Jackson's Presidency

Chapter 9 in the textbook, sections 1-4

Democrats

 a new political party led by Jackson; glorifies the ordinary, makes mediocrity a virtue, and champions the idea of the “common man”

“King Mob”

a nickname used to describe the chaotic scene at Andrew Jackson’s 1829 inauguration, where thousands of commoners crowded the White House

Election of 1828

first “modern” election with the rise of a new two-party system (Democrats vs. National Republicans)

“Spoils system”

“to the victor go the spoils;” eliminates ‘crooks and incompetents’ from government and rewards the political machine (supporters)

“Kitchen Cabinet”

unofficial, inexperienced advisors in Jackson’s fake cabinet, filled with his closest friends; members unapproved by Congress

Martin Van Buren

a member of both Jackson’s real and “Kitchen Cabinet;” becomes Jackson’s VP in 1832

Principle of Rotation

contempt for “expert knowledge” and belief in the ordinary; used by Jackson to justify his “spoils system”

How did American politics become more democratic from Jefferson’s presidency to Jackson’s?

• elimination of property requirements for voting

• mass-participation political campaigns

• popular election of officials rather than appointments

What factors helped Jackson win the Election of 1828? How did he run his campaign?

Leveraging his image as a populist "common man" war hero, capitalizing on the expansion of white male suffrage, and utilizing a superior, well-organized party machine.

Support for Jackson was strong in the South and West, partly due to his alignment with interests opposing the "Tariff of Abominations"

Why did the new political party system develop?

The Democratic party formed to represent agrarian interests, champion states' rights, and oppose the strong central government policies advocated by the Federalist Party (and later the Whigs)

What about Jackson’s personality helped build his mass appeal?

driven by his persona as a tough, "common man" outsider who defied political elites

How did Jackson use the “spoils system”? How did this reflect Jacksonian Democracy?

• Jackson's practice of replacing federal officeholders with his own loyal political supporters upon taking office, effectively treating government jobs as rewards ("spoils") for electoral victory. 

<> Set the precedent of an executive turnover

• Defended as a way to destroy the entrenched bureaucratic class, aligning with Jackson’s anti-elitist ideology, even if it replaced that elite with patronage appointees

What were Jackson’s views of public office? What were his priorities as a president?

Jackson saw himself as a direct representative of the people, and disregarded the opinions of his Cabinet members. He believed that the President should not rely on Congress, and be an active member of the government.

Vetoed more bills than all predecessors combined

Key priorities:

• Bank war

• Native American removal

• Preservation of the union (Nullification crisis)

• Economic policies

• Expanding democracy

Senator Robert Hayne

US Senator from SC from 1823-1832 and governor of SC from 1832-1834

Webster-Hayne Debate

debate over tariffs with Hayne of SC against Webster of MA; Hayne proposed a South-West alliance built on cheap land and low tariffs, accused of treason by Webster and Alliance is crushed

will later influence the Nullification Crisis

McCulloch v. Maryland

Congress wanted to establish the Second National Bank. Maryland wanted to tax them for it; strengthened the national govt. because it affirmed that Congress possessed implied powers to create a national bank

Nicholas Biddle

third and last president of the Second National Bank

National Republicans

Opposing Andrew Jackson, they favored economic nationalism, the "American System," and strong federal authority, later merging into the Whig Party

Roger B. Taney

fifth chief justice of the United States from 1836 until his death in 1864

“Pet banks”

Jackson, distrusting central banking, distributed funds to loyal state institutions, which were often chosen for political connections rather than stability

What sectional issues arose during Jackson’s presidency?

intense North-South conflicts over:

• federal authority

• economic policy

• slavery

• Nullification Crisis

• Tariff of Abominations

• public land sales

• Second Bank of the United States

• forced Native American removal

Why was Jackson so opposed to the National Bank?

He believed it was an unconstitutional, elitist monopoly that concentrated power in the hands of a few private citizens—often foreign investors—at the expense of common farmers, mechanics, and laborers

What changes did Nicholas Biddle bring to the Bank of the United States?

Ran the bank aggressively, wanting slow growth in favor of stability

Why were Biddle’s policies so widely disliked?

Wildly unpopular since interest rates went up, making borrowing go down; economy plummeted and people wanted more land

How did the National Republicans try to use the Bank against Jackson?

Leaders like Webster and Clay convinced Biddle to push for the rechartering of the Bank before the election of 1832; wanted the Bank to be the centerpiece of the election

They hoped to force a veto that would embarrass Jackson and turn public sentiment against him  

What happened after Jackson vetoed the Bank?

Jackson gained more support and won the election because many people hated the Bank. The Whigs had a good plan, but used it on the wrong issue

Jackson removed all federal deposits from the bank and put them into pro-Jackson banks

• state banks lent out lots of money very quickly, leading to a huge increase in land purchases out West

Peggy Eaton Affair

political scandal caused by the cabinet members' wives, led by Floride Calhoun, shunning Peggy Eaton, wife of the Secretary of War. Accused her of immorality and excluded her from society; year-long rift that led to the resignation of most cabinet members and the resignation of VP Calhoun

Maysville Road Veto

Jackson vetoed a bill which authorized federal funding for a 60-mile turnpike in Kentucky; he deemed the project a local, intrastate matter rather than a national priority

Alexis de Tocqueville

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

Cherokee Nation accused Georgia of seizing their lands and enforcing state laws on their territory; case was dismissed and Native tribes were not foreign nations, rather “ domestic dependent nations”

Worcester v. Georgia

ruled that the Cherokee Nation was a distinct, sovereign nation occupying its own territory in which Georgia law had no force; ruling was ignored and Jackson refused to enforce it

Trail of Tears

the forced, deadly relocation of approximately 15,000–16,000 Cherokee people from their southeastern homelands to designated "Indian Territory" (modern Oklahoma)

Specie Circular

Jackson issues public land must be bought with gold / silver, invalidating paper currency

Whigs

formed by Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and others to oppose President Andrew Jackson's expansion of executive power

What were the personal problems between Jackson and Calhoun?

Petticoat Affair - Jackson, whose wife Rachel died shortly before his presidency following intense personal attacks, defended Peggy and was furious with Calhoun for his wife's actions

1818 Florida Incident - while Calhoun was his VP, he had actually urged punishing Jackson for his incursion into Spanish Florida when he was Secretary of War in 1818

What happened to Native Americans living in the Southeast?

systematically removed from their ancestral lands under the Indian Removal Act of 1830

Explain, in detail, the nullification crisis. Who was involved, what were the issues, how was it resolved?

Tariff of 1832 lowered tariffs, but not enough for SC. Calhoun pushes to nullify the tariff

If Jackson allows the tariff, then nullification becomes a precedent; if he opposes it, then he’ll lose the support of the South

Jackson calls it treason - if a state can nullify, then the Union cannot exist; Congress passes lower tariff and “Force Bill,” giving the president extra authority to enforce revenue laws

Demonstrates to SC that nullification does not exist. CALHOUN RESIGNS AS VP

What were the effects of slave rebellions like Nat Turner’s and Denmark Vesey?

Escalated national debates over abolition and making slavery a prominent topic in society.

Explain the relationship between tariffs and abolition.

slavery and tariffs became politically linked; support tariffs = abolish slavery, and against tariffs = support slavery

What were the consequences of the Specie Circular?

Banks did not have enough gold to back all the money they were lending out, leading to the economic depression that hit the country in 1837, when Van Buren is elected

Describe Jackson’s interactions with other nations.

Did not interact much with the European nations

Viewed Native nations within U.S. borders as hostile to safety and expansion

What groups made up the base of the Democratic Party?

"common men," specifically targeting small farmers, urban laborers, frontier settlers, and immigrants

Who were the Whigs? What united them and what problems did this create?

major U.S. political party formed to oppose President Andrew Jackson's "executive tyranny"

Lacking a cohesive ideology beyond opposing Jackson, they struggled to maintain a unified platform in both the North and South

Panic of 1837

major financial crisis and subsequent seven-year depression caused by speculative lending, the collapse of cotton prices, and President Jackson’s Specie Circular, which demanded gold/silver for land

Independent Treasury Act

separated the government from the banking system; only god + silver; prolonged the depression by taking money out of circulation

Log Cabin Campaign

despite Harrison being born into a wealthy Virginia family, portrayed Harrison as a rustic "man of the people"; designed to contrast Harrison with incumbent Martin Van Buren's perceived elitism

William Henry Harrison

9th president of the US who died a month after his inauguration

John Tyler

Harrison’s VP and 10th president of the US

What was Van Buren’s reaction to the Panic?

Does nothing to stop it - “less government interference the better”

• Gets blamed for the panic even though it was Jackson’s fault

What were the consequences of the Independent Treasury Act?

Limited the banking system's ability to issue loans and paper money

Government's demand for payment in specie, rather than bank notes, intensified shortages of money available to private businesses

How did the Whigs win the Election of 1840?

rebranding the wealthy William Henry Harrison as a common man to contrast with incumbent Martin Van Buren during an economic depression - stole Jackson’s strategy 

What happened immediately after the election? Why was this a problem?

After electing their first president, William Henry Harrison, he died immediately. His successor, John Tyler, was an anti-Whig Virginian who vetoed his own party’s legislation, destroying the party's agenda