Chapter 7
The Jeffersonian Era
Chapter Summary
The period covered in this chapter was marked by definition and expansion. Having achieved political independence, Americans struggled to achieve cultural independence as well, and this search for self-identity touched almost every phase of the nation's life. "American" tastes in music, literature, and art developed. Religious bodies with ties to colonial ways declined as the Second Great Awakening swept America. The global process of industrialization began to have an impact in the United States while technology, unrestrained by mercantile regulations, expanded to solve problems that were particularly American. Meanwhile American politics began to take on characteristics and respond to needs with little precedent in European systems. At the center of this activity, at times leading it and at times being led, was Thomas Jefferson, a president whose versatility seemed to mirror the diversity of the nation. A pragmatic politician, Jefferson was also a committed idealist¾one who deserves to be the symbol of the age that bears his name. The War of 1812 did more than test the army and navy of the United States¾it tested the nation's ability to survive deep internal divisions that threatened America's independence as surely as did the forces of Great Britain. Hoping to keep his nation out of war, Jefferson followed a policy that kept the peace but raised fears among his political enemies. The rest of the nation, feeling that Britain was insulting its sovereignty, rallied to the president. In the end, these divisions, although they hampered the war effort, did not survive the conflict, and the United States entered the postwar period with a new sense of nationalism.
Objectives
A thorough study of Chapter 7 should enable the student to understand
1. Thomas Jefferson's views on education, the role of education in the concept of a "virtuous and enlightened citizenry," and how these views were put into practice.
2. The indications of American cultural nationalism that were beginning to emerge during the first two decades of the nineteenth century.
3. The effects of the revolutionary era on religion and the changing religious patterns that helped bring on the Second Great Awakening.
4. The evidence noticeable in the first two decades that the nation was not destined to remain the simple, agrarian republic envisioned by Jefferson.
5. The political philosophy of Jefferson and the extent to which he was able to adhere to his philosophy while president.
6. The Jefferson-Federalist struggle over the judiciary¾its causes, the main points of conflict, and the importance of the outcome for the future of the nation.
7. President Jefferson's constitutional reservations concerning the Louisiana Purchase and the significance of his decision to accept the bargain.
8. The reasons for President Jefferson's sponsorship of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the importance of those explorations.
9. The many problems involved in understanding Aaron Burr and his "conspiracy."
10. What Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were attempting to accomplish by "peaceable coercion," and why their efforts were not successful.
11. The numerous explanations of the causes of the War of 1812 and why there is so much disagreement among historians.
12. The problems caused by Tecumseh's attempts at confederation and by the Spanish presence in Florida as Americans surged westward.
13. The state of the nation in 1812 and how the Madison administration waged war against the world’s foremost naval power.
14. The extent of the opposition to the American war effort and the ways in which the New England Federalists attempted to show their objections.
15. The ways in which the skill of the American peace commissioners and the international problems faced by England contributed to a satisfactory¾for Americans¾peace settlement.
16. The effects of the War of 1812 on banking, shipping, farming, industry, and transportation.
17. How the industrial revolution in the United States was largely a product of rapid changes in Great Britain and the impact this revolution had on American society.
Main Themes
1. How Americans expressed their cultural independence.
2. The impact of industrialism on the United States and its people.
3. The role that Thomas Jefferson played in shaping the American character.
4. How the American people and their political system responded to the nation's physical expansion.
5. How American ambitions and attitudes came into conflict with British policies and led to the War of 1812.
6. How Americans were able to “win” the war and the peace that followed.
Points for Discussion
1. What was the "vision of America" shared by Thomas Jefferson and his followers? How did American cultural life in the early nineteenth century reflect the Republican vision of the nation's future? (Document number 1 in the Study Guide will be helpful here.)
2. Many Federalists feared what would happen if Thomas Jefferson was elected. On what did they base these fears, and what did Jefferson do to allay them? (Document number 2 in the Study Guide applies here.)
3. Politically, was Jefferson's election as president in 1800 a "revolution"? In what ways did he alter or accept Federalist beliefs and practices?
4. How did the Federalists respond to Republican programs? If the Federalists favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution, why did they protest when Jefferson used a loose interpretation as well? What was it in the Republican program that the Federalists saw as a threat and how did they respond?
5. American society of the early nineteenth century might be described as "patriarchal". Discuss the implications for women, African Americans, and Native Americans.
6. What were the causes and effects of the Second Great Awakening? In what ways did renewed religious enthusiasm mesh with the cultural and political optimism of the Jeffersonian Era? (See the second part of Document number 1 in the Study Guide.)
7. Describe the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England. Could America have guarded against similar problems?
8. Analyze Jefferson's conflict with the courts. Include a discussion of the Judiciary Act of 1801, Marbury v. Madison, the role of John Marshall, and Jefferson's attempt to impeach Federalist judges.
9. Explain the international circumstances that made possible the Louisiana Purchase. Analyze the political and economic consequences of that transaction.
10. How might Aaron Burr's "conspiracy" have been judged by New England Federalists, by Jeffersonian Republicans, and by western settlers? Explain.
11. Many historians view the War of 1812 as the "second American war for independence," but is this an accurate characterization? In what ways did British policies prior to 1812 threaten our independence? Had the United States not fought the war, what might the results have been? Assess these questions, and determine if we were indeed fighting for "independence."
12. What were the causes of the War of 1812? Was it a "justifiable" war for the United States? What group considered it unjustified and on what grounds?
13. In what ways did the United States attempt to avoid the War of 1812? Why were these attempts unsuccessful?
14. How and why did both belligerents during the War of 1812 seem incapable of executing an effective offensive strategy?
15. How and why did New England Federalists protest the War of 1812? To what extent was their protest successful?
16. What happened to the Federalists? For the first decade under the Constitution, the Federalist party held the nation together, started the government working on a day-to-day basis, and set precedents that are still held valid. Twenty years later, it had all but ceased to exist as a party. Why? Examine the events and issues that accompanied the decline of the Federalists, and determine what caused this powerful party to fall.
17. Although generally viewed as only a secondary aspect of the War of 1812, the conflict between white Americans and the western Indians was more conclusive and perhaps more significant for the nation's future. Analyze that statement, discussing the causes and results of America's early "Indian problem."
18. Who won the War of 1812? Explain your answer in terms of both the reality of the Treaty of Ghent and the illusion created by the Battle of New Orleans.
19. The War of 1812, although fought for free seas and sailors' rights, was opposed by the group most directly interested in seagoing commerce, the New England merchants. Why? Why did these people not see a threat to their independence in the policies of Great Britain, yet they did see the policies of Jefferson and Madison as just that? Put yourself in the place of those merchants, and, from their point of view, explain (and justify) the position they took.
20. Why was horse racing a "natural" leisure activity for early Americans? How was this pastime "bounded by lines of class and race"?
21. How did the industrial revolution in Great Britain lead to and influence the industrial revolution in the United States?
22. How did the industrial revolution change societies in the United States and the world?
Interpretive Questions Based on Maps and Text
1. Study the settled areas on the map in the text and compare these to the physical map in the Appendix to the text. What geographic features helped determine where settlement would take place?
2. Notice how many forts were established in the nineteenth century. What geographic features helped determine where these would be placed?
3. Consider the population of America's major cities in 1800 and compare this to the rural population¾east and west of the Appalachian Mountains. What does this population distribution suggest about the cultural development of the United States?
4. The period covered in this chapter was one of significant technological advancement in America¾especially in trade and transportation. How did developments in technology help Americans overcome geographic barriers? Where did this take place?
5. How did the geographic features of the landscape around Washington, D.C., make it such an unpleasant place for those who lived and worked there? (See Document number 1 of the Study Guide.)
6. Why was New Orleans the "one single spot" the possessor of which would be "our natural and habitual enemy"? What geographic features determined this?
7. What did we buy when we bought Louisiana? What was clearly ours and what claims were challenged by other nations? Why were the boundaries so unclear?
8. One of the purposes of the Lewis and Clark expedition was to "gather geographical facts." What did they learn?
9. What did Zebulon Pike learn about the Louisiana Purchase on his expedition? How did his accounts mislead future settlers?
10. Why did northern and southern frontiersmen want to expand into Canada and Florida? How did foreign occupation of these areas hinder western expansion in other regions?
11. Locate the major routes taken by the British when they invaded the United States. What geographic considerations played a part in the choice of where to attack? What made these sites important?
12. Locate the routes taken by American forces. What geographic considerations played a part in the choice of where to attack? What made these sites important?
13. Which regions of the country gained the most from the War of 1812? Which felt that they lost as a result of the war? Explain.
14. Study America's expansion into Florida. What impact did the War of 1812 have on this?
Library Exercises
The following exercises require students to consult sources found in most college libraries. Using these library resources and the text, they should be able to answer the following:
1. Consult a modern map of Washington, D.C. How is the modern city related to the one shown in this chapter of the text? How did the landscape change to allow the city to grow?
2. After the War of 1812, "the nation's most pressing economic need . . . was for improvement in its transportation system." What was done to address this? Study the text and your library resources, draw the roads and canals that were begun to meet this need, and assess the geographic obstacles that had to be overcome.
Essay Questions
These essays are based on the map exercises. They are designed to test students' knowledge of the geography of the area discussed in this chapter and to test their knowledge of its historical development. Careful reading of the text will help them answer these questions.
1. Why were some Federalists so upset with the westward movement and with Jefferson's purchase of Louisiana? Why did these threaten the Federalists' political power and the programs they supported?
2. What part did the Louisiana Purchase play in the failure of the Burr Conspiracy? What groups might have supported Burr if Louisiana had not been part of the United States?
3. The Louisiana Purchase removed a major point of contention between the United States and a European power but left many others. Which areas of possible conflict remained, and what were the sources of these potential conflicts?
4. Why was New England opposed to the War of 1812? What role did the expansion of the United States play in this?
5. What was Tecumseh's plan to stop the expansion of the United States? What geographic features worked in his favor? What geographic features worked against him?
6. What were the motives of the "War Hawks"? How did their goals shape American strategy during the War of 1812?
7. How did geography determine British strategy during the War of 1812?
Internet Resources
For Internet quizzes, resources, references to additional books and films, and more, consult the
Text’s Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/brinkley12.
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