#4.6 “Democracy in America”

What is a characteristic of a racial democracy in the context of white social classes?

White Americans of all social classes dressed the same, traveled in the same coaches/railroad cars, and stayed in the same hotels.

How did the status of black Americans change in a racial democracy?

Blacks increasingly became a group apart.

What impact did racial dynamics have on the political nation?

The developments affected the boundaries of the political nation.

What role did racist imagery play in entertainment?

Racist imagery became the stock-in-trade of entertainment.

Who is an exception to the use of racist imagery in entertainment?

Herman Melville.

How did Herman Melville portray black characters?

He portrayed complex, sometimes heroic black characters.

What ideology grew from Revolutionary thinking about the status of non-whites?

An elaborate ideology of racial superiority and inferiority.

What often justified the ideology of racial superiority and inferiority?

Science.

minstrel shows

white actors in blackface entertained the audience by portraying African-Americans as stupid, dishonest, and altogether ridiculous

blackface

black makeup used by white performers playing African American roles, as in minstrel shows

Jim Crow

One of the most most popular minstrel show characters in the 19th century and later laws written to separate blacks and whites in public areas/meant African Americans had unequal opportunities in housing, work, education, and government in the 19th and 20th centuries

the franchise

the right to vote

restrictions on free blacks voting

In 1821, the NY constitutional convention that removed the property qualifications for white voters raised the requirement for blacks to $250, a sum nearly none could pay.

disenfranchising free blacks

Essentially depriving blacks of the right to vote; NC in 1835, PA in 1938 (though it was home to an articulate, economically successful black community in Philly). By 1860, blacks could vote on the same basis of whites in only by New England states (4% of the nations free back population)

What voting requirement was raised for blacks in New York in 1821?

$250.

What happened to free blacks' voting rights in North Carolina in 1835?

Free blacks were disenfranchised.

What happened to free blacks' voting rights in Pennsylvania in 1838?

Free blacks were disenfranchised, despite there being a flourishing community in Philly

How did the perception of blacks change from the time of the revolution to the 19th century?

Many thought that blacks could be potential members of the body politic but the definition of the political nation became more associated with race.

What legal rights were denied to free blacks in the 19th century?

They could not vote, testify or sue in court, serve in the military, or attend public schools.

Election of 1824: Where did Clay get his support

he was one of the area's most popular politicians, but his support lay primarily in the West

Where did the majority of Andrew Jackson's national support come from during the Election of 1824?

His popularity rested not on any specific public policies for few voters knew his views, but on military victories over the British at the battle of New Orleans and over the Creek and Seminole Indians.

Election of 1824: Who was Adams popular among

Adams' support was concentrated in New England and more generally in the north where republican leaders insisted that the time had come for the South to relinquish the presidency.

Election of 1824: Who did Crawford represent?

the South's old Republicans who wanted the party to reaffirm the principles of states' rights and limited government

Election of 1824: Results

Adams won

Election of 1824: Impacts

laid the groundwork for a new system of political parties. Supporters of Jackson and Crawford would soon unite in a new organization called the Democratic Party who were determined to place Jackson in the White House in 1828. The alliance of clay and Adams became the basis for the Whig Party of the 1830s.

Election of 1824 candidates

Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Secretary of the Treasury William H Crawford of Georgia, and Henry Clay of Kentucky

the "corrupt bargain"

Bartering critical votes in the presidential contest for a public office, it was an agreement between Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams: clay would give Adams his support if Adams gave him a position in his cabinet as secretary.

2 impacts of the corrupt bargain

It clung to Clay for the rest of his career, making it all but impossible for him to reach the White House.

The alliance of clay and Adams became the basis for the Whig Party of the 1830s.

Jackson's background

Had little formal education but was capable of genuine eloquence in his public statements. Rose from modest beginnings on the South Carolina frontier to become the richest man in Tennessee.

Garnered popularity from his victory at the Battle of New Orleans.

What was Jackson's view on the role of Indians in democracy?

He believed they should be pushed West of the Mississippi.

What was Jackson's stance on African Americans?

He believed they should remain as slaves or be freed and sent abroad.

What was Jackson's opinion on banks and paper money?

He had an abiding suspicion of banks and believed that 'hard money'—gold and silver—was the only honest currency.

How did Jackson view the market revolution?

He shared the fears of many Americans that it was a source of moral decay rather than progress.

What type of nationalism did Jackson support?

He was a strong nationalist but believed that states, not Washington D.C., should be the focal point of governmental activity.

What was Jackson's position on federal economic intervention?

He opposed federal efforts to shape the economy or interfere in individuals' private lives.

Election of 1828 Candidates

John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson

Results of Election of 1828

Jackson wins the presidency

Won the popular and electoral vote

Birth of the democratic party

Impacts of Election of 1828

Jackson' election was the first to demonstrate how the advent of universal white male voting, organized by national political parties, had transformed American politics.

Election of 1828: Voting

common voters not the legislature chose presidential electors in every state except South Carolina, a fact that helped to encourage vigorous campaigning and high turnout. Nearly 50% of the eligible electorate cast ballots which is more than double the percentage four years earlier.

What promises did Jackson's supporters make during the Election of 1828?

Jackson's supporters made few campaign promises apart from a general commitment to limited government and relied on their candidate's popularity in the workings of party machinery to get out the vote.

Election of 1828 slogans/pettiness

"Vote for Andre Jackson who can fight, not John Quincy Adams who can write."

Jackson supporters accused Adams of having multiple mistresses while serving as a diplomat in EU

Jackson's opponents called him a murder and questioned his wife's morality.

the nature of the political process and campaigns

Jackson was the first candidate to run a national campaign.

Common white ppl could now vote so the candidate had to reach out to the common man— Banners, badges, slogans, barbecues, and baby-kissing became normal for candidates.

the party system

After the Election of 1824, alliances saw the beginnings of the Democratic and Whig parties while the Election of 1828 saw them in full effect.

Universal white male voting, organized by national political parties, transformed American politics.

conventions

Large nation conventions where state leaders gathered to hammer out a platform now chose national candidates.

it was now a huge party when the political party decided who they were nominating

the spoils system

the filling of fed gov jobs with persons loyal to the party of the president; originated in Jackson's first time

What was the Democratic stance on bank charters during Jackson's presidency?

Democrats believed that bank charters enhanced the power of the wealthy and subverted liberty.

What action did the Democrats take regarding the National Bank during Jackson's presidency?

They killed the National Bank.

What economic system did the Whigs support?

The Whigs backed the American system.

What were the key components of the American System that the Whigs supported?

via a protective tariff, a National Bank, and aid to internal improvements, the federal government could guide economic development

Democratic stance on tariffs during the Jacksonian era

they lowered the tariff

What was the Democratic Party's stance on banks and paper money?

Democrats were suspicious of banks and paper money.

What did Democrats consider to be the real, trustworthy currency?

Gold and silver.

What was the Whig Party's stance on banks and paper currency?

Whigs supported banks and paper currency.

What was the Democratic Party's stance on federal aid for internal improvements during Jackson's presidency?

They refused pleas for federal aid to internal improvements.

What is the Democrats' stance on government involvement in the economy?

The Democrats believed the government should adopt a hands-off attitude towards the economy and not award special favors to entrenched economic interests.

What did Democrats believe would happen if the national government removed itself from the economy?

They believed ordinary Americans could test their abilities in the fair competition of a self-regulating market.

How did Democrats view liberty?

Democrats viewed liberty as a private entitlement best secured by local governments and endangered by a powerful national authority.

What was the Democrats' view on national government and private freedom?

They believed a weak national government was essential to both private freedom and states' rights.

What did Democrats identify as the root cause of social inequality?

They identified government-granted privilege as the root cause of social inequality.

What fiscal achievement did Democrats accomplish during Jackson's presidency?

They reduced expenditures and by 1835 Jackson managed to pay off the national debt which as a result replaced the federal government with the states as the country's main economic actors

What was the Democrats' view on the test of public policies?

The test of public policies was not whether they enhanced the common good, but the extent to which they allowed for free agency.

What is the Whigs' stance on government involvement in the economy?

The Whigs believed the government should be involved in the economy.

How did Whigs view the relationship between liberty and power?

Whigs insisted that liberty and power reinforce each other.

What did Whigs believe about an activist national government?

They believed an activist national government could enhance the realm of freedom.

Who were some key supporters of the Democrats?

Van Buren, aspiring entrepreneurs who resented government aid to established businessmen, farmers and city working men suspicious of new corporate enterprises, slaveholders

where was democratic support strongest

poor farming regions isolated from markets like the lower northwest and the southern Backcountry

Where were the Whigs strongest/where was their stronghold?

In the northeast, the most rapidly modernizing region of the country/Counties of upstate New York along the Erie Canal.

Who were some key supporters of the Whigs?

Established businessmen and bankers, farmers in regions near rivers, canals, the Great Lakes, well-to-do merchants and industrialists in the north, largest southern planters,

What religion were usually Whig supporters

evangelical Protestants

What type of immigrants supported the Democrats?

Catholic Irish and German immigrants.

Democratic stance on gov in private life?

Individual morality was a private matter not a public concern

Opposed attempts to impose a unified moral vision on society such as temperance legislation and laws prohibiting various kinds of entertainment on Sundays

What did Whigs believe liberty requires?

a prosperous and moral America

What did Whigs believe the role of gov was in economic development?

the government should create the conditions for balanced and regulated economic development which would promote a prosperity in which all classes and regions would share

What was the Whig stance on gov in private life?

rejected the premise that the government must not interfere in private life

Tariff of Abominations

Tariff passed by Congress in 1828 that taxed imported goods at a high rate; it favored manufacturing in the North and was hated by the South

John C. Calhoun's Exposition and Protest

Document secretly written in 1828 by VP John C Calhoun of SC to protest the Tariff of Abominations, which seemed to face northern industry; introduced the concept of state interposition.

By 1831, he'll publicly emerge as the leading theorist of state's rights.

What was the basis for South Carolina's Nullification Doctrine of 1833

John C. Calhoun's Exposition and Protest

What arguments did the Exposition and Protest draw from?

the VA and KY resolutions of 1798

Webster-Hayne Debate

US Senate debate of Jan 1830 between Daniel Webster of MA and Robert Hayden of SC over nullification and state's rights.

Webster-Hayne Debate: Webster's position

Webster declared that since the people, not the states created the Constitution, the fed gov was sovereign.

Nullification was illegal, unconstitutional, and treasonous.

nullification

A state's refusal to recognize an act of Congress that it considers unconstitutional

Nullification Crisis

The 1832 attempt by SC to nullify, or invalidate, within its borders, the 1832 federal tariff law. It was not a purely section issue as the state stood along and many southern states passed resolution condemning the action.

Nullification Crisis: Calhoun's opinion

Calhoun denied that nullification was a step towards disunion and it was in fact the only way to ensure that state's rights weren't trampled on therefore ensuring stability

Nullification Crisis: Jackson's opinion

Jackson dismissed Calhoun's arguments and felt it to be nothing less than disunion.

Compact Theory of the Constitution

The idea that the Constitution represents an agreement among sovereign states to form a common government.

What did the compact theory do for the South?

it gave the South a well-developed political philosophy to which it would turn when sectional conflict became more intense.

Nullification Crisis & resolution

Jackson responds with the Force Act and Clay (with Calhoun) pass a new tariff in 1833 to further reduce dues and avoid confrontation

the Force Act

1833 legislation, sparked by the nullification crisis in South Carolina, that authorized the president's use of the army to compel states to comply with federal law (in this case to collect custom dues)

Impacts of the Nullification Crisis

Calhoun abandons the Democrats for the Whigs where he forms a trio with Clay and Webster (they agreed on nothing besides how much they hate Jackson)

Indian Removal Act

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

This later provided the funds to uproot the "Five Civilzed Tribes"--the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole--with a population of around 60k in NC, GA, FL, AL, MS

What was the last Indian resistance to the advance of white settlement in the Old Northwest?

In 1832, when federal troops and local militiamen (one of whom was Lincoln) routed the Sauk leader Black Hawk and his 1000 followers after they attempted to reclaim ancestral land in Illinois.

What did the Indian Removal Act signify regarding the assimilation of Native Americans?

It marked a rejection of the Jeffersonian idea that 'civilized' Indians could be assimilated into the American population.

What efforts did the Cherokee make to become 'proper' republican citizens?

The Cherokee established schools, adopted written laws and a constitution modeled after the US one, and became successful farmers (some even owned slaves).

How did Andrew Jackson refer to the Cherokee?

Jackson referred to them as savages.

What actions did Georgia take against the Cherokee?

Georgia sought to seize Cherokee land and nullify the tribe's laws, which Jackson supported

What did the Cherokee leaders do to protect their rights?

They went to court to protect their rights guaranteed in treaties with the federal government.

What was the outcome of the Cherokee's court actions?

It forced the Supreme Court to clarify the unique status of American Indians.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

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.

The Trail of Tears

Cherokees' own term for their forced removal, 1838-1839, from the Southeast to Indian lands (later Oklahoma); of 15,000 forced to march, 4,000 died on the way. -- Federal soldiers removed them after Jackson's term (during Van Buren's) and herded men, women, and children into stockades, and pushed them W.

Seminole response during the Trail of Tears

Some tribes accepted the inevitable and departed peacefully while others, such as the Seminoles, resisted