Treaties had provided for the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France (1803), the assurance of commercial independence and freedom from meddling by foreign powers (1814), and the acquisition of East Florida from Spain (1819). A few years later, in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine had declared the whole Western Hemisphere off limits to interference by European powers. These changes allowed the young republic to focus on domestic issues with renewed zeal. Emerson's essay, with its emphasis on looking inward for guidance, seems to be addressing both the growing nation and the individual.
The federal government encouraged settlement in its newly acquired territories, and the country expanded rapidly. In the first half of the century, fourteen new states were admitted to the Union, and in the 1820s alone, the total U.S. population increased by a third. Across the country, as well as in Congress, people seriously debated how much power the federal government should have over the states, given that each state seemed to have its own interests, problems, and history. Jackson's presidency itself represented a break with tradition, since Jackson's rural Southern background contrasted sharply with that of the elite New England politicians who had dominated the government until then.
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