Era of Good Feelings

During the war of 1812, the Hartford Convention was called for by Federalists who opposed the war and proposed amendments that would make it harder to call for war and enforce embargos. None of these proposals came to fruition and led to the demise of the Federalist Party because they were seen as traitors who didn't what was best for the future of the United States. The end of Federalist Party meant only one political party and more unity in America. This brief time period was tagged the "Era of Good Feelings" and this this is an accurate statement because there was only the Democratic Republican Party, the new American System was introduced, and there was an increase in the development of transportation.

After the Federalists were seen as traitors and the party dissolved, the United States had an increased feeling of unity since the Democratic-Republicans were the only party to vote for. In many states such as Philadelphia, with a wide range of diversity, people were able to enjoy each other and have a sense of nationalistic pride in their country (Doc C). This led to much less tension between the southern and northern states on finding a President because those who ran had many of the same polices. This can be seen in the election of 1820 and 1824 where basically every state except New Hampshire voted for the Democratic-Republicans (Doc I). Having only one party and the emergence as a power gave the U.S. the ability in foreign affairs to draw the 49th parallel (Doc F); separating British Canada from the American United States and also gaining Florida through the Adams-Onis Treaty from Spain. With the United States now asserting itself and coming out of its "infancy" stage as a country the Democratic-Republicans were able to move the country forward being the only political party for a brief period.

With America wanting to move even farther away from British influence, Henry Clay introduced the new American System, moving away from the Jeffersonian principles of the past. Clay's system called for America to be self-sufficient and grow away from reliance on countries such as Britain. To do this America put a protective tariff on foreign goods allowing for a rise in manufacturing in places such as New England. The rise of manufacturing meant increased specialization and creation of more jobs in the north. The second part of Clay's plan was to keep the Bank of the U.S. to foster commerce in America (2nd BUS); previously this brought much debate in cases such as McCulloch v. Maryland which upheld the constitutionality of the bank saying it was for the good of the country, although states argued they had it through the "implied" powers in the Constitution (Doc D). The third part of Clay's plan was internal improvements such as roads, turnpikes, and canals in America such as Cumberland Rd and the Lancaster Turnpike. The overall effect gave benefit to the west for better trade; it gave