Age of Jackson Unit IIIC AP United States History

Jacksonian Democracy  Rise of the “common man”  Among white male society, equal opportunity was evident  Universal male suffrage  Change from caucuses to conventions  Selection of electors chosen more by voters  Increase in local and state elections  Rise of third parties  Spoils system -> patronage, loyalty  FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION: Compare/contrast Jeffersonian Democracy and Jacksonian Democracy.

D-R Split and Election of 1824  With no opposition and sectional and political differences, Dem-Reps split up  Election of 1824 has four candidates, including John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson  “Corrupt Bargain”  House chose Adams over Jackson despite Jackson earning popular vote  Split among National Republicans and Jackonian Democrats

Election of 1824

John Quincy Adams ( )  Son of Federalist John Adams  National Republican who favored strong central government and federal programs  Most of his proposals rejected by a pro-Jackson Congress  Alienated the South and West  Tariff of 1828 aka Tariff of Abominations  High protective tariff  Encourage northern industries; Southern agriculture suffered

Election of 1828  During Quincy Adams’s presidency, Jackson built a popular coalition, especially in the West and South  Political campaigns on national levels  Jackson’s wife  Coffin Handbill  Large turnout  Jackson soundly defeats Adams

“Old Hickory”  Unlike the previous presidents  War hero and example of common man success  Practiced the spoils system  Took office promising a strong executive  Endorsed states’ rights

Andrew Jackson ( )  Vetoed more bills by Congress than all predecessors  “Kitchen Cabinet”  Peggy Eaton  Major Issues  Native Removal  Nullification Crisis  Bank of the United States

Jackson and Native Removal  Jackson encouraged settlement in Native lands  Benefits white Americans to exploit resources, Deep South wanted fertile land for cotton  Indian Removal Act (1830)  Negotiate with Native tribes for removal west to lands west of the Mississippi  Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)  Determined Native tribes not to be “foreign states” but as “domestic dependent nations”  Worcester v. Georgia (1832)  Determined sovereignty of Native tribes therefore not subject to state laws  Apocryphal: “John Marshall had made his decision. Now let him enforce it!” - Andrew Jackson  Trail of Tears  Many died from exposure, disease, starvation  60,000 removed; 15,000 died

Jackson and the Nullification Crisis  Tariff of Abominations (1828)  South Carolina Exposition and Protest (1828)  Inspired by Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions  State could nullify federal law or possibly secede if necessary  Webster-Haynes Debates (1830)  Senator Robert Hayne (SC) promotes nullification and states’ rights  Daniel Webster responds with supremacy of U.S. Constitution, nullification/secession is treason; “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!”  Jefferson Day Dinner (1830)  Andrew Jackson: “Our federal Union: It must be preserved.”  John C. Calhoun: “The Union: Next to our Liberty, the most dear.”  Tariff of 1832  Ordinance of Nullification (1832)  South Carolina passes nullification of Tariffs of 1828/1832  Prepares military build up in preparation  Force Bill (1833)  Jackson requests and granted authorization from Congress to lead federal military to crush nullifiers  Tariff of 1833  Henry Clay negotiates compromise to gradually lower tariff rates to 1816 levels

Jackson and the Economy  Jackson and the Bank  Jackson believed Bank of U.S. as unconstitutional  Nicholas Biddle ran bank effectively but “suspiciously”  Bank supported by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster  Jackson denied Bank’s charter  Considered a private monopoly  A force against the common man  Transferred funds to state banks aka “pet banks”  Specie Circular (1836)  Purchase of federal lands by gold and silver rather than bank notes  Panic of 1837  Land speculation and price decrease  Hard currency led to devalue of paper money and inflation  Denial of Bank charter  Banks closed; unemployment increased; depression for next five years

Second Party System  American political period from 1828 to 1854 of relatively even party lines  National political campaigns and spoils system galvanize political parties  Split of D-R’s leads to National Republicans and Jacksonian Democrats leads to Democrats vs. Whigs  Rise of third parties  Democrats: states’ rights, laissez-faire and free trade; equal opportunity; South and West; working class – Andrew Jackson, Martin van Buren  Whigs: American System; tariffs; strong federal government; social conservatives; New England, Northerners; upper and middle class professionals – Henry Clay  Anti-Masonic Party: issue party concerned about Freemasons, promoted economic nationalism and social conservatism; introduced party conventions  Liberty Party: abolitionist party  Free Soil Party: anti-slavery party in latter years

The End of Jacksonian Democracy  Panic of 1837 and Martin van Buren’s presidency drifted support toward Whigs  Whigs nominated William Henry Harrison, a war hero and depicted common man  Whigs win presidency, but Harrison dies in office  John Tyler, a Whig, favors more Democratic issues  The nation enters period of expansion and slavery