Era of Good Feelings
AP US History
Ch 12
Nationalism
• Strong sense of nationalism after the War of
1812 and the LA purchase.
• Washington DC was rebuilt and the military
was strengthened after it was burned to the
ground in the War of 1812.
Henry Clay
• Initiated the American System—an economic
plan for the country. It had three proposals…
• A strong banking system. Recharter the 2nd BUS
• Set up a protective tariff to boost American
industry. Tariff of 1816 (25% tax on imports)
• Build a strong transportation network of roads
and canals. (states responsible for this) States
begin to do this, like NY builds the Erie Canal.
• The nation's poor transportation network had
been painfully visible during the War of 1812.
President Monroe
• Era of Good Feelings to his presidency because
federalist party vanished, there was only the
Republican party and the country liked the idea of
being united verses split. (1816-1824)
• Panic of 1819 hits the Era of Good Feelings.
• BUS and Wildcats banks (western banks) lend out
money to anyone who wanted to purchase land. (over
speculation)
• BUS called in loans to wildcat banks, they couldn’t
repay, led to bankruptcies , foreclosures, BUS was
blamed, people began to distrust BUS. (beginnings of
Jacksonian Democracy)
The West is growing
• New states were joining the Union
• Land Act of 1820 was selling 80 acres at 1.25
per acre and “Wildcat banks” were making
loans easy.
• Cumberland Road (National Road)made travel
easy to the West.
• Robert Fulton’s steamboat invention made
two way travel possible.
Sectional differences emerge
• Missouri Compromise would allow Missouri to
enter the union as a slave state and Maine as
a free state.
• To keep the balance between free and slaves
states
• All new states north of the 36 30 would be
free, south would be slave states.
Federal vs State governments
Court cases
• Chief Justice John Marshall federalist ideals will be displayed in the
decisions.
• McCulloch vs. Maryland (1819)—The "Elastic Clause Case."
• Maryland tried to tax the Bank of the U.S. Chief Justice Marshall invoked
Hamilton's "implied powers" and declared the B.U.S. constitutional.
States can not tax the BUS.
• Cohens vs. Virginia (1821)—The "Lottery Case."
• The Cohens family sold lottery tickets in Virginia, which was illegal by state
law. Cohen bros felt their rights were violated but when review by
Supreme court, conviction upheld but states courts upset because federal
court reviewed it and claimed final authority over the case.
• Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824)—The "Steamboat Case."
• The Supreme Court said New York was wrong to award a monopoly to
Fulton and Gibbons, because Ogden started his own boat company and
the Constitution says that only Congress can regulate interstate trade, not
the states.
Monroe’s Foreign Policy
• Treaty of 1818 US and GB jointly control and occupy Oregon
Territory
• General Andrew Jackson and Sec of State JQAdams
purchase Florida from Spain for $5 million (Florida Purchase
Treaty or Adams-Onis Treaty).
• The Monroe Doctrine (1823) it told Europe that the days of
colonization in the Americas are over. And, Europe should
stay out of American affairs. It was to keep out.
• The Doctrine was issued most directly in response to
Russia. (just made claims in Pacific Northwest(Alaska) It
was applied to all Europeans nations however.)
• In return, Monroe said the U.S. would stay out of Europe.