Jacksonian Democracy

Andrew Jackson

A war hero and Indian fighter who had defeated the British at New Orleans in

1814. Known as “Old Hickory,” after his tough mannerism.

In 1828 he became the first "common man" president.

Fun Facts About Andrew Jackson:

•1st President who didn’t come aristocracy.

•1st President to have his vice president resign.

•1st President to marry a divorcee.

•Jackson vetoed more bills than the other presidents before him.

•Andrew Jackson was the first U.S. President to ride in a railroad

train.

•Andrew Jackson’s tombstone does not mention that he served as

the president of the United States.

Jackson and Dueling In 1805, Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in a duel. Captain Joseph Ervin

made a bet with Jackson over a horse race. Ervin's son-in-law (Dickinson) started

brawling with Mrs. Jackson and Jackson got involved.

Later, Dickinson published a statement calling him a "coward" and a "worthless

scoundrel." Jackson wanted to end this fight so he challenged Dickinson to a duel and

they chose guns as their weapons. Dickinson took the first shot and destroyed two of

Jackson's ribs. Jackson fired and hit him below the ribs. Dickinson cried in pain and

eventually bled to death while Jackson walked away. Jackson's wound never healed

properly and the bullet was never taken out. This caused him pain for his last thirty-nine

years of life.

Election of 1824

Sectional differences over beliefs and policies were part of the election of

1824.

• Henry Clay of Kentucky favored a protective tariff and nationwide

internal improvements.

• Andrew Jackson of Tennessee did not discuss specific issues. Instead, he

ran on his heroism at the Battle of New Orleans.

• John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts wanted internal improvements.

• William Crawford of Georgia ran on the principle of states’ rights.

Henry Clay Andrew Jackson John Quincy Adams William Crawford

The Corrupt Bargain

After the votes were counted in the U.S. presidential election of 1824, no

candidate had received a majority of the Presidential Electoral votes, thereby

putting the outcome in the hands of the House of Representatives.

To the surprise of many, the House elected John Quincy Adams over rival

Andrew Jackson. It was widely believed that Henry Clay, the Speaker of the

House at the time, convinced Congress to elect Adams, who then made Clay his

Secretary of State. Supporters denounced this as a "corrupt bargain."

Election of 1828

John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were the presidential candidates

again in the election of 1828. Jackson selected another southerner, John C.

Calhoun of South Carolina as his running mate. Andrew Jackson seemed like

the unbeatable candidate.

Jackson beat Adams 647,292 to 507,730 in the popular vote and 178 to 83

with the electoral vote. Many voters who supported him were rural and small-

town men who thought Jackson would represent their interests.

Mudslinging & Dirty Campaigning

Andrew Jackson's presidential election in 1828 was considered one of the

dirtiest campaigns ever witnessed. Never before had there been such an intense

focus on the candidates' personalities and such little attention paid to the issues.

Adams claimed that Jackson was not fit to be president.

Jackson said he was the candidate of the common man and that Adams was an

out-of-touch aristocrat and reminded voters of the alleged “corrupt bargain”

between Adams and Clay in the election of 1824.

The Worse of the Political Mudslinging Hits a Raw Nerve

Andrew Jackson married Rachael Donelson Robards in Nashville, Tennessee

on January 17, 1794. It was discovered her divorce from her first husband

wasn’t finalized before she and Jackson got married. This caused a lot of gossip

during the Election of 1828.

John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay accused Jackson’s wife of adultery and

bigamy hurting Mrs. Jackson with their cruel accusations. Unfortunately,

victory turned to sadness when two weeks after Jackson’s victory, his wife

Rachel died of a heart attack. Jackson blamed Adams and Clay for the death

of his wife.

Spoils System

The practice of appointing people to government jobs on the basis of

party loyalty and support.

Jackson replaced large numbers of government employees with his own

supporters. He believed that opening government offices to ordinary

citizens increased democracy

Return of the Two-Party System

Political system in which two opposing parties struggle against one another

for political power.

A New Party Emerges

The now-famous Democratic donkey was first associated with Democrat

Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. His opponents called him

a jackass (a donkey), and Jackson decided to use the image of the strong-

willed animal on his campaign posters. Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast

used the Democratic donkey in newspaper cartoons and made the symbol

famous.

Andrew Jackson’s political party which broke

from the Jeffersonian Republican Party.

Jackson’s Interpretation of the Constitution

Jackson had a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Jackson believed the president should have more power and say than

Congress and believed that the federal government should be restricted to

only those powers the Constitution specifically gave it.

Jackson’s enemies accused Jackson of acting more like a king than a

president.

Whigs

Political party which opposed Andrew Jackson’s political policies. They chose

this name because it was the name of the British party that opposed King

George III during the Revolutionary War. This was the view they held of

Andrew Jackson

Universal (White Male) Suffrage

Jackson and his followers belief that all white men should be free to vote,

not just those who owned property.

First Assassination Attempt on a President

On January 30, 1835, what is believed to be the first

attempt to kill a sitting President of the United States

occurred just outside the United States Capitol. When

Jackson was leaving through the East Portico after

the funeral of South Carolina Representative Warren

R. Davis.

Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter

from England, aimed a pistol at Jackson, which

misfired. Lawrence pulled out a second pistol, which

also misfired. Historians believe the humid weather

contributed to the double misfiring. Lawrence was

restrained, and legend says that Jackson attacked

Lawrence with his cane. Others present, including

David Crockett, restrained and disarmed Lawrence.

Afterwards, due to public curiosity concerning the

double misfires, the pistols were tested and retested.

Each time they performed perfectly. Many believed

that Jackson had been protected by the same

Providence that they believed also protected their

young nation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aopKmA6VIs

Indian Removal Act of 1830- The Civilized Nations

The Civilized Tribes consisted of the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws,

Chickasaws, and Seminoles.

Called civilized because many accepted White laws, built farms, schools,

and adopted a written language.

The “five civilized tribes” - the Cherokee,

Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole.

Sequoyah created a written alphabet for the

Cherokee language. This was generally perceived as

a way of protecting lands and sovereignty, but the

greed of land-hungry Americans farmers seeking

their land was too overwhelming.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

In 1830 Jackson pushed through Congress the Indian Removal Act in 1830,

which would force Indians to leave their homes and go west.

The Indians petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to keep their land (Worcester

v. Georgia).

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Indians, but President Jackson refused

to help the Cherokee in north Georgia and the western Carolinas and said,“

Let the Court support its decision." The Supreme Court was powerless to

protect the Indians against land-hungry farmers.

Members of the Cherokee Nation argued in this petition to Congress that they had not ceded the right to their ancestral lands. They urged

the Government to uphold its treaties and stop plans for their removal.

Tariff

A tariff is a tax on an imported good. Therefore for each unit of a good

that is imported into a country the tariff increases the price of that good

by however much the tariff is.

Why Southerners Hated Tariffs

(Wanted Free-Trade)

Nullification Crisis of 1832

The economy of South Carolina was weakening throughout the early 1800s.

Many people blamed the nation’s tariffs for this situation. John C. Calhoun,

the vice president, was torn between following the country’s policies and

helping his fellow South Carolinians.

John C. Calhoun believed that tariffs were harming southern markets and led

the state of South Carolina in protest against tariffs. He proposed the idea of

nullification, which said that states had the right to declare a federal law null,

or not valid. Soon other Southerners would join in voicing their beliefs.

Calhoun believed the southern states had the

right to secede, and he openly voiced his opinion.

Nullification- The belief that a state may ignore a

federal law if a state feels that it is unconstitutional.

Nullification Crisis of 1832- Jackson’s Response

Jackson viewed this act as treason and threatened to arrest Calhoun.

John C. Calhoun resigned as vice-president in protest.

Congress passed the Force Bill in 1833, authorizing the president to use the

military to enforce acts of Congress. Jackson sent a warship to Charleston,

South Carolina to show he meant business.

Under pressure of military intervention, South Carolina repealed its

nullification of the tariff law and the tariff itself was nullified by Congress

and the threat of secession ended.

Jackson Battles the National Bank

President Jackson opposed the Second Bank of the United States because he

believed that the Bank was unconstitutional and benefited only the wealthy.

Many Western settlers who needed easy credit to run their farms were

unhappy with the Bank’s policies for lending money.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to re-charter the Bank of the

United States. Jackson vetoed the bill because of his dislike of banks and

removed the government’s deposits from the Bank and placed them in state

banks.

This forced the Bank to call in its loans and stop lending. People didn't have

it… that’s why they borrowed the money in the first place.

Irony is that Andrew Jackson is on the $20.00

bill, a central bank note.

Martin Van Buren and the Panic of 1837

In the presidential election of 1836, Democrat Martin Van Buren, Andrew

Jackson’s 2nd vice president, easily defeated the Whig candidates. His

Presidency came under fire after he inherited Jackson’s financial problems.

Shortly after Martin Van Buren became president, an economic depression

called the Panic of 1837 hit the United States. Many banks and businesses

failed, and thousands of farmers lost their land. Unemployment among

eastern factory workers soared.

His Presidency came under fire after

he inherited Jackson’s financial

problems and Van Buren was elected

to only one term.

HISTORY FUN FACT:

Martin Van Buren was the first

President to be born in the United

States. His predecessors were all born

in the colonies while they were still

under the control of England.

Trail of Tears (1838)

President Martin Van Buren eventually sent the army to resolve the conflict

with the Cherokee. The army forced them out of their homes and marched

them west to what is now Oklahoma. The area was swampy and in terrible

condition.

Although most Americans supported the removal policy, some, such as a few

National Republicans and some religious denominations, denounced it.

The Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears:

Thousands of Cherokee died on the journey,

which became known as the Trail

of Tears. By 1838 the government had

moved the majority of Native Americans

east of the Mississippi to reservations.

The Forced Removal of Indians Map

Jackson’s Post Presidency

After his presidency, he retired to his home near Nashville, Tennessee. He

was still into the politics though. If he hadn't been planning everything,

Martin Van Buren's President career wouldn't have been ensured. On June

8, 1845 Jackson died from tuberculosis in his home. He is buried next to his

wife.

The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson

May only regrets are

that I didn’t hang

John C. Calhoun or

shot that *$@^%

Henry Clay.