Era of Good Feelings Dbq

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this period were realising how cruel and unfairly they were being treated. People living in mainly the South, like Anna Hayes, began to express their concerns about the dangers of slaves revolting and fighting for their rights/freedom (Document G). This fear caused further upset and questioning in the stability of the Union as a whole, and how morals have been twisted for other’s benefit. While sectional differences may have been growing, the U.S. was still functioning as a whole, and still sought to protect their interests (specifically politically). In the Diary of John Q. Adams of 1823, he mentioned how the U.S. mustn’t appear weaker than Great Britain, and that the U.S. should assert their power towards other powerful countries, such as Russia (Document H). Although this represents nationalism and some unity, this could be indicative that the United States was fearing political opposition of other world powers at the time.

Fortunately for the United States, there was very little internal political opposition during these years, unlike the 2016 election. In the presidential election of 1820, James Monroe won 231 out of 232 electoral votes, leaving just one vote for John Quincy Adams. But in the election of 1824, not only were there four candidates, but no candidate won the majority of the [electoral] votes (Document I). This may suggest that while feelings of unity and agreement were present, they were not strong enough to last more than the 20 year time period.

Although many historians felt that the time from 1815-1825 should be labeled as the Era of Good Feelings, this really is not the most accurate evaluation. Although there was little political opposition and some growing nationalism, there was major sectionalism that led to serious problems after this time. From things like slavery to the economy to questioning the government’s power, this time period was rather bumpy and arguably led to deep rooted problems with lasting effects for everyone.