Brinkley, Chapter 9 Jacksonian Democracy

Things to know about Andrew Jackson:

1. Enfranchisement 2. Tariffs 3. Banks 4. Indians

The age of Jackson

Was a age of transformation in American politics

Until the 1820s most states restricted voting to

white male property owners, taxpayers, or both.

Enfranchisement expanded first in the NW

Territory allowing all adult white males the right to vote and all voters the right to hold public office

The process was far from complete. No slaves could vote. Southern election laws continued to favor the planters and politicians of the old counties.

Free blacks could not vote anywhere in the South and hardly anywhere in the North. There was no secret ballot.

The most striking trend of the early 19th century was the method of choosing presidential electors.

In 1800, state legislatures chose the presidential electors. By 1828, electors were chosen by popular vote in all states except South Carolina.

The process was far from complete. No slaves could vote. Southern election laws continued to favor the planters and politicians of the old counties.

Free blacks could not vote anywhere in the South and hardly anywhere in the North. There was no secret ballot.

Jackson embraced a simple theory of democracy. Government should offer

equal protection and equal benefits" to all white male citizens and favor no region or class over another.

Jackson attacked the eastern aristocracy and the extending opportunities to the rising classes of the West and the South.

Wanted to eliminate Henry Clay's American System of internal improvements.

Jackson's commitment to extending power beyond entrenched elites led him to reduce the functions of the federal government.

Believed a concentration of power in DC restricted opportunity to people with political connections.

Jackson was also strongly committed to the preservation of the Union. He asserted the supremacy of the Union

. This ideology was in stark contrast this Vice President's ideas on Federalism - John C. Calhoun

Jacksonians

also transformed the process by which presidential candidates were selected.

Jackson believed government offices

belonged to the people, not to a self-serving bureaucracy.

Jackson rejected the idea of "property in office" -

that officials held permanent title to an office. He insisted on the rotation of officeholders, so that when an administration was voted out, its bureaucratic appointees would also have to leave government service.

The crisis began in 1832 when high-tariff congressmen ignored southern warnings that they were

“endangering the Union” and reenacted the Tariff of Abominations.

Calhoun and the Nullification Crisis

Calhoun Championed states' rights of nullification.

In response, leading SC politicians called a state convention and adopted the Ordinance of Nullification declaring the tariffs of 1828 & 1832 to be null and void

prohibited the collection of tariffs in SC after 2/1/1833, and threatened secession if federal officials tried to collect them.

By 1833 Calhoun represented

SC in the US Senate

Act of nullification rested on the constitutional arguments developed in

The South Carolina Exposition and Protests (1828) written anonymously by VP Calhoun.

Calhoun used the arguments of Jefferson & Madison

n in the Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions of 1798. Sovereignty lay in the states.

Calhoun developed a states’ rights interpretation,

arguing that a state could declare a congressional law to be unconstitutional and therefore void within a state’s borders.

Jackson vowed to enforce government’s authority to establish tariffs no matter the cost.

He declared that SC’s Ordinance of Nullification violated the Constitution.

Jackson warned,

“Disunion by armed force is treason.”

Jackson strengthened federal forts in South Carolina and

ordered a warship to Charleston

When Congress convened in early 1833,

it passed the Force Bill authorizing the president to use the military to see that acts of Congress were obeyed.

Calhoun faced a predicament as he took his place in

the Senate

No state supported South Carolina.

Clay's election to the Senate though averted a crisis. Clay devised a compromise by which

the tariff would be lowered gradually so that by 1842 it would reach approximately the same level as in 1816.

The compromise and the force bill

were passed on the same day, both signed by Jackson.

In South Carolina, the convention reassembled and repealed its nullification of the tariffs,

but then nullified the force act - a purely symbolic act.

Calhoun and his followers claimed a victory

for nullification, which they insisted, forced the revision of the tariff.

The episode taught Calhoun and his allies that

no state could defy the federal government alone.

The Emergence of the Second Party System

The Whig party took its name to echo the Whigs of the Revolutionary Era - those who opposed tyranny

Whig Platform:

: Supremacy of Congress over the President. Program of modernization and economic protectionism

Notable Whigs:

Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor

The 2 Parties:

Religious & Ethnic Divisions

Democrats

Irish and German Catholics Shared vague aversion to commercial development and the Democrats seemed to respect their culture

Whigs

Evangelical Protestants

Associated with constant development & improvement. Envisioned a society progressing toward unity and order. Looked at immigrant communities as groups that needed taught "American" ways

Democrats opinions:

Opposed anything that benefitted the privileged class. The rights of states should be protected except to the extent they interfered with social and economic mobility. "Honest workers" "Simple farmers" Supported territorial expansion that benefitted all Americans.

Whigs Opinions

Favored expansion of federal power Strongest among wealthy aristocrats in the Northeast and the South, and the ambitious farmers and rising commercial class of the West. Wanted industrial and commercial development. Feared that rapid territorial growth in the West would produce instability. Valued entrepreneurs and institutions that promoted economic growth.

Clays compromise

Calhoun faced a predicament: As he took his place in the senate no state supported south carolina

Clay's election to the Senate though averted a crisis. Clay devised a compromise by which the tariff would be lowered gradually so that by 1842 it would reach approximately the same level as in 1816. The compromise and the force bill were passed on the same day, both signed by Jackson.

In South Carolina

a, the convention reassembled and repealed its nullification of the tariffs, but then nullified the force act - a purely symbolic act. Calhoun and his followers claimed a victory for nullification, which they insisted, forced the revision of the tariff. The episode taught Calhoun and his allies that no state could defy the federal government alone.

jackson and the bank war

Jackson could not legally destroy the Bank before its expiration so he weakened it considerably. Nicholas Biddle The bank was privately managed and operated under a 20 year charter (set to expire in 1836) from the federal government, which owned 20% of its stock.

Nicholas Biddle,

e, who ran the Bank, established prosperity to the Bank and faith from the American people. Jackson was intent on destroying the Bank

The Bank of the US held

d a monopoly on federal deposits, provided credit to businesses, issued dependable currency, and regulated state banks.

In 1832, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster persuaded Nicholas Biddle to seek an early extension of the bank’s charte

They had the votes in Congress to recharter the bank and hoped to lure Jackson into a veto that would split the Democrats just before the 1832 elections. He vetoed it when he became re elected

Clay ran against Jackson using the issue of the Bank to support his candidacy.

. He lost to Jackson and Martin Van Buren (V.P.)

The American System Clay won support from those who supported his American System.

1: Internal improvements to encourage economic developement: Build roads and Canals.

2: Strengthen the second bank of the US
3: Use tariff revenues to build the proposed roads and canals.

Clays nationalistic program won praise in the West

which needed transportation improvements, but elicited sharp criticism in the South. Van Buren denounced the American System as "consolidated government"

Through the Nullification Crisis and the Bank War, Jackson destroyed both national

banking and the American System of protective tariffs and internal improvements created by Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams.

GET ANDREW JACKSON OFF THE $20

HE KILLED THE BANKS

Webster -Ashburton treaty

The British government wanted to ease tensions with the US. Daniel Webster and Lord Ashburton negotiated the treaty.

The US received slightly more than half the disputed area and agreed to a revised northern boundary as far west as the Rocky Mountains.

Ahburton also promised to not interfere with American ships carrying slaves. US- British relations improved significantl

The removal of the indians

Jackson's attitude toward the Indian tribes in

the eastern US was simple. Move West

Jackson harbored a deep hostility toward the Indians. Jackson's view that Indians were just "savage" differed from Jefferson's views that they were "noble savages."

It also promised money and reserved land to Native American peoples who would agree to give up their ancestral holdings east of the Mississippi River.

Who were the "Five Civilized Tribes"?

The Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes who lived in western Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia?

The Supreme Court ruled that Georgia had no authority to negotiate with tribal representatives and that the Cherokee nation was sovereign.

What happened in 1835 concerning the Cherokee land?

A minority faction of the Cherokee signed a treaty that ceded their land to Georgia in exchange for $5 million and land west of the Mississippi River, though the majority of the Cherokee did not recognize it.

What action did President Jackson take against the Cherokee?

Jackson sent General Winfield Scott and an army to forcibly remove the Cherokee to the West, resulting in thousands of deaths along the Trail of Tears.

How much land did the Five Civilized Tribes cede to the US government?

Over 100 million acres of land were ceded in exchange for $68 million and 32 million acres in Indian Territory.

What was the impact of Jackson’s presidency on presidential authority?

Jackson enhanced presidential authority and expanded enfranchisement, reinforcing the power of the executive branch.

What major institutions did Jackson destroy during his presidency?

Jackson destroyed the American System and the Second Bank of the United States.

: How did Jackson reaffirm federalism over states' rights?

Through his stance on the Tariff of Abominations, Jackson opposed states’ rights and defended federal authority.

Who won the presidential election of 1836?

Martin Van Buren, the Democratic candidate, was elected president in 1836.

What was the "Log Cabin Campaign" of 1840?

The Whigs nominated William Henry Harrison as their presidential candidate, using the first major campaign to rely on "penny press" newspapers to reach a wide audience.

What happened to William Henry Harrison after the 1840 election?

Harrison died one month into his presidency, and Vice President John Tyler, a former Democrat, succeeded him.

How did President John Tyler clash with the Whigs?

Tyler, despite being nominated by the Whigs, vetoed many Whig-supported bills, including those to recharter the Bank of the United States and internal improvements.

Who replaced Daniel Webster as Secretary of State under President Tyler?

John Tyler appointed John C. Calhoun, who had rejoined the Democratic Party.

What was the political shift during Tyler’s presidency?

Tyler and conservative southern Whigs leaned toward the Democrats, particularly those who supported expanding slavery and states' rights.