THE GROWTH OF DEMOCRACY1824 – 1840

Continental Struggles over Popular Rights

• 1821: Mexico wins its independence from Spain; their 1824 constitution mirrored the US constitution, though it gave more power to the president and Catholic Church; Santa Anna emerged as the strongest early president who assumed dictatorial powers

• Haitian independence had destroyed the sugar industry, influencing the British Caribbean to revolt, leading to the British abolition of slavery in 1834 (these events were closely watched by the American South)

• 1837: Canada revolts leading to the union of both Upper and Lower Canada, making the French speaking population a distinct minority

The Expansion and Limits of Suffrage• In 1800, only white male property owners could vote in

most states• As western states came into the Union, suffrage

expanded• By the 1820s, most older states had dropped the property

qualifications• By 1840, 90% if adult white males could vote• Women and African Americans were excluded

The Election of 1824• Thus ends the Era of Good Feelings as 5 candidates ran

for president: JQ Adams, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and William Crawford

• Jackson won the popular vote and the electoral vote, but not a majority, sending the vote to the House

• Clay (the Speaker) backs Adams and Adams is elected…Clay is made Sec. of State; Jackson’s party cries “corrupt bargain” and the hostility of this election blocks most of Adams’s initiatives

The New Popular Democratic Culture• Expansion of franchise: opposition to property

qualifications and demands for Universal Male Suffrage led to a more popular form of politics

• New state organizations increased their political participation to help Jackson win the presidency: mass campaigning

• The print revolution was most evident in the growth of newspapers that helped democratize politics by publicizing the new political theater

• Tightly organized, broad-based political groups emerged as party loyalty among politicians and the public was stressed, becoming a part of everyday life

Democracy in Action: Stump Speaking

The Election of 1828• Jackson won a landslide victory in one of the most nasty,

mudslinging campaigns in history• Jackson’s election was a victory for the “common man”

that showed the strength of the new popular democratic culture and system of national parties made up of a coalition of North, South and West (no longer regional)

Example of Anti-Jackson propagandathat accuses the general of the murderof three soldiers during the War of 1812

The Age of Jackson: 1829 – 1837 • Jackson symbolized the personal advancement that the

frontier offered• His inauguration brought out a mob that ransacked the

White House (forcing Jackson to slip out and spend the night at a hotel)

• Jackson’s agenda would redefine the president’s role, as well as be one of the most controversial:• Total Indian Removal east of the Mississippi• Stop abuses of the federal government in regards to internal

improvements• Oppose and dissolve the National Bank

The mob scene outside the White House

A wheel of cheese and drinks were rolled outside to lure the mob from the White House.

Jackson slashed in the face during the Revolution for not shining an officer’s boots.He’d carry that scar with pride—and it served as a part of his “folk image.”

Frontier gentleman

StatesmanGeneral and hero

A Strong Executive• Jackson “redefined” the boundaries of presidential powers

as he used the veto more times than the previous 6 presidents combined—forcing Congress to consider his opinions when making legislation

• Jackson’s “negative activism” restricted federal activity in contrast to the nationalistic administrations of Monroe and Adams before

• Appointing his friends and backers in key political positions (the spoils system) and rarely consulted his actual Cabinet—relying on his “Kitchen Cabinet” (his Western buddies)

• Jackson’s overwhelming popularity made this possible

Jackson as a Nationalist• Despite his Western background, Jackson created a national

coalition, and believed the president to represent the popular will of the people, and thus dominate government

• Jackson was able to override sectional interests due again to his national appeal—but many crises lay ahead

• Yet, he had to face severe sectional opposition by some of the most distinguished statesmen in US history:• Henry Clay of KY: Speaker of the House 1811-1825; the “Great Compromiser”

represented the West, internal improvements, national bank, and a national economic policy; but Jackson hated this man with a passion due to the “corrupt bargain”

• Daniel Webster: senator from Mass.; probably the best orator of the day; represented the North’s commercial interests, protective tariffs, national bank, and strong federal govt.

• John C. Calhoun of SC: the VP who represented Southern interests, states’ rights, the expansion and preservation of slavery; Calhoun would leave the VP position and be the champion for the Southern cause

• nThe next generation of American statesmen: Calhoun, Clay, and Webster (clockwise)

The Nullification Crisis• 1828: The “Tariff of Abominations” produced a strong reaction from SC:

the South argued that the overly high tariff was an unconstitutional effort to enrich the North at the South’s expense

• VP to be Calhoun wrote an anonymous defense of the doctrine of nullification claiming that states could refuse to enforce laws they felt unconstitutional

• Jackson and Calhoun clash and Calhoun resigned as VP two years into the term; and became a senator for SC, and the South’s mouthpiece

• 1832: Another high tariff is passed (despite Jackson’s disproval) and SC threatens to secede

• Jackson sees this as treason and passes the Force Bill, which allows the use of force to collect the taxes if necessary

• Henry Clay works out a compromise (Tariff Act of 1833) that lowered the tariff rate, as SC rescinded their nullification decree: avoiding Civil War

Indian Removal• Jackson changed Indian policy from assimilation to removal• The Five Civilized Tribes were most affected (Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws,

Creeks, and Seminoles)• Jackson pressured the removal of the Cherokee from Georgia, issuing the Indian

Removal Act that allowed states to override federal protection of Native Americans and remove them from their land (use of force, if necessary)—passed by 3 votes

• The Cherokee sue: Cherokee v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia (1831-2): Chief Justice John Marshall rules in favor of the Cherokee

• Jackson defies the Supreme Court: “Let them enforce it.”• Cherokees are removed and forcibly marched along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma

territory (1/4 died along the way) • The Black Hawk War (1832): unsuccessful attempt of Indians to reclaim tribal grounds

in Illinois• By the end of the 1830s, the last of the remaining Indian tribes east of the Mississippi

were removed • Created a minor sectional rift: the North protested (mainly from Church groups and

that favored assimilation); but it was a lost cause• Many of the protesters would now turn towards abolition

Internal Improvements• Jackson argued that federal funding for infrastructure and

internal improvements was unconstitutional• Without federal funding the initiatives passed to private

developers who then passed it to the states• The states provided more funding for roads, canals, and

railroads than the federal government

Legal Support for Private Enterprise• The Supreme Court fostered economic growth with a few

landmark decisions headed by Chief Justice John Marshall:• Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819): prevented states from

interfering in contracts• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824): established the federal government had

control over interstate commerce

This encouraged economic competition by denying monopolies; state laws enabled businesses to protect themselves by granting charters of incorporation

The Bank War• The Second Bank of the US was chartered in 1816 and

was a quasi-private institution• The National Bank acted as a currency stabilizer that

encouraged the growth of strong and stable financial interests and curbed the less stable and irresponsible ones from forming

• Eastern merchants found the Bank useful• Western farmers and speculators feared that the Bank

represented the moneyed elite• Clay and Webster passed an early re-chartering of the

Bank through Congress but Jackson vetoes it, strongly

Jackson’s Reelection• Clay misplayed Jackson’s popularity and was soundly defeated

(he hoped the Bank ordeal would convince Americans to turn on Jackson)

• Jackson claimed himself the direct representative of the people and could act regardless of Congressional opinion and went ahead and took out all $10 million of federal deposits and placed them in his state-favored “pet banks”

• Was this an impeachable offense? Abuse of power?• Jackson’s actions marked the end of the American System, and

ushered in a new form of laissez-faire economic policy where decision making rests with commercial interests, not with government

• The Bank War directly inspired Jackson’s opponents to create a new party, the Whigs and solidifying America’s two-party system

The Bank collapses under Jackson’s decree

Whigs, Van Buren and The Election of 1836

• Bank president Nicholas Biddle called in commercial loans, which caused a sharp panic and recession in 1833-4

• Unhappy with Jackson, merchants, businessmen, southern planters formed a loose alliance and created the Whig Party

• Nominated WH Harrison (among other sectional candidates)

• Lost to Martin Van Buren (Jackson’s VP)

The Panic of 1837• The death of the Bank combined with a wild speculative boom• Many new state banks were eager to give out loans, the price of

cotton spiked, and speculation of western lands was “feverish”• A surplus of $37 million was distributed to the states causing rapid

inflation• Jackson was alarmed by this runaway inflation and the use of

paper money • The Specie Circular: Proclamation that the government would only

accept payment for public lands in hard currency (gold/silver)• Britain demands payment on their loans• Banking system collapses as banks refuse to pay out of their

deposits• The Panic of 1837 lasted 6 years, the worst economic downtime

thus far, as the depression resulted in widespread hardships

The Second American Party System

Democrats

• Spoke for the principles of Jeffersonian democracy, expansion, the freedom of the “common man” from government and financial monopolies

• Power base and support came from the rural South and West, some Northern urban workers

• Majority party 1828-1860

Whigs

• “Heirs” to Federalism favoring a strong role of the national government in the economy (promoted the American system) and supported active social reform

• Formed in opposition to the policies of “King Andrew”

• Power base lay in the North and Old Northwest: those that benefited from increased commercialization, urban merchants, and some southern planters

• Won presidential elections of 1840 and 1848

The Campaign of 1840• The Whigs ran William Henry Harrison portraying him as a

humble Jackson-esque figure (war hero of 1812, killer of Tecumseh, and winner at Tippecanoe); while portraying Van Buren as an aristocrat

• They ran John Tyler from Virginia as VP to attract the southern vote

• Log cabins and hard cider: songs, grass-roots styled, raucous election campaign (combined with utter disgust of Van Buren) led to a sweeping Whig victory with an 80% voter turnout

• Tippecanoe and Tyler, too! (Honestly how could you NOT vote for this guy? BBQ and unlimited jugs of hard cider…)

Whig Victory Turns to Loss• Harrison died a month after being inaugurated and John

Tyler assumed office (“His Accidency”) • Tyler was a former Democrat who clashed with the Whig

Congress vetoing a series of bills that called for a new National Bank, tariffs, and internal improvements

• Tyler’s presidency was a four-year stalemate

(I couldn’t resist this, sorry)

Popular Cultures and the Spread of the Written Word• The “print revolution” had far reaching effects beyond

politics• Newspapers and almanacs fostered popular culture• Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, and Ralph

Waldo Emerson created a distinctly American culture focusing on frontier expansion, the “American Scholar,” and everyday life: “the familiar, the low”