Presidents from Adams Through Polk, 1825-1849: Debating the Issues in Pro and con Primary Documents

by David A. Smith

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313017988
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/30/2005
Series:	The President's Position: Debating the Issues
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	380 KB

About the Author

David A. Smith is Lecturer, Department of History, Baylor University, Waco, TX. He is the author of George S. Patton: A Biography (Greenwood, 2003).

Table of Contents

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

Editorial 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

From the Publisher