James Monroe “Era of Good Feelings”

How did American nationalism increase under James Monroe? Essential Question: How did American nationalism increase under James Monroe? Lesson Plan for

George Washington John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe John Q. Adams Andrew Jackson James Monroe was elected president in 1816 & 1820 with a clear set of goals: To promote national unity and America’s power in the world Monroe was a Democratic-Republican By 1816 the Federalists were so weak that the Republicans could do almost anything

The Era of Good Feelings (1815 – 1825) After the War of 1812, America experienced an “Era of Good Feelings” Monroe & the Republicans in Congress used this time to promote American nationalism Nationalism—the interests of the United States should be placed ahead of regional interests

American Nationalism Monroe & the Republicans in Congress promoted nationalism & American unity in 3 ways: Gov’t: Increasing the power of the national gov’t over the states

American Nationalism John Marshall (1801-1835) used the Supreme Court to strengthen the power of the national government:

American Nationalism Monroe & the Republicans in Congress promoted nationalism & American unity in 3 ways: Gov’t: Increasing the power of the national gov’t over the states Economy: Encourage industry & build better transportation to link the South, North, & West

The American System In 1816, Congressman Henry Clay proposed the American System to unify the economies of the North, South, & West Created a Second Bank of the U.S. Created a tariff to promote U.S. industry & limit the importation of British manufactured goods Proposed national system of roads & canals

Transportation by 1840: Rivers, Roads, Canals, & Railroads The American System allowed the USA to create a national market economy for the 1st time Western farms grew grains & raised livestock that fed the nation Transportation by 1840: Rivers, Roads, Canals, & Railroads Northern factories made manufactured goods that were sold throughout the country We’ll talk about this “market revolution” more in-depth later this unit. This is just a preview in order to understand the importance of Henry Clay’s American System. The emphasis here is on the politics of the era, which should help students understand how the national government promoted a national market economy that, by the 1810s, had emerged as strong regional economies due to new technological innovations (cotton gin, interchangeable parts, Singer sewing machines, Slater mills, McCormick reaper, Deere steel plow, etc.) Again, we’ll discuss these details in the next set of notes. Southern cotton was used in northern textiles factories

Kentucky Congressman Henry Clay What aspects of this portrait reveal parts of Henry Clay’s “American System”?

Settlement of the Trans-Mississippi This economic & territorial growth created a need to settle America’s national boundaries After the War of 1812, Americans flooded into the West; By 1840 over one-third of the population lived in the West Congress quickly admitted 5 new states to the Union: Indiana (1816) Illinois (1818) Alabama (1819) Mississippi (1817) Louisiana (1812)

American Nationalism Monroe & the Republicans in Congress promoted nationalism & American unity in 3 ways: Gov’t: Increasing the power of the national gov’t over the states Economy: Encourage industry & build better transportation to link the South, North, & West Foreign Policy: Expanding U.S. borders & increasing America’s role in world affairs

In 1819 the USA gained Florida from Spain with the Adams-Onis Treaty American Nationalism President Monroe & his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams used foreign policy to promote nationalism & territorial expansion In 1819 the USA gained Florida from Spain with the Adams-Onis Treaty Adams-Onis Treaty (1819) that ceded Florida & Oregon to U.S. In 1818, Monroe & British leaders agreed to establish the US/Canada border set at the 49º

Nationalist Foreign Policy When Latin American nations gained independence, the U.S. supported the new republics: Monroe did not want Europeans re-colonizing in Latin America Monroe Doctrine (1823) warned European nations that the USA would protect the Western Hemisphere U.S. would not interfere in Europe

Sectionalism The Era of Good Feelings was a time of nationalism, but there were problems between North & South Sectionalism—when regional interests are placed above national interests Northerners & Southerners disagreed over slavery, national taxes, & the role of national government These disagreements dominated politics from 1820 to 1860

President Monroe was from Virginia, so the South controlled the presidency too Missouri Compromise When Missouri applied to become a U.S. state, sectionalism emerged Missouri wanted to become a slave state Northerners did not want to see Southern slave states increase their power in the national gov’t If Missouri entered as a slave state, the South would have 2 more Senators than the North Because of the 3/5 Compromise, the South had more members in the House of Representatives

American Slave Population, 1790-1820

In 1820, Henry Clay negotiated the Missouri Compromise Maine broke from Massachusetts & became a free state Missouri became a slave state Slavery was outlawed in all western territories above the latitude of 36°30'

Closing Activity Examine the political cartoon: What do you see? What can you deduce about how the Monroe Doctrine might be used by the U.S. in the future?

…helped to establish American nationalism Writing Prompt Describe how… the Louisiana Purchase the War of 1812 the Monroe Doctrine …helped to establish American nationalism