The Era of Good Feelings
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=1571
General Information
Source:
NBC News
Resource Type:
Creator:
N/A
Copyright:
Event Date:
Air/Publish Date:
1816 - 1824
01/12/2007
Copyright Date:
Clip Length
Video MiniDocumentary
NBCUniversal Media,
LLC.
2007
00:02:05
Description
The election of James Monroe in 1816 ushers in a brief period in which only one political party dominates
American politics. But growing partisanship and financial panic soon bring the Era of Good Feelings to an
end.
Keywords
James Monroe, Democratic-Republican Party, President, Federalist Party, War of 1812, Cabinet, John
Quincy Adams, Florida, Spain, Monroe Doctrine, New England, Boston, Panic of 1819, Partisanship,
Politics
Citation
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 3
MLA
"The Era of Good Feelings." NBC News. NBCUniversal Media. 12 Jan. 2007. NBC Learn. Web. 5 May
2015
APA
2007, January 12. The Era of Good Feelings. [Television series episode]. NBC News. Retrieved from
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=1571
CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE
"The Era of Good Feelings" NBC News, New York, NY: NBC Universal, 01/12/2007. Accessed Tue
May 5 2015 from NBC Learn: https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=1571
Transcript
The Era of Good Feelings
Narrator: In 1816, James Monroe of the Democratic-Republican Party was elected President almost
unanimously. For the first time, the opposing Federalist Party had not nominated a candidate for the
presidency. The Federalists had been losing popularity for several years, ever since they opposed
America’s entry in the War of 1812. Monroe’s triumph signaled their final collapse.
JOHN STEELE GORDON, author: The Federalists never again took the White House, and they began
declining and declining and declining, and after the War of 1812, the Federalist Party essentially
disappeared. And for a brief period, known as the “Era of Good Feelings,” there was only one party. And
therefore, there was no great political contest.
Narrator: Monroe took advantage of this new spirit of nonpartisan harmony, choosing men from both the
Democratic-Republican and the Federalist Parties to be in his cabinet. For Secretary of State, he chose
John Quincy Adams, a member of the Federalist Party, not Monroe’s party. Adams was responsible for
the major diplomatic successes of Monroe’s administration: the acquisition of Florida from Spain and the
famous Monroe Doctrine. It was even a newspaper from traditionally Federalist New England that gave
the period its famous name.
Professor MATTHEW WARSHAUER (Central Connecticut State University): The “Era of Good
Feelings”, the phrase actually comes from a Boston newspaper. James Monroe, goes for a trip up to
Boston. And as he enters Boston, a newspaper heralds his arrival with a headline that says “The Era of
Good Feelings.” Historians have argued a bit. Some have said that the Era of Good Feelings arrived with
Monroe and left with Monroe. It ends for a variety of reasons. Partially it ends because of the Panic of
1819 when the United States experiences this rather massive economic panic that ends the economic
boom that had begun in the aftermath of the War of 1812. But the Era of Good Feelings also dwindles
because of the rise of the second American party system, which develops in the early 1820's.
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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