Study Guide: Andrew Jackson and Sectionalism

Quiz section 3.2

Jacksonian Democracy

A political movement associated with Andrew Jackson that promoted greater political participation for many white men and emphasized majority rule. Its expansion of political rights did not include women, enslaved people, or most free black people, and it coincided with the forced removal of Native peoples.

suffrage

The right to vote. During this period, many states removed property requirements for white male voters.

Spoils system

The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs. Jackson’s supporters defended it as a way to open government service to ordinary citizens; critics argued it encouraged favoritism and corruption.

Tariff

A tax on imported goods. Tariffs could protect U.S. manufacturers but also raise prices for consumers and affect regions differently.

Tariff of 1828

A high protective tariff opposed especially by many Southerners, who feared higher costs and trade retaliation.

Nullification

The claim that a state could reject a federal law it considered unconstitutional.

Nullification Crisis

The confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government over tariffs and the limits of state power.

Indian Removal Act

An 1830 federal law that authorized negotiations to relocate Native nations living east of the Mississippi River to lands farther west. The policy led to coercive removals and dispossession.

Trail of Tears

The forced removal of the Cherokee from their southeastern homeland to Indian territory in the 1830s. Thousands died during the journey and its aftermath.

Bank War

Jackson’s political struggle against the Second Bank of the United States, which he viewed as powerful, undemocratic, and favorable to wealthy interests.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to the interests of one region, sometimes at the expense of national unity.

States’ rights

The idea that states retain significant powers and may challenge the authority of the federal government.

Andrew Jackson

Seventh president of the United States; promoted a stronger executive and challenged the national bank. His administration also enforced Indian removal.

John Quincy Adams

President from 1825 to 1829; won the House-decided election of 1824 after no candidate received an electoral majority.

Henry Clay

Speaker of the House in 1824, he supported Adams in the House vote and later became secretary of state. Jackson’s supporters called this a “corrupt bargain.”

John C. Calhoun

Vice president under Jackson and a leading defender of nullification and states’ rights.

Martin Van Buren

Jackson ally who helped build the Democratic Party and later became president.

Nicholas Biddle

President of the Second Bank of the United States and a central figure in the Bank war.