The Era of Good Feelings
...e several types of nationalism. Any consensus feeling of nationalism has to first start with the government. Two of the major Supreme Court decisions were to establish the supremacy of the federal government and to expand the power of Congress. By the federal government and Congress both becoming more powerful this gave something for people to model after. The decisions both bodies of government made were fair and just. With the decline of the Federalists the United States was, in practice if not in theory, a one-party state on the national level; heading the Democratic-Republicans. Sectionalism was now controlled and then replaced by a strong sense of nationalism. With one party, this united people under one system of government since the Federalist were completely gone. The people now knew what government party made the rules and then enforced any necessary punishments if the rules were broken. The citizens realized this and as a result civil disorder was rare. Even a blundering war (of 1812) ended up unifying the nation. Nationalism was also developed by the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine might have also been called the Self-Defense Doctrine. Monroe was solemnly concerned with the security of his own country. The doctrines' two main points were; 1) There would be no colonization of the western hemisphere. 2) Nonintervention from the rest of the world in the western hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine deepened the illusion of isolationism. Once again, the Americans now did not have to worry about foreign issues; instead they could focus on their own country. By not being involved in foreign affairs the people’s interest shifted into one of better developing their own country. This created a sense of national pride thus creating a greater sense of nationalism. Another plan to strengthen and unify the nation, the American System was advanced by the Whig Party and a number of leading politicians including Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and John Quincy Adams. Clay was a Political Scientist during the 1820's. He was also a Congressman from Kentucky. He was one of the key players in developing the American System which US adopted after the War of 1812. The American System created a protective tariff to American Markets. It also used the tariff to build road and canal for better transportation. (The American System started a cycle to trading for US market). The three main issues the American System dealt with were: a National bank, Protective tariffs, and Improvement of the transportation industries. The American System was a federal establishment operated by the government as an attempt to save the welfare of the economy after the War of 1812 by stabilizing the currency and reining in risky state and local banks. It forced the state banks to call in and consolidate their...