Due Thursday by 9:50
Do you think this era brought us closer together as a nation or drew us further apart as individual states? Explain your answer by using SPECIFIC examples and comment on one other person's thoughts for 10 bonus points.
We have been talking a lot about the formation of a sense of American Nationalism in the era following the War of 1812. However, during this same time period, we've been discussing a growing division in the United States between the North and the South. While a growing economy, national heroes, and projects are bringing us together, issues regarding slavery, representation and a growing debate between states' rights and federalists are tearing us apart.
Due Thursday by 9:50 Do you think this era brought us closer together as a nation or drew us further apart as individual states? Explain your answer by using SPECIFIC examples and comment on one other person's thoughts for 10 bonus points.
19 Comments
10/25/2011 09:33:02 am
I think this era drew us further apart as individual states because there was a lot of tension builing during this era. The tension got so bad that soon it exploded and became what we know as the American civil war. The tension was bad even before the civil war started. New England threatend to suceed from the country at the Hartford Convention because of what was happening. Already, the states were becomimg more individualized. Not only was American nationalism on the rise after the war but also tension over slavery,representation and federalism vs. states' rights.
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Rikki Dressman
10/25/2011 09:45:18 am
The era after the War of 1812 brought our country together more, rather than breaking it apart. With the strong sense of nationalism within the people, America could make major advancments. Because of the stable economy, the government started major projects such as improving transportation systems. People were able to expand across the region with ease. American heroes were born, like Andrew Jackson at New Orleans. This gave citizens someone to depend on and look up to. American literature was created and artists began to paint American landscapes. One of the major magazines published was the North American Review, which discussed political and cultural matters and also introduces new authors and poets. These things instilled pride within the American society, thus bringing them together to truly unite the states.
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Felicia Pelfrey
10/25/2011 11:49:48 am
I believe this era brought us further apart as individual states. Although a few positive things had taken place, the vast majority was negative and had a greater affect; leading to the Civil War. Problems were getting worse, people were getting more infuriated, and the people were simply not satisfied. From the treaty of Ghent to the Hartford Convention,problems were not getting resolved; but rather ignored. We were not taking care of our problems but kept them there until we finally break with the American Civil War.
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Caitlin Bechtold
10/25/2011 11:55:48 am
The era after the War of 1812 helped define our country as a nation and brought the states together through the use of Nascent Nationalism and the well developed American System. Citizens were pleased with their well respected president Monroe due to the stable and growing economy he provided America with. There was a new rise in nationalism through the new term American Hero. There was no longer individual state heros, with a new rise in nationalism Andrew Jackson, otherwise known as Old Hickory, became a well known American Hero at New Orleans. Nascent Nationalism was examples of nationalism done by citizens through paintings, books, North American Review and heroism. Henry Clay developed the American System which helped with banking systems, better roads and tariffs. This brought the states together because they agreed with his plan because the tariffs caused an increased price in imported taxes so goods from America would sell more. Also, because the improved transportation systems helped citizens travel their country easier. America became a nation by the collaboration of all the states and the rise of American Heroism, which was still being practiced when Francis Scott Key became a well known American by the creation of the "Star Spangled Banner". This NATIONAL anthem became widely known through America and helped form our country into what it is today. Other heros such as Tom Macdonough who led the battle of the British Invasion stopped Britain by sinking their ships in the Great Lakes and forced them to retreat. Nationalism is what America prides itself on because it was these events that established unity and brotherhood throughout the states.
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Sophia Perry
10/25/2011 08:54:40 pm
I feel that the Ear following the war of 1812 actually drew the states farther apart. While people did have more nationalistic pride they also had a variety of ideas about how their country should be represented and run. The North and South both loved American but felt differently about how they should be ruled, as evident with the Hartford Convention. When American wanted to progress further out into the Louisiana Purchase problems arose over rather the new states would be swayed towards the North or South. People tried to bribe one another and the state governments to side with them so they could have more representation in the government that shared their opinions. While know as the “era of good feelings” there were several underlying problems, like slavery, that kept our country from truly being unified. These problems would lead to the Civil War. It wasn’t until many years after that our country truly started to become one.
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Sophia Perry
10/25/2011 08:57:38 pm
I agree with Felicia. There were plenty of postivies, like the ones Caitlin and Rikki mentioned, but the underlying issues still caused a great divison in the states.
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Damesha Bailey
10/25/2011 09:43:33 pm
I think that it all drew us together because agreeing with Rikki we have now a nationalism with the people and stronger military, and a stable, growing economy. There are now american hero and american literature that we are about to read it and look up to our american heros. It truly made us independent of a country. I disagee with Sophia because regardless people are going to have their own idea and opinions of something, but it isnt big of deal to say it drew the states apart.
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Danielle Hyman
10/26/2011 07:10:35 am
The era after the War of 1812 drew America apart as individual states. Tension was growing between the northern and southern colonies. Slavery was a major issue as both sides fought for more representation. Although many positive things were occurring, such as the new literature and the Star Spangled Banner, this tension could not be overlooked. At the Hartford Convention, New England threatened to actually secede from the nation. If this era brought our country together as much as the misnomer "The Era of Good Feelings" suggests, then the Civil war would not have occurred at the time it had.
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10/26/2011 07:13:15 am
I agree with Felicia. She was right when she said everything that happened after the War of 1812 was just builing up to the civil war. Problems were never fixed but they were just ignored. The fact that none of the problems were being fixed caused increased tension amoung the people and the government.
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I feel this era ddrew us further away from each other as states. With things like the introduction of Maine and Missouri as states, it got political. Slavery, being the biggest issue was controlling America. The South wanted Missouri as a slave state just so they could have more votes in Congress and be able to throw their weight around. They were more agrarian, as the North were Industrial. Such a large division created rifts throughout America, when it should've more of a focus to make the states more like each other.
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Caitlin Bechtold
10/26/2011 11:41:41 am
I agree with Damesha beccause her amswer shows America's nationalism and how we stood togetehr as one nation and it has many valid points that support her answer.
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Felicia Pelfrey
10/26/2011 11:49:09 am
I disagree with Damesha and Caitlin, because yes, we did have nationalism, but clearly not enough or the civil war would have never happened. And what about slavery and other things that still went on? We just ignored issues that caused us to spread apart until the Civil War broke out.
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John Dashner
10/26/2011 12:09:26 pm
I believe the era after the War of 1812 drew the states farther apart. Thought nationalistic pride was ever present, we had more unsolved problems than we did growth and prosperity. The Missouri Compromise shows these problems by illustrating the growing tension between the free northern states a the southern slave states. They had to develop a compromise about whether the Missouri territory would become a slave state or not. This exemplifies the tension which eventually will lead to the Civil War.
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John Dashner
10/26/2011 12:11:51 pm
Though all of Rikki's points are valid, I still disagree with her due to the fact that she ignores the growing tension between the North and South. Americans did become more nationalistic, however the North and South seemed to do so while still progressing toward a Civil War.
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Dexter Smith
10/26/2011 12:39:07 pm
I believe the war of 1812 brought America closer together than ever before. After the war, Americans felt a sense of pride and honor in being Americans. Writers such as Washington and James Cooper attained international recognition as the first writers depicting American themes. Along with new American literature being born the North American Review magazine was first published in 1815. America no longer had individual state heroes but we had American heroes such as war heroes like MacDonough. Furthermore, we started to rebuild our burnt capital, expanded our army to ten thousand soldiers, and revived the National Bank. Americans came closer together after the war of 1812. Even though during the "Era of Good Feelings" when times were not so "good" America was still thriving as a nation, and not individual states. America's juvenile economy overcame adversity when Britain tried to ruin our factories and industries by lowing their prices drastically. The federal government came together and organized a plan to counteract Britain's plan; we initiated the Tariff of 1816. The War of 1812 did not hinder America into one nation, it made us stronger by overcoming adversity by coming working as a whole.
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Dexter Smith
10/26/2011 12:48:51 pm
I agree with John that even though America came closer together as a nation we still drifted towards a Civil War over slavery. One disagreement I have with John is about the Missouri Compromise is that it can be seen as a protective measure to prevent tensions from rising. You were right in saying that the Missouri Compromise displayed the growing tensions between the North and South regarding servitude but the Compromise was constructed to vex any further tensions; it is a compromise. Compromises are created to try to keep peace and prevent further hostilities. So, in this sense, the Missouri Compromise can be seen as a closer step to a Nationalistic Nation because the government recognized the problem and attempted to keep it from corrupting the Nation anymore.
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Grace Thompson
10/26/2011 09:18:46 pm
I think that it pushed the states farther apart. The differences between North and South grew and so did societal problems. This era was made to seem as if everything as good because of the exponential growth, but the underlying problems grew as well. The Missouri Compromise, although seen as a method to bring peace between the states, failed miserably at that and so tension grew even more. We may have a sense of nationalism but it does not solve the problems or the tension.
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Grace Thompson
10/26/2011 09:20:08 pm
I agree with Felicia when she says that the problems are being ignored. Its a very good point. Everyone knew the problems are there, but to keep up appearances, no one fixed anything.
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