The War Of 1812 As The Era Of Good Feelings

The period after the War of 1812 has been historically labeled as the “Era of Good Feelings”. Although many would argue that this label is accurate due to some feelings of nationalism that emerged during the period, but numerous other social and economic divides prove that this label is in fact mostly false. After the Battle of New Orleans, there was initially a sharp increase in the amount of nationalism that resided in the hearts of United States citizens, which is mostly what the label of “Era of Good Feelings focuses on”, but as time progressed, people grew further and further apart and tensions that had previously divided the citizens of the nation were strengthened. The period of 1815 to 1825 was witness to a number of issues that …show more content…
Various events helped label this period as such. The last battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans, is a primary example of how nationalism spurred in the United States after the War of 1812. The Battle of New Orleans heightened nationalistic feelings in the hearts of the Americans because it was an American victory, engraining an image of the United States as a powerful and influential nation which led citizens to feel a sense of pride in the United States. Singh 2
This was helped by the writing of the “Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key while he was held hostage on a British ship. The “Star Spangled Banner”, an immensely popular song, portrayed the proud and proud and patriotic feelings in the American flag especially in phrases such as “…gave proof through the night that our flag was still there…” Nationalism was present in works of art as well as seen in Document 3, John Krimmel’s depiction of a Fourth of July celebration. Krimmel’s painting portrays how people gathered together to rejoice in their country’s independence and to share in mutual feelings of patriotism using images such as soldiers dancing with their arms around each other to show the sense of unity that emerged among the people and people of all races and …show more content…
The levying of taxes was among the major causes for sectionalism as demonstrated in Document 1. John Randolph argued that Congress was unfairly levying taxes on the agriculturalists of the United States while favoring the elite, more specifically the ones that “run in the ring of pleasure”. According to the date, Randolph is referring to the tariff of 1816 which was targeted at protecting the north and favored the manufacturing market. This illustrates sectionalism due to the economic strife it caused between the industrial north which supported it and the agricultural south which bitterly opposed