history Andrew Jackson study guide

first 10 presidents

george washington

john adams

thomas jefferson

James madison

james monroe

John Quincy adams

andrew jackson

martin van buren

william Henry harrison

john tyler

spoils system (what, vision, origins, implementation)

what it was

• political supporters and loyal members to jackson were rewarded with government jobs over people based on experience

vision

• “you help me get elected, now you get a job in the government”

origins

• he believed ordinary citizens should have a chance to serve in the gov

implementation

• removed many existing federal employees and replaced them with people who supported him and the democratic party

trail of tears (what, why, tribes affected, conditions)

what it was

• forced relocation of native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern US to lands West of the Mississippi River (mainly oklahoma now)

why it happened

• the indian removal act of 1830 gave the federal government the power to negotiate (and often force) native tribes to leave their lands to make way for white settlers

tribes affected

• cherokee, choctaw, chickasaw, creek, and seminole (5 civilized tribes)

conditions

• they were sent off in groups to march hundreds of miles in severe weather with little food or shelter

• thousands (4,000-6,000) died from disease, starvation, and exposure

indian removal act (what, purpose, how it worked, significance)

what it was

• law signed by Jackson that allowed the fed. gov. to relocate native American tribes from southeast lands to west of the mississippi river

purpose

• to open up land for white settlers and agricultural expansion, especially for cotton farming

how it worked

• gov could negotiate treaties with tribes but often forced removal was used when tribes resisted

significance

• showed Jackson's aggressive expansionist policies and disregarded for native American authority 

what years did Andrew Jackson serve as president?

1829-1837

positives and negatives on Jackson's spoil system

positives

• opened government positions to more ordinary people, not just the elite

• strengthened party loyalty

negatives

• led to incompetence bc jobs were given based on loyalty, not skill

jacksonsian democracy (what, key ideas, impact)

what it was

• political movement during Jackson's presidency that expanded democracy and political participation for the “common man”, mainly white male citizens

key ideas

• greater political participation (more white men could vote because many states removed property requirements for voting)

• spoils system

• limited federal government (emphasized states rights)

• popular presidency (believed the president should represent the will of the people, not just elites")

• opposition to elites (challenged national bank and other institutions seen as benefiting the wealthy over ordinary citizens)

impact

• increased political engagement

• strengthened democratic party

• often excluded women, native american, and african Americans from political rights

the cherokee fight back

• cherokee nation resisted removal peacefully and legally, trying to use the US system to defend their rights

adopted a settled American style society

• built schools, farms, written language, and constitutional gov

• hope this would prove their could live alongside settlers to keep their land

took case to supreme court

cherokee nation vs georgia

• court said they weren't a foreign nation so it couldn't hear the case

worcester vs georgia

• supreme court did rule in their favor saying Georgia had no right to take Cherokee land or pass laws against them

• jackson ignored ruling 

petitioned and protested

• thousands of Cherokee signed petitions against removal opposing of moving west

divisions

• small group signed the treaty of new echota (give up land for $5 million

• US used this treaty as legal justification for removal

john quincy adams (background, presidency, land and indian policies)

background

• 6th president

• served 1825-1829

• lost to Jackson in 1828

presidency

• believed he allowed too much political control to be held by elites

• some objected to his support of the national economic development on constitutional grounds

• Adams vision of a powerful fed gov was seen as a threat to individual citizens 

adams believed a strong, active central government was necessary

• national university

• astronomical observatory

• naval academy

land and indian policies

• land policies gave westerners another reason to dislike him

• attempted to curb speculation for public lands - his opponent accused him of denying their individual rights and freedoms to expand westward 

corrupt bargain

• Jackson won popular vote but no candidate won a majority in electoral votes so the house of reps had to choose the president

• henry clay, speaker of the house, supported john quincy adams

• after adams won he appointed clay as secretary of state

• “corrupt” because Jackson and his supporters believed clay and Adams had made a deal

martin van buren

background

• 8th president

• 1837-1841

• nickname - “little magician”

presidency

• deals with jackson's legacy

• pet banks

• panic of 1837

national bank (what it was, why AJ opposed, bank war, impact)

what it was

• second bank of US (1816)

• regulate the nations currency

• control credit and inflation

• hold government funds

• provide stability to the economy

why jackson opposed it

• too powerful (controlled nations money supply")

• undemocratic (benefited wealthy bankers and elites)

• unconstitutional (states should have more power than a federal bank)

bank war

• congress passed bill to recharter the bank bit Jackson vetoed it

• jackson won against henry clay who was in favor of the bank

• Jackson removed federal money from the bank and put it into state banks (“pet banks”) to weaken the national bank

impact

• eventually collapsed after losing federal funds

• caused inflation and risky loans

panic of 1837 (causes, effects, van buren’s response)

hit martin van buren but was rooted from andrew jackson

causes

jackson destroyed national bank

• state “pet banks” printed too much paper money

• caused inflation

• land speculation exploded

species circular (Nicholas Biddle vs Andrew Jackson)

Jackson said people had to pay for government land with gold or silver 

• paper money lost value

• banks run out of goold

• people panic and withdrew their money

british banks demanded repayment

effects

• banks closed

• collapse of credit system cost people their savings

• bankrupted businesses

• put more than a third of the population out of work

van buren’s response

• created independent Treasury system to store federal money separately 

veto

• president’s power to reject a bill passed by congress

• bill does not become law unless congress overrides it with a 2/3 vote in both houses

Jackson's significance

• vetoed more than any president before him (12)

• veto of the national bank recharter

the american system (components, goal, why AJ opposed)

3 components

• strong national bank

• protective tariff (protects american factories by making foreign goods more expensive)

• internal improvements (roads, canals, bridges, railroads)

goal

• make the US economically independent

why jackson opposed

• thought it helped wealthy northern businesses more than farmers

• believed states should pay for roads and canals

• disliked national bank

eli whitney

american inventor best known for 2 major inventions

cotton gin

• separated cotton fibers from seeds quickly and easily

• made cotton production faster and cheaper

• caused cotton to become #1 cash crop in south

• increased slavery

interchangeable parts

• system where products (especially guns) were made with parts that were identical and could be replaced individually

• allowed goods to be made quickly in factories

• increased mass production

• major step towards industrial revolution

monroe doctrine

US foreign policy statement issued by president james monroe

main idea

• Europe must stay out of the western hemisphere

• no more colonizing or interfering in north or south america

why it was created

• many latin countries just gained independence from spain

• US wanted to protect them from european powers trying to take them back

• US wanted to prevent europe from expanding influence in america

4 components

• no new european colonies in the americas

• no european interference in the newly independent nations of latin america

• US will stay out of european affairs and wars

• any european attempt to take over countries in western hemisphere would be seen as a threat to US

the nullification theory (what it was, who supported, why it mattered, jackson’s repsonse)

what it was

• idea that a state could refuse to follow a federal law if the state believed the law was unconstitutional

who supported

• john c. calhoun

• mainly popular in South Carolina and other southern states that opposed high tariffs

why it mattered

• southern states were angry about the tariff of 1828 (“tariff of abominations”) which they felt hurt their economy by making imported goods expensive

• south carolina passed a nullification ordinance claiming they would not enforce the tariff

jacksons repsonse

• strongly opposed nullification and said federal law was supreme

• threatened to use the army to enforce the law (force bill, 1833)

• tariffs were gradually lowered

tariff of abominations (1828)

• very high tariff (tax) on imported goods

• purpose to protect northern factories by making foreign goods more expensive so people would buy american made products 

• hurt the south especially farmers

missouri compromise (1820)

what it was

• law designed to keep the balance of power between free states and slave states in the US congress

details

• missouri was admitted as a slave state and maine was admitted as a free state to keep balance

• 36 30 line: slavery was banned in new states north of this line (expect missouri)

why it mattered

• temporarily eased tension between the north and south over slavery

• showed growing division which later lead to civil war