During James Monroe's presidency from 1817 to 1825, known as the Era of Good Feelings, the US economy grew and political differences diminished. The Rush-Bagot Agreement limited naval forces on the Great Lakes, while the Adams-Onis Treaty settled border disputes with Spain and allowed Florida to become a US territory. The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri to the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while prohibiting slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of Missouri. Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine opposing European colonization in the Americas.

1. 5th President
JAMES MONROE
and the
ERA OF GOOD
FEELINGS
1817-1825

2. • Republican candidate James Monroe won the 1816 election by an
overwhelming margin
• His presidency lasted two terms, from 1817 to 1825
• During this time, the U.S. economy grew, political differences diminished,
and there was a spirit of nationalism across the country
• A Boston newspaper called these years “The Era of Good Feelings”

3. During the Monroe Presidency:
• After the War of 1812, the U.S.
and Britain still had armed naval
fleets in the Great Lakes
- In April 1817, the countries
signed the Rush-Bagot Agreement,
which limited naval power on the
Great Lakes and demilitarized the
border

4. • In February 1719,
Secretary of State John
Quincy Adams and
Spanish diplomat Luis de
Onis signed the Adams-
Onis Treaty, which settles
border disputes between
Spain and the U.S. and
allowed Florida to become
a U.S. territory (though
not yet a state)

6. • While nationalism unified the country, a feeling of sectionalism between the
North and the South threatened division
• By 1819, the U.S. had 22 states; 11 were slave-holding states, and 11 were
free states
• The South wanted Missouri to be admitted to the Union as a slave state, but
the North disagreed
• In March 1822, Kentucky representative Henry Clay convinced Congress to
agree to the Missouri Compromise

7. • Under the Missouri Compromise, Missouri would enter the Union as a
slave state, and Maine (at the time still part of Massachusetts) would join
as a free state
• It also prohibited slavery in any new state formed in the Louisiana Territory
north of Missouri’s southern border

9. • By 1822 the U.S. was becoming
that European colonies would
expand in the Americas
• President Monroe issued a
statement which became known
as the Monroe Doctrine
• It stated that, while the U.S.
would not interfere with existing
European colonies in the
Americas, it would oppose any
new ones

10. • In 1824, Henry Clay developed a plan he called the American System, which
aimed to make the U.S. economically self-sufficient
• Under the American System:
- A protective tariff would be established
- The national bank would make trade easier by promoting a
single currency
- The country’s transportation system would be improved using taxes

11. FYI:

12. FYI:
James Monroe died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third president
to have died on Independence Day. His death came 55 years after
the U.S. Declaration of Independence was proclaimed.