Market Rev + Jacksonian Democracy

Tammany Hall

The ultimate political “machine” 💰 in New York City, controlled by the Democratic Party. It helped immigrants (especially Irish) get jobs and housing in exchange for votes. 😬 Super corrupt but also how a lot of working-class people got into politics. Think “boss politics,” not democracy goals.

Know-Nothing Party / Nativism

Basically the “we hate immigrants” party 🫠. Officially called the American Party, the Know-Nothings were super anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant in the 1850s. They got their nickname because members would literally say “I know nothing” when asked about it. Peak nativism moment 😤.

Eli Whitney / Cotton Gin (1793)

Whitney invented the cotton gin—aka the machine that made removing cotton seeds way faster 🌾. The South loved it, but it also made slavery expand like crazy 😬 since cotton became even more profitable. Whitney also helped invent interchangeable parts, which fueled early industrialization 🔩.

Cult of Domesticity

1800s gender vibes 💅—basically said that women should stay home, be pure, religious, and take care of the family (“republican motherhood” type beat). Society glorified housewives while men worked outside the home. Not great for women’s independence 😐.

Market Revolution

A total economic glow-up 💼 for the U.S. between 1800–1850. Massive changes in transportation (canals, steamboats, railroads 🚂), communication (telegraph 💬), and production (factories, machines). People moved from farms to cities, and regional economies connected—EAST = industry, SOUTH = cotton, WEST = food. Capitalism leveled up.

Lowell Girls

Young women (mostly from New England farms) who worked in textile mills in Lowell, MA 👩‍🏭. They lived in boarding houses and worked long hours for low pay 😩. The factory system gave women jobs and some independence—but conditions were rough. Still, they helped spark early labor movements 💪.

Corrupt Bargain

Jackson won the most votes in 1824 but not a majority, so the House had to pick the president. Henry Clay helped John Quincy Adams win—then Adams made Clay his Secretary of State 😒. Jackson’s supporters called it the “Corrupt Bargain.” Jackson was big mad and came back in 1828 for revenge 💥.

Andrew Jackson

The “Common Man’s President” 🪶. He hated elites, loved democracy (for white men), and didn’t trust banks. War hero from New Orleans. But also—signed the Indian Removal Act 😬 and used his veto power like it was going out of style. People either loved him or thought he was a tyrant (“King Andrew I”).

Spoils System

Jackson’s “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” policy. 🤑 When he got elected, he fired a bunch of old government workers and replaced them with loyal supporters. Said it made politics more democratic, but honestly, it just made government jobs about favoritism 🙃.

Tariff of Abominations

A super high tariff passed by Congress that ticked off the South 😡. It made imported goods expensive, hurting Southern trade. Northerners liked it (protected industry), Southerners hated it (higher prices). This kicked off major tension between the regions.

John C. Calhoun

Jackson’s VP turned frenemy 😤. From South Carolina, he defended slavery and states’ rights. He argued states could nullify federal laws they didn’t like (aka ignore them). He and Jackson had a huge falling out during the Nullification Crisis.

Nullification Crisis

South Carolina went full “we’re not paying that tariff” 💅 and said it was null and void in their state. Jackson wasn’t having it—threatened to use force. Henry Clay swooped in (as always 🙄) with a compromise to slowly lower the tariff. Crisis averted, but tensions over state power kept growing.

Trail of Tears/Indian Removal Act

Jackson pushed this law in 1830 to move Native tribes west of the Mississippi 🌵. Even after the Supreme Court said the Cherokee could stay, Jackson ignored it 😑. Thousands of Natives were forced to march west—many died on the brutal journey known as the Trail of Tears 💔.

“Jacksonian Democracy”

A political movement expanding power to the “common man” (aka white men without property). 🗳 Jacksonians pushed for more voter participation, party conventions, and elected offices. But it definitely excluded women, Native Americans, and African Americans 😒.

Martin Van Buren

Jackson’s BFF and successor (1837–1841). Nicknamed “Old Kinderhook” (OK 👌). Inherited a whole mess—Panic of 1837 hit hard with bank failures and unemployment 📉. People blamed him for the bad economy, even though it was mostly Jackson’s policies that caused it 💀.

William Henry Harrison

The Whigs’ first big W 🎉. Won the 1840 election with slogans like “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!” They made him look like a humble log-cabin dude (even though he was rich 💀). Became president… but died just a month later from pneumonia 🫠. Shortest presidency ever.