Jackson appointed his close friends and political supporters to government jobs. He saw this as the rewards of winning the Presidency. “Kitchen Cabinet” – Jackson’s closest friends; gave him advice on key issues. He listened to them as much as the real cabinet. Opponents of this system argued that it lead to corruption and inefficiency in government. Practice was used by many Presidents that followed Jackson. Spoils System

Many southerners wanted to remove the few Native American tribes that remained on large tracts of land east of the Mississippi. Jackson was in agreement; he believed the Indians would be better served moving west and preserving their culture. Five Civilized Tribes – Five major tribes, including the Cherokee, who had adopted many aspects of white culture including Christianity, slave holding, and a republican form of tribe government. Indian Removal

In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act which forced all remaining eastern tribes to move west of the Mississippi. The Cherokee sued the government to stay. In the case of Worcester v. Georgia (1832) the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee could not be forced to move. Jackson disagreed, reportedly saying “John Marshall has made his decision; now let us see him enforce it.” Cherokee were forced on march from WNC to what is today Oklahoma. Thousands died on the infamous “Trail of Tears”. Indian Removal

Southerners felt that the tariff on imports benefited the north at their expense. John C. Calhoun, Jackson’s Vice President, wrote in The South Carolina Exposition that states should have the right to nullify acts of Congress that they felt were unconstitutional or unfair. He also called for secession if necessary. South Carolina threatened to nullify the tariff. Tariff of Abominations

Jackson was furious. He threatened to hang Calhoun for treason and told South Carolina that if they did nullify the tariff he would send federal troops to take over the state. In the end, the tariff was reduced and South Carolina did not nullify the tariff. Questions about nullification and secession would remain until the end of the Civil War. Tariff of Abominations

Jackson disliked the BUS. He felt that it benefited only the wealthy at the expense of the common man. Jackson vetoed the bill that would re-charter the BUS. Jackson took the government’s deposits out of the BUS and placed the money in various state banks (wild cat banks) across the U.S. in an attempt to disperse the wealth among the states. This lead to a tremendous economic depression in the United States as the wild cat banks made bad investments with the government’s money. Bank of the United States