preview

Era Of Good Feelings

Decent Essays

The years following the War of 1812 and the Treaty of Ghent (1815-1825) have often been distinguished as the Era of Good Feelings. It refers to the American’s victory in the War of 1812 and is generally marked as a period in political history that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The period’s nickname suggests that Monroe’s years in presidency were marked by a spirit of nationalism, optimism, and goodwill. Although, the era of good feelings emerged with cultural and economic Nationalism along with the fading of the Federalist Party, peaceful foreign policies, and the implantation of the Monroe Doctrine, the perception of unity and harmony can be misleading …show more content…

One thing that promoted nationalism and hoped to bond the nation together was the creation of the American System by Henry Clay. Revenues from the tariffs went towards building roads and canals to counteract disunion between regions. (2). Although it was feared that rapid industrialization could lead to the division of the North, South, West, it was believed that uniting the regions together would bring about social, political and economical nationalism that was needed to unite the west with the rest of the country. Another event that bonded the American people together was the celebration of the Fourth of July. The Fourth of July allowed Americans to unite on their nationalistic views of their country after the War of 1812. This allowed Americans to come together and celebrate their country's win of independence and show respect towards their first president: George Washington (3). The Fourth of July signifies US independence and the freedom of American citizens, which allowed nationalism in America to grow, but at the expense of …show more content…

Thomas Jefferson referred to the Missouri Compromise as the geographical line that would cause more irritation in America every time an issue environmentally came about (6). Although the Missouri compromise crated a new slave state in Missouri and a free one in Maine, this did not totally resolve the conflicts about allowing slavery in certain parts of the nation. Jefferson feared that the nation’s perseverance would be affected due to this dividing line. Another contribution to the growth of political sectionalism was that from 1820 to 1824, the nation disbanded into multiple political groups (7). By the time the election of 1820 came to a close, James Monroe won most of the electoral votes, which showed that the people politically agreed on one person to run their nation. But overtime areas began to split into different groups; supporting different people with different ideas. Therefore, the increase in sectionalism began to grow. With people having different views politically, the period after the War of 1812 cannot be considered the Era of Good

Get Access