The period of time from 1810-1830's was an era of major economic and social changes in America. The War of 1812 was the first time America had defended itself. Americans considered the War of 1812 a victory for themselves, and this sky-rocketed the new country's confidence. James Monroe was elected president in 1816. Monroe and his wife encouraged celebrating the new standing of the United States, making this known later as the "Era of Good Feelings."
Transportation was another great development during this time with canals, steamboats, and roads tying people and places together. With new states now joined together, expansion in the west was more rapid. Large amounts of cotton were being produced. The inhabitants of Indiana and Illinois were doing a large amount of farming and were producing plenty of food. The economy was definitely changing for the better.
In 1829, Andrew Jackson, nicknamed "Ol' Hickory", was elected president.
United States
Alexis de Tocqueville, French political thinker an...
Photogravure of Charles Alexis Henri Clérel de To...Jackson was a more low-key president compared to Monroe when it came to entertaining and being social. That may have been because Jackson became a widow right before he became president. On top of his still grieving his loss, he also did not have a wife to help him with coordinating and hosting social events the way Monroe did. Jackson seemed to like his privacy more than being involved with large crowds of people. Even on the day of his inauguration he opted to eat his dinner at home rather than be involved with all of the festivities occurring.
One of the first things that Jackson did was implement the "spoils system" on a federal level. I personally agree with the idea behind the "spoils system" but I think Jackson could have been a little kinder and at least have given the 900 out of 1000 he replaced some...