Henry Clay’s American System 1832
Background:
Following the War of 1812, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and John Quincy Adams helped form a new political agenda, which promised to meet the needs of America. It was a new nationalist United States. Henry Clay's "American System" was a neofederalist program of a national bank, a tariff to promote and protect industry’s, and financial improvements.
Parties Involved:
Henry Clays started as lawyer In Richmond, Virginia. In 1797 he quickly acquired a reputation and a lucrative income from his law practice. At the age of twenty-two, he was elected to a constitutional convention in Kentucky; at twenty-nine, while yet under the age limit of the United States Constitution, he was appointed to an unexpired term during 1806 and 1807 in the ...
Parsons, L. H. (2009). The Birth of Modern Politics: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Biles, Roger. A. "A New Deal for the American People" Taking Sides Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American History. eds. -. Larry Madaras et al.
On the other hand, John Quincy Adams opened a law office before but he was becoming a minister to the Netherlands (1794 ? 1797). He then was named Minister to Prussia (1797-1801), and he served as a US Senator (1803 ? 1808). In addition, he appointed by James Madison as Minister to Russia (1809 ? 1814).
His compromises overcame regionalism and balanced state rights and national interests. He actively encouraged United State's participation in the War of 1812. As a result of the Treaty of Ghent, the United States emerged as a nation of importance and influence in the world. Henry Clay changed the role of the Speaker of the House and made it the powerful position it is today. He held that position in office longer than anyone in the history of the House of Representatives other than Sam Rayburn. Henry Clay argued before the US Supreme Court. In doing so, he introduced Amicus Brief to Supreme Court. His cases continue to be cited on a regular basis today. He was also an attorney. He won far more cases than he lost. He became the most respected breeders and farmers in America. He introduced Hereford Cattle to American and one of the most successful providers of mules in the South. Henry Clay played a major role in Lexington becoming "The Horse Capital of the World." He influenced many future political leaders with his ideology and style. Abraham Lincoln adopted much of Henry Clay's political ideology. He gave his country nearly half a century of Service as a Representative, Senator and Secretary of State. He became the most important political figures in his era. In the 1950's Henry Clay was named by a panel of historians and Senate leaders as one of the five greatest senators of all
There were many things done by two main people such as Henry Clay and John Sea Calhoun who promoted nationalism in that they wanted to work on projects which would benefit that of the county and not just one region. This would be profitable for everyone thus being profitable for the nation at large. Calhoun showed this by introducing the Bonus Bill which would build roads, canals and create internal improvement. Calhoun saw this as a necessity because he saw that transportation during the war was brutal because supplies for soldiers were dragged through trails and through much adversities. Agricultural societies found it very hard to trade because of how far apart they were from one another and lack of transportation to trade their goods. Calhoun said,
Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom 1822-1832. Vol. 2. NY: Harper & Row, 1981. Print.
In his book, A New Deal for the American People, Roger Biles analyzes the programs of the New Deal in regards to their impact on the American society as a whole. He discusses the successes and failures of the New Deal policy, and highlights the role it played in the forming of American history. He claims that the New Deal reform preserved the foundation of American federalism and represented the second American Revolution. Biles argues that despite its little reforms and un-revolutionary programs, the New Deal formed a very limited system with the creation of four stabilizers that helped to prevent another depression and balance the economy.
Andrew Jackson began a whole new era in American history. Amongst his greatest accomplishments were evoking the "common man" to be interested in government and tailoring democracy to satisfy the same "common man's" needs. Of course, Jackson could not go about making such radical changes without supporters, but that never surfaced as a problem. Jacksonian Democrats, as they came to be called, were great in number during the 1820's and 1830's. They advocated all of the issues that President Jackson did, and did so with great vigor. They thought of themselves very highly because they recognized their responsibilities as American citizens. They realized that as political leaders they had a true purpose- to protect and serve the American people. The Jacksonians justified their view of themselves in their sincere attempts to guard the United States Constitution by both promoting equality of economic opportunity and increasing political democracy, but they had their downfalls with issues of individual liberties.
Thomas Paine was born on January 29th, 1737 in Thetford, England. He began working for his father at the age of 13 which is when his formal education ended. He became a tax-collector and began teaching himself to further his short-lived formal education. Paine was released from his tax-collecting job for pushing for higher wages stating that higher wages would reduce corruption (Claeys). A few months before the American Revolution began he moved to America after meeting Benjamin Franklin who urged him to move to America (Henretta and Brody).
Buchanan graduated in 1809, was admitted to the bar in 1812, and then moved to Lancaster to set up his law practice. His political career was initiated in 1814 with his election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; in 1821 he began his first five elective terms in the House of Representatives. President Andrew Jackson appointed James Minister to Russia, upon his return in 1834. Buchanan was in the service of the United States Senate for a decade, and then became a secretary under James K. Polk, and as President Pierce’ s minister to Great Britain.
The years between 1825 through 1850 were filled with reforms ranging from political reforms to religious reforms. This era is commonly known as the Jacksonian Era. Prior to the Jacksonian Era, the early 19th century was classified to be a period of extreme instability. The Jacksonian Era involved many new ideas such as King Mob, the spoils system, expansion towards the West, and the Bank War. These characteristics of the Jacksonian Era brought stability and set a foundation for which its people could start reform movements. Even though not all these reforms were successful, they all had the goal of expanding democratic ideals.
The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was born on March 17, 1767 in Waxhaw, South Carolina. Growing up, he was educated in an “old field school” in South Carolina and at the age of 13, joined the army as a courier boy. After the American Revolutionary War, Jackson found himself as an orphan. Both of Jackson’s brothers and mother had either succumbed to death during the war or illnesses that they could not overcome, leaving Jackson at the age of 14 to live with relatives. After studying law in North Carolina, Jackson was admitted to the bar in 1787 and practiced until he became solicitor for present day Tennessee. In 1788 he moved to Nashville and became a prominent lawyer. After the Panic of 1795, which ended the prospering business boom after the American Revolution, Jackson was left with his land, naming it The Hermitage. Jackson lived as a cotton planter with a handful of slaves, in-between the business of his political endeavors. After marrying Rachel Donelson in 1791, they would later remarry in 1794 after finding that her first marriage to someone else was not legally ended. This would later be ammunition to his opposition who claimed Rachel to be a bigamist and him a wife stealer.
Early into the 1800’s, president Andrew Jackson was a bit of a catalyst to the alteration of politics. Through his actions of Indian removal, confounding the nullifiers, and destroying the “Monster Bank” he had immeasurably enlarged the power of the presidency. Jackson also converted the veto into an effective presidential power. During his term, Jackson had vetoes 12 bills, compared to a collective 9 vetoes from all the previous presidents combined. Around the same time period, a new two-party system developed differing from the Democrats and the Federalists. The Jacksonian Party System was directly shaped by the social and economic strains of an expanding nation. Democrats at this time viewed society as a continuing conflict between “the people” -workers, planters, and farmers- and a group of greedy aristocrats. These greedy aristocrats were part of a “paper money aristocracy” consisting of bankers and investors who manipulated the banking system for profit. Democrats saw the Bank War as a battle to restore the old Jeffersonian republic with its values of simplicity, frugality, hard work, and independence. Jackson knew the dangers of private banking yet the Democrats wanted the rewards of the market without losin...
Abraham Lincoln was an intricate yet prosperous person, shown through his movement from poverty to politics. Lincoln was born to poverty in Kentucky in 1809 and settled in Illinois at the age fifteen. He was captain of the militia in Illinois during the Black Hawk War of 1832 and served four terms as a Whig in the state legislature and in Congress, from 1847 to 1849. Lincoln strayed away from politics for a little while to return to law but his interest rekindled as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act .
Whereas Nationalism did emerge following the war of 1812, it was quickly squashed down and overshadowed by the growing sectionalism and tension in the United States. Tariffs, the National Bank, and slavery all played a role in further dividing the nation and securing that sectionalism would prevail. Even though the period was traditionally labeled as the “Era of Good Feelings”, it was anything but, thanks to the emergence of sectionalism and the division of the North and South.