How Much “Good Feeling” Was There in the “Era of Good Feelings”?
Feb 23, 2016
How Much “Good Feeling” Was There in the “Era of Good Feelings”?
I. Context: The American “Victory” in the War of 1812
A. British Victory? • Canada & the Great Lakes (1812-1813)
• The British Burn Washington D. C. (Aug. 1814)
B. Tie? The Treaty of Ghent (Dec. 1814)
C. An American Victory? The Battle of New Orleans (January 1815)
II. Feeling Good: America United and Strong
A. One Political Party: The Hartford Convention and the Death of the Federalist Party
B. Patriotism: “Victory”, War Heroes, and a National Anthem
Star Spangled Banner
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early lightWhat so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous
fight,O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly
streaming?And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
C. International Prestige & the Monroe Doctrine
III. Feeling Not So Good: America Divided
A. The Debates Over Henry Clay’s American System:
• East v. West: Internal Improvements
• Strict v. Loose Construction: The National Bank
North v. South: The Tariff
B. The Missouri Compromise: Slavery, Sectionalism, & the Civil War Delayed