The Great Triumvirate : American History

The War Hawks were the group of people in the South who wanted war with Great Britain and to drive out the Native Americans. The War Hawks were led by Henry Clay, a man in Congress who was strongly advising President James Madison to declare war on Great Britain, therefore bringing the scenario directly to Congress. Congress itself were, for the most part, saying that they did not want war. The United States mainly wanted to stay neutral, not to get involved. The Annals of Congress stated “Why take to water, where you can neither fight nor swim?” (Doc K). The Annals talk about how the United States do not have any power to fight but the War Hawks pressed on.

These three men were very different in a time of more partisanship and anger that today. I believe that the nation was fortunate to have Henry Clay, for without him, the Civil War might have come sooner. I also believe that if he hadn't died in 1852, but lived until 1865, the Civil War might have been prevented; or at least, delayed. I admire Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, not for their ideas, but for the way that they fought for what they believed in. It is thanks to these Webster and Calhoun, and men like them, that the Civil War was fought, and thanks to Clay, and men like him, that the Civil war was

The bloodiest war in American history, led by Abraham Lincoln for the north, and Jefferson Davis for the south, both presidents, but two different sides. Both garner for peace, yet one is willing to start a war, while the other is willing to accept it. This essay will compare and contrast the political, economical, and social outlooks on Lincoln’s and Davis’ Inaugural addresses throughout the civil war between the North and South. Slavery, laws, and state rights drove the South to start a war, and Lincoln received the war with open arms. Both sides wanted peace, but their means of achieving it and their leaders’ choices and beliefs differed greatly while still holding similarities.

Although, this principle, at face value, may seem to favor the common man, but in it’s true principles, betray the common man. Jackson strongly fought this ideal, saying that the federal government was made to protect and represent the common man, even when the common man turned on one another, and to protect the common man the Union must be persevered. These issues came to a head, when Vice-President Calhoun, in the South Carolina Exposition and Protest of 1828, supported his home state in nullifying the federal tariff of 1828, which implied he supported the ‘Nullification Rights’ of the state. Jackson, although supporting South Carolina’s view of the tariff, prized the preservation of the Union more, and squashed this rebellion down with the threat of troops being sent. This incident protected the common man, by making it clear that the differing views of a minority will not be able to hurt the common man, so long as the Union can be preserved.

Calhoun bluntly states in his opening sentence he knew that if something was not done about the abolition of slavery it would end in disunion. He claims to have tried to agitate both parties toward some kind of resolve but to no avail. He then asks Congress the pressing question: “How can the Union be preserved?”

On June 1, 1812, the United States’ fourth President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Britain approved by Congress. This is obscurely known as the War of 1812, which was also the first war of the 19th century and lasted from 1812 to the spring of 1815. The War of 1812 is widely known as the “forgotten war” because the war has left very little to the popular memory. Despite the opposition from an entire region, mainly the Federalists, of the United States for the War of 1812, there were many reasons for the United States to commence the war. The War of 1812 was caused by numerous reasons including British impressment of American sailors and their refusal to acknowledge American neutrality rights, the United States’ widespread belief the British were encouraging Indian rebellion, the actions of some newly-elected Congressmen dubbed the “War Hawks,” and the American desire for more land.

Calhoun recognized the nation’s disunion and disorganization,and sought out to fix it as soon as possible.With all of these sectionalist and anti nationalist ideas at the time,his nationalist ideas about keeping America connected and together are what would eventually save America(Document B).Despite what his nationalist supportive ideas along with similar ideas from others did for American history overall,they didn’t stop this time period from being one of the most tumultuous and divided areas in American history.Taking into account this era mainly being a time where America struggled to find its balance between National and State powers and uniting the North and South, a more appropriate name for this time would be “The Era of Divided

On July 11, 1804, a bullet from Aaron Burr’s pistol put an end to the life of Alexander Hamilton. However, it did not put an end to Hamilton’s vision for America. In 1806, a twenty-nine year old Kentuckian entered the U.S Senate and breathed life into Hamilton’s vision. His name was Henry Clay. For the next forty years, the man whom Abraham Lincoln called “My beau-ideal of a statesman” to natiously strove to implement a federal economic policy that closely followed

Perhaps one of Clay's most significant legacies was his impact upon a young congressman from Illinois. Abraham Lincoln was in the audience for Clay's famous Lexington speech of November 1847. Lincoln considered Clay “my beau ideal of a statesman” and adopted much of his political ideology himself. The young Lincoln revered “The Great Pacificator” because of the Kentuckian's commitment to the Union, his economic nationalism, and his dedication to the gradual elimination of

With the eruption of the Civil War came one of the biggest tribulations and trials that this country has ever faced, but as we understand the motives of one of the greatest Presidents in American History we can see that the Civil War was inevitable. From his original intentions of merely preserving the Union and holding the country together, to permanently abolishing slavery we can observe why prevailing in the struggle of the Civil War is one of Lincoln’s defining legacies. Thus, as the civil war draws to a close, an old tumultuous era has ended, and a new more prosperous era has

Although James McPherson presents Lincoln as having numerous qualities that defined him as a brilliant leader, he wastes no time in revealing what he believes to be Lincoln’s greatest strength. In his Introduction, McPherson states regarding Lincoln’s political leadership: “In a civil war whose origins lay in a political conflict over the future of slavery and a political decision by certain states to secede, policy could never be separated from national strategy…. And neither policy nor national strategy could be separated from military strategy” (McPherson, p.6). Lincoln could not approach the war from a purely martial standpoint—instead, he needed to focus on the issues that caused it. For the catalyst of the war was also the tool for its solution; a war started by differing ideologies could only be resolved through the military application of ideology. This non-objective approach to the waging of the war almost resembles the inspired approach McPherson brings to his examination of Lincoln himself.

Lincoln’s optimistic tone attempts to persuade the audience into forgiving the South and making peace. For instance, Lincoln says, “to bind up the nation’s wounds,”, a bright and encouraging quote for the country’s future. By referring to the Union and Confederacy as a one entity, it depicts them as a single united country. What Lincoln also suggests is that the Civil

Americans became even more pissed off at Great Britian when they started to align with Native Americans in the Northwest in 1811. By November of that same year, U.S. President James Madison meet with Congress to start discussing declaring war on Great Britian. The push for war was aided by U.S. Congressmen calling themselves the "War Hawks" who had Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun as part of their ranks and whose supporters came from the South and

Twenty-nine years after the signing of the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War between America and Britain, was the year that marked the beginning of a new conflict that would last America the next three years, the War of 1812. On June 16th of that year, President James Madison declared the start of a war that would greatly impact the future of our country. Britain, still one of the world's greatest superpowers, was currently warring with France at the time of the declaration, however, Britain's reputation as a formidable opponent stood strong. The War of 1812 held a great significance in the history of America: Reasonable purposes for conflict, major conflict with Native Americans, great controversy among its supporters and opposers, numerous honorable battles, the inclusion of African Americans in the war, a memorable conclusion, and notable results.