CHAPTER 11 • SECTION 3
The Era of Good Feelings As nationalist feeling spread, people shifted
their loyalty away from state governments and toward the federal government. Democratic-Republican James Monroe won the presidency in 1816
with a large majority of electoral votes. The Federalist Party provided little
opposition to Monroe and soon disappeared. Political differences gave way
to what one Boston newspaper called the Era of Good Feelings.
During the Monroe administration, several landmark Supreme Court
decisions promoted national unity by strengthening the federal government.
For example, in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the court ruled that a state
could not tax a national bank. As Justice Marshall explained, “The power to
tax involves the power to destroy.”
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) also strengthened the federal government. Two
steamship operators fought over shipping rights on the Hudson River in
New York and New Jersey. The Court ruled that interstate commerce could
be regulated only by the federal government, not the state governments.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Because the right of the federal government
to incorporate a bank was not specifically
spelled out in the Constitution, Maryland
argued that Congress did not have the right
to charter such a bank. However, if the bank
were legal, Maryland believed that it could tax
it. The Supreme Court ruled against the state.
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McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
KEY ISSUE federal supremacy vs. state powers
KEY PEOPLE James McCulloch cashier, Bank of the United States
(Maryland branch)
The Case
The Second Bank of the United States was established by the U.S. Congress in
1816. The state of Maryland tried to put the bank out of business: it set a high
tax on currency issued by the bank. When James McCulloch, the cashier at the
Maryland branch, refused to pay the tax, Maryland sued him and the bank.
1. Draw Conclusions High taxes can
force a business to fail if the owner
cannot pay them.
2. WHAT IF? Possible Answers: State law
might be more powerful than federal
law; the national bank might have ceased
to exist.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of McCulloch and the Bank of the United
States. It ruled that Congress had the right to establish the bank.
The court also ruled that the states do not have the right to tax the federal
government. If the tax were allowed, it would give Maryland power over the
federal government. In the ruling, John Marshall wrote that the framers of the
Constitution did not intend to make the federal government subject to state
powers. He cited the Supremacy Clause (Art. 6, Sec. 2): “This Constitution, and
the laws of the United States . . . shall be the supreme law of the land.”
More About . . .
John Marshall
John Marshall served as chief justice
(1801–1835) longer than any other man,
and he helped make the Supreme Court as
important as Congress and the presidency.
In cases such as /B%TKKNBGv./@QXK@MC he
helped to define the powers of the Court
to determine whether acts of Congress or
the president violated the Constitution.
According to legend, the Liberty Bell
cracked while tolling for Marshall’s funeral.
However, no existing documents prove this.
CRITICAL THINKING
1. Draw Conclusions Why did John Marshall say that the power to tax “involves the
power to destroy”?
2. WHAT IF? What do you think might have happened if McCulloch v. Maryland had been
decided in Maryland’s favor?
380 Chapter 11
INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES
CONNECT
380 • Chapter 11
to Drama
CONNECT
to Civics
Dramatize McCulloch v. Maryland
Create a Brochure on Nationalism
Divide the class into two groups and have each
research /B%TKKNBGv./@QXK@MC One should
focus on Maryland’s arguments and the other
should focus on the federal government’s. Have
students then select “lawyers” to plead both
sides of the case. Students should frame their
arguments in modern language to emphasize
the issues involved.
Have pairs of students create a brochure titled
“Uniting the Country.” In the brochure, students
should list and illustrate actions by the three
branches of government that helped unite the
nation and strengthen the federal government
in the early 1800s. For example, the legislative
branch created protective tariffs.
CHAPTER 11 • SECTION 3
More About . . .
The Erie Canal
The 363-mile Erie Canal was constructed
over an 8-year period. When the canal
opened, freight rates between Buffalo and
New York City dropped dramatically, from
$100 per ton to $9 per ton.
The Erie Canal
Transportation Links Cities In 1806, Congress had funded a road from
Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, West Virginia. By 1841, the National
Road, the country’s main east-west route, extended to Vandalia, Illinois.
Water transportation improved with the building of canals. The period
from 1790 to 1855 is often called the Age of Canals. Completed in 1825, the
massive Erie Canal created a water route between New York City and Buffalo,
New York. The Erie Canal allowed farm products from the Great Lakes region
to flow east, and people and manufactured goods from the East to flow west.
Trade stimulated by the canal helped New York City to become the nation’s
largest city. Between 1820 and 1830, its population nearly doubled.
Improvements in railroads led to a decline in canal use. In 1830, about 23
miles of train track existed. By 1850, the number had climbed to 9,000.
Unit 4 Resource Book
• Connect Geography & History, p. 153
Teach
Sectional Tensions Increase
Answer: Economic
self-sufficiency, better
transportation, and
a stronger federal
government helped to
promote national unity.
SUMMARIZE Describe the factors that helped to promote national unity.
Sectional Tensions Increase
KEY QUESTION What factors increased sectional tension?
Because much of the terrain was hilly, more
than 80 locks were built to raise and lower
ships. Whenever a barge passed beneath
a low bridge, which might happen several
times an hour, passengers on deck had to
duck down on the deck.
While nationalism grew, sectionalism threatened to tear the nation apart.
Sectional Interests Sectionalism is loyalty to the interests of a region or
section of the country. By the early 1800s, economic changes had created
divisions. The South relied on a plantation economy that used slavery. The
Northeast focused on manufacturing and trade. In the West, settlers wanted
cheap land. The interests of these sections were often in conflict.
Sectionalism became a major issue when Missouri applied for statehood
in 1817. People in Missouri wanted to allow slavery in their state. At the
time, the United States consisted of 11 slave states and 11 free states. Adding
Missouri as a slave state would upset the balance of power in Congress.
Roleplay Your Answer
• Why did Henry Clay’s plan satisfy both the
South and the North? /XOK@MDMRTQDCA@K@MBD
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• Sectionalism in what three regions threatened
America’s national unity? 0DV'MFK@MCSGD
5NTSG@MCSGD9DRS
• Main Ideas and Details What was
important about the Mason-Dixon Line?
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Unit 4 Resource Book
• Skillbuilder Practice, p. 147
National and Regional Growth 381
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Teacher-Tested Activities
Struggling Readers
Gifted & Talented
Kelly Ellis, Hamilton Middle School,
Cyprus, Texas
Review Regional Differences
Transportation Sketch Map
This activity helped my students summarize
information about the Erie Canal.
Remind students that slavery was not
the only issue that divided Americans.
Have students summarize the economy
in the North, where wealth was based
on manufacturing and trade, and in
the South, where wealth depended on
agriculture and slavery.
Have students reread “Transportation
Links Cities.” Then have them draw a
sketch map of the eastern United States,
labeling all places and improvements
described in the text. Remind students
to include a map title, compass rose,
scale, map legend, and a caption
explaining how these transportation
improvements helped promote national
unity.
I provided reference materials and Web sites
about the Erie Canal. They used markers,
colored pencils, and index cards to create
postcards of the Erie Canal. The front showed
a diagram of the canal. The back contained
captions explaining the diagram. The back
also included messages to friends or relatives
describing cities on the canal, canal operation,
types of boats and goods on the canal, or the
economic impact of the canal on the region.
7HDFKHU·V(GLWLRQ• 381