Good Feelings.

Before the 1820s most Americans agreed that political parties or factions were inimical to American republicanism. Parties were seen as combinations of men who controlled the actions of others, and like other institutions that held power, they were subject to corruption. In spite of these beliefs organized political parties emerged within a few years of the ratification of the Constitution. For nearly two decades Federalists and Democratic-Republicans fought over economic issues. After the War of 1812 the Federalists tainted themselves by considering secession at the Hartford Convention even as the forces of the United States under Andrew Jackson were defeating the British outside of New Orleans. The Federalist Party declined rapidly in most areas, heralding the beginning of the "Era of Good Feelings," during which the Republican Party dominated

American political life.

James Monroe was the beneficiary of one-party rule and was twice...