Nationalism at Center Stage 1807-Robert Fulton installed a steam engine on a boat, & cruised up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany- 150 miles in 32 hours The boat-the Clermont-luxurious, with a wood-paneled dining room & private bedrooms The Clermont inaugurated the steamboat era-& this method of transportation quickly spread to the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers North & South would be united- US national spirit would be growing
Fulton Gains a State Charter Fulton had received a charter from New York state, giving him exclusive rights to run steam boats on NY rivers This gave Fulton a monopoly-(exclusive legal control of a commercial activity) Fulton s charter allowed him to charge other steamboat operators for licenses to run on the river
Supreme Court Boosts National Power Fulton sold a state license to Aaron Ogden, allowing him to run a steamship between New York & New Jersey Thomas Gibbons began to run a similar service in the same area without a NY license, claiming federal law gave him the right Whose license-ogden s or Gibbon s-was legally valid? Ogden sued Gibbon in court to stop him from cutting into his business Ogden Gibbon
Gibbons vs. Ogden, 1824 The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court The issue was: Who has the right to control interstate commerce-the states or the federal government? Supreme Court ruled only the US govt. could regulate interstate commerce Ogden s exclusive right granted by New York was invalid, since the route connected 2 states
The Impact of Gibbons Vs. Ogden The Supreme Court s decision boosted the power of the federal government After Gibbons vs. Ogden, anything that crosses state lines is subject to federal jurisdiction Today, that authority means the feds control everything from air traffic to TV & radio to cell phones The ruling also led to future court decisions favoring competition over monopolies
The Federal Govt. Higher Than States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall guided another ruling in 1819 Maryland put a heavy tax on the local Branch of the Bank of the US, hoping to make it fail Bank Manager James McCullough refused to pay In McCullough vs. Maryland, Marshall declared that if this were allowed, states would in effect be overturning laws passed by Congress The power to tax is the power to destroy he said, denying Maryland the power to tax a federal institution Baltimore Branch Office of the Bank of the US, managed by James McCullough
Limiting State Powers The Marshall Court also made several rulings blocking state interference in business & overturning state laws 1810-Fletcher vs. Peck-The Court nullified a Georgia law that had violated individuals constitutional right to enter into contracts 1819-Dartmouth vs. Woodward- New Hampshire could not revise the original charter granted to Dartmouth College in colonial times
Nationalism Shapes Foreign Policy Nationalism-the belief that national interests should be placed ahead of regional or state concerns, or the interests of other countries Thus nationalism and sectionalism are opposed One leading nationalist during the Era of Good Feelings was Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, son of 2 nd president John Adams Adams used nationalism to guide US foreign policy
Territory and Boundaries Working under President Monroe, Adams made national security & expansion his priorities Adams reached a treaty with Britain to reduce the Great Lakes fleets of both countries 1817-The Rush-Bagot treaty led US & Canada to completely demilitarize their border, which was set at the 49 th parallel Britain & the US would jointly occupy the Oregon Territory for 10 years
Most Americans assumed that Spanish Florida would eventually become part of the US 1819-Spain was too weak to police its New World colonies Mexico and most of Latin America would soon throw out the Spanish In that year, Spain ceded Florida to the US, and gave up its claims to the Oregon Territory Getting Florida
Europeans Want Their Empires Back After Spain & Portugal defeated Napoleon in 1815, both tried to reassert control over their American colonies Meanwhile, Russia had been creating settlements from Alaska down to California The US realized it needed to do something Many Americans wanted to acquire northern Mexico & Cuba Moreover, the Russian presence in California threatened the hugely profitable US trade with China
The Monroe Doctrine 1823-In his annual message to Congress, Pres. Monroe warned all outside powers not to reestablish their colonies in the Americas The US, Monroe said, would consider any attempt to overthrow the newlyemerging independent republics an act of war The US would move to protect those countries If Europe stayed out of the Americas, the US promised to stay out of European affairs
Nationalism Pushes Expansion West During the administrations of Monroe & John Q. Adams, American settlers flooded into the old Northwest Territory They felled forests, turned lush prairies into farms, & waterfronts into city centers Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, & Michigan became states
Some settlers went west to escape debts or trouble with the law Most pushed west in search of economic gainland was cheap, fertile, & plentiful One could easily change jobs on the frontier Why Go West?
Example: Jim Beckwourth Jim Beckwourth, son of a white man & African-American woman, started west with a furtrading expedition in 1823 He lived among the Crow tribe, then became mountain man and an army scout 1850-He settled in California to become a rancher, but had other occupations before his death in 1867
Missouri Wants In When a territory reached 60,000 population, it could apply for admission to the Union, draft a state constitution, & elect representatives 1819-Missouri requested admission to the US, but this caused trouble Nationalism was being challenged by an issue that confronted the framers of the Constitution---slavery
The Balance is Upset 1818-The US consisted of 10 free states, 10 slave states-both sides were equal in the Senate with 20 senators each That year, Illinois became the 11 th free state Southerners expected that Missouri would become the 11 th slave state, thus keeping the balance between the 2 sections of the US
The Trouble With Missouri In the House, the more populous northern states had an advantage A bill passed the House that would require Missouri to gradually free its slaves if it wanted to become a state Southerners in the Senate saw this as a threat to their power, & blocked its passage Meanwhile, Congress admitted Alabama to the Union as a slave statenow it was 11 to 11
Missouri Threatens National Unity Now Missouri s status-slave or free-became crucial to the delicate balance between the North and South Slaveholding states complained Northerners were trying to end slavery Northerners accused Southerners of plotting to extend slavery to new territories Both sides mentioned civil war and an end to the Union if their side did not get Missouri
The Missouri Compromise Henry Clay of Kentucky came up with a solution to satisfy both sides Maine was shaved off from Massachusetts to become a free state Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, thus preserving the sectional balance in the Senate
Problem Solved (For Now) Clay drew a line extending the bottom border of Missouri to the Pacific Below that line, slavery was legal, but above it slavery was illegal (Missouri excepted) For a generation, the problem of slavery in federal territories seemed settled
Influence of Nationalism Nation s Courts Foreign Affairs Westward Expansion Gibbons vs. Ogden, 1824-allowed Fed. Govt. to regulate interstate commerce McCullough vs. Maryland, 1819-states can t tax federal government US & Canada demilitarize their border with Rush-Bagot Treaty Spain surrenders Florida with Adams-Onis Treaty Monroe Doctrine protects American republics from Europeans Land cheap, abundant, and fertile US territories expand, with new states being admitted Balance in the Senate between sections maintained by Missouri Compromise
Influence of Nationalism Nation s Courts Foreign Affairs Westward Expansion