4.3

• Regional interests


  Political interests focused on specific regions, as opposed to national political interests
• Different regional interests


  Affected debates about the role of the federal government in the early republic
• The War of 1812 put competing regional interests on full display
• The Federalists fiercely opposed the War of 1812, going so far as to threaten secession in the New England area
• America's victory in the War of 1812 led to a rising surge of nationalism
• The War of 1812 showed weaknesses in the United States, including lack of a National Bank and weak infrastructure/transportation systems
• Henry Clay's American System

  1. Federally funded internal improvements like roads and canals

  2. Federal tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturers

  3. Second Bank of the United States to provide a national currency
• Presidents Madison and Monroe objected to the policies providing for roads and canals, arguing it was an overreach of federal power and would disadvantage the South
• By 1816, the tariffs and National Bank policies of the American System were solidly in place
• Westward expansion exacerbated regional tensions
• When Missouri applied for statehood in 1819, a bitter fight erupted over the issue of slavery
• There was a perfect balance in the Senate between slave states and free states, which was of exceeding importance to the southern states
• The Tallmadge Amendment proposed banning slavery in Missouri after 25 years, which enraged southern senators who saw it as a threat to the balance of power
• The Missouri Compromise


  1. Missouri admitted as a slave state

  2. Maine admitted as a free state to preserve Senate balance

  3. 36°30' line established as boundary between slave and free states
• The Missouri Compromise calmed tensions and maintained the balance of power