AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
4.3: Politics and Regional Interests
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 4.3 - Politics and Regional Interests
Learning Objectives
- Explain how different regional interests affected debates about the role of the federal government in the early republic.
I. The Era of Good Feelings
1. What does the nickname 'Era of Good Feelings' suggest about the Monroe years, and why is this perception misleading?
2. What major issues divided Americans during the Monroe presidency despite the appearance of unity?
II. James Monroe
1. What was Monroe's background before becoming president, and how did he represent the Virginia dynasty?
2. What was the significance of Monroe's electoral victories in 1816 and 1820?
3. What major achievements occurred during Monroe's presidency?
III. Economic Nationalism
A. Tariff of 1816
1. Why did Congress raise tariffs after the War of 1812, and how did this differ from previous tariff policy?
2. Which section opposed the Tariff of 1816 and why, while other sections supported it?
B. Henry Clay's American System
1. What were the three components of Henry Clay's American System and how did each part support economic growth?
2. Which parts of Clay's American System were adopted by 1816, and what obstacle prevented the third part from being implemented?
IV. The Panic of 1819
1. What caused the Panic of 1819 and which region was hit hardest by the economic crisis?
2. How did the Panic of 1819 change western voters' political attitudes and priorities?
V. Political Changes
A. Changes in the Democratic-Republican Party
1. Why did the Federalist Party decline rapidly after the War of 1812?
2. What internal strains did the Democratic-Republican Party face as it adjusted to changing times?
3. How did leaders like Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun reverse their political positions between the 1810s and 1820s?
VI. Western Settlement and the Missouri Compromise
A. Reasons for Westward Movement
1. What military victories opened new territories for western settlement during the Madison and Monroe presidencies?
2. What economic pressures and improvements in transportation drove westward migration after 1812?
B. New Questions and Issues
1. What were the primary political and economic concerns of western states in Congress?
2. How did western settlers disagree over slavery, and what triggered the slavery debate in 1819?
C. The Missouri Compromise
1. How had Congress attempted to preserve sectional balance between North and South before 1819?
2. Why did Missouri's application for statehood alarm the North, and what was at stake for both sections?
3. What did the Tallmadge Amendment propose, and why did southerners oppose it?
4. What were the three components of Henry Clay's compromise solution to the Missouri question?
5. How did the Missouri Compromise affect sectional tensions and American nationalism after 1820?
Key Terms
Era of Good Feelings
James Monroe
economic nationalism
sectionalism
Tariff of 1816
protective tariff
Henry Clay
American System
Second Bank of the United States
Panic of 1819
Tallmadge Amendment
Missouri Compromise (1820)