APUSH Chapter 13 - Ms. Hines

Rise of a Mass Democracy

Period from roughly 1824-1840 when American politics became more democratic, political parties became more organized, voting participation expanded among white men, and politicians increasingly appealed to the "common man."

Election of 1824

Four major candidates—Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Henry Clay—competed for president. No candidate won a majority of electoral votes, so the House of Representatives chose the president.

Corrupt Bargain

Name Jackson's supporters gave to the 1824 election after Henry Clay helped John Quincy Adams win the House vote and Adams subsequently appointed Clay secretary of state.

Andrew Jackson

Military hero and politician who became president in 1829 after defeating John Quincy Adams in 1828. He became the central figure of Jacksonian Democracy and the emerging Democratic Party.

John Quincy Adams

President from 1825-1829 who promoted a strong national government, including federally supported roads, canals, and education.

Henry Clay

Speaker of the House who supported John Quincy Adams in the election of 1824 and was later appointed secretary of state.

Election of 1828

Election in which Andrew Jackson defeated John Quincy Adams by emphasizing the "common man" and attacking the political elite.

Democratic Party

Political party that emerged from Jackson's supporters, emphasizing popular participation, individual liberties, states' rights, and limited federal involvement.

National Republicans

Political group associated with Adams and Clay that favored a stronger national government, tariffs, and internal improvements; eventually evolved into the Whig Party.

"Old Hickory"

Andrew Jackson's nickname reflecting his toughness as a military leader and his status as the first president from west of the Appalachians.

Jacksonian Democracy

Political movement emphasizing the power of the ordinary white male voter, limited government, states' rights, and opposition to concentrated economic privilege.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs after winning an election, expanded by Jackson through rotation in office.

Rotation in Office

Jackson's practice of replacing federal officeholders with political supporters, justified as giving ordinary citizens opportunities to participate in government.

Tariff of 1824

Tariff that significantly increased duties on imported goods and contributed to sectional tensions over trade.

Tariff of 1828

Very high protective tariff known in the South as the Tariff of Abominations, believed to unfairly benefit Northern manufacturers.

Tariff of Abominations

Southern nickname for the Tariff of 1828 because it protected Northern manufacturing while harming the Southern economy.

John C. Calhoun

South Carolina politician and vice president who became a major advocate of states' rights and nullification.

South Carolina Exposition and Protest

1828 document associated with John C. Calhoun arguing that South Carolina could nullify unconstitutional federal laws like the Tariff of 1828.

Nullification

Doctrine claiming that a state could declare a federal law invalid within its borders if deemed unconstitutional.

Nullification Crisis

Conflict between South Carolina and the federal government over the tariffs of 1828 and 1832, with Jackson defending federal authority.

Tariff of 1832

Tariff that lowered some duties from 1828 but failed to satisfy South Carolina, leading to the Nullification Crisis.

Ordinance of Nullification

South Carolina's 1832 declaration that the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were null and void within the state.

Force Bill

1833 law authorizing President Jackson to use federal military force to enforce tariff laws in South Carolina.

Compromise Tariff of 1833

Tariff negotiated largely through Henry Clay that gradually reduced rates and helped end the Nullification Crisis.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

Federal law authorizing the forced removal of Native American tribes east of the Mississippi to lands west of the Mississippi.

Five Civilized Tribes

Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes that adopted many Anglo-American cultural aspects yet faced forced removal.

Trail of Tears

Forced removal of Native Americans, especially the Cherokee, resulting in thousands of deaths during the journey west.

Black Hawk War (1832)

Conflict in which Sauk leader Black Hawk and his followers unsuccessfully resisted U.S. efforts to remove them from Midwest lands.

Seminole Resistance

Armed resistance by Seminoles in Florida against removal, with some fighters retreating into the Everglades for years.

Second Bank of the United States

National bank opposed by Jackson because he believed it concentrated too much economic power among wealthy elites.

Nicholas Biddle

President of the Second Bank of the United States who became Jackson's chief opponent during the Bank War.

Bank War

Political conflict in which Jackson vetoed the Second Bank's recharter in 1832 and removed federal deposits.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Supreme Court case upholding the national bank's constitutionality and establishing broad federal powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Bank Veto of 1832

Jackson's veto of Congress's attempt to renew the Second Bank's charter on constitutional and anti-monopoly grounds.

Pet Banks

State banks favored by Jackson's administration where federal funds were deposited after being removed from the national bank.

Wildcat Banks

Small state banks, especially in the West, that issued unreliable paper currency dependent on their own financial stability.

Specie Circular

1836 order requiring public land purchases to be paid in gold or silver rather than paper money, contributing to the Panic of 1837.

Anti-Masonic Party

Third party opposing Freemasons as an elite secret organization; attracted evangelical Protestants and opposed Jackson.

Election of 1832

Election in which Andrew Jackson defeated Henry Clay to win a second term, with the Bank War as a central issue.

Whig Party

Political party formed by opponents of Andrew Jackson favoring a stronger federal role in economic development, tariffs, and a national bank.

Whig Economic Program

Policies including a national bank, protective tariffs, internal improvements, public education, and government-backed economic growth.

Election of 1836

Election where Jackson's chosen successor, Martin Van Buren, defeated multiple fragmented Whig candidates.

Martin Van Buren

Jackson's political ally and successor who became president in 1837, facing an economy devastated by the Panic of 1837.

Panic of 1837

Major financial crisis caused by speculation, unstable currency, Jacksonian financial policies, and declining commodity prices.

Causes of the Panic of 1837

Bank speculation, excessive lending, unstable paper money, the Specie Circular, destruction of the national bank, and reduced British loans.

Independent Treasury

Van Buren's system established in 1840 to separate federal finances from private banks by storing government funds in independent vaults.

Divorce Bill

Van Buren's proposal to separate the federal government from the banking system, later integrated into the Independent Treasury.

Texas

Mexican territory settled by Americans whose cultural and political differences over slavery led to the Texas Revolution.

Stephen F. Austin

American empresario who received a Mexican land grant and brought the first major group of American settlers into Texas.

Santa Anna

Mexican military and political leader who attempted to suppress the Texas independence movement.

Texas Revolution

Revolt of Anglo-American settlers and Tejanos against Mexican rule, culminating in the declaration of an independent republic in 1836.

Texas Independence (1836)

Event where Texas formally declared independence from Mexico and established the Republic of Texas.

Sam Houston

Military commander of the Texas Revolution who defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Battle of San Jacinto (1836)

Decisive battle where Sam Houston's forces defeated and captured Santa Anna, securing Texas independence.

Republic of Texas

Independent nation created after the Texas Revolution whose potential annexation was delayed due to the controversy over slavery.

Texas Annexation Debate

Political controversy over whether to annex Texas, with Northern opponents fearing the addition of another slave state.

Election of 1840

Contest where Whig candidate William Henry Harrison defeated Martin Van Buren, noted for modern mass-campaigning techniques.

William Henry Harrison

Whig presidential candidate portrayed during the 1840 campaign as a humble frontier hero living in a log cabin.

Log Cabin Campaign

1840 Whig campaign strategy that popularized William Henry Harrison as a man of the people using mass imagery and slogans.

Politics for the Common Man

New political style focused on appealing to ordinary white male voters rather than relying strictly on political elites.

Two-Party System

Political system consisting of Democrats and Whigs that replaced the one-party dominance of the earlier era.

Democratic Party Beliefs

Support for individual liberties, states' rights, westward expansion, and limited federal involvement in economic and social affairs.

Whig Party Beliefs

Support for a stronger national government, economic development, national banking, protective tariffs, and internal improvements.

Second Party System

Political era from the 1820s to the 1850s defined by intense competition between the Democratic and Whig parties.

Mass Political Participation

Surge in ordinary voter involvement through expanded suffrage, rallies, partisan newspapers, and organized political parties.

"Common Man"

Political ideal championed by Jacksonian Democrats who claimed to represent ordinary workingmen over educated elites.

Era of Good Feelings to Mass Democracy

The transition from one-party dominance after the Era of Good Feelings to a competitive two-party system driven by mass voter participation.