Topic > The Era of Good Feelings: An Overview

The beginning of the Era of Good Feelings began after the end of the War of 1812 (1812-1815), which caused a sharp rise in nationalism among the people. There was a large economic impact from the war soon after it ended. When the war ended "both U.S. imports and exports increased." The demand for American products in Europe has increased dramatically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “European demand for American goods, especially agricultural staples such as cotton, tobacco, and flour, increased.” Because the demand for goods was so high, more land was needed to meet them. However, there was not enough territory, which made expansion necessary. During that time there were fewer and fewer banknotes, which was an easy way to get credit. When people wanted to collect their debt, so they could buy more land for farming, the banks paid in silver and gold. Because so many people wanted land, they all started collecting from the banks. When they took all the silver and gold out of one bank, the banks had to start suspending payments with a combination of freezing payments and “increasing crop yields in Europe” which “reduced demand for American agricultural products. " causing farmers who had just purchased huge amounts of land to have little or no use for it, the Panic of 1819 began and a depression began. " As specie reserves were depleted, many American banks failed and other commercial businesses followed . Public land sales plummeted. Unemployment increased dramatically and in some regions it was difficult to find food and other basic necessities." At the same time the economy was suffering, there was also damage on the political side of the United States. During this time there was a bill seeking to be passed to add the Missouri Territory to the United States as part of the Southern Region Territory. The Southern states had no problem with the Missouri Territory becoming part of the United States as a slave state, but the Northern states objected to this. “Finally, in March 1820, Speaker of the House Henry Clay engineered the Missouri Compromise: Congress admitted Missouri as a slave state while admitting Maine, then part of Massachusetts, as a free state. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Additionally, the agreement declared that the remainder of the Louisiana Territory above the 36°30′ parallel – the southern border of Missouri – would be free from slavery.” This Missouri crisis was the beginning of the “sectionalization of slavery based on national policy.” So, the era of good feeling began well with the boom in agriculture and the economy, but quickly fell into a depression after demands fell and banks collapsed, and the political part of the country. the United States also began to have a crisis that brought the Era down.