AP US History Unit 4 (1800-1848) Review

Overview

• This unit covers the period from 1800 to 1848.
• Main themes:
  • Expanding US role in world affairs.
  • Transformation of society and economy in early republic.
  • Democratic impulses in American society.

Early 1800s Political Landscape

• Election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800.
• Fierce debates between Democratic-Republicans and Federalists:
  • American relations with foreign powers.
  • Scope of federal power.

Foreign Affairs

• Barbary Pirates:

  • Pre-1800s: US paid tribute for protection of merchant ships.
  • Jefferson stopped payments, leading to conflict but resulted in a reduced payment agreement.

• Louisiana Purchase:

  • Jefferson purchased Louisiana from France for $15 million despite strict constructionist principles.
  • Expanded US territory and influence.
  • Explored by Lewis and Clark; Zebulun Pike mapped southern territory.

Judicial Power

• Marbury v. Madison (1803):

  • Established judicial review.
  • Strengthened Supreme Court's role as final interpreter of the Constitution.

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819):

  • Established principle that federal law trumps state law.

War of 1812

• Causes: British impressment, trade interference, and British support of Native American resistance.
• Resulted in increased nationalism and demise of the Federalist Party.
• Hartford Convention: Federalists opposed the war, considered secession.

Economic and Regional Developments

• Henry Clay's American System:

  • Internal improvements, protective tariffs, and a second national bank proposed to unify economy.
  • Federal funding for internal improvements vetoed by President Madison.

• Missouri Compromise (1820):

  • Missouri entered as a slave state, Maine as a free state.
  • Established 36°30′ line for future free/slave state designation.

Territorial Expansion and Foreign Policy

• Adams-Onís Treaty (1819):

  • Spain ceded Florida to the US and set southern borders.

• Monroe Doctrine (1823):

  • Declared US opposition to European interference in Western Hemisphere.

Market Revolution

• Linking of northern industries with western and southern farms.
• Advancements in technology, communication, transportation:
  • Cotton gin, spinning machine, interchangeable parts.
  • Steamboats and canals (e.g., Erie Canal) improved trade.

Social Changes

• Immigration:

  • 2 million immigrants (mainly Irish and German) arrived, providing cheap labor.
  • Growth of urban labor class in northern cities.

• Cult of Domesticity:

  • Women's roles centered around home and family; separate spheres for men and women.

Political Changes

• Panic of 1819:

  • Led to calls for expanded voting rights; property qualifications reduced or eliminated.

• Emergence of Political Parties:

  • Democratic Party: Led by Andrew Jackson, strict constructionists.
  • Whigs: Led by Henry Clay, loose constructionists.

• Tariff of 1828:

  • Led to Nullification Crisis in South Carolina.
  • Jackson's Force Bill to enforce federal tariffs.

Jackson's Presidency

• Opposed National Bank; vetoed recharter.
• Indian Removal Act (1830):
  • Forced relocation of Native Americans (e.g., Cherokee Trail of Tears).

Cultural and Social Movements

• Transcendentalism:

  • Emphasized nature, moral perfection (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau).

• Second Great Awakening:

  • Religious revival; increased social reforms like abolition and temperance.

• Abolitionism:

  • William Lloyd Garrison's "The Liberator".
  • Opposition from northern merchants and white working class.

• Women's Rights:

  • Seneca Falls Convention (1848); Declaration of Sentiments.

Southern Society and Slavery

• Expansion of plantations and slavery with westward expansion.
• Nat Turner's Rebellion heightened fears of slave revolts.
• Majority of southern whites were non-slaveholding yeoman farmers.