Era of Good Feelings

The Era of Good Feelings is a term used to describe a period in U.S. history that lasted from approximately…

By Staff , in Historical Events in the USA , at September 27, 2024 Tags: 1815, politics, usa

Find Cheap Textbooks - Save on New & Used Textbooks at AbeBooks.com

The Era of Good Feelings is a term used to describe a period in U.S. history that lasted from approximately 1815 to 1825. It is characterized by a sense of national unity, political cooperation, and relative peace following the War of 1812. The term was coined after President James Monroe’s goodwill tour through the United States in 1817, as his presidency is often seen as the pinnacle of this period. However, despite the name, the Era of Good Feelings also saw underlying tensions and growing divisions that would eventually shape American politics in the decades to come.

Origins and Context
End of the War of 1812: The Era of Good Feelings began after the United States’ successful conclusion of the War of 1812 against Great Britain. Although the war ended in a stalemate with the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, it generated a surge of national pride and patriotism in the U.S., particularly after the victory in the Battle of New Orleans in early 1815. The war had also reaffirmed American independence and helped foster a growing sense of national unity.

Collapse of the Federalist Party: One of the most significant political developments of this period was the decline of the Federalist Party. After the War of 1812, the Federalists were seen as disloyal due to their opposition to the war, particularly after the Hartford Convention (1814), where some Federalists discussed the possibility of New England’s secession. This contributed to the party’s collapse, leaving the Democratic-Republican Party as the dominant political force. This one-party dominance contributed to the sense of political harmony that characterized the Era of Good Feelings.

James Monroe’s Presidency (1817–1825): The term “Era of Good Feelings” is closely associated with the presidency of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. Monroe was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party and had served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War under President James Madison. Monroe’s two terms in office were marked by his efforts to promote national unity and reduce political tensions.

In 1817, Monroe embarked on a goodwill tour of the country, and during a visit to Boston, a Federalist stronghold, a newspaper described his reception as part of an “Era of Good Feelings.” This term stuck and came to symbolize the broader national mood.

Features of the Era
National Unity and Patriotism:
The period was marked by a sense of national unity following the War of 1812, which helped foster a growing sense of American identity. Many Americans believed the nation had come of age and was entering a new era of prosperity and strength.
National symbols, such as the American flag and Bald Eagle, became more prominent, and patriotic themes were celebrated in art, literature, and politics.

Economic Growth and the American System:
The post-war period also saw significant economic growth. This was partly driven by Henry Clay’s American System, which aimed to promote economic development through a combination of protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements (such as roads and canals).
Tariff of 1816: The first protective tariff in U.S. history, aimed at shielding American manufacturing from British competition after the war, was passed during this time.
Second Bank of the United States: The chartering of the Second Bank of the United States in 1816 helped stabilize the national economy and provided a source of credit to finance westward expansion and industrial growth.

Territorial Expansion:
The U.S. expanded westward during the Era of Good Feelings, as settlers moved into new territories and the government negotiated new land acquisitions.
Adams-Onís Treaty (1819): Under this treaty, the United States acquired Florida from Spain, and Spain gave up its claims to the Oregon Territory, further expanding U.S. territory.
Westward expansion also fueled the growth of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.

Supreme Court Decisions:
The Marshall Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, played a significant role in defining the powers of the federal government during this period.
Key decisions like McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) upheld the constitutionality of the Second Bank of the United States and reinforced federal supremacy over the states, while Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) affirmed federal authority over interstate commerce. These rulings strengthened the power of the national government.

Underlying Tensions
Despite the outward appearance of unity and prosperity, the Era of Good Feelings was also a time of growing divisions, especially over slavery, sectionalism, and economic policy.

Sectionalism:
The growing divide between the North, which was becoming more industrialized, and the South, which was heavily reliant on agriculture and slavery, became more pronounced during this period.
Issues such as tariffs and federal spending on infrastructure were often viewed differently by the North and South, with Southern states opposing high tariffs that benefited Northern industries.

Slavery and the Missouri Compromise:
The most significant crisis of the Era of Good Feelings occurred over the issue of slavery and westward expansion. As new states were being admitted to the Union, the question of whether they would be slave or free states threatened to upset the balance of power between free states and slave states in Congress.
In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was brokered to resolve this conflict. Missouri was admitted as a slave state, and Maine was admitted as a free state, preserving the balance. Additionally, slavery was prohibited in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′ parallel.
While the compromise temporarily resolved the issue, it exposed the growing tensions between the North and South over slavery, which would continue to divide the nation in the coming decades.

Panic of 1819:
The Panic of 1819 was the first major financial crisis in U.S. history. It was caused by a combination of speculative land investments, declining agricultural prices, and tightening credit by the Second Bank of the United States.
The economic downturn led to widespread bank failures, unemployment, and foreclosures, which undermined the sense of national unity and prosperity that had characterized the early years of the Era of Good Feelings.
Many Americans, especially in the West and South, blamed the national bank for the crisis, fueling opposition to centralized economic policies.

Rise of Political Factions:
Although the Federalist Party had collapsed, political factions began to emerge within the Democratic-Republican Party. By the early 1820s, different factions began to coalesce around leaders such as John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and John C. Calhoun, each representing different regional interests.
The 1824 presidential election, often referred to as the “corrupt bargain,” marked the end of the Era of Good Feelings, as the political unity of the time dissolved into intense partisan conflict. In this election, none of the candidates won a majority of the electoral votes, and the decision was thrown to the House of Representatives, which selected John Quincy Adams as president, despite Andrew Jackson having won the most electoral votes and the popular vote. Jackson’s supporters felt cheated, leading to a split in the Democratic-Republican Party and the rise of the Democratic Party.