The Era of Good Feelings was the title of the period after the war of 1812 between the years of 1815 and 1825. The accuracy of this label however, is not accurate. During this era the United States of America were in a period of economic problems, political turbulence, and a mixture of rapid expansion and division.It is hard to believe that this time period was one of Good Feelings with an economy that kept many people very poor while only a few were able to profit much. In document A, John Randolph addresses congress in 1816. He states that it is unjust, to aggravate the burdens of the people for the purpose of favoring the manufacturers. He is referring to ...view middle of the document...
Because the agriculturalist label encompassed such a large part of the American population, the inaccuracy of the title of this Era becomes evident.Politics, being a very important topic in this time period, was caught in turmoil and became divided. In 1819, the Supreme Court heard the case between McCulloch and the state of Maryland over the right to create a bank. In Document D, John Marshall rules that states have true sovereignty and that the general government is subordinate to that of the states. This division creates disunity and breeds sectionalism among states and regions. The disunity created threatened the nation later on and could be blamed for inciting rebellion. In Document G, Anna Hayes Johnson writes to her cousin in North Carolina about the convictions and executions of a number of leaders in her area. In all probability the execution will not end under 100, but I was told yesterday that the prisoners had been heard to say that even should there be 500 executed there would be still enough to carry the work into execution. It does not specify for what they are convicted exactly but I would not consider civil unrest where hundreds of people are being executed to be a defining feature of an Era of Good Feeling.Earlier the division and expansion within the nation was mentioned; it is a very important factor in this time period. It influences the accuracy of being able to title this era as one of Good Feelings. In Document 1, it is clear that during...
