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End of the War of 1812
The Treaty of Ghent, which settled prewar borders without addressing the root causes of the conflict, brought an end to the War of 1812. General Andrew Jackson won a significant victory at the Battle of New Orleans prior to the United States learning of the treaty. With significant victories like the defense of Fort Henry, the war strengthened American nationalism and unity. No territory changed hands, and Native American resistance waned. Better U.S.-British relations began with it. -
End of the War of 1812
Themes: nationalism and unity
Quote: “The people now have more general objects of attachment with which their pride and political opinions are connected. They are more Americans; they feel and act more as a nation.” -
James Monroe elected President
After the War of 1812, when the Federalist Party was in decline, James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States (1817–1825), presided over a period of political unification. In addition to the Adams-Onis Treaty, the Missouri Compromise, and initiatives to increase American territory and fortify national identity, his presidency is remembered for the Monroe Doctrine, which forbade European meddling in the Western Hemisphere. -
James Monroe elected President
Themes: Nationalism and unity
Quote: "The best form of government is that which is most likely to prevent the greatest sum of evil." -
Admission of Indiana as a state
On December 11, 1816, Indiana became the ninth state to join the union. Rapid population growth and settlement in the Indiana Territory preceded its admission. In keeping with the ideals of the Northwest Ordinance, the state's constitution placed a strong emphasis on education and outlawed slavery. The early 19th-century westward migration and increasing power of frontier areas were mirrored in Indiana's statehood. -
Admission of Indiana as a state
Theme: Westward expansion
Quote: "The Union is my country; the thirty States are my country." -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
Theme: Foreign policy and diplomacy
Quote: "No armed vessels shall be kept up on the lakes of the United States, or on the lakes of Canada, without the mutual consent of the two parties." -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
Secretary of State Richard Rush of the United States and British Minister Charles Bagot negotiated the Rush-Bagot Treaty, which limited naval weapons on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. By encouraging peaceful diplomacy and lowering the military presence along the U.S.-Canada border, it represented a significant turning point in U.S.-British relations. The longest undefended border in the world was established by the treaty. -
First Seminole War
Andrew Jackson led American forces into Spanish Florida during the First Seminole War in order to fight the Seminoles and apprehend runaway slaves (Fredrick Douglass). The goals of the United States and Native American struggles during this conflict are highlighted by territorial expansion, resistance, and sovereignty. -
First Seminole War
Theme: Westwarn expansion
Quote: "I have only one thing to say: If the enemy will not come to terms, I will destroy them." -
Acquisition of Florida from Spain (Adams-Onís Treaty)
Theme: Foreign policy and diplomacy
Quotes: "The acquisition of Florida, though important in itself, is of infinitely greater consequence as securing the peace of our frontier, and as contributing to the consolidation of the Union." -
Acquisition of Florida from Spain (Adams-Onís Treaty)
Through the Adams-Onis Treaty, which John Quincy Adams negotiated, Florida was acquired from Spain in 1819 and given to the United States in return for the payment of $5 million to settle claims against Spain. Spain was represented in the peaceful settlement of border disputes by Spanish Minister Luis de Onis. The United States' attempts to establish strategic dominance in the southeast, territorial expansion, and diplomacy are important themes. -
Panic of 1819
Theme: Economic growth and panic
Quote: "The Bank of the United States has caused a credit system which is in itself a bubble; it has spread its contagion far and wide, and no one knows where it will stop." -
Panic of 1819
The first significant economic crisis in the United States, the Panic of 1819, was brought on by tight credit from the Second Bank of the United States, falling crop prices, and land speculation. Tensions in a rapidly expanding economy were brought to light by themes of financial instability, government policy, and economic inequality. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
Chief Justice John Marshall affirmed Congress's authority to create a national bank in the historic McCulloch v. Maryland case, holding that states could not impose taxes on federal institutions. Bank employee James McCulloch contested Maryland's tax. Federalism, the primacy of federal law, and the Constitution's implied powers are among the themes. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
Theme: Nationalism and unity
Quote: "The power to tax involves the power to destroy." -
Missouri Compromise
Henry Clay led the Missouri Compromise, which kept the balance in Congress by admitting Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. Slavery was outlawed in the Louisiana Territory north of 36°30' latitude. Sectionalism, the balance of power, and the fight against the spread of slavery were the results of it. Daniel Webster and Henry Clay were instrumental in reducing tensions between the North and the South. -
Missouri Compromise
Theme: Sectional tensions
Quote: "We are called upon to establish, by law, a line of separation between the free and slave states. I ask whether the Union can be preserved, if this question is not settled?" -
Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe and John Quincy Adams developed the Monroe Doctrine, which prohibited European colonization and meddling in the Western Hemisphere. It promoted independence for new countries while reaffirming American dominance in the Americas. The assertion of American dominance, foreign policy, and nationalism are among the themes. -
Monroe Doctrine
Theme: Foreign policy and diplomacy
Quote: "The American continents... are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers." -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Theme: Rise of the American system
Quote: "The power to regulate commerce... is the power to regulate it with all the incidental powers that are necessary to its regulation." -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Chief Justice John Marshall held in the Supreme Court case of Gibbons v. Ogden that interstate commerce could only be regulated by the federal government, not the states. Thomas Gibbons contested Aaron Ogden's steamboat monopoly in the case. This contributed to the development of the powerful federal government that characterized the American system. The U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause, federalism, and the extent of federal power are among the themes. -
Indian Removal Act of 1830
Theme: Sectional tensions
Quote: "It will be my sincere and constant desire to promote your welfare, and that of your nation... that you may be protected from the deadly strife of contending nations." -
Indian Removal Act
President Andrew Jackson and Vice President John C. Calhoun signed the Indian Removal Act, which permitted Native American tribes to be forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands to areas west of the Mississippi River. Leaders of the Cherokee, Choctaw, and other tribes, as well as Jackson, who supported the policy, were important players.
The act sparked movements to fight for the restoration of rights, led by individuals like Susan B. Anthony, and contributed to the Age of Reform.