The Era of Good Feelings ushered in the one party system. At first, it appeared the political vitriol dissolved with the Federalist Party’s demise. However, a series of crises and controversies ended the illusion of consensus. In short order, partisan rancor reappeared with sectionalism taking the place of party ideology.
The Federalists and Democrats struggled for the hearts and minds of Americans. The Democrats adjusted to the prevailing winds and advocated smaller government, fiscal discipline, low tariffs, and expansion. The Federalists program included higher tariffs, governmental assistance for economic expansion, and a national bank. Both sides believed that a republic could not survive without consensus. People needed to agree on the major issues or the country would collapse. Neither side believed in compromise, so the partisan bickering devolved into secession talk.
By 1812, the Federalist Party dwindled and essentially became a regional party. New Englanders felt threatened by the increasing power of the west and opposed the Madison Administration’s prosecution of the War of 1812. Jeffersonian policies devastated New England’s economy and they feared more of the same with Madison. The region cheered British victories and opposed government efforts to wage war. By 1814, New England’s Federalists held a convention to discuss their grievances with the federal government. The Hartford Convention made the party look treasonous. After fielding a token presidential candidate in 1816, the Federalist Party collapsed.
Americans hailed the Federalist Party’s disintegration. A Boston newspaper called it “the era of good feelings” after President Monroe visited the former Federalist stronghold of Boston. People believed the country needed unified leadership of one mind. Dissent was both counterproductive and dangerous. The Democrats emerged victorious, but fractured within a few years. Without an opposition party, the Democrats began squabbling amongst themselves.
President Monroe faced sniping almost from the outset. However, the political climate degraded considerably in 1819. Andrew Jackson’s punitive expedition into Florida angered some. A financial panic caused widespread bank failures, high unemployment, and a wave of foreclosures. The panic shook the country's confidence.
Jackson and the Panic of 1819 proved short-term headaches. That same year, slavery emerged as a controversial issue when Missouri petitioned to join the Union. The Democratic Party split along sectional lines over slavery. The North opposed Missouri’s entry into the Union while the South supported it. Northerners feared the development of a plutocracy controlled by slaveholders and the expansion of slavery into the west. Essentially, northerners feared a slave power takeover of government and the closing of the west to free labor. Henry Clay stepped in authoring a compromise, which allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state. The compromise served as a precedent that the nation followed for the next 30 years.
The Missouri Compromise angered both North and South. It was the first bitter debate over slavery in congress. The nation now splintered along sectional lines as opposed to party lines. This did not affect Monroe’s political career. He ran for re-election unopposed in 1820. Meanwhile, sectionalism continued into the 1824 election.
Four men ran for president in 1824 with each representing a different section. John Quincy Adams represented New England. William Crawford of Georgia represented the South. Henry Clay was the western candidate and Andrew Jackson came from the frontier. Jackson proved the closest thing to a national candidate. His performance in the War of 1812 and Florida made him a national hero. The others were Washington insiders.
The insiders decided the 1824 presidential election. After the people voted, no one garnered enough support for an outright victory throwing the election to the House of Representatives. In the House, Clay threw his support to Adams allowing his election. Later, President Adams appointed Clay secretary of state. Jackson turned the nomination into “the corrupt bargain.” The general began preparing for the 1828 campaign almost immediately. The Era of Good Feelings ended with the 1824 campaign.
Hyper-partisanship returned in the Adams years. Although sectionalism remained just under the surface, Washington split between Jackson supporters and Adams. Nothing of consequence occurred during Adams term. Meanwhile, the Jacksonians attacked him relentlessly for four years. He stood no chance in 1828. After Jackson's election, sectionalism returned in the form of the nullification movement, which claimed states could nullify acts of the federal government.
The national government experienced a blood feud between Federalists and Democrats from the Constitutional Convention through the War of 1812. The Democrats emerged victorious, but new cracks appeared in the national unity. Despite being “the era of good feelings”, the nation splintered on the slavery issue. This sectionalism remained long after Monroe’s departure. The national mood returned to partisanship in 1824 when a four-way election ended controversially. The Era of Good Feelings quickly gave way to the more combative Age of Jackson.
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