✨Last Post Game✨
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🍻🍻🍻
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🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻
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I'll take em.
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🍻🍻🍻🤗🍻🍻🍻
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Now I'm out of stock.
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Awww
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Yeah, bummer.
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The Era of Good Feelings has been seen by modern Historians as an era of nationalism and progress, and it was, to a large degree. However, the question of Sectionalism's effect during this era as an influential factor in both economics and politics is one not as often discussed, however, it played a significant role in both areas during the so-called 'Era of Good Feelings'. Both Sectionalism and Nationalism, however, effected the United States in different ways during this era, both in equally important ways.
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Firstly, however, the Nationalistic element of this era needs not to be overlooked because of the growing Sectionalist attitudes. Following the War of 1812, Nationalism abounded in the United States. The Democratic-Republican Party, strengthened by victory in the war, and because of the essential lack of Federalist support, effectively governed the nation as a single party for the entirety of the Era of Good Feelings. This lead to increased governmental stability, and feelings of Nationalism throughout the nation as a whole.
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Nationalism played a large role in the era, of course, as it defined it, for the most part. The arts were influenced by this Nationalistic attitude (Document B), as were political and economic ideals brought about by this air of unity within the nation. (Documents A, D, and E)
Document B, a sample of Nationalistic poetry, greatly magnifies the Nationalistic fervor within the United States during the Era of Good Feelings, describing the United States as a free nation, with 'free soil beneath our feet, and freedom's banner streaming o'er us'. The freedom won in the revolution, and preserved by the War of 1812's pseudo-victory over the British was a large part of the Nationalistic attitude of the Era of Good Feelings, as freedom has been part of the American character since the very beginnings of it as a nation.
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Even those that felt they had not achieved much from the successes of the American Revolution, such as women, who had little political rights or voice, displayed Nationalistic attitudes. Emma Hart Willard, one of these such people, wrote to the New York State Legislature pushing for women's rights, citing American principles such as equality and freedom, which gives the feel of a Nationalistic kind of message coming across. (Document C)
Nationalism also influenced the Economic and Political ideals of the Era of Good Feelings. John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, in particular, pressed for economic improvements within the nation, such as the levying of a protective tariff to ensure American Industrial strength, and internal improvements to be financed by the government (Documents D and E).
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These proposed reforms were backed strongly by Nationalistic sentiments in American politics of this era, as politicians such as Calhoun and Clay were motivated to propose reforms such as the American System to protect American businesses and to improve the United States as a whole through internal improvements.
Foreign Policy was even shaped by the Nationalistic feelings of the era. Of course, as noted above, politicians such as Calhoun and Clay were quick to use protective tariffs to protect American businesses from foreign competition (Documents D and E). However, Nationalism in foreign policy expanded to more than that, as well. Others, such as war hero Stephen Decatur, were quick to praise the United States' foreign policies, while also expressing their own Nationalistic sentiments. (Document A)
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Further strengthening Political Nationalism was American expansion westward. American expansion was a prominent source of Nationalism, as during the Era of Good Feelings, America gained much more than the west, they also gained territory to the south, such as areas formerly controlled by Spain, like Florida and East Florida.
Other sources of nationalism in the political realm could be attributed to a new foreign policy enacted during the Era of Good Feelings. The Monroe Doctrine asserted the Nationalistic attitudes of the era in the form of effectively telling the European powers that no further colonization would occur upon the American continents upon penalty of war with the United States. This greatly increased Nationalistic attitudes as well, creating an air of American independence and supremacy in the Western Hemisphere.
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However, as strong as Nationalism within the Era of Good Feelings was, it would soon be shattered by growing Sectionalist feelings. Both the Northern and Southern states felt divided from one another because of their own sweeping differences in their respective regions. In the Southern States, however, more Sectionalist feelings existed than in the Northern States, and a large factor influencing this was Slavery.
Slavery, however, wasn't the biggest factor at hand. The largest factor, of which Slavery was included, was Economics. The Southern States were more economically dependent upon Agriculture than the North, and in turn, dependent on Slavery. In the early 1800s, Cotton emerged as a primary cash crop in the South, surpassing both Tobacco and Indigo in value. Cotton, which was dependent upon a lot of workers, nearly failed as a cash crop, however, with the near extinction of Slavery in the late 1700s due to it's increasing costs.
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However, with Eli Whitney's invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793, Cotton was on it's way to becoming King Cotton, as it would later be known. The Cotton Gin's invention increased Slavery, and made Cotton more easily available to be produced because of it. Slavery's increase lead it back into being a hot button issue within the United States, and in particular, in the Louisiana Territory.
In 1820, Missouri petitioned for Statehood. It was the first of the former areas of the Louisiana Territory to do so, and also, a slave-holding territory. Northern States were reluctant to allow another Slave State within the Union, as a balance of eleven Slave States and Eleven Free States existed, and admitting another Slave State would upset the delicate balance of Slave and Free States.
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Debate raged as to whether or not allow Missouri to enter as a Slave State, though in March of 1820, a compromise was reached. The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a Slave State and Maine to enter as a Free State, without the balance of states being thrown off, while also marking a line between Slave and Free States. Any state below Missouri was free to practice Slavery, while those above the Missouri Compromise line were to be Free States.
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The Compromise of 1820 further delved the already Sectionalist South into deeper Sectionalism. John Quincy Adams, a supporter of the Compromise wrote that "If the Union must be dissolved, slavery is precisely the question upon which it ought to break." Underlying tones of increased Sectionalist feelings amongst the Southern States (Document F). Thomas Jefferson agreed, saying that the increased compromising and putting off of the issue would eventually lead to even more Sectionalism, and with every instance of it, would lead to deeper and deeper hatred between the Southern States and the North (Document G).
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As I mentioned above, however, Slavery was just a small part of the larger issue of Economics. The South, being predominantly agricultural economically, was weary of excessive taxation, and tariffs as a whole. The protective tariff proposed by Henry Clay's American System didn't sit well with a lot of Southerners, who, embracing Sectionalist feelings, felt this was an attack on their livelihood, rather than a tariff that would be used to benefit the whole of the nation. In fact, when the Tariff of 1816 went to vote in the House of Representatives, a majority of Southern Representatives voted against it, while the majority responsible for it's passing were Northerners and Middle States. (Document H)
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In conclusion, it can effectively be said that neither Nationalism or Sectionalism played a greater role during the Era of Good Feelings. Both were strong Social, Economic, and Political factors of the Era, and both unified the people, whether it unified them under Nationalism or under Sectionalism. Sectionalism, no matter how important it was to this era's political and economic factors, did not overshadow Nationalism, though Nationalism didn't outshine Sectionalism as the key factor during this era as well, which leads one to the conclusion that both played an equal role in the development of the United States during the Era of Good Feelings.
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Heres for good feelings 👌🏼😙💨🍻🍻
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I don't even know what sectionalism is 😅
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I don't even know what is
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I don't even know what you don't know
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[dday] wrote:
Me neitherI don't even know what you don't know
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ReclaimerHero wrote:
Sucks when that happens[dday] wrote:
Me neitherI don't even know what you don't know
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Happens when thots suck
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☣Alexander☣ wrote:
[Michael Rosen voice] noiceHappens when thots suck
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☣Alexander☣ wrote:
Hate it when thots keep up the succHappens when thots suck
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