Fall 2000, American History I, Notes from 10/17/00

American History I
Notes from 10/17

We began to discuss the period from 1809 (inauguration of James Madison) through 1828 (election of Andrew Jackson). This is known as a period of nationalism and nation building, in which the United States survived a second war with Great Britain and when Americans began to settle the vast lands of the Louisiana Territory and beyond.

The War of 1812. As noted previously, Jefferson was unable to satisfactorily maintain American neutrality during the protracted conflict between England and France, and his successor, James Madison, became president during a time of heightened tension. The British continued their policy of seizing American ships and "impressing" American sailors into the British navy

Moreover, the British were suspected of instigating Native Americans to violently resist American settlements along the frontier. As white settlers began to push westward, particularly after the Louisiana Purchase (1803), some Native American populations began to mount a more organized resistance. I mentioned the Shawnee spiritual leader Tenskwatawa, also known as the Prophet (page 235), who began preaching about revitalizing native cultures, resisting alcohol, and preventing further encroachments by whites. Although Tenskwatawa preached a form of non-violent resistance, his brother, Tecumseh, advocated the use of force. In 1811, the Governor of the Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison (a future President), led U.S. troops in a battle against the Shawnee, at a place called Tippecanoe. Although more American lives were lost than Shawnee, this confrontation forced Tecumseh to actively seek British military assistance, a decision which would make the American Congress more hostile towards Great Britain in the months leading up to the War of 1812.

The British also insisted on maintaining a number of forts in the Northwest Territory, despite the provisions of the Treaty of Paris (1783). By 1811, the Congress was increasingly in favor of war with England; "War Hawks" appealed not only to American nationalism but also to the opportunity to expand territorially by taking Canada from the British.

In June 1812, Madison asked for a formal declaration of war. Despite considerable opposition (particularly from New England states), Congress declared war and fighting began along the Great Lakes within a month.

The War of 1812 was largely a military stalemate. American attempts to seize Canada were unsuccessful. Although the British burned Washington, D.C. on August 24, 1814, they too were unable to deal a decisive blow to the scattered and resilient American forces. After the British left Washington, they laid siege to the city of Baltimore, and during the fierce battle that ensued, in September, 1814, a physician named Francis Scott Key penned the words that would become the song the Star Spangled Banner, America's national anthem.

The Treaty of Ghent ended the war in December, 1814, leaving all of the issues that had started the conflict largely unresolved. Because news of the peace took several weeks to reach the United States, fighting continued even after the treaty had been signed. On January 8, 1815, American troops led by Andrew Jackson won an important symbolic victory against the British at the Battle of New Orleans, propelling Jackson to a position of national prominence and a future presidency as well (1829-1837).

Although the war had ended in a draw, the fact that the United States had survived the conflict intact (along with Andrew Jackson's victory in the Battle of New Orleans, which came after the peace treaty), was a source of American pride, and fueled the sense of nationalism that has come to characterize this period. However, the Federalist Party, which had opposed the war, did not survive. As the war drew to a close, Federalists met in Hartford, Connecticut, to discuss ways of amending the constitution to limit presidential powers and strike a better balance of power between northern and southern states. Although the Federalist proposals were fairly conservative, others saw the Hartford Convention, taking place while the country was at war, as something akin to an act of treason. The Federalists were never able to regain their position of political prominence, and ultimately faded into history.