One cultural effect of the War of 1812 was that the fact that the United States had remained unscathed with its boundaries intact. This led to a focus on nationalism, and on the expansion of the country westward. A new economic agenda for the young nation was then created, which concentrated on creating market economies in industrial locations, thus allowing for economic growth for many citizens. There was the so-called “Era of Good Feelings” that evolved, providing for the ultimate unification of the country and impetus for its expansion and growth (Berkin, et al, 2014).
Republican Motherhood
The term Republican Motherhood may have been misleading, but it actually referred to the idea advocated by women in the 19th century that women must be educated and prepared to take on more challenging roles. During the American Revolution, there were even women who dressed up as men and who helped men fight in the field. Women had to raise the next generation of loyal American patriots, and to do this they had to be well educated as well. Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams, often wrote and discussed with her husband the need to bestow more rights on women, and that women had to be better prepared to help in nation building by bringing up patriotic children. She foretold of a possible rebellion by women if the women sector would not be aided by government in this respect (Ellis, 2010).
Ultimately, this concept led to the development of more educational opportunities for women in the 19th century, with the founding of the Mont Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837. The growing number of educated women became a collective voice in the movement to abolish slavery. Working on the civil rights of the marginalized made many women realize that they too, were marginalized in terms of education and work opportunities, and this gave rise to the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, demanding for equal rights for women (Kerber, 1997).
Jefferson against Madison, Monroe and John Quincy Adams
Jefferson believed in the unalienable rights of all of the citizens of the country, and he promoted national self-determination as he also upheld the notion of democracy as being the expression of society. He also believed in the right of the state to govern themselves with support from the central government (Meacham, 2012). This ideal was not shared by James Madison, who envisioned an equally strong central government, with sovereignty resting on the central government (Rutland, 1990). Monroe was particularly adamant that the central government be strong with his proclamation now called the Monroe Doctrine. In this proclamation, it was deemed that the Americas ought to be free from European colonization, and that any invasion of an American country even if it were not the US called for retaliation from the US. Therefore once more, a strong sovereign central government was needed if this doctrine was to be implemented and observed by other international bodies and nations. This was also seconded by John Quincy Adams, who was the principal author of the Monroe Doctrine (Boyer, 2006). Thus, Madison, Monroe and Quincy Adams may have been as loyal to the country as Jefferson, but they differed from him in that they wished to have a strong central government that possessed sovereign powers, and derived support from the individual states of the young nation.
References
Berkin, C., Miller, C., Cherny, R., Gormly, J. Egerton, D. and Woestman, K. 2014. Making America: A History of the United States, Volume 1: to 1877. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Learning.
Boyer, P. 2006. The Oxford Companion to the United States History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Ellis, J. 2010. First Family: Abigail and John Adams. NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Kerber, L. 1997. Intellectual History of Women: Essays by Linda Kerber. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
Meacham, J. 2012. Thomas Jefferson: The Expression of Power. NY: Random House LLC.
Rutland, R. 1990. The Presidency of James Madison. Kansas City: University Press of Kansas.
