The Era of “Good Feelings”

Do Now: What are some things that unite

America?
Bell Ringer – USH 10

 President Monroe declared in 1823 that the American continents

were no longer to be considered open for colonization by
European powers in a Congressional message later called :
 A) the Adams-Onis Treaty
 B) Monroe’s Proclamation
 C) the Quadruple Alliance
 D) the Monroe Doctrine

 Between 1816 and 1824, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled in 3

important cases that established the dominance of the nation over
the:
 A) courts B) courts
 C) Europeans D) states
Bell Ringer

 The War of 1812 was / was not actually the true war for
American Independence?
 Do you agree?
 Why?
 Why not?
 CONSIDER the CAUSES of the WAR of 1812 and the
RESULTS of the WAR OF 1812 or the American
Revolutionary War for YOUR EVIDENCE.
President James Monroe

 Elected in 1816
(Democratic-
Republican
[Republican])
 Two Terms: 1817-1825
 “Era of Good Feelings”
 Monroe Doctrine
John Quincy Adams

 Monroe’s Secretary of
State
 Architect of the Monroe
Doctrine
 Wide experience in
international politics
 Brilliant thinker and
politician
 Son of 2nd president,
John Adams and future
president (1825-1829)8)
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE “ERA OF
GOOD FEELINGS” – 1816-1824
 DOMESTIC NATIONALISM – (PRIDE)
 Star-Spangled Banner (1814 Francis Scott Key)
 Basically a one-party system (Democratic-
Republicans)
 Solidified American expansion and borders –
Territorial integrity
 SUPREME COURT NATIONALISM – decisions that
reflect national government superiority over states
 Secured US as a respected and INDEPENDENT
nation
 Growth of a national economy
 DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING  since rev war and
embargo act
 HIGH TARIFFS (PROTECTIVE)  price floors of imports
 American Cultural nationalism
 Art  Various paintings of Revolutionary War heroes, etc
 Literature
Domestic Policy
 What are some feelings that
Was the Era of
characterize the Era of Good
Good Feelings
Feelings?
really an era of
 Nationalism

good feelings?
Isolation-domestic policies
 Increase manufacturing &
infrastructure
 Western Migration
 Political unity -- one party rule
-- REPUBLICAN

 What are some things that make

Monroe a good candidate for
the presidency?
 Former Secretary of State
James Monroe
 Strict Interpretation
1817-1825
(Dem-Rep, VA) 5th Pres
Cultural Nationalism

 Look at the following paintings, what sentiments do

these images capture?

 The Hudson River School:

 mid-19th century AMERICAN ART MOVEMENT embodied by
a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was
influenced by ROMANTICISM – Modernity in Art –
landscapes / individualism / etc.
 The paintings for which the movement is named depict
the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including
the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains;
 Thomas Cole (1801–1848), The Oxbow, View from Mount Holyoke,
Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm 1836
 Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara
Falls,1857, Corcoran Gallery of
Art, Washington, DC.
 The Catskills by Asher Brown Durand, reflects
the "sublime landscape" approach employed by
the Hudson River school of painting
 A History of the Life and
Death, Virtues and Exploits,
of General George
Washington (1800) and
 The Declaration of later The Life of George
Independence (1795) Washington, with Curious
Anecdotes Laudable to
 John Trumbull
Himself and Exemplary to his
Countrymen (1806).
Noah Webster

 How did his creation facilitate

nationalism?
 Americans should learn from
American books;
 three volume compendium, A
Grammatical Institute of the English
Language.
 changed the spelling of words, making
them "Americanized."
 He chose s over c in words like
defense, he changed the re to er in
words like center, and he dropped one
of the Ls in traveler.
 Also changed the "our" to or in words
like Honour (Honor) and Colour
(Color)
Others….

 James Fenimore Cooper:

Best know for his historical
romances of frontier and
Indian life
 The Last of the Mohicans,
often regarded as
his masterpiece.
 Washington Irving: The
Legend of Sleepy
Hollow & Rip Van Winkle

 Transcendentalists: Emerson,
Thoreau and Whitman
Economic Nationalism

 Tariff of 1816—
 What is it?
 Protective tariff, supported by nearly all
sections of the nation

 What is it designed to do? “Manufactures are

 Counter threat of cheap British goods necessary to our
flooding the US market independence”
 PROTECT AMERICAN INDUSTRY
FROM FOREIGN COMPETITION
Henry Clay’s American System

 American System – Clay & Calhoun

 Goal :
 Transform US into an economic powerhouse
 Essential factor in this equation
 End sectionalism and encourage the North & South &
West to work together
 North: manufacturing work together to make
 South & West: agriculture U.S. strong
3 components of American System

1) Protective Tariff
 Tax on imports to encourage Americans to buy goods made in America, promote
manufacturing, raise revenues
 Tariff of 1816
2) National Banking System
 2nd Bank of the United States, strengthen/stabilize the economy; national
currency
3) Improve Transportation & Markets – Better INFRASTRUCTURE
To help economy – a system of roads, canals, bridges, and RR TRACK
National Road (Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois)
Canals
Erie Canal (1817-25) 363 miles connecting Albany and Buffalo
Monroe vetoes federal spending on internal improvements, not in the
US Constitution!
 Causes:
 BUS tightened credit to control
inflation
 Causes a lack of spending
which leads to economic
woes
 State banks close
 Value of money drops
 Outcome:
 Increased unemployment
 Bankruptcies
 Debt imprisonments
 Foreclosures
 West territories hurt – lack of
land sales because lack of
credit

The Panic of 1819

 Old Dem-Reps  New Dem-Reps:
 Limited govt, strict  Larger army & navy
interpretation of the  Support National Bank
US Constitution
The Missouri Compromise / 36*30’ Compromise
Compromise of 1820
 PURPOSE – to appease North and South by maintaining a balance of
power in Congress
 Southern View: slavery should be allowed in the new territories – AND
CONGRESS SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE ISSUE
 Northern View: slavery should be controlled
SO the North will not lose power in Congress

 Tallmadge Amendment: NORTH

 prohibit slavery in Missouri  Emancipation
of slave children @ age 25
Gradual elimination of slavery  Gradualism

 WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE

MISSOURI COMPROMISE / 36*30’ COMP
 Maine will be added (cut from Massachusetts ) as a free state to keep the
balance of power stable b/t slave & free states
 Missouri in as a slave state &
 36° 30’ N Parallel No slavery above the parallel
 Southerners were angered because of their belief that CONGRESS should
STAY OUT OF PRIVATE LIVES  PROPERTY
Monroe's Domestic Policy

 TREATIES NEGOTIATED BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

 Rush-Bagot Treaty— (1817, US-Britain)
 Disarmament of the Canadian border & Great Lakes
• Convention of 1818
 Boundary b/t Canada & US fixed at the 49th Parallel
 US & Brits have joint occupation of the Oregon Country
 ISSUE IN Florida—1819
 Gen. Jackson sent protect US settlers in FL
 Ultimatum to Spain:
 Control the Indians or sell Florida
 Adams-Onis Treaty- (Transcontinental Treaty)
 US gets FL for $5 million
 Ended Spain’s claim to Pacific Coast territory of Oregon
 US gives up claim to TX territory
The West and Northwest, 1819-1824
JQ Adams - Treaties
U.S.-British Boundary Settlement, 1818
The Southeast, 1810-1819
What was the Monroe Doctrine?
 Monroe Doctrine (1823)

Background: attempts to avoid involvement w/Europe

 Latin American Revolutions=>defeat of Spain – Mexico
becomes independent country.

 US wants weak independent republics of Latin America

instead of more powerful monarchical Spain – Latin
American countries are “easier” to win a conflict with

 Increased trade due to removal of Spain in Latin America

Immediate Cause of Monroe Doctrine:
 Foreign threats in Western Hemisphere
1. Plans of Reactionary Europe (Austria, Prussia, FR &
Russia) to re-conquer Latin America – re-establish old
trading relationships and potentially create new ones

EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM – Imperialism is always a

major cause of world conflicts so America wants to
avoid a conflict by “eliminating the competition”.

 Russian expands from Alaska to Oregon & California

 Monroe Doctrine Speech - 1823

 Monroe Doctrine (1823)

 Speech delivered to Congress
 Statement of America’s desired foreign policy
 Purpose: neutrality
 Divided world into eastern and western hemispheres
 Warned European nations to not colonize areas in the Western
Hemisphere (South and North America) or re-colonize areas they
previously lost
 Reason: keep Europeans out of our backyard to avoid potential
conflicts which could hurt the U.S.
 Britain helped enforce this doctrine
 Why?
 Protection of American Trade
Basic Ideas of Monroe Doctrine:

 Monroe Doctrine-
1. Western Hemisphere is closed to
further European colonization
Bottom
2. US wouldline-
not interfere w/ existing
Europecolonies
“stay of out” of
Europe
3.Americas!
US would not interfere in internal
affairs of Europe
4. Any attempt by Europe to intervene in
the WH would be regarded as
“dangerous to our peace & safety”
5. Britain assists the U.S. in enforcement
– more powerful NAVY
DOC A

Monroe
Doctrine
 Monroe Doctrine

O PE
EU R
S TA Y
OU T

Of course we need some

help from our friends
 Monroe Doctrine

“Our policy in regard to Europe…is, not to interfere in the internal concerns of

any of its powers; to consider the government de facto (in power) as the
legitimate government for us; to cultivate friendly relations with it, and to
preserve those relations by frank, firm, and manly policy, meeting in all
instances the just claims of every power, submitting to injuries (aggression)
from none…it is impossible that the allied (European) powers should extend
their political system to any portion of either continent without endangering our
peace and happiness…”
-James Monroe, 1823
1. What is Monroe saying about European colonies in the Americas?
2. What is Monroe saying about European attempts to colonize new
areas in the Americas?
Supreme Court Nationalism

 JOHN MARSHALL COURT – continually

supports the power of the federal government
over the states Why? He is a FEDERALIST

 Marbury v. Madison – established the principle

of judicial review (constitutional vs.
unconstitutional) [Judiciary Act of 1789]
 Supreme Court Nationalism – PRIOR TO 1816

 Fletcher v Peck 1810 -- Following the Treaty of Paris, Georgia

claimed possession of the Yazoo lands, a 54,000 sq mi region of the
Indian Reserve, -- land that later became the states of AL and MS

 In 1795, the Georgia divided the area into four tracts  sold the
tracts to four separate land development companies  for $500,000.
 Georgia legislature approved this land grant, known as the Yazoo
Land Act of 1795 later revealed that the Yazoo Land Act had been
approved in return for bribes.

 Fletcher and Peck – 2 developers bought land at different times –

Fletcher eventually suing Peck – case went to Supreme Court and
Georgia’s land sale was declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL – Ist time a
state law was overturned – because it was illegal and ill-gotten gains
Supreme Court Nationalism – SUPREMACY CLAUSE

 SUPREMACY CLAUSE -- federal constitution,

and federal law generally, take precedence over
state laws, and even state constitutions.

 McCulloch v. Maryland 1819 - State of

Maryland sued the Bank of the United States
in Baltimore for taxes – court ruled that states
could not impose taxes on federal government

 Gibbons v. Ogden 1824– New York gave a

monopoly on ferry service across the Hudson
River – court ruled that a state did not have
that power – only the federal government
regulates INTERstate commerce.
Supreme Court Nationalism

 Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee 1816 – Supreme Court has

authority over state courts in civil matters of federal
law – deals with land ownership (Denny Martin in VA
was a Loyalist) – SUPREMACY CLAUSE

 Dartmouth College v. Woodward 1819– Privacy of

contracts are protected by the federal government –
Dartmouth College was a PRIVATE school funded by
PRIVATE $$. State of New Hampshire wanted to take
over and make it a PUBLIC UNIVERSITY bound by
governmental rules.
 UNCONSTITUTIONAL because of privacy of contracts /
charters.
Election of 1824

John Quincy Adams Henry Clay Andrew Jackson

National Republican Whig Democrat

“Corrupt Bargain” Election

 Jackson – 41% Electoral Vote

 Adams – 31% Electoral Vote
 Clay – 18% Electoral Vote
 NO ONE HAS A MAJORITY!!!!
 Election goes to House of Representatives
 Clay was Speaker of the House from Kentucky
“Corrupt Bargain” Election

 Clay threw his support as Speaker of the House

behind John Quincy Adams
 Adams won in the House
 Clay was appointed to the office of Secretary of
State
 Jacksonian Democrats cried “foul play” and
“corruption”
 Clay wanted to be Secretary of State because
that was the stepping stone office to the
Presidency