The Jacksonians

1828-1840

Characteristics of the JacksoniansDefender of the common man

Forceful presidential leadership

Importance placed on states rights, but union must be preserved

Equality of economic opportunity

Guardians of democracy and individual liberty

Defenders of the Constitution

Election of 1824Major players

Andrew Jackson

John Quincy Adams

Henry Clay

William Crawford

Popular Jackson wins in the popular vote and the electoral vote, but doesn’t achieve a majority

Election goes to House of Representatives

Clay helps Adams win in the House

Clay appointed Secretary of State

Seen by many as the “corrupt bargain”

Jackson becomes a bitter rival of Clay and Adams

Splits Republican Party (National Rep. vs. Democrats)

Election of 1828Jackson wins easily in a rematch of the previous election

Factors influencing the election

Nearly universal white male suffrage

Most states had dismissed property qualifications

Electors decided based upon popular vote in each state

Jackson’s image

Military hero

Log cabin President

Champion of the common man

Jackson’s inauguration

Seen as a triumph for the common man

Spoils system (AKA Rotation in Office)

Appointed many of his friends to office

• Why would westward expansion lead many states to drop property qualifications for voting?

Indian RemovalSouthern Indian tribes stood in the way of Westward

expansion

Primary obstacle: Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes

Many of the tribes mirrored white society

1820’s on Southern states intensified pressure on Indians to resettle further West

Tribes were hesitant to abandon ancestral land

States passed laws limiting tribal authority

1830 Jackson secured passage of Indian Removal Act

Controversial measure barely passed Congress

Authorized money and western lands to be used to “remove” the five Southern tribes

Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes “signed” treaties and were removed

Indian RemovalSeveral of the tribes resisted

Second Creek War

Seminole War

Cherokee chose to take their case to court

Cherokee v. Georgia (1831)

Marshall court ruled Cherokee had a right to their land

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Court claimed the Cherokee were a “distinct” political entity and were entitled to federal protection

Jackson responds “John Marshall has made his decision, let him enforce it”

Trail of Tears (Van Buren 1838)

Last and final removal of the Cherokee, 8k die (over 1/3)

Why would Indian Removal have helped to preserve the Union?

Nullification CrisisBeginning in 1816 Congress had passed a series of

protective tariffs

South eventually opposed protective tariffs

Tariffs didn’t help Southern cotton (export only)

Raised domestic prices for manufactured goods

Raised again in 1828

Became known as “Tariff of Abominations”

State of South Carolina published “SC Exposition and Protest” (1828)

Based on Kent. and Virg. Resolutions

Argument for nullifying the tariff in SC

Not so secretly authored by Calhoun (VP)

Nullification CrisisCalhoun vs. Jackson

Calhoun had hoped Jackson would side with his state’s rights argument and eliminate tariff

Peggy Eaton Affair

Webster Hayne Debate

Signed tariff of 1832 lowering but not eliminating tariffs

Calhoun replaced as Vice President by Martin Van Buren in 1832 election

Calhoun returns to South Carolina to lead his state’s effort to nullify the tariff

Nullification Crisis1832 SC legislature votes to nullify tariffs of 1828 & 1832

Jackson threatens military action

Clay authors a compromise “the olive branch and the sword”

Force Bill authorizing military force

Compromise Tariff 1833 (gradually lowering tariffs)

Compromise averts sectional disaster

Bank WarJackson vetoed much of Clay’s American system

Maysville Road veto

Early recharter of the 2nd Bank of the U.S.

Jackson saw the bank as a tool of the rich

Clay hoped to use the bank to beat Jackson in the election of 1832

Jackson decided to wipe out the bank before it was due to expire in 1836

Jackson order federal money withdrawn from the bank and deposited in “pet banks”

“Pet banks”—State banks loyal to the democratic party

Measure actually caused growth of paper money and speculation

Bank WarJackson vs. Biddle

Bank President Biddle attempts to save the Bank by raising interest rates and calling in loans

Disastrous effect on economy

Galvanized opposition against Jackson

Birth of the Whig Party

Specie circular

Fearing growth of paper money from state banks

Jackson orders that all public land sales be paid in hard currency

Results in a loss of faith in paper money and runs on state banks

Bad economic policies result in the Panic of 1837 (plus international causes)

The Whigs labeled Jackson “King Andrew”. Why?

The blame for the Panic of 1837 never falls on Jackson. Why? How is this same idea relevant to modern politicians?

Jackson’s Legacy1836 Election

Jackson’s successor Martin Van Buren elected

Fails to hold Jackson’s popularity

Blamed for depression

Lacked Jackson’s charisma

Democrats linked to Jackson’s policies

Antibank & Hard Money supporters

1840 Election

William Henry Harrison defeats Van Buren

Whig run a great campaign turning Democratic attacks against them

“Log cabin and Hard Cider”

“Tippecanoe and Tyler too”