Overview
This lecture covers APUSH Period 4 (1800–1848), focusing on the evolution of federal and state power, expansion, economic and demographic changes, rising sectionalism, democratic reforms, and major reform movements.
Big Ideas of Period 4
- The balance of power between federal and state governments evolves throughout the period.
- The U.S. undergoes rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes, including westward expansion.
- Sectionalism intensifies, dividing the nation into North, South, and West with conflicting interests.
- Democracy expands for white men, but many groups remain excluded.
- Reform movements arise to improve society.
Territorial Expansion & Population Changes
- U.S. doubles in size through the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and acquisition of Florida (Adams-Onís Treaty, 1819).
- Population growth driven by high birth rates and immigration (mainly Irish, German, English).
- Transportation improvements (canals, railroads, national roads) fuel westward migration.
- Cotton gin boosts southern expansion and increases slavery westward.
- Native Americans lose land through warfare, treaties, and forced removal (e.g., Trail of Tears).
Foreign Policy & Nationalism
- U.S. tries to remain neutral but fights the War of 1812 to defend neutrality and national honor.
- Monroe Doctrine (1823) tells Europe to stay out of the Western Hemisphere.
- Nationalism rises in culture (Hudson River School), economics (American System), and politics (Era of Good Feelings).
Political Developments
- Revolution of 1800: First peaceful transfer of power (Jefferson elected).
- Era of Good Feelings: One-party rule (Democratic-Republicans), but internal divisions remain.
- Jacksonian Democracy: Expands suffrage to all white men, rise of two-party system (Democrats vs. Whigs).
- Sectional tensions over tariffs, banks, and slavery (Missouri Compromise, Nullification Crisis).
Sectionalism & Regional Differences
- North: Manufacturing, urbanization, immigrants, labor unions, and nativism (Know-Nothing Party).
- South: Cotton economy, slavery, plantation aristocracy, pro-slavery ideology.
- Sectional crises include Missouri Compromise, nullification, national bank debate.
Groups Excluded from National Culture
- Women relegated to domestic roles (Cult of Domesticity, Republican Motherhood).
- Seneca Falls Convention (1848) demands women's rights.
- African Americans face exclusion, enslavement, and discrimination in both North and South.
- Native Americans forcibly removed from ancestral lands.
Supreme Court & Federal Power
- Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review.
- McCulloch v. Maryland upholds federal authority (Bank of U.S.).
- Gibbons v. Ogden affirms federal control over interstate commerce.
Social Reform Movements & Religion
- Second Great Awakening inspires religious revival and social reform.
- Major reforms target temperance, prisons, women’s rights, education, and abolition of slavery.
- Notable reformers: William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Horace Mann, Dorothea Dix.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Sectionalism — loyalty to one’s own region over the nation as a whole.
- Manifest Destiny — belief that U.S. expansion across the continent was justified and inevitable.
- American System — economic plan for tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements.
- Era of Good Feelings — period of single-party Democratic-Republican dominance.
- Cult of Domesticity — idealization of women’s roles within the home.
- Seneca Falls Convention — 1848 women’s rights meeting that issued the Declaration of Sentiments.
- Nullification Crisis — conflict when South Carolina tried to ignore federal tariffs.
- Second Great Awakening — religious revival triggering social reform efforts.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the Missouri Compromise, Monroe Doctrine, and major Supreme Court decisions.
- Prepare notes on key reform movements and their leaders.
- Complete reading on the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and its impact on U.S. politics.