Nationalism

In the early 19th Century (1800s), the American society experienced a period of nationalism. Before, most American thought of themselves as members of a particular state rather than as members of a united American nation. Many historians call this time period "the Era of Good Feelings". While this title is not entirely accurate there are some reasons for American nationalism at the time:

1. The War of 1812 ended in 1815, ad with it came a strong sense of national pride. Many Americans saw this war with the British as a "second war of independence". They had been particularly upset with the practice of impressment, by which the British drafted American merchant seamen into service in the British navy.

2. There were war heroes such as Andrew Jackson who won a big victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans. (The war had officially ended shortly before the battle, but Jackson and the British had not yet been informed of that.) Also, William Henry Harrison was notable for his victory at the Battle of the Thames, in which the Native American leader, Tecumseh, was killed.

3. With American victory in the War of 1812, the Federalist Party, who were primarily in the New England states and protested the war, for all intents and purposes ceased to exist. In fact, James Monroe, a Democratic-Republican, faced no major party opposition for the presidency in 1820.

4. President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, warning European powers to stay out of the western hemisphere.

5. John Marshall, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, issued a number of rulings which increased the power of the national government in relation to the states. Using a loose interpretation of the Constitution, he ruled that the national government had the power to create a national bank and that the State of Maryland could not tax the bank. (McCulloch v. Maryland) He also ruled that a law of Congress, giving Thomas Gibbons a license to ferry passengers across the Hudson River superseded [overrode] a lay of the State of NY giving Aaron Ogden the exclusive right to conduct such business. (Gibbons v. Ogden)

6. Congress, under the leadership of Henry Clay, was able to successfully resolve the issue of the extension of slavery for the time being through the Missouri Compromise. By adding a new slave state and a new free state at the same time and settling the issue of slavery in the western territories with the 36, 30 line northern and southern states found a way to peacefully coexist, at least temporarily.

7. Also, Henry Clay proposed his American system, which included:

• Support for a high tariff to protect American industries and generate revenue for the federal government
• Maintenance of high public land prices to generate federal revenue
• Preservation of the Bank of the United States to stabilize the currency and rein in risky state and local banks
• Development of a system of internal improvements (such as roads and canals) which would knit the nation together and be financed by the tariff and land sales revenues.

Questions:
1. Was the War of 1812 a "second war for independence"?
2. What are some ways that the U.S. has become nationalized in the past 10 years or so?
3. What do you think the Anti-Federalists would have said about this period if they were still around? Would their fears of an over-powerful national government be coming true?

The Marshall Court

The US Constitution gives the president the power to veto bills that Congress is trying to pass. However, it does not explicitly state that the Supreme Court has the power to strike down a law of Congress. This power of judicial review is a product of the Court's own interpretation in Marbury v. Madison.

Chief Justice John Marshall made the following statements concerning the Court in Marbury v. Madison:

"It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is."

"So if a law be in opposition to the constitution: if both the law and the constitution apply to a particular case, so that the court must either decide that case conformably to the law, disregarding the constitution; or conformably to the constitution, disregarding the law; the court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case. This is of the very essence of judicial duty."

Questions:
1) What is John Marshall saying about the Supreme Court and its role?
2) Was Marbury v. Madison a power grab by Marshall? If so, was this act unconstitutional? If so, what could the other branches of government do about it? If not, should the legislative and executive branches assume powers for themselves that are not explicitly stated in the Constitution?
3) Is the American government better off with or without the Supreme Court having the power of judicial review? Explain.

Political Party Sytem

This is a basic summary of the history
of the American two-party system.
Hopefully it provides a little clarity.
There are two specific time periods where
the was no clear two-party system: the
Presidency of George Washington,
who did not represent a political party,
and the "Era of Good Feelings",
shortly after the Federalist Party had
faded away after the War of 1812.

The Democratic Party of today began
with Andrew Jackson and is a descendant
of the Jeffersonian Republicans.
The Republican Party of today began at
the time of Abraham Lincoln and has
some similarities with the Federalist Party.

Questions:
1) To what extent is the modern Democratic Party representative of Jeffersonian principles? To what extent is it representative of
Jacksonian principles?
2) To what extent is the modern Republican Party representative of Hamiltonian principles? To what extent is it representative of the ideas of Abraham Lincoln?