Inheriting a Nation is Different from Building It
American history runs deep even before independence. However, the most significant history is after independence. The steps that the founding fathers took to build a nation that would accommodate the needs of all Americans.
The America declaration of independence on 4th July 1776 was a crucial moment in American history. The American settlers rejected the British authority, and the war threatened the British Empire and also led to long term political changes. The war began in Boston where George III backed down, a decision that appeased most American Patriots. However, what had seemed like a small and short-term conflict later revolved into a significant civil war when the British Empire failed to reach a compromise. As American patriots opted for independence, the British Empire focused on regaining the lost colonies by force. The revolutionary war took a full swing and delegates of the Continental Congress got faced with a vote on the issue of independence. In mid-June, a five-person committee was mandated with drafting a formal statement that indicated that the colonies wanted freedom.
The compromise took effect when the British Empire surrendered the American colonies. The rejection of British authority was symbolic and constitutional. Americans took down royal arms, removed the name of the King from all formal documents and destroyed royal portraits. The fourth of July remains significant as it marked the end of the struggle for independence. However, the independence compromise marked the beginning of a new journey for America.
In 1787, America experienced the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise or the Sherman Compromise. The Great Compromise of 1787 was an agreement made between small and large states which defined the representation each state would have under the United States Constitution and in Legislature. The United States had undergone painful years soon after independence. The government structure was inadequate, a situation that directly affected the economy. The people looked up to the government for guidance, but the instability in the government made the situation worse. Besides, large and small states wanted equal representation in the government. The Great Compromise saw to it that large and small states got balanced and proportionate representation. Larger states got representation in the lower house due to their population while the smaller states got equal representation in the upper house. The Great Compromise settled the political instability which in turn brought long-term economic stability.
Adams and Jefferson were at the forefront of the revolutionary war. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were in the five-person committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Although the two men started as friends, they soon supported different views in regards to the new government. Adams supported a central government while Jefferson supported the Republican Party. Adams and Jefferson spent most of their political career at loggerheads with each other over their different political views. However, the two founding fathers reconciled and became allies once more.
The next compromise came during the Jackson administration. The period when Andrew Jackson was president was a highly controversial period. Jackson is renowned for keeping a watchful eye over government expenditures. In his era, Jackson rid America of the national debt. His age was the only time in the history of the nation that the federal government was free of debt. Also, the Jackson administration experienced the nullification or secession crisis. The crisis emerged from the disagreement over tariffs. John Calhoun, the former vice president, led South Carolinians in resisting the 1832 duties. The southerners felt that the Tariffs unduly harmed their state and benefitted the northern manufacturing states. The Tariff was meant to prevent foreign competitors who offered cheaper goods. As such, the southerners felt that the Tariff had not protected their interests. Calhoun believed in the nullification idea because the states had the constitutional right to nullify any federal law. Also, Calhoun advanced the concept that stated could secede from the union. Under the leadership and influence of Calhoun, the southerners nullified the 1832 Tariff and threatened secession. President Jackson got furious and promised to use force if South Carolina refused to obey the law. However, Congress passed a compromise tariff that pacified South Carolina. The nullification and the compromise led to a bitter rivalry between Jackson and Calhoun.
John Caldwell Calhoun was the first vice president to retire voluntarily from office. Calhoun had Jefferson as a precedent for his political position. Calhoun remained adamant in his nullification quest where he argued that it was within the constitution that states had the constitutional right to nullify any federal law. Calhoun led South Carolina in resisting the Tariff of 1832, an act that only protected the northerners and disregarded the interests of the southerners. Before Calhoun, in the same manner, Jefferson resisted the Alien and the Sedition Acts of 1798. Jefferson argued that the federal government had no authority to exercise power that was not delegated to it by the constitution. In the Kentucky resolution, Jefferson stated that states had the unquestionable right and ability to nullify unconstitutional federal laws. Therefore, Calhoun had Jefferson as a precedent for his political position.
Both Calhoun and Jefferson called for the nullification of unconstitutional federal laws. Both Calhoun and Jefferson advanced the idea that states had the right to reject any federal law. Both men felt threatened by federal law. For Calhoun, he thought that the Tariffs of 1832 only protected the northerners and secluded the southerners. For Jefferson, he felt threatened by the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 since the sedition act criminalized any actions against the US government, Congress or the president. However, later in the years, Madison, who co-authored the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions with Jefferson, stated that the resolutions were a way of voicing an official opinion and not a means of disrupting the executions of the federal law. Thus, in as much as Calhoun used Jefferson as an example when he resisted the 1832 Tariffs, Madison declared that the resolutions by Jefferson were not an example of nullification.
During the westward expansion, there was a more significant divide between the south and the north. The southern economy depended on slavery due to the vast plantations. Slaves provided free labor for the south, and as such, slavery was at the core of the southern economy. The northerners, on the other hand, wind industrialists who did not need any slaves. As such, the north started an anti-slavery campaign, much to the dismay of the south.
Furthermore, the north and the south were in a disagreement over the division of the colonies acquired during the westward expansion. The feud between the north and the south grew into the civil war where the north won and abolished slavery in America. Although President James Buchanan tried to bring peace between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups, his techniques only heightened tension and anger.
Antebellum America is the period before the American civil war of 1861. During this era, the cotton plantations in the south were very profitable. The success was credited to the fact that the southern soils were rich in nutrients and the availability of free labor from slaves. After the Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830, the southerners acquired large pieces of land at a meager rate. This era also marked the westward expansion where the Americans acquired new properties in Texas, in the Caribbean and Central America. During Antebellum America, the cotton economy was the principal source of prosperity in the South. The Antebellum America period also saw the industrialization in the north. Job opportunities in the factories influenced a significant population shift from the farm to the cities. The era that began with a single textile industry saw tremendous growth in industries in North America.
Antebellum America was different from America that declared itself independent in 1776. The America that declared itself independent was unified under one quest; freedom from the British Empire. America in 1776 was united, and whether a patriot was from the north or south, all of them wanted freedom from their colonizer. When Thomas Jefferson and his fellow delegates drafted the Declaration of Independence, they talked of American independence as a whole, north and south combined. However, Antebellum America was very different. The nation was divided into north and south. There was high tension between the north and the south because of their contrasting views on slavery. The America that was once united had now drifted apart and high pressure between the two fractions. Furthermore, America had changed in that the country had undergone massive political change. Thus, Antebellum America was very different from the America that declared itself independent from the British Empire in 1776.
The changes in America impacted on the political discourse of the nation. The antebellum years were among the most chaotic years in American history. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 began to wear off because of the second awakening. Some people started seeing slavery as a sin and even started a movement to abolish slavery in America. The campaign came with it a great political rift between the north and the south. The south felt underrepresented in the Congress and as such, sought to secede from the Union and become and independent nation. The laws that got passed only favored the north and secluded the south. An example is the Tariff of 1830, an act that shielded the north from cheaper imported goods. The south, under Calhoun rejected and nullified the Tariff since it did not protect their interests.
Furthermore, it is during the antebellum period that Calhoun resigned as the vice president. Calhoun was dissatisfied with how the reign of Jackson and as such, he resulted resigning before his term came to an end.
The political chemistry of the nation was also impacted by the changes experienced in the antebellum period. The political leaders from the north and the south were no longer compatible. As the north advocated for the abolition of slavery, the south wanted slavery to continue. As such, even the congressmen from the north and the south never got along as each group tried to protect their interests. The leaders that once got along no longer shared political chemistry since none of them were willing to compensate. Besides, the south felt left out since they were underrepresented in the congress house. Since the north was the majority, most of the bills were passed into federal law. The south, on the other hand, suffered due to underrepresentation. Thus, even in the congress house, the chemistry between the congressmen became non-existent.
In conclusion, inheriting a nation was different from building it. Initially, all Americans were united under their quest for freedom. Therefore, it was easy to inherit their country since the same force drove all of them. However, building a nation is an uphill task. The government might take a while to stabilize. If the government stabilizes, many political divides occur due to different political affiliations. In the case of America, it took the civil war to stabilize the nation. As such, building a country is a difficult task that requires cooperation from all patriots.