4.4 America on the World Stage

Barbary pirates

-seizing US merchant ships

-GW and J Adams agree to pay tribute to Barbary govs

-ruler asked for more

-Jefferson says no, and sent a small fleet and fought w them for 4 yrs (Battle of Tripoli, 1801-1805)

Challenging US neutrality

-Napoleonic wars in Euro, France and Brit attempted naval blockades of enemy ports

-seizing ships of neutral nations and confiscated cargoes

-Brit impressment

Embargo Act (1807)

-Alternative to war, Jefferson persuaded Demo Repub majority to pass Embargo act in 1807

-prohibited American ships from sailing to any port

-backfired n brought greater economic hardship to US than Brit

-repeal in 1809

Nonintercourse Act of 1809

-after Embargo Act, Madison hoped to end the economic hardship while still keeping US neutral

-Americans can now trade w everyone BUT Brit n France

Macon’s Bill No. 2

-restored US trade w Brit n France

-if either Brit or France formally agree to respect US neutral rights at sea, then US would stop trade w that nations opp

Napoleon’s deception

-Napoleon took up on it

-announced his INTENTION of revoking decrees that violated US neutral rights

-SO Madison carried out the terms of this bill by embargoing US trade with Brit

-realized that Napoleon doesnt rlly fulfill his promise tho

-so…French continued to seize American ships

War of 1812 Pressures leading to war

-continued violation of US neutral rights at sea

-troubles w Brit on western frontier

Battle of Tippecanoe causes

-settlers kept pushing Natives westward

-to defend their land, the Shawnee brothers (Tecumseh-warrior, the Prophet-religious leader) tried to unite all the tribes east of Mississippi River

-White settlers become suspicious Of Tecumseh and persuaded governor of Indiana Territory, Harrison to take aggressive action

Battle of Tippecannoe (1811)

-Harrison destroyed Shawnee headquarters

-ended Tecumseh’s efforts to form an Indian Confederacy

-Brit provided only a little aid to Tecumseh, but Americans on frontier blamed Brit for instigating rebellion

War Hawks

-young, democratic repubs in congress, many from frontier states

-eagerness for war against Brit

-^^ argued that it would be the only way to defend American honor, gain Canada and destroy American Indian resistance on frontier

Declaration of War

-Brit delays in meeting US demands over neutral rights + political pressures from war hawks persuaded Madison to seek a declaration of war against Brit

-Ironically, Brit alr agreed to suspend naval blockade (June 1812)

-but this reached to congress after declared war

Opinions on war

-IN congress:

-Pennsylvania, Vermont + South n West states — war declaration!

-NY,NJ, n NE against

Election of 1812

-Madison won

-Democratic Repub strength in SW overcame fed m anti war Demo Repub opposition to war in North

Opp to war

-Americans who were against war:

-views it as Madison’s war and work of war hawks

-mainly NE merchants, Fed politicians, and Quids (Old demo repubs)

-NE merchants opposed bc were making money from embargo (now repealed)

-Feds saw it a Demo Repub scheme to conquer Canada n Florida w ultimate goal of increasing Demo Repub voting strength

-Quids opposed bc it violated classic Demo Repub commitment to limited fed power and maintenance of peace

US hope for victory on

-Napoleon’s continued success in Europe

-US land campaign against Canada

Invasion of Canada

-poorly equipped American army initiated military action in 1812 by launching a 3 part invasion of Canada

-one from Detroit, one from Niagara, another Lake Champerlain

-easily repulsed by Brit defenders

-American raid and burning of gov buildings in York in 1813 only served to encourage retaliation by Brit

Battle of New Orleans

-Jan 8, 1815

-General Andrew Jackson’s forces defeat a larger and well trained British Army

-establishing that Louisiana would remain American territory and preventing Brit from capturing the strategically vital port city n Mississippi River

-last major battle

Treaty of Ghent (1815)

-Brit weary of wars, Madison determined that Americans would be unable to win a decisive victory.

-American peace commissioners traveled to Ghent, Belgium to discuss terms of peace w Brit diplomats

-halted fighting

-agreement reached in 1814

-returned all conquered territory to those who had claimed the land prewar and recognized the prewar boundary btwn Canada and US

-ratified in 1815, said nothing abt grievances that led to war

-war ended with NO GAIN for either side

-left unresolved most of diplomatic differences

Hartford Convention Cause

-NE threatened to secede from Union

-opposed to war n Demo Repub gob

-radical Feds in NE urged that the constitution be amended and that secession be voted upon

-convention held to consider these matters

Hartford Convention (Dec 1814)

-rejected radical calls for secession

-to limit Demo Repub power in SW, adopted number of proposals

-one of them: 2/3s vote of both houses for any future declaration of war

Wars legacy

The war had some important consequences for the future development of the American republic,

1. Having survived two wars with Britain, the United States gained the respect of other nations.

2. The United States accepted Canada as a part of the British Empire.

3. Denounced for its talk of secession, the Federalist Party came to an

-end as a national force and declined even in New England.

1. Talk of nullification and secession in New England set a precedent that would later be used by the South.

2. Abandoned by the British, American Indians were forced to surrender land to White settlement.

3. With the British naval blockade limiting European goods, U.S. factories were built and Americans moved toward industrial self-sufficiency.

4. War heroes such as Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison would soon be in the forefront of a new generation of political leaders.

5. The feeling of nationalism grew stronger as did a belief that the future for the United States lay in the West and away from Europe.

Rush Bagot Agreement (1817)

-btw Brit and US

-limited naval armament on Great Lakes

-later extended to place limits to border fortifications too

-US and Canada border!

Treaty of 1818

-Improved relations between the United States and Britain

-continued in a treaty that provided for: shared fishing rights off the coast of Newfoundland

-joint occupation of the Oregon Territory for ten years;

-the setting of the northern limits of the Louisiana Territory at the 49th parallel, thus establishing the western U.S. Canada boundary line

Florida Purchase Treaty (1819)

-Spain worried US would seize Florida

-also busy w troubles in Latin America

-thru this treaty, Spain turned over everything it owns in Florida

-and claims in the Oregon Territory to US

-United States agreed to paid $5 million in claims against Spain and give up any U.S. territorial claims to the Spanish province of Texas.

- also called the Adams-Onís Treaty.

Monroe Doctrine (Dec 2, 1823)

-TLDR: Monroe writes doctrine to Brit saying that America is independent n slays

-Monroe inserted into his annual message to Congress a declaration of U.S. policy toward Europe and Latin America.

-The Monroe Doctrine, as it came to be called, asserted “aprinciple in which the rights and interests of the US are involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.”

-Monroe declared further that the US opposed attempts by a Euro power to interfere in the affairs of any republic in the Western Hemisphere.

Monroe Doctrine context

-Russia using Alaska trade posts as a base

-^^ worried Brit and US

-so, Brit asked US if wanna make a joint Anglo-American warning to euro powers to not interfere in South America

-most agreed!

-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams disagreed

- believed that joint action with Britain would restrict U.S. opportunities for further expansion in the hemisphere bc:

1. If the United States acted alone, Britain could be counted upon to stand behind the U.S. policy

2. No European power would risk going to war in South America, if it did British navy is a threat n would surely defeat them

-Monroe issued a statement to the world that did not have Britain as a coauthor