Chapter 7 Summary Notes

Outline Summary Chapter 7, The Americans-Beginnings to 1914

Randy Vice, 

B.S.E., Jacksonville State University

M.A., The University of Alabama

EdS. , Lincoln Memorial University

I. Regional Economies Create Differences

• A. The North Develops an Industrial Economy

  1. Transition from home-based production to factory systems.

  2. Growth of industries such as textiles (Lowell mills in Massachusetts).

  3. Increased reliance on immigrant labor.

• B. The South Relies on Agriculture

  1. Cotton becomes "king" with the invention of the cotton gin (Eli Whitney).

  2. Expansion of slavery to support plantation economies.

• C. The American System

  1. Proposed by Henry Clay to unify the national economy.

     • Develop infrastructure: roads, canals, and railroads.

     • Protective tariffs to encourage American industry.

     • A national bank to stabilize currency and credit.

  2. Mixed reception across regions—supported by the North, opposed by the South.

II. Nationalism Shapes Foreign Policy

• A. Supreme Court Boosts National Power

  1. Key rulings by Chief Justice John Marshall:

     • McCulloch v. Maryland: Established federal supremacy over states.

     • Gibbons v. Ogden: Strengthened federal control of interstate commerce.

• B. U.S. Expands its Boundaries

  1. Adams-Onís Treaty (1819): U.S. acquires Florida from Spain.

  2. Settlement of boundary disputes with Britain (e.g., Oregon).

• C. Monroe Doctrine (1823)

  1. Warning to European powers against colonization in the Western Hemisphere.

  2. Assertion of U.S. influence over the Americas.

III. Nationalism Pushes Westward

• A. Westward Expansion

  1. Transportation revolution—Erie Canal and National Road.

  2. Settlers move westward for new opportunities.

• B. Missouri Compromise (1820)

  1. Conflict over the admission of Missouri as a slave state.

  2. Compromise by Henry Clay:

     • Missouri admitted as a slave state.

     • Maine admitted as a free state.

     • Slavery prohibited north of the 36°30′ line in the Louisiana Territory.

IV. Age of Jackson

• A. Election of 1824 and the "Corrupt Bargain"

  1. Controversial election where John Quincy Adams defeats Andrew Jackson.

  2. Henry Clay’s influence in the House of Representatives.

• B. Expansion of Democracy

  1. Jacksonian Democracy emphasizes the common man.

  2. Expansion of voting rights to all white males, regardless of property ownership.

• C. Jackson’s Presidency

  1. Spoils system: Rewarding political supporters with government jobs.

  2. Bank War: Opposition to the Second Bank of the United States.

  3. Indian Removal Act (1830) and the Trail of Tears.

V. Sectionalism Divides the Nation

• A. Tariffs and Economic Differences

  1. Tariff of 1828 ("Tariff of Abominations") angers the South.

  2. Nullification Crisis: South Carolina threatens secession; Jackson enforces federal authority.

• B. Slavery and Regional Tensions

  1. Growing abolitionist movement in the North.

  2. Southern defense of slavery as a positive good.

• C. The Impact of Sectionalism

  1. Increasing divisions between North and South set the stage for future conflict.

  2. Balancing nationalism and sectionalism becomes increasingly difficult.