Chapter 10: Democracy in America, 1815-1840

History 17

Democracy in America

Two works, published in 1835 and 1840, by the French thinker Alexis de Tocqueville on the subject of American democracy. Tocqueville stressed the cultural nature of American democracy and the importance and prevalence of equality in American life.

Franchise

The right to vote.

American System

Program of internal improvements and protective tariffs promoted by Speaker of the House Henry Clay in his presidential campaign of 1824; his proposals formed the core of Whig ideology in the 1830s and 1840s.

Tariff of 1816

First true protective tariff, intended to protect certain American goods against foreign competition.

Paris of 1819

Financial collapse brought on by sharply falling cotton prices, declining demand for American exports, and reckless western land speculation.

McCulloch v. Maryland

1819 U.S. Supreme Court decision in which Chief Justice John Marshall, holding that Maryland could not tax the Second Bank of the United States, supported the authority of the federal government versus the states.

Era of Good Feelings

Contemporary characterization of the administration of popular Republican president James Monroe, 1817–1825.

Missouri Compromise

Deal proposed by Kentucky senator Henry Clay in 1820 to resolve the slave/free imbalance in Congress that would result from Missouri's admission as a slave state; Maine's admission as a free state offset Missouri, and slavery was prohibited in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory north of the southern border of Missouri.

Monroe Doctrine

President James Monroe's declaration to Congress on December 2, 1823, that the American continents would be thenceforth closed to European colonization, and that the United States would not interfere in European affairs.

Spoils System

The custom of filling federal government jobs with persons loyal to the party of the president; originated in Andrew Jackson's first term.

Tariff of Abominations

Tariff passed in 1828 by Congress that taxed imported goods at a very high rate; aroused strong opposition in the South.

Exposition and Protest

Document written in 1828 by Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina to protest the so-called tariff of abominations, which seemed to favor northern industry; introduced the concept of state interposition and became the basis for South Carolina's Nullification Doctrine of 1833.

Nullification Crisi

The 1832 attempt by the State of South Carolina to nullify, or invalidate within its borders, the 1832 federal tariff law. President Jackson responded with the Force Act of 1833.

Force Act

1833 legislation, sparked by the nullification crisis in South Carolina, authorizing the president's use of the army to compel states to comply with federal law.

Indian Removal Act

An 1830 law signed by President Andrew Jackson that permitted the negotiation of treaties to obtain Native Americans' lands in exchange for their deportation to what would become Oklahoma.

Worcester v. Georgia

1832 Supreme Court case that held that the Indian nations were distinct peoples who could not be dealt with by the states—instead, only the federal government could negotiate with them. President Jackson refused to enforce the ruling.

Trail of Tears

Cherokee's own term for their forced removal, 1838–1839, from the Southeast to Indian Territory (later Oklahoma). Of 18,000 at the start of the journey, at least 4,500 died.

Bank War

Political struggle in the early 1830s between President Jackson and financier Nicholas Biddle over the renewing of the Second Bank's charter.

Soft Money & Hard Money

In the 1830s, "soft money" referred to paper currency issued by banks. "Hard money" referred to gold and silver currency—also called specie.

Pet Banks

Local banks that received deposits while the charter of the Bank of the United States was about to expire in 1836. The choice of these banks was influenced by political and personal connections.

Panic of 1837

Beginning of major economic depression lasting about six years; touched off by a British financial crisis and made worse by falling cotton prices, credit and currency problems, and speculation in land, canals, and railroads.