The Era of Good Feelings  This is a period of time in our History where life for Americans was good and getting better.  For so many years in the United States there was strife, wars and hard time.  We saw the colonist make the dangerous trip across the Atlantic Ocean into the unknown. There were rumors of wealth. Yet there were stories of the harsh environment and strange native people.  The people of the Americas persevered and established themselves as the “new natives”.

 Once these people grew accustom to the land, they thrived.  Life was difficult, yet they fought on to build communities, families and then a government.  The Revolutionary War was a battle for independent soverngnity.  The people of the Americas were different. They were hard working people who sought their natural rights of Life, Liberty and the right to pursue their own definition of freedom.  This new American philosophy did not come without a price.  The battle was continuous to maintain their freedom. The Era of Good Feelings

 In the United States the democratic form of government evolved and there was strife to keep this new Union a reality.  There was political differences between the newly emerging political parties, each of whom understood the role of the government differently.  There was international conflict. The European Wars forced it’s way across the Atlantic Ocean. There was battle on the High Seas and there was economic manipulation of the merchant trade industries  The United States had to be continually on guard and to fight off the threat of invasion.

The Era of Good Feelings  So now we come to this period of time just following the War of  The United States and Great Britain have come to a resolution to stop fighting and to look towards a mutual agreement of cooperation.  The United States also realizes that they have so many domestic opportunities to develop as a nation they move towards self determination and self reliance and less towards a British reliance.  New Lands and new opportunities have been presented with the Louisiana Purchase  There was new lands to be discovered and money to be made.

The Era of Good Feelings  What was going on in the United States which led to this new period of time which is referred to as the Era of Good Feelings?  The Presidency of James Monroe  John Quincy Adam as Secretary of State and Expansionism  The American System  Improvement of Industry  Improvement of Transportation  The United States, “the Land of Opportunity”  Yet there was still some underlying problems

The Presidency of James Monroe  In the election of 1816, James Monroe wins the Presidency.  This is significant because the Federalist party is destroyed.  The Democratic Republican comes to dominate this time period and gives the Nation a sense of unity.  What is ironic is the Democratic Republicans end up taking on the cause of the Federalists.  The issues they focused on was domestic improvements, protective tariffs and maintaining a stable financial system.

Expansionism Continues  Louisiana Purchase  Lewis and Clark Expedition   Battle of New Orleans 1815  James Monroe elected in 1816 and appoints John Q Adams as Secretary of State, who was a strong expansionist.  Adams used and means necessary to expand the US boundaries  Rush Bagot Agreement of 1817  Convention of 1818  Transcontinental Treaty 1819

The American System In 1815, Madison presented a plan (which Henry Clay promoted) to Congress for making America economically self-sufficient. The as the American System had three main actions.  Establish a protective tariff, a tax on imported goods that protects a nation’s businesses from foreign competition. Congress passed a tariff in It made European goods more expensive and encouraged Americans to buy cheaper, American-made products.  Establish a national bank that would promote a single currency, making trade easier. (Most regional banks issued their own money.) In 1816, Congress set up the second Bank of the United States  Improve the country’s transportation systems, which were important for the economy. Poor roads made transportation slow and costly.

Underlying Difficulties  Although there is the appearance of the American Way life being full of promise and wealth, there are some very divisive underlying concerns that will erode the publics confidence and result in the Civil War in the 1860’s.  As we talking about before, the polarizing sectionalism between the North and the South was growing.  The Tariffs (taxes) benefited the North and was thought of as an “abomination” by the South.  The Second National Bank was an extension of Hamilton's first chartered bank. The charter had run out and needed to be extended. This again favored the North.  Cheaper European imports caused the closure of U.S. factories, which led to high unemployment rates.  Failed businesses and careless banking customs of state-chartered banks contributed to the recession.

Era of Good Feelings Era of Good Feelings The Issue of Slavery