AFP SECTION NOTES 1/31

mabelwong@jhu.edu

put hard copy of weekly response in her mailbox in the department lounge by FRIDAY this week.
focus on the larger of the readings for the week.
not a summary of the argument, but a critical reading of the text

AFP NOTES 1/30

Anglophobia & the Monroe Doctrine

A) France vs Britain
Macon's Bill No. 2
revised version of the first bill, not even supported by macon
-text of bill was that if one country- britain or france- stopped harassing american ships, america would cut off trade with the other
-napoleon immediately agreed to this (he had less to lose)
-however, he didn't actually stop harassing american ships
-this put the ball firmly back into the british court
-irony here was that from Nov 1807- July 1812 the French took many many more american ships than did the british
-another problem here- the british were in fact the lords of the sea
-every neutral country depended on the british navy to ensure their safety on the seas
British Neo-Mercantilism
-Americans felt like the british were sucking them into another system of mercantilism through the seas
-there were many problems with resisting the french
-any attack on the french would necessitate an alliance with the UK
-the french were also one of the most rapacious empires under napoleon, americans bore them no love
The War Hawks
-war was rapidly rising to the forefront
-many southerners and westerners in this camp
-one of the huge issues was the british relationship with the indians
-british were hoping that the indians would unite together in a confederation powerful enough to fight off the americans
-Nov 1811- the battle of Tippecanoe showed that the british were supporting the indian tribes, and this threat would have to be addressed
-the most logical target owned by the british was canada
Canada
-historically we like to invade canada
-before even the declaration of independence, there was an american invasion into canada
-war hawks figured that it'd be easy to invade and take canada
-it was figured that it would only be a 'matter of marching'- US troops would just march straight into canada, canada would surrender
-this just didnt happen
-June 1- Madison sends to congress a request for a declaration of war
-grounds for complaint
-british were still attacking american ships on the open seas
-June 4 the declaration of war was approved by the house
-June 17 the declaration of war was approved by the senate
-first actual declaration of war in american history, also by the closest margin ever, especially in the senate (19-13)
-the vote was extremely divided along party lines
-in London on June 16- 'the order in council' will be suspended
-in London on June 23- the new british government repealed the order in council
-the order in council was the actual main reason that they went to war in the first place, but the americans didn't find out until more than a month later

B) The War of 1812
Stalemate of Britain
-american invasion of canada was a massive failure
-american general in the west was actually thrown out of canada and forced to surrender, and lost detroit and parts of the american northwest
-why did we fail?
-the army was tiny, because the very idea of a standing army was unpalatable
-the militia (backbone of the army) was extremely unreliable
-many state militias refused to serve outside their states
-no money for the war
-republicans had killed the first bank of the united states in 1811, so there was no way to raise money centrally
-most of the big money men who could lend the US money were federalists, who wouldn't lend them anything at all
-there was some success- naval engagements
-on the great lakes and at sea, americans kept winning naval battle
-basically a stalemate for a few years
-august 4, 1814 the british actually invaded washington dc, looted and burned all of the city
-september 13- they try to move to baltimore
-baltimore holds at fort mchenry
-situation got so bad in new england that five states called a convention (hartford convention)
-came really really close to demanding outright secession from the US, ended up sending a list of grievances to the federal government
-meanwhile, american ambassadors had been meeting with british ambassadors in Ghent
-they agree to a treaty on a status quo ante
-nobody gains or loses any territory
-the treaty got signed before january 8, 1815
-british forces tried to invade New Orleans after it was signed- andrew jackson shanks them
-didn't know the war was already over
-what did the war do?
-settled the secession crisis in New England, they weren't gonna secede any time soon
-huge territory gains in the west
-Jackson, prior to the battle of New Orleans, was very active against the creek indians
-Harrison destroys the confederated thames
Pacifying the Frontier
-huge territory gains in the west
-Jackson, prior to the battle of New Orleans, was very active against the creek indians
-Harrison destroys the confederated thames
US Emancipation
-settled the matter of independence
-US was actually recognized as a sovereign state
-all future disputes in the region would be settled by arbitrage
-democratic peace theory was started here, the two democracies didn't really go to war with eachother again
C) US Assertion
Latin American Revolution
-shitloads of revolutions going on in latin america as well
-main instigators:
-simon bolivar
-jose de san martin
-mexico underwent a separate process of revolt 1810-1821
-for a long time, all of south america through half of north america were controlled by spain, all of a sudden they just became independence
-the new states were weak, the holy alliance monarchies decided to re-impose monarchical control over the region, and reestablish european domination
The Holy Alliance
-Russia, Austria, Prussia, France
-these states felt that with their authority they could establish a peace on their terms
-they were anti-democratic, anti-secular, and anti-revolutionary
-congress of verona of 1822
-the other powers in europe greenlighted french intervention in spain to restore spain's king ferdinand VII
-he was thrown off originally, put back so that they could safeguard monarchical power
-the british disagreed with these guys, turned her back on europe
-policy of 'splendid isolation'

Britain Proposes Cooperation
-british prime minister George Canning had huge interests in south/latin america (mostly trade)
-made an ultimatum to the rest of europe, saying that any intervention in the americas would lead to war with britain
-made an offer to the US
-stated that the spanish position was hopeless
-denied any ambition in the region- said that all they wanted was their trade rights to be secured
-opposed any european intervention
-proposed that the US and UK should put forward a joint statement opposing any european intervention in the americas
The Monroe Doctrine
-James Monroe was urged to accept this offer by Jefferson
-a meeting was held on Nov 23, 1823
-british offer would have been accepted right then if not for John Quincy Adams
-adams said that american power was so minimal that it wouldn't really add much to the british declaration, makes US look like britain's bitch
-another agenda was at stake here
-americans were supportive of greek independence
-july 4, 1821- Adams makes some remarks- the DEFINITIVE statement of american exemplaraist foreign policy
-'goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy', etc
-didnt matter, monroe made a statement anyways
-Dec 2, 1823- Monroe Declaration, which became the Monroe Doctrine
-adams thought that the pledge to britain meant that our own expansion would be halted in the western hemisphere, and this would be unacceptable
-specifically texas and cuba

D) The Atlantic System
US Sovereignty
-america was not really extended an invitation into the 'republic of europe'
-UK and US tried to erect a state system similar to the system used in europe (not within states, but the international system)
-there were three main differences between US and europe, though
-slavery
-indian dispossession
-expansion at the expense of their neighbors
-this couldn't happen in europe, happened anyways in the americas
International Rights

AP NOTES 1/30

Political parties have evolved heavily since the beginnings of the presidency
-they've gone from vice to virtue

different functions of parties
-party in the electorate
-the people identify themselves one way or another, hold parades, etc
-party in government
-how much power each party has in congress, eg, speaker, etc
-party as organization
-people who help organize the election machine, registering voters, running campaigns, etc

in the 19th century, the local parties are actually the strongest ones, as opposed to today where the national parties are the most important

by 1856, democratic party has emerged as the party of the south, while republicans are the party of the north
1860 is really the epitome of the split between regional parties
-lincoln carried ONLY the north, scored 59.4% of the electoral vote
-he only won 39.82% of the popular vote
-the north essentially elected the president in 1860
-leads to southern secession, civil war
-lincoln was the consummate party president

Lincoln's a fun guy
-suspends the writ of habeas corpus by executive order
-does this to maintain control over maryland and baltimore especially
-essentially declares martial law in the area
-lincoln is referred to as pretty close to a military dictator
-the only president before to ever even come close was James Polk, with the mexican war, but not really the same
-a lot of the stuff he does is even explicitly banned in the constitution
-it was determined after the war that lincoln had acted unconstitutionally
-lincoln's war powers do NOT last beyond his administration, so no institutionalization
-it was actually unclear as to whether the president even has the authority to end slavery at all
-lincoln just decided 'fuck that'
-emancipation proclamation doesnt actually free all the slaves, only the ones in rebel territory
-that's how he justified it- it would help out in the conduction of the war

Andrew Johnson
-becomes president after lincoln is assassinated
-the real important thing here is the resurgence of congressional authority
-military reconstruction act and tenure of office act essentially emasculate the presidency
-both strip powers from the president-
-military reconstruction act puts congress in the loop in reconstruction
-tenure of office act makes it impossible for him to fire officials without congressional approval
-johnson becomes first president to be impeached, kept in office by only one vote

OCC CIV NOTES 1/30

Marx and Dickens wrote for very different reasons

Marx- to overthrow the capitalist economic hierarchy
-marx attaches no value to capital or materials, only labor

Dickens- accepts the economic hierarchy, works to change conditions within it
-also to sell copies

between 1814-1848, there's little conflict between states, but lots of conflict within society
this era is the era of nationalism and democracy


Nationalism-
-formed on idealistic belief that a Europe formed on nationalistic lines will be peaceful and prosperous
-very different from later jingoistic tendencies
-slavery is abolished in most of europe
-cost of abolishing slavery was equivalent to a 10% tax on all british incomes (because they did it by force)
during the french revolution, all of europe was filled with french refugees, who told tales of the terrible revolution
lots of revolutions are held during the 1840s, nearly all of them fail
-change still happens, however
-monarchical alliances based on personal relationships vanish
there are two branches of nationalism
-both stem from the french revolution
-1- individual libertarianism
-nationalism is an expression of national sovereignty, and the idea that the state is sovereign within its own borders
-the state is subordinate to civil society
-the people themselves exercise sovereignty
-this is called individual libertarianism

-2- collectivist authoritarian nationalism
-the theoretical sovereignty of the people is not derived from the practice of liberty, but from the people's uniqueness

what was state and nation-building in western europe in the 19th century?
-something huge happened
-the crimean war was largely a war of government
-WWI, however was largely a war of PEOPLE
-the people were actually willing to kill eachother en masse without being forced to, the war was not imposed from above as much

3 reform acts that expanded the vote in england, england was one of the more liberal, democratic states in europe
-even so, both political parties in england were nationalistic parties

france was a mixed country, huge class between workers and upper class
-still a very nationalistic country

italy also ended up being extremely nationalistic

germany
-ruled by the junkers (prussians, etc)
-still hugely nationalistic
-all blood germans (not even by lanugage) could return to germany and be recognized

AFP NOTES 1/29

Lec 2 Cont
Exemplarists vs Vindicationists

Pessimistic vs Optimistic


Lec 3- Origins and Founding Principles
Domestic Politics
no unified form of thought, very regionally based

Sectional Priorities
-New England and the South/West
-NE
-Free (regards to slaves)
-pro-improvements (roads, bridges, canals, railways)
-commercial
-British supporters
-Hamilton was proponent
-mainly federalist
-S/W
-Slave (regards to slaves)
-Strict construction (limit power of the government)
-agrarian
-supported the french
-Jefferson was proponent
-mainly republican

the fear that the northerners would sacrifice the mississippi was a huge part of constitutional debate of the time
-this may be the reason that a 2/3 majority in the senate is necessary for any treaties
south was huge proponents of westward expansion
-this leads to tension between the states
british admirals, for instance, were empowered to negotiate with individual states, not just the whole of the united states
new englanders were kind of pissed over the war of 1812, try to maintain their power base
-leads to the Hartford Convention of 1814- no new state can be admitted to the union without the approval of 2/3 of the states
US power is very spread out, population is dispersed, no real military power base

Washington Administration
1) Neutrality Proclamation
-april 22, 1793
-america would not be involved in the european war, nor could any american CITIZENS be involved in the european war
2) Citizen Genet
-ambassador from france
-landed in south carolina
-instead of going to the capital, he starts hiring privateers to invade spanish florida
-embarrassing to the US because it looked like america was gonna be drawn into the war despite the proclamation
-rather than getting recalled after a coup in france, he lived out his life peacefully afterwards in the US
3) Jay Treaty
-signed treaty in November 1794
-compensation to american ships
-england would vacate the 7 british forts in the americas
-in exchange, britain gets favored trading partner status
-several problems, though
-no compensation for slaves confiscated during the revolutionary war
-no agreement to stop impressment by the british
-no negotiation for navigation of the mississippi river
-submitted the treaty in june of 1795
-ratified in august 1795 by the bare minimum votes
4) Farewell Address
-september 1796
-warned against the 'insidious wiles' of foreigners
-in favor of temporary alliances during emergencies, but not permanent in any event
-US should be 'detached and distant'
-this was taken to heart- first permanent alliance made was NATO in 1949

Adams Administration
1) XYZ Affair
-april 1798
-american ambassadors to france were informed that they would get no access to the french government unless they paid bribes to individuals x, y, and z
-this led to a massive outbreak of public hatred for france, increase in armament and military
2) Quasi-war
-american and french warships started attacking each other and each other's warships
-british began moving in and offering to convoy ships and sold supplies and arms
-treaty of Mortefontaine- sep 30
-word of this didnt reach the us for a while, lost adams the election
-had the lag not have existed, the peace might have allowed adams to be re-elected
Jefferson Administration
1) War against Barbary
-decided he didnt want to keep paying ransom money to the barbary pirates, sent the fleet in to destroy them
-1805- william eaton advised jefferson and madison (sec of state) of internal squabbles in Tripoli
-if the US would support one faction in tripoli, the piracy could stop
-jefferson gave eaton the green light
-US was technically NOT AT WAR with tripoli at the time
-two important precedents here
-presidential authority to act militarily without a formal declaration of war in congress
-the 'just war' doctrine (now called 'regime change')
-america would maintain a presence there
2) Saint Domingue
-one of the richest parts of the caribbean
-accounted for a massive chunk of france's finances
-over 500,000 slaves in a place the size of maryland (compare to only 900,000 slaves in all of the US)
-slave revolt happened
-Toussaint L'Ouverture was the slave leader
-Adams supported toussaint
-jefferson flipped american policy 180 degrees
-jefferson even offered to help the french regain control of the slave territory, for ideological reasons
-ultimately jefferson flipped again, opposed the french for another reason
3) Louisiana Purchase
-all of a sudden, the french under napoleon owned the Louisiana territory
-napoleon saw Saint Domingue as a stepping stone to regaining the french empire in the western hemisphere
-napoleon's success rested on three things
-peace with UK
-friendship with US
-success in Saint Domingue
-none of these things ever happened
-Peace of Amiens (between france and uk) ended up failing
-french army in saint domingue was DECIMATED
-not just the resistance, also huge disease attrition
-US refused to help the french all of a sudden
-cut off supplies and finances to france
-at the same time, americans were negotiating to buy the louisiana purchase (but especially new orleans)
-they were offered all of the louisiana territory for $15 million
-napoleon figured he'd sell it to the US rather than go to war with it
4) France vs England
-Jefferson didn't recognize the only other successful revolting colony (Haiti) because of domestic interests
-he embargoed it
-biggest problem here was which side should jefferson support
-jefferson opted for neutrality
-figured he'd capitalize both sides
-jefferson himself, however, felt that britain was the biggest threat
-after the french fleet is annihilated by the british, the french just become incidental, he says that the US should support the french against the british