Summary
Highlights
The video introduces Unit 4 of APUSH, spanning from 1800 (Jefferson's election) to 1848 (Seneca Falls Convention). The core theme is the formation of American identity, exploring the question: 'Who is the United States becoming?' The review will be thematic, focusing on two main themes: expansion/foreign policy and economic policy.
The US sought to become a respected world power. Efforts included promoting foreign trade (e.g., Embargo Act, Non-Intercourse Act), acquiring territory (Adams-Onís Treaty for Florida, Oregon Country joint occupation), and engaging in the War of 1812, which, despite being a stalemate, boosted nationalistic feelings and the 'Era of Good Feelings.' The Monroe Doctrine declared the Western Hemisphere a US sphere of influence, asserting American authority and limiting European interference.
The Market Revolution transformed the US from an agricultural, subsistence-based economy to an industrial, commercial one. Key causes included the rise of factories and interchangeable parts (Samuel Slater, Eli Whitney's American system of manufacturing), new technologies (steam engines, telegraph, mechanical reaper), government-sponsored infrastructure (roads like the Cumberland Road, canals like the Erie Canal, and railroads), and urbanization and immigration (European immigrants providing cheap labor).
The US solidified its identity as a modern democracy. Jefferson's election in 1800 marked a peaceful transfer of power. Political parties debated foreign policy (Embargo Act of 1807), domestic federal power (Louisiana Purchase, which expanded the US despite Jefferson's strict constructionist views), and judicial power (Marbury v. Madison establishing judicial review, McCulloch v. Maryland affirming federal supremacy). Voting rights expanded to include universal white male suffrage, driven by figures like Martin Van Buren, which led to the formation of new political parties like the Democrats (Andrew Jackson) and National Republicans (Henry Clay).
Andrew Jackson, appealing to the 'common man,' significantly expanded executive power. Examples include the Nullification Crisis (Jackson's threat of force against South Carolina's nullification of tariffs), the Bank War (vetoing the Second Bank of the United States' charter), and Indian Removal Policies (Indian Removal Act of 1830, ignoring Worcester v. Georgia ruling, leading to the Trail of Tears, and the Black Hawk War). Jackson also opposed federally funded internal improvements, favoring states' rights in this area.
The Market Revolution created a new social structure: a business elite, a middle class (lawyers, teachers, managers) with distinct gender roles (separate spheres, cult of domesticity), and a working class (factory workers, immigrants like the Irish, and women like the Lowell girls). Nativist backlash emerged against immigrants. A national culture developed, influenced by Romanticism in art (Hudson River School, James Fenimore Cooper's literature, Greek Revival architecture) and philosophy (transcendentalism by Emerson and Thoreau, emphasizing intuition over senses).
The Second Great Awakening, a religious revival, emphasized reforming society. It was facilitated by democratic beliefs (camp meetings, diverse attendees) and romantic emotionalism (Charles Grandison Finney's preaching). It led to the formation of new faiths like Mormonism. Social reform movements included utopian societies (Oneida Community), voluntary organizations (temperance movement, targeting working-class men and immigrants), and the beginning of the women's rights movement. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, produced the Declaration of Sentiments, advocating for women's equality, including suffrage.
The US grappled with national unity versus regional interests. Henry Clay's American System (federally funded infrastructure, protective tariffs, Second Bank of the United States) aimed to create a robust national economy. However, this also led to regional specialization (South: cotton, North: manufacturing, West: food), making regions interdependent but also highlighting differences. Slavery became the most divisive issue. The Missouri Compromise (1820) admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, establishing the 36°30′ line to maintain balance in the Senate and prevent further conflict over westward expansion of slavery.
Northern states moved towards abolition, while Southern states became more entrenched in slavery. In the South, elite planters (a small percentage of the population) propagated white supremacy to unite all white southerners, regardless of wealth, under the banner of protecting slavery. The perception of slavery shifted from a 'necessary evil' to a 'positive good.' In the North, abolitionist movements grew, led by black Americans (David Walker's 'Appeal') and white activists (William Lloyd Garrison's 'The Liberator'), advocating for immediate emancipation. Southern states responded with stricter slave codes. Free blacks in the North faced discrimination. Enslaved black Americans resisted overtly (Nat Turner's Rebellion) and covertly (breaking tools, maintaining culture), challenging the institution of slavery despite harsh consequences.