Andrew Jackson's Presidency: Indian Removal, the Bank War, and the Second Party System

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering Andrew Jackson's policies on Indian removal, the Bank War, and the development of the Second Two-Party System.

Great American Desert

The region west of the Mississippi River where Andrew Jackson and white settlers sought to relocate Native American tribes.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

A measure passed by the Senate by a single vote that granted Andrew Jackson the authority to relocate Native Americans west of the Mississippi River to a federal reserve in Oklahoma.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

A Supreme Court case in which Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee people possessed an 'unquestionable right to their land.'

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

A Supreme Court ruling declaring that the Cherokee Nation was a 'distinct political community' and was not subject to Georgia state law.

Trail of Tears (1838)

The 800-mile forced relocation trek west, completed mostly on foot by 17,000 Cherokee, during which 4,000 died in transit.

Pet Banks

The 23 state banks, primarily located in the West and managed by Jackson supporters, that received transferred federal deposits removed from the Bank of the United States.

Senate Censure of March 28, 1834

A formal reprimand led by Henry Clay and passed by the Senate against Andrew Jackson for removing federal deposits from the Bank of the United States.

Nicholas Biddle

The president of the Bank of the United States who stopped making loans and ordered state banks to exchange paper currency for gold and silver to demonstrate the necessity of central banking.

Wildcat Banks

Mushrooming state banks formed with minimum capital that printed unrestrained amounts of paper currency without centralized oversight and often went bankrupt.

Distribution Act

Legislation that transferred federal budget surpluses into 81 state banks to be used by states for funding roads, public schools, bridges, and internal improvements.

Whig Party

An anti-Jackson coalition formed by 1834 that favored the expansion of federal power, industrial and commercial growth, a national bank, internal improvements, and protective tariffs.

Jacksonian Democrats

A political party that advocated for states' rights, limited federal authority, and westward expansion while championing farmers, workers, and small business owners.

Locofocos

Zealous Northeastern Democrats who advocated for a radical, potentially violent assault on monopoly and entrenched privilege.

Second Two-Party System

The national political framework that materialized in the 1830s consisting of the competing Whig and Democratic parties.