The
“Era of Good Feelings”
(1816 -1824)
What are the characteristics of the “Era of Good Feelings”?
What happened to end this period?
What did each president during this time seek to achieve?
How did they attempt to make this happen?
What was the importance of the Monroe Doctrine?
How did foreign policy change during this period? Why?
Presidential Overview
• James Madison
(1809-1817)
– Democratic-Republican
• James Monroe*
(1817-1825)
– two terms
– Democratic-Republican
• John Quincy Adams (18251829)
– Democratic-Republican
The Election of 1816
[The Demise of the Federalist Party]
1816: Demise of the First Party System
• In 1787, when Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
wrote the Federalist Papers, the party was also born, centered around
Constitutional adoption and stronger central government.
• Federalist John Adams was elected in 1796; party was already in
decline due to unpopular policies:
– suppression of free speech under the Alien and Sedition Acts
– assumption of closer relations with Britain instead of France
(remember, D-R were on the side of state, not central power)
• In 1801 (after a hotly contested election) Jefferson elected president,
with VP Aaron Burr
– Federalists feared and hated Jefferson, but partly due to
infighting, couldn’t organize successful opposition
– D-R win over east (see above), stronger support in South and
West (esp. with expansion)
– Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Party figurehead, agreed to a duel with
Burr to revive his political career (shot and killed by Burr)
• Jefferson won a landslide reelection in 1804, thanks to the Louisiana
Purchase.
What happened between Jefferson
and Monroe presidencies?
• 1803-1809: Purchase of Louisiana,
expansion of federal power—Supreme
Court cases, Embargo Act
• 1808: Election of Madison
• 1810-1812: trade wars, issues with foreign
policy (but Americans learn diplomacy)
• 1812-1814: War of 1812, Hartford
Convention/Essex Junto discredit
Federalists, growth of “nationalist” feelings
Presidency of James Monroe
[1817-1825]
• Change in/protection of
domestic policy under
American System
• Major internal
improvements
• Shift in foreign policy
leads to major national
expansion
• Movement from
nationalism to
sectionalism in the U.S.
Clay’s “American System”
• Post-War of 1812, England had surplus goods, making them
cheap for American buyers, decreasing demand for American
goods.
• To help regulate this, Henry Clay (former War Hawk and
Speaker of the House) helped initiate the Tariff of 1816 which
increased the price of imported goods.
– tariff to benefit new, weak American manufacturing industry
– higher price of foreign goods made American goods more likely
purchased
• This was a part of Clay’s American System, a governmentguided development of industry and ease of trade; attempt to
protect economy from European influences
– also created a National Bank, uniform currency (not state-based)
– improved America's transportation
– supported by John C. Calhoun (SC Congressman); who had tried
to pass a Bonus Bill earlier in 1817 to use BUS funds for internal
improvements
Clay’s “American System”
 Tariff of 1816
 Chartering of the
Second Bank of the
United States [BUS].
 Irony is that Clay was once
opposed to BUS
 Internal improvements
at federal expense.
- National Road, Erie Canal (built
on Calhoun’s attempt at the Bonus Bill
in 1817)
Henry Clay,
“The Great
Compromiser”
WEST  got roads, canals, federal aid
EAST  got the backing of protective
tariffs from the West.
SOUTH  ??
US Population Density
1810
1820
Treaties of Expansion
• Rush-Bagot Treaty:
US/Britain agree to
disarmament in Great Lakes,
important border between
US/Canada; leads to:
• Convention of 1818: set
boundary of Louisiana
Territory at 49th parallel
– Creates secure, demilitarized
border
– Gain right to settle in Oregon
Country
• Adams-Onis Treaty 1819:
– General Andrew Jackson
invades Spanish East Florida,
although without official
support of Monroe/S. State
John Q. Adams
– Luis de Onis (Spanish
diplomat to US) demands
punishment
– Spain, rather than start a war
with the new US military
power, cedes Florida
– Sets new boundaries, now to
include land in the Pacific
Northwest
The Convention of 1818
Adams-Onis Treaty, 1819
[“The Transcontinental Treaty”]
The West & the NW: 1819-1824
How did Nationalism lead to the
beginning of the “Era of Good Feelings”?
1) The War of 1812 ended, marking a
significant increase in
Nationalism. Americans were
proud of their nation’s win, and
felt that the War of 1812 was the
Second War of Independence
from Britain. Americans began to
identify themselves as Americans
first, instead of identifying with
their individual states.
2) The Death of The Federalist Party
was due to their failure with the
Hartford Convention. After the
war, the Federalists were seen as
extreme sectionalists that only
cared about the needs of New
England. With the United States in
a Nationalist period after winning
the war, the Federalists fell out
favor, as evident in the 1816
election of Monroe.
3)The Tariff of 1816 showed unity
between the states to protect their
countries’ goods. Also promoted the
exchanging of goods exclusively
within the U.S.,supporting the national
economy.
4) Second Bank of the United States. The
fact that Southern leaders, like John C.
Calhoun, supported this charter
portrays the unifying bond of
nationalism in the United States at the
time.
Panic of 1819: First major US
financial crisis
CAUSES
• Government borrowed heavily to
finance the War of 1812
–
•
The BUS offered bad (and sometimes
fraudulent) loans and printed large
amounts of paper money
–
–
–
•
Banks stopped payments to depositors
(essentially, they didn’t have to hold
enough money for those who put
funds in the bank)
EFFECTS
• Second Bank of the United States was
forced to use contractionary monetary
policy (deflation). Led to a
depression:
–
–
–
•
spurred new state banks
Overspeculation of real estate/land
(buying land at cheap prices to sell
them at large profits)
caused inflation and unsustainable
investments
–
–
European demand for American goods
decreased with farm recovery from
Napoleonic Wars
American bankers issued false
banknotes and expanded credit (loans)
to Europe. When banks “called back”
the loans in 1819, they couldn’t pay the
loans back
The panic heightened interest in
economic issues. Politicians offered
many proposals to relieve the
depression:
–
–
–
–
Also due to international events:
•
bankruptcy
bank failures/runs
wide-scale unemployment
Manufacturers propose higher
importation tariffs
Printing more paper money
Return to sound money policy,
working harder, spending less
Monroe limited government
intervention; gov’t pay was cut, as was
overall spending
Bred suspicion of a national bank that
had power to manipulate the currency
and created intense hostility toward
the Second Bank of the United States
The Election of 1820
How does the election of 1820 show an increase in nationalism?
The Missouri Compromise, 1820:
“A Firebell in the Night”
• Thomas Jefferson referred to the
Missouri Compromise as a "fire bell in
the night" (signal of emergency)
because of the fact that he saw it as an
extremely pressing matter.
Southern point of view:
• Missouri should become a slave state
with vast cotton plantations to benefit
economy.
• Missouri could expand slavery in the
US, increase power in Congress to
control /dismiss anti-slavery laws.
• Northerners are afraid of the spread of
slavery because it will diminish
manufacturing/industry power over
the economy
• If the North can abolish slavery in
Missouri, could abolish slavery in
other states.
Northern point of view:
• Spread of slavery will happen if
Missouri is created as a slave state.
• Slavery must be abolished; South is
treating slaves as inhuman.
• North will be unable to stop the
spread of slavery by the
Southerners.
• The way to combat this is to add
Maine as a free state, which will
keep the balance between the North
and South. This way, the North can
keep a check on the spread of
slavery.
In the end, the Missouri
Compromise of 1820 allowed
Missouri to be admitted as a slave
state, while Maine was admitted as
a slave state, and no slave states
could be admitted above the 36 30’
line.
The Tallmadge Amendment
• All slaves born in
Missouri after the
territory became a state
would be freed at the age
of 25.
• Passed by the House, not
in the Senate.
– North controlled the House
– South had enough power to
block it in the Senate.
The Monroe Doctrine, 1823
 Referred to as
“America’s Self-Defense
Doctrine”
2.
1.
What foreign
policy
principles are
established?
Monroe
Doctrine
What warning is given
to the European
countries?
3.
What would the
US do if the
warning was not
heeded?
The Monroe Doctrine
• Monroe's administration did not recognize the new republics in
South America until 1822. Monroe wanted to wait until after Spain
had ceded Florida to the U.S.
– After the Latin American rebellions against European colonizers, U.S.
wanted to promote democracy
– Feared Holy Alliance of Europe would bring its anti-revolution
campaign to the Americas (promoted “divine right of kings”)
• Also wanted these new republics as trading partners, as U.S. sought
to expand
To protect these principles, Monroe delivered a speech (now the
“Monroe Doctrine”—a list of his beliefs)
• Colonization by European countries in the Americas was a violation
of their right to sovereignty
• No European interference with existing colonies
• No U.S. interference in European affairs (the idea of “spheres of
influence” over politics, economics, and social affairs)
Interpret: How do these cartoons display the
meaning of the Monroe Doctrine?
The Election of 1824:
The “Corrupt Bargain”
The Election of 1824:
The “Corrupt Bargain”
Popular
Vote
Electoral
Vote
Andrew
Jackson
43%
99
J.Q.
Adams
31%
32
William
Crawford
13%
41
Henry
Clay
13%
Candidate
37
No one received the majority vote
needed. How will the presidency be
determined?
• House of Rep. had to decide the
winner
• A hint of scandal: Does Clay support
Adams in return for the Secretary of
States’ chair?
• Adams wins, but nationwide
resentment at the perceived injustice
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Jackson
Adams
Crawford
Clay
Electoral Popular
vote
percentage
Election of 1824
Nationalism is being replaced by
sectionalism.
All were Democratic-Republicans.
The electorate voted along sectional lines.
John Quincy Adams:
A bulldog among spaniels!
How did sectionalist controversies end the
“Era of Good Feelings”?
1) Slavery:
The strong disagreement between
the North and South on slavery
caused sectionalist tensions,
especially during the Missouri
Compromise debates in 1820.
2) Panic of 1819 and the Bank of the
United States:
Increased western expansion from
the newly purchased Louisiana
Purchase. As many people moved
out the west, the west began to
become sectionalist as well. Two
issues emerged: the Bank of the
United States and the protective
tariff.
With such a sense of nationalism and
peace, it might appear shocking that
the" Era of Good Feelings" lasted only
10 years. However, the nationalism
after the war masked the still present
sectionalist issues in the United
States. Controversy and tension rose,
leading to the decline in nationalism
and the increase of sectionalism.