The Era of Good Feeling

Introduction

• Main topics of the lecture:
  • Death of the Federalist Party
  • Sectional frictions under one-party rule
  • The Monroe Doctrine
  • Economic practices leading to the Panic of 1819

The Federalist Party

• Hartford Convention:
  • Federalists gathered to demand constitutional changes.
  • Timing coincided with a surge of patriotism after the War of 1812, making their demands seem treasonous.
• Key demands:
  • Eliminate the Three-Fifths Clause.
  • Two-thirds majority in Congress for new states, war declarations, and trade embargoes.
• Result:
  • Country saw federalists as almost treasonous.
  • Federalist Party essentially died, leading to a temporary one-party system.

One-Party Rule: Democratic Republicans

• Ideological divisions remained:
  • Federal power vs. state autonomy.
  • Former federalists joined Democratic Republicans, maintaining old ideologies.
• Major political battles continued internally.
• Hamiltonian policies survived and divided Democratic Republicans in the 1820s.

The Monroe Presidency

• Defined Era of Good Feeling (1817-1823).
• President James Monroe elected in 1816 and re-elected in 1820.
• Illusion of unity; Federalists joined Democratic Republicans.
• Shift in Democratic Republican ideology:
  • Increasing federal power.
  • Support for a national bank and economic regulation.

Economic Policies

• Financial regulation and the Second Bank of the United States:
  • State banks printed too many banknotes causing inflation.
  • Madison and Monroe supported the Second Bank bill (1816).
  • Introduction of Tariff of 1816 to protect American manufacturing.
• Internal improvements:
  • Calhoun's bill supported federal funding for transportation.
  • Madison's veto based on constitutional constraints.
  • Regional support varied; strongest in mid-Atlantic and western states.

U.S. Diplomacy and Expansion

• Secretary of State John Quincy Adams:
  • Secured trade agreements and demilitarized borders with Great Britain.
  • Adams-Onís Treaty (1819): U.S. acquired Florida from Spain.
  • Recognized new Latin American nations.
• Monroe Doctrine:
  • Led by John Quincy Adams.
  • U.S. warned Europe against recolonizing Latin American republics.
  • Avoided entanglement with European alliances.
  • Strengthened American diplomatic influence.

Conclusion

• Federalist Party's fall led to disguised political conflicts within one-party rule.
• Democratic Republicans embraced expansion of federal powers despite initial opposition.
• Monroe Doctrine established the U.S. as a significant diplomatic force opposing European colonialism in the Americas.