How Did The Era Of Good Feelings Increase Nationalism

The War of 1812 was between the United States and Europe, the war ended in 1815, the time period after the war was known as the ‘Era of Good Feelings’. The ‘Era of Good Feelings’ was an accurate label for the nationalistic time between 1816-1824 because of the increased government powers through the Second Bank of the United States, technological advancements such as interchangeable parts and the cotton gin sparked the Industrial Revolution.

Nationalism increased after the Battle of New Orleans because the victory boosted the morale and patriotism of the country and ended the war making Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison national heroes. After the war the ‘Era of Good Feelings’ started and continued for ten years. During this time nationalism increased because of celebration of being truly independent and thriving. With the decline of the federal party there was no political conflict during Monroe’s presidency. The painting by John Krimmel demonstrates how the ‘Era of Good Feelings’ increased the country’s nationalism because the painting shows men celebrating their independence during the fourth of July celebration

For example, in the McCulloch vs. Maryland case in 1819 they discussed a Second Bank of the United States. The Second Bank of the United States helped to uniform a financial system, regulate currency, and served as a place that the federal government deposited money and regulate credit. Since the bank allowed the government to do more, power was gained. Powers of the government came from the states (Doc. 4) and they were “truly sovereign”. The power that was given to the government allowed both the states and the government to work peacefully together which caused less conflict and united America as a whole. This compromise between the two during the time period contributed to the meaning of the ‘Era of Good Feelings’ making this time beneficial to all