Changes

The next president after Madison was James Monroe.  He was the most conservative of the early presidents.  He had even opposed the ratification of the Constitution.  He promulgated the “Monroe Doctrine” which said that the European and American systems were fundamentally different, and thus Europe should not colonize America anymore or even interfere in our Hemisphere.  To this day presidents continue to cite the Monroe Doctrine whenever a European country tries to do something over here.

The next president after Madison was James Monroe.  He was the most conservative of the early presidents.  He had even opposed the ratification of the Constitution.  He promulgated the “Monroe Doctrine” which said that the European and American systems were fundamentally different, and thus Europe should not colonize America anymore or even interfere in our Hemisphere.  To this day presidents continue to cite the Monroe Doctrine whenever a European country tries to do something over here.

The “Era of Good Feelings” overtook our country under Monroe’s conservative leadership.  Roads and canals were built.  The economy prospered.  He vetoed the Cumberland Road Bill and the House rejected most spending bills on internal projects.  The U.S. Senate was split evenly:  11 free states and 11 slave states (Delaware and Kentucky were slave states).  A dispute over slavery in new states was peacefully resolved by the Missouri Compromise: admit one free state (Maine) to balance one new slave state (Missouri), and ban abortion above a certain latitude (36 degrees, 30 minutes) in the new Louisiana Territory.

The “Era of Good Feelings” overtook our country under Monroe’s conservative leadership.  Roads and canals were built.  The economy prospered.  He vetoed the Cumberland Road Bill and the House rejected most spending bills on internal projects.  The U.S. Senate was split evenly:  11 free states and 11 slave states (Delaware and Kentucky were slave states).  A dispute over slavery in new states was peacefully resolved by the Missouri Compromise: admit one free state (Maine) to balance one new slave state (Missouri), and ban slavery above a certain latitude (36 degrees, 30 minutes) in the new Louisiana Territory.

After Monroe served two terms and retired just like Washington, a bitter race for president developed.  Jackson started his own Democratic Party and ran against John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, the son of John Adams.  Other candidates, such as Henry Clay of Kentucky, also ran.  Jackson won more votes than Adams but not enough to become president, so the election went into the House of Representatives.  There Clay struck a bargain with Adams, whereby Clay persuaded Congressmen to vote for Adams and Adams made Clay his Secretary of State.  Jackson (“Old Hickory”) supporters criticized this as the “corrupt bargain” and Jackson crushed Adams four years later.

After Monroe served two terms and retired just like Washington, a bitter race for president developed.  Jackson started his own Democratic Party and ran against John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, the son of John Adams.  Other candidates, such as Henry Clay of Kentucky, also ran.  Jackson won more votes than Adams but not enough to become president, so the election went into the House of Representatives.  There Clay struck a bargain with Adams, whereby Clay persuaded Congressmen to vote for Adams and Adams made Clay his Secretary of State.  Jackson (“Old Hickory”) supporters criticized this as the “corrupt bargain” and Jackson crushed Adams four years later.