History P3 - Chapter 3.2 - Challenges and Opposition During Jackson’s Presidency

Who was John C. Calhoun?

Jackson’s Vice President (1829–1832) and advocate for Southern states’ rights.

What issue caused conflict between Jackson and Calhoun?

The Nullification Crisis over the tariffs of 1828 and 1832.

What did Calhoun argue in the Nullification Crisis?

That states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.

How did Jackson respond to nullification?

He asserted federal supremacy and threatened military force against South Carolina.

What was the significance of the Nullification Crisis?

It tested federal vs. state power; Jackson reinforced national authority; Calhoun resigned in 1832.

Who was Henry Clay?

A Kentucky senator and Jackson’s main congressional opponent.

What party did Henry Clay help form?

The Whig Party, a coalition opposing Jackson’s strong executive policies.

What issues did the Whigs oppose?

Jackson’s veto power, Indian Removal, and attacks on the national bank.

What was the significance of the Whig Party’s rise?

Created organized opposition and marked the beginning of the two-party system.

Who was Nicholas Biddle?

President of the Second Bank of the United States.

Why did Jackson oppose the Bank of the United States?

He saw it as favoring wealthy elites and undermining ordinary citizens.

What happened in the Bank War?

Jackson vetoed the Bank’s recharter (1832); Biddle tightened credit to fight back.

What was the significance of Jackson’s Bank War victory?

Strengthened the executive branch, opposed concentrated economic power, but led to instability and the Panic of 1837.

What was the overall significance of Jackson’s opposition?

Defined his presidency, polarized the nation, and shaped party politics (Democrats vs. Whigs).

Why was slavery central to the South’s economy?

It was essential for cotton production and plantation agriculture.

How did Northern and Southern states differ on slavery?

North was industrializing and many opposed slavery; South relied on and defended it as “necessary.”

What was the rise of abolitionism?

A movement calling for immediate or gradual emancipation of enslaved people.

Who was William Lloyd Garrison?

Editor of The Liberator; demanded immediate abolition.

Who was Frederick Douglass?

A former enslaved man, powerful abolitionist speaker and writer.

Who were the Grimké Sisters?

Southern-born women who became anti-slavery advocates.

What was the significance of the abolitionist movement?

It spread Northern anti-slavery sentiment, influenced politics, and deepened sectional tensions.

Who was Nat Turner?

An enslaved African American preacher who led a violent rebellion in Virginia in 1831.

What happened in Nat Turner’s Rebellion?

Turner and followers killed 55–65 whites before militias suppressed it.

How did the South react to Nat Turner’s Rebellion?

By passing harsher slave codes, restricting free Black people, and censoring abolitionist materials.

What was the significance of Nat Turner’s Rebellion?

It showed enslaved resistance, increased sectional polarization, and heightened fear in the South.

What was the overall significance of slavery in this period?

It became a major moral, economic, and political issue, escalating sectional conflict leading toward the Civil War.

How did slavery reveal the limits of Jacksonian Democracy?

Expanded rights for white men excluded African Americans, keeping slavery intact.