Overview

The Era of Good Feelings saw the emergence of forces that would, in time, transform America into a modern nation, but it also witnessed the emergence of issues that would divide the nation and dominate its life and thought for four decades.  The primary objective for the chapter is to help you to recognize: A) which events and developments stimulated national unity, B) how these factors contributed to the beginning of modernization, and C) how and why other factors emerged to threaten the nation's political stability.