Era of Good Feelings & Economic Nationalism

Era of Good Feelings

• The government took a more active role in the economy, which led to a successful country.
• James Monroe went on a Goodwill Tour, greeting crowds and creating unity.

The Monroe Doctrine

• The US and Britain sent a message to Europe stating that European nations should leave Latin America (Western Hemisphere) alone.
• It stated they should stop interfering with the newly gained independence in Latin America.
• The US returned to the policy of isolationism and neutrality, staying out of conflicts.
• As a result, the US became a strong, confident, and respected nation.

Western Hemisphere

• Compromises of N and S America.

Democratic Party

• Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren created it in the 1828 election campaign.
• It was created to represent the "common man" and limit the power of elites.
• The Party marked the beginning of a new political era.

Economic Nationalism

• The government should play a larger and more active role in the economy.

Capitalism

• Businesses are privately owned and compete in a free market system to make a profit.
• Monroe and Clay wanted the government to help the economy grow, aiming for a balance between economic nationalism and capitalism.
• Monroe was trying to achieve this balance during his "Era of Good Feelings."

Spoils System

• This is the practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.
• Jackson wanted to rotate civil servants (government employees).
• Civil servants who supported Adams were disqualified and replaced with ill-advised choices.

Mudslinging

• Hurling accusations, primarily personal attacks and insults, to undermine an opponent.
• It occurred during the bitter 1828 presidential election, a rematch between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

Kitchen Cabinet

• Jackson made decisions with outside political supporters and friends who met with him in the White House kitchen.
• This was due to conflicts with his actual presidential cabinet.
• These meetings were essentially secret meetings with his unofficial cabinet.

Nullification Crisis

• Congress passed a law that raised tariffs to help US factories, which inflicted conflict.
• Northern states liked the tariff because they had many factories and wanted to protect them.
• Southern states opposed the tariff because it hurt trade with other countries and inflated prices on goods they needed.

Jackson's Indigenous Policy

• Indigenous people were forced from the East to the West to make room for settlers.

The Indian Removal Act of 1830

• Law allowing the president to make treaties in which Indigenous people in the East were forcibly moved with military forces (if they resisted) to new territory on the Great Plains.

The Trail of Tears

• Thousands of Indigenous tribes, including Muscogee and Cherokee, were forced to march West to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).
• This march happened under President Martin Van Buren, who came after Jackson.

Henry Clay's American System

• It is a plan to encourage economic growth.

Tariffs

• Taxes on imported goods like cloth and glass protect U.S. industries.

Transportation Projects

• Roads and canals were built.

National Bank

• The Second Bank of the United States was built in 1816.
• The Bank manages money and provides credit (loans).

True/False Practice

• By the early 1800s, most Americans lived west of the Appalachian Mountains (False - east).
• People from the Northeast were stereotyped as enterprising, thrifty, and called Yankees by white Southerners (True).
• The 18th-century American Revolution arguably sparked revolutions in Latin America, in which Mexico, Venezuela, and Argentina gained their independence from Spain (True).
• In the 1824 presidential election, the Senate chose John Quincy Adams after all the candidates failed to receive a majority of the electoral votes needed to secure the presidency (False - House of Representatives).
• John Quincy Adams supported the American System & Monroe Doctrine (True).
• In 1832, Andrew Jackson signed a bill to renew the National Bank's charter (False - vetoed).

Cause & Effect

• National pride grew after the War of 1812, leading to James Monroe's presidency being called the "Era of Good Feelings."
• The "Corrupt Bargain" aided John Quincy Adams, leading Andrew Jackson to vow to run again in 1828.
• In 1828, Congress passed a law raising tariffs, leading South Carolina to threaten to secede.

Significances of the War of 1812

• The U.S. developed a stronger sense of national identity and pride.
• Despite being a young nation, the U.S. stood up against Britain and fought to defend its independence.
• Indigenous resistance in the NW Territory was weakened as Indigenous groups had supported the British, but after the war, it was harder for them to resist U.S. expansion.
• There were never wars against Great Britain again as relations with Britain improved.
• The focus shifted to trade and diplomatic relations instead of conflict.
• The Federalist Party lost influence, and the U.S. entered a period of one-party rule under the Democratic-Republicans, leading to a more united government.

Regional Differences & Stereotypes

• Northeast (Yankees) were seen as enterprising, thrifty, and quick to make money by White southerners.
• The South (Plantation Owners) were seen as gracious and cultured but lazy by White northerners, with enslaved people doing their work.
• The West (Frontiersmen) were seen as rugged and hardy but crude by people from the East Coast.

Symbols of Pride

• Uncle Sam became a symbol after a butcher helped the army during the War of 1812.
• The Rebuilt Version of the White House, in grand style, represents the power of the US.

Latin American Revolutions

• Mexico revolted against Spain.
• In a 10-year revolution, Mexico gained independence from Spain by 1821.
• By 1826, South America (Venezuela and Argentina) was free from Spanish control.

Jeopardy Questions

• Secret meetings with an unofficial board of Jackson's political supporters and friends was called Kitchen Cabinet.
• Mudslinging was used in the contentious 1828 Election, where candidates hurled accusations at each other, primarily personal attacks, and insults to undermine their opponent.
• Spoils System refers to the practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs, in which Jackson replaced Adams' supporters with his own friends to become civil servants.
• Capitalism: Businesses are privately owned and compete in a free market system to make a profit (the basis of our economic system still today).
• Government should play a larger and more active role in the economy - Economic Nationalism.
• Andrew Jackson was a very polarizing President who established the Democratic Party, vetoed the National Bank, and created harsh policies against Indigenous groups.
• He was considered the hero at the Battle of New Orleans, earning the nickname "Old Hickory" and becoming the 7th President of the U.S.
• John Quincy Adams, a Democratic-Republican, unlike his father John Adams, the nation's 2nd president, who was a staunch Federalist, became the nation's 6th President, serving one term.
• James Monroe's presidency was considered the "Era of Good Feelings" with a growth of national pride and economic prosperity following the War of 1812 and he was the 5th President of the U.S.
• Henry Clay's American System was to encourage economic growth and he had become Secretary of State in what Jackson supporters called a "Corrupt Bargain" in the 1824 Election.
• Martin Van Buren created the Democratic Party along with Andrew Jackson in the 1828 Election to appeal to the "common man" and later succeeded Jackson to become the 8th President of the U.S.
• John Quincy Adams was chosen as President in the 1824 Election by the House of Representatives when none of the candidates received a majority of the electoral votes.
• Jackson supporters called Henry Clay, who supported Adams when the decision went to the House of Representatives in the 1824 Election, in exchange was named Secretary of State in Adams' administration , a "Corrupt Bargain".
• Jackson vetoed the bill to renew the National Bank's Charter, believing it was an unfair monopoly, even though the Supreme Court had ruled that this entity, an extension of the U.S. Treasury Department was legal.
• The Nullification Crisis in 1828 saw Congress passed a law that raised tariffs (taxes on imported goods like cloth and glass) to help U.S. factories. As a result southern states were opposed and the event was a sign of developing tensions between North and South.
• The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to choose the President when no candidate receives a majority of the Electoral Votes.
• It is false that John Adams (2nd President) and his son John Quincy Adams (6th President) both served three (3) terms as head of the Executive Branch - one (1) term.
• People from the West were called Frontiersmen, seen as rugged and hardy but crude by the rest of the country.
• The Monroe Doctrine sent a message to the rest of the world and helped to proclaim that the United States was becoming a strong, confident nation.
• James Monroe's presidency was called the "Era of Good Feelings" rather than the "Monroean Democracy" for establishing a new political party.
• John Quincy Adams supported the American System & Monroe Doctrine . Symbols of national pride as a result of the War of 1812 include "The Star-Spangled Banner" / U.S. flag, Uncle Sam, Rebuilding Washington D.C. & White House Bonus: Bald Eagle represents freedom today
• Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina are Latin American countries which became independent in the 1800s, likely sparked by the American Revolution
• As a result of the 1830 Indian Removal Act, the Trail of Tears was a 1,200-mile forced march, which took place during the winter, and 4,000 Cherokee died from sickness, hunger, and exhaustion along the way
• In the early 1800s, the land between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River was known as The West (or the Frontier)
• South Carolina, of which Andrew Jackson's Vice President John C. Calhoun called home, strongly opposed the tariffs raised by Congress in 1828 and threatened to secede or withdraw from the U.S.
• To capture the presidency in the 1824 Election, 131 electoral votes was needed and Andrew Jackson received 99.

Scavenger Hunt Questions

• Andrew Jackson was known for the Battle of New Orleans.
• During the 1824 Election, while Jackson won a majority of the electoral votes, because it was not an absolute majority, the House of Representatives chose the President of the United States.
• The House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams to be the 6th president of the United States.
• Jackson supporters refer to Henry Clay supporting Adams when the decision went to the House of Representatives in the 1824 Election, in exchange was named Secretary of State in Adams' administration as a "corrupt bargain?".
• Jackson elicited help from Martin Van Buren to turn Americans against John Q Adams.
• Van Buren's idea to beat Adams was to create a new political party to represent the “common man” and limit the power of elites marking the beginning of a new political era.
• Jackson and Van Buren created the Democrats / Democratic Party
• Edward Day dug up dirt on Jackson: Jackson's wife, Rachel Jackson was legally married to another man
• As a result of the 1828 Election, Andrew Jackson wins with 178 electoral votes to 83 for JQA
• The 1828 Election was considered a turning point in American politics because Jackson's presidency marked the beginning of a new political era in the United States with the rise of the Democratic Party built around representing the “common man” and his supporters' desire to limit the power of elites - Jackson's victory was seen as a triumph for the common people and led to a shift toward more democratic politics in the U.S. Jackson's presidency would continue to influence American politics for years to come.
• Martin Van Buren was made Jackson's Secretary of State and eventual successor.
• Jackson's wife, Rachel Jackson died, likely due to all the stress and humiliation the 1828 election caused her just before Jackson was due to enter the White House.