President Andrew Jackson How did he change the presidency and help cause the Civil War?

Election of 1824  What happened in the election of 1824?  Era of Good Feelings = 1 party – four candidates for president (no convention like today).  Clay, Adams, Jackson, and William Crawford ran against each other.  Jackson had the most votes but nobody had a majority of the electoral college votes.  Election went to the House to be decided.  Clay (finished fourth) was Speaker of the House and supported Adams.  After Adams won the election, Clay was appointed Secretary of State.

Results of the Election  What was the result of the election?  Clay and Adams accused of making a “corrupt bargain,” in other words of cheating.  Adams was very unpopular with the people and achieved very little  Split in the party: Jackson’s followers (conservatives) = Democrats Followers of Adams and Clay (liberals) = Whigs  Jackson defeated Adams in the election of 1828 easily starting Jacksonian Dem.  Election about popularity and personality.

JQA as President  What was Adams’ presidency like and why?  Struggled because of “corrupt bargain.”  A lot of critics and little help  Wanted a program of economic growth (similar to Hamilton and Clay’s). Roads and canals Arts and sciences  Most programs were rejected because of his unpopularity.

Change 1: The Spoils System  What was the Spoils System  How did that change the presidency?  Rewarding supporters with government jobs)  Jackson hired supporters and fired more than two hundred previous presidential appointees.  Goal was to avoid the rich and wealthy people from controlling government.  Forced Jackson to go outside his cabinet for advice!  In the long run = Led to corruption and controversy

Kitchen Cabinet  What was the kitchen cabinet?  Tight circle of supporters known as his “kitchen cabinet.”  Only Van Buren was qualified for his job in the cabinet.  Others had jobs because of the spoils system.  Kitchen Cabinet: Democratic leaders Newspaper editors Nicknamed the kitchen cabinet because they met in the White House kitchen.

Importance  Why was it important?  Over the years presidents have relied more and more on people outside of the cabinet for advice following Jackson’s example.  Led to the creation of the White House Office and the Executive Office of the President.

POWER!!!!!  How did Jackson change presidential power?  Used the power of the veto more than any previous president.  Knew that Congress needed his signature (2/3’s of both houses too hard to get).  He vetoed all legislation that he disagreed with  Forced his views on the country.  Claimed it was people’s will  The best example = the National Bank War.

POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How did Jackson increase power?  Refused to back down in confrontations.  Chose when he wanted to be liberal/conservative  Won the 1832 election and then withdrew all deposits from the National Bank.  Supported the national government’s power and threatened to use the army to force South Carolina to pay the tariff (Force Act).  Supported states’ rights: refused to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision and removed thousands of Cherokee natives from Georgia.

Most Important Thing!  What is the most important thing about Andrew Jackson as President?  Democratized the presidency – made it much more about the people and popularity!  Made the office of the President much more powerful (by setting so many precedents)  People began to view the president as much more powerful and important than they did before!  Scared Southern Conservatives!  Will be very important when Lincoln is elected!