Thomas Jefferson's leadership as President was a symbol of the revolution in American politics at the turn of the 19th century. He represented a more democratic vision of American politics, one that was a direct contrast to the Federalist model pursued until 1800. He created a political coalition that stretched nationwide, encompassing both farmers and merchants in the cities. Unknowingly, he also sowed the seeds of the rise of the commercial North, by supporting the freedom to create and grow commercial ventures. His leadership also displayed the apex of Southern nationalism, when the South was able to create a chain of leaders, from Jefferson to James Madison to James Monroe, that would lead the country for much of the early 19th century. However, Southern politicians were evolving into more sectional figures, due to the more democratic nature of politics at this time.
New England, and not the South, was the region of the country that was more estranged from the national leadership than the South. During the War of 1812, a war that was largely wanted by Southern leaders, New England considered leaving the Union. The United States did achieve a decisive victory in New Orleans at the end of the war to force the British to finally agree to the Treaty of Ghent, and the nation gained even greater control over the lands it had purchased from France in 1803.
The Missouri Compromise would show that the country was still divided over slavery, and a new generation of political leaders used to the partisanship of the 1790s would use the opportunity to support sectional interests. Although the crisis was finally settled by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, it was a harbinger of things to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment