1817

• John Marshall & Judicial Nationalism– Decisions increase the power of the

federal gov’t and expand its authority

Marshall’s DecisionsFletcher v. Peck States cannot override contracts

Marbury v. Madison Judicial Review

McCulloch v. Maryland National bank is constitutional.Upholds “loose construction”

Dartmouth v. Woodward

Upholds contracts against state actions

Cohens v. Virginia Judicial review applies to state court decisions as well…

Gibbons v. Ogden Only federal gov’t can regulate interstate trade

Nationalism in Foreign Policy