This rich resource of primary documents provides a comprehensive look at the conflicting arguments on the hot-button issues faced by U.S. presidents from John Quincy Adams to James K. Polk.
It was the Era of Good Feelings, but all was not well with the young Republic. From 1825 to 1849, presidents John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and James K. Polk grappled with the legacy of the Monroe Doctrine, Indian removal, territorial expansion, the National Bank, tariffs, economic depressions, War with Mexico, near war with Great Britain, and the place of slavery in the growing nation.
As one would expect from confident citizens of the burgeoning young country, conflicting arguments swirled around the hot-button issues of the day. This rich resource of primary documents enables students to read these arguments first hand, and feel the passions and study the logic driving their often forceful positions.
All of the primary documents are annotated and placed into historical context. A thorough index concludes the work.
Timeline
Introduction
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
American Indians and the U.S. Government
Internal Improvements and Nationalism
Cuba and Latin America
The Tarrif
American Political Organization and the Re-emergence of "Parties"
Recommended Readings
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
The Second Bank of the U.S.
Nullification
American Indians and the U.S. Government
The "Spoils System"
Internal Improvements
The Eaton Affair
Recommended Readings
Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
Economic Panic of 1837
Slavery and Abolitionists
The U.S., Great Britain and Canada
The "Independent Treasury" Plan
Texas and the United States
Recommended Readings
William Henry Harrison (1841) and John Tyler (1841-1845)
Presidential Succession
Tariff Policy
The Bank
The Slave Trade
The Caroline Affair
The Annexation of Texas
Recommended Readings
James K. Polk (1845-1849)
California
Oregon
The Mexican War
The Tariff
Slavery
The Independent Treasury
Recommended Readings
Reviews
"They were substantial and deliberative men, and they believed strongly in the promise of the new republic. They led the country as it faced the issues of Indian removal, repercussions of the Monroe Doctrine, rebirth of political parties, questions about the national banking system, abuses inherent in the selection of non-elected office holders, an economic panic, annexation woes, delicate dealings with foreign states, and, of course, the obscenity of slavery. Smith provides a series of primary documents arranged to help students develop their own conclusions about what Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, and Polk did and did not do about the challenges facing the nation."—Reference & Research Book News
