JAMES MONROE AND THE ERA OF GOOD FEELING

1. JAMES MONROE AND THE ERA OF GOOD FEELING

2. James Monroe • Attended William and Mary College • Fought in the Revolution • Minister to Great Britain and to France • U.S. Senator from Virginia • 2 time Governor of Virginia • Secretary of War • 2 time Secretary of State

3. Monroe followed Madison as President • Madison had been associated with the War of 1812 (Mr. Madison’s War) and James Monroe, although very visible in Madison’s cabinet, was not hurt or tainted by this association. • The Federalist opposition on a national level had fallen apart. • Monroe was very skillful in dealing with people.

4. Two terms as president • Elections of 1816 and 1820. • Monroe had virtually no opposition In the election of 1820, Monroe was re-elected with all but one electoral vote. A myth has arisen that one elector deliberately voted against him so that George Washington would remain the only unanimously elected president. In fact the elector in question disliked Monroe's policies; at the time he cast his vote, he could not have known that his would be the only one to prevent a unanimous election. At this time, local politics were still largely conducted without party labels or party conventions.

5. What was the “Era of Good Feelings”? • The Era of Good Feelings started after the War of 1812. Nationalism surged even though there was no redress of pre-war grievances at the Treaty of Ghent. The Hartford Convention of 1814-1815 underscored the perceived disloyalty of the Federalists during the war. Opposition declined because the Federalists had largely dissolved and were no longer attacking the president, thus causing an era of good feeling because there was only one political party. The nation was politically united behind the Democratic-Republican Party. These victories instilled pride in the new nation. President Monroe paid little attention to party in dispensing patronage.

6. Monroe’s Cabinet • He made balanced Cabinet choices, naming a southerner, John C. Calhoun, as Secretary of War, and a northerner, John Quincy Adams, as Secretary of State. Only Henry Clay’s refusal to accept a position kept Monroe from adding an outstanding westerner. Adams Calhoun

7. Political Appointments • Most appointments went to deserving Democratic-Republicans, but he did not try to use them to build the party's base. He allowed the lower posts to take on diverse political appointees, which reduced anxiety and led to the naming of this period in American history as the “Era of Good Feelings.” • Many of his appointments were for local judges, post office positions, tax collectors, and customs officials.

8. National tours • President Monroe went on two tours of the nation after his election. • When he stopped in Boston the local newspaper hailed it as the beginning of an “Era of Good Feeling” • This was not the norm for sitting presidents at that time and the tours gave people the opportunity to see their president. • There were a lot of parties and receptions which left people with a good feeling.

9. Slavery and Sectionalism • The issue of slavery in the United States had not been settled by the Constitution. It would take oceans of blood to finally settle the issue but during Monroe’s administration men thought that they had settled part of the issue. • Missouri Territory applied for admittance to the Union in 1819 as a slave state. A bitter fight in Congress ensued and it took the skills of Henry Clay – The Great Compromiser – to work a deal which became known as the Missouri Compromise or the Compromise of 1820. • Missouri could enter the Union as a slave state and Maine would come in as a free state. Slavery would not be allowed in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36 30 line of latitude, except for Missouri.

10. New states join the Union • Indiana -1816 • Mississippi – 1817 • Illinois – 1818 • Alabama – 1819 • Maine – 1820 • Missouri - 1821

11. Hindsight • With hindsight we can say that the Missouri Compromise was doomed to failure but at the time most of America had felt that they had settled the issue of the expansion of slavery. • The Missouri Compromise would be the law of the land for 30 years. The Compromise of 1850 overturned Compromise of 1820 and touched off the fatal decade of the 1850’s.

12. Problems that will cause trouble • The National Bank issue • Slavery • Expansion • What will happen when the one party control fails?

13. Foreign Affairs • South America was rebelling against Spain. • England wanted peace which meant control and she did not want France or Spain to gain any strength. • The English navy was the strongest force in the world. • South America owed a lot of money to European banks. • The United States wanted to gain control of Florida from Spain (there were 2 Florida territories – East and West).

14. Andrew Jackson Captures Florida • Jackson acted against orders – or without orders – in his invasion of Florida. • Jackson wanted to end what he saw as an Indian threat, end Spanish power in North America, and expand the borders of the United States. • Jackson executed 2 British citizens and attacked friendly Indian towns. • However, in the end Spain cedes Florida • to the U.S. for money and a promise that • we would not try to take any other Spanish • territory.- The Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819.

15. Treaty of 1818 Straightens the boundary between Canada and the United States along the 49th parallel. Allows joint occupation in the Oregon Territory (this will change in the 1840’s) Canada

16. The Monroe Doctrine • The Monroe Doctrine boldly asserted • the status of the United States as a • full-fledged nation, and this gained • the administration popular support during a time of increased nationalism. • Monroe and his Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, developed the doctrine. • The Monroe Doctrine essentially said that the New World was for the new nations and that the European powers had to stay out. If they violated this doctrine then the United States would take action to stop foreign intervention.

17. The Doctrine….. • Was aimed at the French, the Spanish • and the Russians. • Was supported by the British. The British did not want the other Europeans to gain or regain territory in the New world. The British wanted this area to be open to their trading ships. • The British Navy would back up the Monroe Doctrine. • Monroe said that “the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European Power." Some 20 years after Monroe died in 1831, this became known as the Monroe Doctrine.

18. James Monroe’s Legacy • Monroe was able to bring people together. • He was able to overcome domestic problems like recession, internal politics, and Indian affairs. • Monroe was able to allow the country to feel good about itself and nationalism greatly increased. • The Monroe Doctrine helped the Western Hemisphere, the pride of the United States, helped Britain and the United States to get closer, and let some other nations see the United States as a power.