Nationalism in the 1800's
By: Lucas Porter
A lot of things led to the increasing amount of nationalism in the US during the 1800's. Such as the Era of Good Feelings, the building of improved roads and canals and, the American System. These were all important factors in the rise of American nationalism during the 1800's.
The Era of Good Feelings was between 1815-1825 it was a time when emphasis was on national unity. The two supreme court decisions in the cases of McCulloch vs. Maryland, it was about allowing the creation of a national bank. The other case between Ogden vs. Gibbons the supreme court decided that the states could not interfere with congresses power to regulate interstate commerce. This brought the states together, now they all used a common currency and considered themselves Americans instead of regarding themselves as Kentuckians or Virginians.
Most roads before and early into the 1800's were dirt and not well maintained. This made travel very hard and made trips between states a hard and long thing to do. Then the first road built by the government was created, the Cumberland Road. It ran from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, West Virginia. This allowed for better trade because it was generally easier and faster to get between places. This sparked a building boom across the country and new road projects began. Canals also started being built in the 1800's to help travel by water to be come more practical. Construction on the First canal, the Erie Canal in 1817 and ended in 1825. It allowed good to be traded and people to be transported between the two cities of Buffalo and Albany. This brought more trade throughout the US and helped the economy. The states could now transport people easier and faster allowing for more things to get done. It created money and along with that national pride.
The American System was a series of measures by Henry Clay to make the United States more self sufficient. It created a National bank with a...