The
“Er a of G ood Feel i ngs”?
(1816 - 1824)
Mr. Yarnall U. S. History
The El ect i on of 1816
[The Demi se of t he Feder al i st Par t y!]
James Monr oe [1816-1824]
RESUME and REPUTATION
• Served with Washington
at Trenton
• Governor of Virginia
• Member of Articles of
Confederation Congress
• Minister to England,
France, and Spain
• Secretary of State and
War
• Not an Original or
deep thinker
• Considered highly
honorable and ethical
• Last of the Virginia
Dynasty and “Knee
Britches” Presidents
• Teflon President
Teflon Man
• Era of Good Feelings label comes from a
single but important Good Will tour of New
England in 1817
• Ran unopposed in 1820 and got all but 4
electoral votes
• Great Cabinet: John Quincy Adams,
William H. Crawford, John C. Calhoun
John Qui ncy Adams:
A bul l dog among spani el s!
The Convent i on of 1818
The West & t he NW: 1819-1824
Adams-Oni s Tr eat y, 1819
[“The Tr anscont i nent al Tr eat y”]
Go
Go
•
The Nation Expands: Florida, 1819
Major Land Purchases Treaty of Paris Louisiana Purchase Red River Basin
Florida Texas Annexation Oregon Country Mexican Cession Gadsden
Purchase Alaska Hawaii States Emerge Expansion Concentration
•
Although Spain, France, and Britain all held Florida (or parts of Florida)
prior to the American Revolution, by the end of the war, it was Spanish
territory. However, the location of the border between the United States
and Spanish territory remained an issue of dispute between the two
countries.
•
The American acquisition of Florida actually occurred in small steps.
Americans had long settled in the territory, and throughout the early years
of the 19th century American settlers in Florida periodically rebelled
against Spanish authorities, sometimes with the support of American
officials. Moreover, the use of the region as a safe haven for runaway
slaves, as well as ongoing Native American hostilities, also gave American
authorities "justifications" for contesting Spanish sovereignty in Florida.
•
In 1814 and then again in 1817-1818, future American president Andrew
Jackson led frontier forces in defeating and removing various Native
American tribes indigenous to the region, even as Spain retained official
control there. At this point, the United States and Spain had to either fight
or negotiate over which country would retain possession of Florida. At the
time, Spain was dealing with serious problems with its other colonies.
Thus, neither side wanted war, and in 1819, the two countries signed the
Adam-Onís Treaty. The treaty, named after Secretary of State John
Quincy Adams and Spanish minister Louis de Onís, ceded Florida to the
United States. In exchange, the United States agreed to pay up to $5
million in damages to Americans who had claims against Spain and to
forfeit any claims to Texas.
US Popul at i on Densi t y
1810
1820
The Amer i can Syst em
Tariff of 1816
Chartering of the
Second Bank of the
United States [BUS].
Henry Clay,
“The Great
Compromiser”
Internal improvements
at federal expense.
- National Road
The Amer i can Syst em:
The Nat i onal [Cumber l and] Road
Henry Clay’s: American System
WEST  got roads, canals, and
federal aide.
EAST  got the backing of
protective tariffs from the
West.
SOUTH  ??
Adams, Crawford, & Calhoun
The El ect i on of 1820
Missouri Compromise
• Alabama and Illinois
had just been
admitted to Union
• James Tallmadge of
NY proposed that Mo
should alter its
constitution to be a
free state
• Objection to 3/5s
clause
• Henry Clay brokered
two compromises
• Thomas Amendment
of 36-30
• Difficulty of slavery as
an issue in national
politics
The “Missouri” Compromise of 1820:
The Tal l madge Amendment
All slaves born in Missouri after the
territory became a state would be freed
at the age of 25.
Passed by the House, not in the Senate.
The North controlled the House, and the
South had enough power to block it in
the Senate.