A New Presidential Style and His Politics The Age Of Jackson

Expanding Democracy Changes Politics John Quincy Adams took the presidency after James Monroe, but struggled to be effective due to his major political opponent, Andrew Jackson. In the election of 1824, Jackson won the popular vote but did not get a majority of the electoral votes. This left the decision to the House of Representatives. Henry Clay disliked Jackson greatly and had a lot of influence in the House. Adams supported Clay’s American System, which led him to his presidency. Adams’s appointment of Clay as Secretary of State led the Jacksonians (followers of Jackson) to believe a corrupt bargain had been struck between Adams and Clay.

The Campaign of 1828 The expansion of voting rights tripled the number of men who could vote in the 1828 election. This also meant that the more “common” man was not needed to win an election, something Jackson excelled at doing. Jackson characterized Adams as an elitist, while he himself acted as a humble man. Ironically, Jackson was a wealthy plantation owner. His efforts won him the election by a landslide.

“Old Hickory” Uses Executive Powers Jackson, upon taking office, argued that personnel needed to be changed every four years to keep corruption and inefficiency from becoming a problem. Jackson’s administration practiced the spoils system. Under this system, incoming officials would throw out former appointees and replace them with their friends. Jackson fired 10% of Adams appointees and hired loyal Jacksonians. Some of his closest friends became his primary advisors. What was the name of Jackson’s cabinet and why? The “Kitchen Cabinet” was the term used for Jackson’s advisors since they were considered so sketcky that they used the White House kitchen entrance.

The Removal of Native Americans The two major views were that Native Americans should all be displaced or converted. Some tribes had already adopted the European culture. They were called the “five civilized tribes,” and consisted of the Cherokee, Chicksaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek. Jackson believed that assimilation was not an option for Native Americans, and that they needed to be moved to lands further west. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 provided funds to negotiate treaties forcing Natives to move west. If they refused to move for money, federal troops would then push them west.

A Map of Native American Movement

The Cherokee Fight Back The Cherokee wanted to try to utilize the legal system to fight back against the removal during the 1830’s. Chief Justice Marshall refused to hear their case since he did not view them as citizens. The Cherokee then teamed up with Samuel Austin Worcester, a missionary, to fight their case. In Worcester v. Georgia the court ruled for the Cherokee, but Jackson’s quote shows his disregard for the legal system when he stated, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” In 1835, federal agents found a way around the Cherokee leadership by having the minority of Cherokee who favored relocation sign the treaty as if they were the leadership. This triggered the great exodus of Cherokee and led to the Trail of Tears, a long, harsh journey that was forced by both the Jackson and Van Buren administration.

The Trail of Tears In October and November of 1838, the Cherokee were sent off in groups of 1,000. It was an 800-mile trip mostly made on foot. Along the route, government officials stole the Cherokee’s money and outlaws made off with their livestock. More than 25% of the Cherokee died on this trail. When the Cherokee finally reached their new land, they found it to be inferior to the land they once called home.

Conclusions The forcible removal of Native Americans in 1830, was only the beginning of the white settlers annihilation of the culture that had existed in this nation far before we arrived. The more the nation expanded, the more land the settlers claimed for their own. The Gold Rush of 1849 and the Spanish-American War would open up more lands to the west and lead to Natives being pushed into smaller