The 1820s and the Market Revolution

What were some of the policies in Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams’s American System?

• an increase in the budget for the United States' standing armies, expansion of the U.S. navy fleet

• The elimination of tariffs to encourage foreign trade, support for "pet" banks

• A high tariff on foreign goods, support for the Bank of the United States

Why did John Quincy Adams’s popularity decline towards the end of his term as President?

• His many scandals while in office soured the opinions of the voters, who were becoming increasingly concerned with the moral character of presidents.

• His enthusiastic support of Manifest Destiny alienated his key constituents in New England, who feared that westward expansion would grant more power to slaveholders.

• His support for Native American sovereignty and his tariff policies proved unpopular with his constituents.

How did the introduction of steamships affect transporting goods on rivers?

• Steamships were also ocean-going vessels, meaning the goods did not have to loaded and unloaded at port cities.

• Steamships were much faster than wind-powered vessels, enabling steamship pilots to evade capture by pirates and thieves.

• Steamships were powerful enough to travel against a river's current, enabling travel in both directions.

Why did Andrew Jackson call the outcome of the 1824 presidential election a “corrupt bargain”?

• Jackson claimed that John Quincy Adams won the presidency by making false promises to voters about the availability of free land in the West.

• Jackson alleged that John Quincy Adams bribed election officials to tamper with the results.

• Jackson alleged that Henry Clay convinced the House of Representatives to vote for John Quincy Adams in exchange for a position in Adams' cabinet.

The textile mills of Massachusetts normalized the phenomenon of women working outside the home, but what else were the Lowell mills known for?

• So-called "weaver's weddings," when Lowell mill women married men who also worked at the mills

• The earliest interracial labor union in the United States

• Brutal working conditions and low wages

How did the introduction of railroads change the way goods were transported to markets?

• It slowed down the transport of good considerably; regulation prevented the speedy construction of new tracks.

• It helped introduce wheat and apples to the American interior.

• It could move goods over mountains relatively easily, compared to pack animals, and unlike a canal, it wouldn't freeze over in the wintertime.

In his 1823 State of the Union Address, President James Monroe laid out the core principles of what would come to be known as the Monroe Doctrine. What is the main argument of the Monroe Doctrine?

• The United States would assist any nation attempting to throw off the system of monarchy in favor of democracy.

• The United States considered France its main ally in the world and would defend French interests in Europe in exchange for protection from the British navy.

• The Americas were not Europe's to conquer and colonize anymore; the United States considered the Americas their own sphere of influence.

Why was the construction of the Erie Canal so important to the American economy?

• It facilitated the fur trade between upstate New York and Canada.

• It created a demand for new flat-bottomed, barges, reinvigorating the shipbuilding industry.

• It was faster, cheaper way of getting goods from the port of New York City to the Great Lakes.

How did the cotton gin, a mechanized tool, help to support the institution of slavery?

• Operating a cotton gin required at least four people, requiring plantation owners to purchase more slaves.

• The cotton gin didn't support the institution of slavery; it made growing cotton so efficient that many plantation owners decided to manumit their slaves.

• It made cotton more efficient, increasing output and making slave-labor plantations more profitable.