The Era of Good Feelings

Essay by gtran01 November 2014

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The Era of Good Feelings

The time period between the year 1817 and 1824 is renown as the Era of Good Feelings. It is considered as a critical moment in American history, for it had improved the nation's feeling of nationalism and the transportation system that had existed. However, despite its name and the positive contributions that improved America, the Era of Good Feelings, overall, proved to be a time of major political, economic, and social challenges and disputes, indicating how it was the same from time frame prior to the Era of Good Feelings. Thus, it is not considered as a point of inflection in the American history.

Before the Era of Good Feelings, transportation was difficult for quite a lot of individuals. Getting from one destination to another took a long time and required full of effort. After the Era of Good Feelings was introduced by James Monroe, construction of the Erie Canal, the first major canal project in the United States went into effect.

Soon after, a system of canals soon developed around the nation, linking waterways from the Northeast to the frontier West. In addition, the U.S. government also invested in the creation of the National Road, which stretched from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, Virginia. Added to this National Road were webs of privately owned toll roads around each major U.S. city, serving as the foundation for the growing road system.

The beginning of the Era of Good Feelings marked the end for the Federalist party. After the war of 1812, there was an unsweep of nationalism; with the existence of only one political party, the Republicans, it supposedly united the nation together rather than dividing it up. As seen before, when there were more than one political parties, such as the...