The War of 1812 and the Rise of Nationalism

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The War of 1812 and the Rise of Nationalism
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• 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 ones region
  holding the interests of a region over the
  interests of the whole nation.

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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 govt, and a growing sense
  of American identity.
• In what ways was nationalism present after the
  War of 1812?
• Patriotism
• Political
• Economic
• Cultural

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• 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

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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 Govt

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American System
Proposal Action
Protective 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)
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Cumberland Road
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Erie Canal (1817-1825)

• 363 miles connects Lake Erie to the Hudson

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• 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.

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How Locks Work
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• IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION (ROADS, CANALS,
  STEAMSHIPS, AND RAILROADS) LEAD TO THE
  DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL MARKET ECONOMY !!!!!

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Cultural Nationalism

• Literature
• Websters 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)

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• Art
• Hudson River School
• American landscape artists
• Romanticized images of the American West

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Thomas Cole The Oxbow (1836)
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Asher B. Durand Kindred Spirits (1845)
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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 govt
  and expand its authority

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Marshalls Decisions
Fletcher 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 govt can regulate interstate trade
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Nationalism in Foreign Policy