Era of Good Feelings
Encyclopedia
The Era of Good Feelings was a period in United States
political history in which partisan bitterness abated. It lasted approximately from 1815 to 1825, during the administration of U.S. President James Monroe
, who deliberately downplayed partisanship.
The phrase was coined by Benjamin Russell
, in the Boston newspaper, Columbian Centinel
, on July 12, 1817, following Monroe's good-will visit to Boston
. It has been widely adopted by historians.
in 1814, and President Monroe avoided partisan criteria in handing out patronage and appointments. The Democratic-Republican Party was nominally dominant, but in practice it was largely inactive at the national level and in most states. The Era of Good Feelings started after the end of hostilities in the indecisive War of 1812
against the British Empire, which had severely strained American finances and sharpened existing political divisions between Federalists and Republicans, the North and South, and the East coast cities and settlers on the western frontier. In the election of 1820
, Monroe was re-elected with near unanimity.
The era gave a pause to bitter debates over the protective tariff and the Second National Bank
. The First Seminole War and the Adams-Onis Treaty
led the US to gaining control of Florida
from Spain
. President Monroe promulgated the Monroe Doctrine
, which declared US hegemony in the New World (tacitly supported by the British Royal Navy
) and advised European powers against attempts to reassert their control over newly-independent colonies in Latin America.
and the Missouri Compromise
of 1820, the national mood grew more tense. In 1820 slavery came to the forefront as a divisive national issue, pitting North against South, but Henry Clay
's negotiation of the Missouri Compromise
in 1820 resolved the crisis. The solution was to balance admission of Missouri Territory
as a slave state
, with the admission of Maine
as a free state. The issue of slavery was part of the larger issue between the North
and the South
of economic and social sectionalism
. At this time, local politics were still largely conducted without party labels or party conventions.
However, the relentless daily bitter attacks by one party against the other did not resume until about 1828. Before 1820, the Democratic-Republican Party members of Congress had met in caucus and decided on the party's presidential candidate. That system collapsed in 1824 as four men competed
: John Quincy Adams
, William H. Crawford
, Henry Clay
and Andrew Jackson
.
The four formed regional coalitions with state politicians and pursued the electorate. At the polls, turnout was light because there were no parties to mobilize voters. Then, because no one received a majority in the electoral college, the decision on the presidency went to the House of Representatives
. Clay, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives
, swung the election to Adams, who then appointed Clay as Secretary of State. The result outraged Jackson and his supporters. They alleged that a "corrupt bargain
" had taken place and immediately began their crusade to gain the "stolen" presidency, which Jackson won in 1828
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political history in which partisan bitterness abated. It lasted approximately from 1815 to 1825, during the administration of U.S. President James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, who deliberately downplayed partisanship.
The phrase was coined by Benjamin Russell
Benjamin Russell (journalist)
Benjamin Russell was an American journalist, born in Boston.-Early life:Benjamin Russell was born on 13 September 1761, son of John Russell, a stonemason...
, in the Boston newspaper, Columbian Centinel
Columbian Centinel
The Columbian Centinel was a Boston, Massachusetts, newspaper established by Benjamin Russell. It continued its predecessor, the Massachusetts Centinel and the Republican Journal, which Russell and partner William Warden had first issued on March 24, 1784...
, on July 12, 1817, following Monroe's good-will visit to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. It has been widely adopted by historians.
Overview
The political bitterness declined because the Federalist Party had largely dissolved after the fiasco of the Hartford ConventionHartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was an event spanning from December 15, 1814–January 4, 1815 in the United States during the War of 1812 in which New England's opposition to the war reached the point where secession from the United States was discussed...
in 1814, and President Monroe avoided partisan criteria in handing out patronage and appointments. The Democratic-Republican Party was nominally dominant, but in practice it was largely inactive at the national level and in most states. The Era of Good Feelings started after the end of hostilities in the indecisive War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
against the British Empire, which had severely strained American finances and sharpened existing political divisions between Federalists and Republicans, the North and South, and the East coast cities and settlers on the western frontier. In the election of 1820
United States presidential election, 1820
The United States presidential election of 1820 was the third and last presidential election in United States history in which a candidate ran effectively unopposed. In 1820, President James Monroe and Vice President Daniel D...
, Monroe was re-elected with near unanimity.
The era gave a pause to bitter debates over the protective tariff and the Second National Bank
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
. The First Seminole War and the Adams-Onis Treaty
Adams-Onís Treaty
The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty or the Purchase of Florida, was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that gave Florida to the U.S. and set out a boundary between the U.S. and New Spain . It settled a standing border dispute between the two...
led the US to gaining control of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. President Monroe promulgated the Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention...
, which declared US hegemony in the New World (tacitly supported by the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
) and advised European powers against attempts to reassert their control over newly-independent colonies in Latin America.
End of the Era of Good Feelings
After the Panic of 1819Panic of 1819
The Panic of 1819 was the first major financial crisis in the United States, and had occurred during the political calm of the Era of Good Feelings. The new nation previously had faced a depression following the war of independence in the late 1780s and led directly to the establishment of the...
and the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
of 1820, the national mood grew more tense. In 1820 slavery came to the forefront as a divisive national issue, pitting North against South, but Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
's negotiation of the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
in 1820 resolved the crisis. The solution was to balance admission of Missouri Territory
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
as a slave state
Slave state
In the United States of America prior to the American Civil War, a slave state was a U.S. state in which slavery was legal, whereas a free state was one in which slavery was either prohibited from its entry into the Union or eliminated over time...
, with the admission of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
as a free state. The issue of slavery was part of the larger issue between the North
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
and the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
of economic and social sectionalism
Sectionalism
-Defined:Sectionalism is loyalty to the interests of one's own region or section of the country, rather than to the country as a whole.-United States:...
. At this time, local politics were still largely conducted without party labels or party conventions.
However, the relentless daily bitter attacks by one party against the other did not resume until about 1828. Before 1820, the Democratic-Republican Party members of Congress had met in caucus and decided on the party's presidential candidate. That system collapsed in 1824 as four men competed
United States presidential election, 1824
In the United States presidential election of 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected President on February 9, 1825, after the election was decided by the House of Representatives. The previous years had seen a one-party government in the United States, as the Federalist Party had dissolved, leaving...
: John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
, William H. Crawford
William H. Crawford
William Harris Crawford was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as United States Secretary of War from 1815 to 1816 and United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1816 to 1825, and was a candidate for President of the United States in 1824.-Political...
, Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
.
The four formed regional coalitions with state politicians and pursued the electorate. At the polls, turnout was light because there were no parties to mobilize voters. Then, because no one received a majority in the electoral college, the decision on the presidency went to the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Clay, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
, swung the election to Adams, who then appointed Clay as Secretary of State. The result outraged Jackson and his supporters. They alleged that a "corrupt bargain
Corrupt Bargain
The term Corrupt Bargain refers to three separate events that each involved a United States presidential election and a deal that was struck that many viewed to be corrupt from many standpoints, such as in the Election of 1824 controversy over the House of Representative's choice for president with...
" had taken place and immediately began their crusade to gain the "stolen" presidency, which Jackson won in 1828
United States presidential election, 1828
The United States presidential election of 1828 featured a rematch between John Quincy Adams, now incumbent President, and Andrew Jackson, the runner-up in the 1824 election. With no other major candidates, Jackson and his chief ally Martin Van Buren consolidated their bases in the South and New...
.
Further reading
- George DangerfieldGeorge DangerfieldGeorge Dangerfield was a journalist, historian, and the literary editor of Vanity Fair from 1933 to 1935...
. The Era of Good Feelings (1952). - George DangerfieldGeorge DangerfieldGeorge Dangerfield was a journalist, historian, and the literary editor of Vanity Fair from 1933 to 1935...
. The Awakening of American Nationalism: 1815–1828 (1965). - Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (Oxford History of the United States) (2008)
- Unger, Harlow G. The last founding father: James Monroe and a nation's call to greatness (2009) ch 15