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Era Of Good Feelings Dbq

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The finale of the War of 1812 brought about a sense of false unity in the United States as many citizens believed that they had won the war despite the fact that the war ended in a draw. This sense of nationalism allowed for the growth of industrialization which led to the transportation and market revolutions. However, the emergence of sectionalism following the Panic of 1819 was more a impactful condition as issues concerning slavery, tariffs, and national banks were disagreed upon. Moreover, the Era of Good Feeling was not an accurate label for this time period. Directly following the War of 1812, the Treaty of Ghent was signed. This treaty did very little as it didn’t consist of any land exchanges or territorial makeovers. Instead, this …show more content…

This treaty took away much of the stress that was present in the US, for at this point they were on good terms with Britain for the first time in over a century. This is shown by the painting in Document C as the two people in the foreground are hugging and celebrating the 43rd birthday of the US. This is true because had it been the case that the treaty wasn’t signed, these men would most likely not be home celebrating, but rather protecting the American borders as soldiers. Also shown in Document C are the American flag and a portrait of George Washington. This shows that the Americans at this time were appreciating their heritage and embracing their national pride. As this national pride grew, as too did the United States’s borders. In 1817, with the recent introduction of Louisiana and Indiana and the soon to be state of Mississippi, many American politicians feared that sectionalism would take over. John C. Calhoun was one of these men, as evidenced in Document B. He states that “the extent of the republic exposes us to the greatest of calamities - disunion” (B). It is clear that Calhoun believes that the growth of the US was “our price and danger, our weakness and our strength” (B). This fear …show more content…

However, their efforts to decrease inflation were too late and the unfortunate Panic of 1819 occurred. This panic decreased nationalistic views as the citizens had other things to focus on besides the pride and unity of the country. This was the beginning of the period that gradually ended the Era of Good Feelings. Part of the movement that lessened the sense of nationalism included lessening the power of Congress. In essence, the government created congress not to lay a duty but to regulate commerce (A). This document questions the power of congress which contributes to a sectionalized society at this time. One important facet of a society that is premised on sectionalism is an economy based on sectionalism. With the introduction of canals and roads in the mid nineteenth century, it became easier to rely on intrastate commerce rather than interstate commerce. The concept of commerce within the states led to drastic changes in political views. This is evidenced in Document I. It is clear that the presidential election in 1820 was vastly different than that of 1824. In 1824, the formation of more evident political parties diversified the national political opinion. In 1820, James Monroe won every electoral vote aside from one. In 1824, Andrew Jackson had 15 more electoral votes than did John Quincy Adams. Despite this, Adams won the presidency through the

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