American Society Between 1820-1848 - Ap United States History

        Despite earning their independence in 1775, the United States was still trying to find its footing as a new nation. The founding fathers initially failed in their attempt at creating a republican government with the Articles of Confederation, but they then created one of the most revolutionary documents in history, the United States Constitution. The government was far from up to the task of following through on the Constitution's promises. Equality was still limited to white male landowners, leaving out white men, women, slaves, and free blacks. Over time, politicians began arguing about where the nation was headed; they created factions which soon developed into parties. Alexander Hamilton lead the Federalists in pursuit of commerce, industry and federal power, while Thomas Jefferson lead the National Republicans in pursuit of agriculture and state power.  Between in 1820 and 1848 however, change became exponential as the seeds of civil war arose, Jacksonian Democracy took the first steps to true democracy and made major economic changes, and the fight for equality arose beyond white landowners.

        Since the start of time, politics has been an institution that everyone wished to control, for their own good, or for their view of their nation.  Same as within the United States’ government, according to John Quincy Adams in 1820, the House of Senate and the House of Representatives has been trying to limit the executive branch’s powers.      John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary that with the depression of manufactures (Panic of 1819), people began to resent the Bank’s control on national revenue circulation because they see it as monopoly because it was controlled jointly by government and the wealthy businessmen who invests in the bank.  Manufactures also called for protection on foreign trade, which led to the Tariff of 1824 that benefitted northern manufactures and western agricultures.   In 1828, north and west together pushed the Tariff of 1828, which protected northern and western products from foreign competition, which caused south to buy more manufactured goods from the north, at a high price which New England economy was benefited greatly.  Meanwhile, British’s reduction of their cotton imports severely damaged southern economy because cotton was the major income of south.  
Adams also mentioned that the division like between political parties has turned to individual oppositions, this opposition is clearly seen in South Carolina, which had an urge to nullify the Tariff of 1828 (eventually to nullify Tariff of 1832), which indirectly set stage for the nullification crisis in 1832 when the Tariff of 1832 did not reduce enough tariffs to meet southern requirements.  Nullification crisis allowed radical South Carolina come to a conclusion that only secession could protect slavery, because the north and west would always try to either contain it or to fully abolish it.  The series of Tariffs (1824, 1828, and 1832) set stage of southern resentment of the Union, which in turn strengthens the sectional feeling of the nation that will eventually tear the nation in half.  Industrialization in the north indeed improved the American economy and America’s status in the world, but it reduces the skills of the workforce.  (Garraty 201, 251, 253, Document 1)

i wouldnt talk about sectional issues in doc 1, considering how it was still during the era of good feelings and the country was far from divided. talk about how different political stances started to take form due to mo compromise and panic of 1819 which led to the splitting to the democratic republican party thus leading to the democratization of politics.

        Going into 1820, the United States had a host of problems. The first of which is the struggle between the the House of Representatives and the Senate, whom both wanted to control the Executive office. John Quincy Adams,  who was the Secretary of State to James Monroe at the time, showed extreme discontent for this struggle during a diary entry on January 8, 1820.  Also, the political parties of the time lost their previous distinctions. Following the Panic of 1819, politicians became more concerned about their sectional and personal goals in regards to national issues. Many of these issues were new economic developments such as the national bank, currency, and commerce. The first major issue to arise however was was whether the Missouri Territory, who was applying for statehood, should become a free or a slave state. Before this point territories had been easily admitted into the union thanks to the Northwest Ordinance, but Missouri created an issue in the fact it would upset the free state/slave state balance. Northerners did not want the Missouri to be a slave state because due to the three fourths compromise, southern states would get more representatives in Congress. Henry Clay eventually resolved the issue with the Missouri Compromise, which would admit Marine as a free state and established the line 36°30" to determine whether new states are free or slave states. (Doc 1)

        Another major change during this time of development was the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution came as a result to the rapid development of factories and mass manufacturing. Goods were being made less and less by hand in people's homes, and more were being made with machines operated by assembly lines of men, women, and children.  The machines include the likes of the cotton gin and the spinning jenny. They increased the productivity of the production of goods which spurred economic growth. This economic growth caused a series of improvements to businesses’ organization and financing. For example, the Bank of the United States flourished as it provided credit for the growing businesses (Garraty, 216). On there surface, there were clear advantages and disadvantages to the factory system. In his 1831 work, Democracy in America, French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville noted workers became dependent and weak within the factory system and caused the small scale inequalities to increase. However, he also mentioned that the mass production allowed for more uniform goods, and that it was much more profitable than artisan production. (Doc 2)

         One biggest political battles of Jackson’s presidency was his war with the Bank. In addition with his establishment of Specie Circular, Jackson established a personal war against the bank. The bank Established sound footing during the Industrial revolution under Nicholas Biddle who became president of the bank in 1823. Despite his success, Biddle earned many enemies, including Jackson. Biddle used his success to gain significant influence over politics, established monopolies, and much of the public, ignorant to the system, distrusted paper money (Garraty, 346).  Jackson, given his democratic ideals, viewed the bank as corrupt and made Biddle his enemy. As a result, Biddle tried to use his political influence during the election 1832 to dethrone Jackson with the help of the National Republican party under Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. He attempted to renew the charter during the election, but Jackson vetoed it, destroying the bank. This would soon result in the development of Jackson’s pet banks. He made his reasoning clear during his Farewell Address in 1837,  where among other things he stated it the banks corruption and power lust threatened the nations liberty and would spur factions. (Doc 4)