Nationalism v Sectionalism Push of Nationalism Following the

Nationalism v. Sectionalism

Push of Nationalism • Following the War of 1812, nationalism was at an all time high • People wanted what was best for the country as a whole • Many wanted to make the country stronger and self-reliant

American System • Henry Clay’s nationalist plan to make the country self reliant • American System called for: • Protective Tariff • National Bank • Good Transportation (roads, canals)

Rise of Sectionalism • Not everyone was a nationalist • More and more people bought into sectionalism • Having loyalty to a certain section of the country (North, South, or West) over the nation as a whole • Different regions had different goals and interests that did not match • Many nationalists fell victim to sectionalism including Henry Clay (West), John C Calhoun (South) and Daniel Webster (North)

Missouri Compromise • Missouri was eligible to become a state • Problem: It wanted to be a slave state and made things uneven in government • Many Northern states had made slavery illegal • Nationalist Henry Clay suggested a compromise (Missouri Compromise) to save the country • Missouri would come in as a slave state, Maine as a free state and drew a line above which no new states could have slaves.

Election of 1824 • Election dominated by Sectionalism • Following Era of Good Feelings, 4 people run for president • • John Quincy Adams (North) Andrew Jackson (South and West) Henry Clay (West) William Crawford (South) • Jackson gets the most votes, but not a majority • Since we have no winner, the top two go to the House of Representatives • Jackson and Adams • Clay, Speaker of the House of Representatives and convinces his supporters to vote Adams • Clay later became the Secretary of State for Adams (corrupt bargain)