AP U.S History Unit 3 Part Two: Andrew Jackson and the rise of mass democracy

What was the election of 1824

Known as the corrupt bargain, it was a four-way race between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and William Crawford. Following a tie in the electoral college, it was sent to the house of Representatives, where the race was narrowed down to Jackson and Adams - the House, led by Henry Clay, chose Adams over Jackson. This led to riots among the common folk, Jackson’s power base, as it was accused of robbing the election, shown with Henry Clays appointment as the secreatary of state.

What defined Adams, presidency

It was relatively unpopular, as he recieved only a third of the vote. His unpopularity was compounded by his attempts to curb westward expansion as he tried to protect the Cherokee nation, but eventually folded and led settlers move to the region. 

What split occurred during the election of 1828

This election saw the split of the United Republicans into the National Republicans (Adams) and the Democratic Republicans (Jackson)

Describe John Quincy Adams V.S Andrew Jackson during the election of 1828 - Describe how they gained support and where most of their support came from

Andrew Jackson:

• He was presented as a champion of the common man - actually was a rich aristocrat

• Most of his support came from the south and west

John Quincy Adams:

• Adams was presented as a corrupt aristocrat while actually being an honest man

• Most of Adams’ support came from New England

The middle states and the old Northwest were split between Jackson and Adams

What was the result of the election of 1828

Andrew Jackson won by a landslide

How did Andrew Jackson effectively gain support for his election campaign

By painting himself as one of the people and the champion of the common man and villainizing Adams as a corrupt aristocrat 

What had occurred to the political center of gravity and was seen in the election of 1828

It had largely moved west, meaning politicians had to appeal to the common folk

What was the Spoils System and how did Jackson utilise it following his election

A system which a political party would grant its supporters positions of power: It emerged with Jackson’s administration as he dealt out offices to his supporters regardless of class, education, or position - it incentivised many to choose a political alignment in the hopes of reward

Why were the American tariffs in place

• Protected American industry against European competition

• They drove up prices for all Americans and invited retaliatory tariffs on agricultural exports abroad

What did the 1824 Congress do the general tariffs

they increased them slightly 

What was the tariff of abominations (1828)

A protective tariff passed in 1828 that significantly raised taxes on imported goods to protect Northern manufacturing

Why did the Southerners dislike the tariff

Southerners sold their cotton and other produce without the protection of tariffs, but were forced to buy goods in the American market protected by tariffs

What was the nullification crisis (1832)

South Carolina attempted to nullify the tariff of 1828, and while Congress passed a new tariff in 1832, they failed to alleviate southern demands. Therefore, the “nullies” in South Carolina were able to muster the 2/3 majority needed for the legislature to call for a state convention at Columbia, which deemed the tariffs null and void, and if Washington threatened to invade, South Carolina would secede. 

What was Jacksons response to the nullification of crisis

Jackson: He threatened to invade South Carolina and started to assemble a large army

What was the compromise tariff of 1833

Henry Clay saved the day with this compromise, which reduced the tariff of 1832 by 10% over eight years, ending the nullification crisis

What was the force bill

A bill that ensured the president had the authority to use the navy and army to collect federal tariff dues

Why did South Carolina want to reconcile with the union following the nullifcation crisis

Because no other states in the union supported them and a sizeable unionist minority was ready to take arms against the “nullies” 

Jackson wanted to push west and secure more land for the people and America but what stopped him, and what was his response?

To secure more land west, he had to remove the Indians which the Supreme Court blocked multiple times but Jackson ignored the court

What was the Indian removal act (1830) and what was the effect on Indians 

It saw the transportation of all Indian tribes to lands marked out for them west of the Mississippi:

• The five civilised tribes: Cherokee, Creeks, Choctaws, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles

• Trail of tears: The forced movement of the Cherokee to Indian territory where they would be “permanently” free

What was the Black Hawk War (1832)

Sauk and Fox Bravers led by Black Hawk resisted eviction but were crushed

Why did Andrew Jackson hate the bank

He distrusted monopolistic banking:

• Banks issued paper money, but their value fluctuated depending on the health of the bank and the amount of money printed - this gave bankers a lot of power over the economy, frustrating Jackson

• The bank was private and wasn’t accountable to the people but the elite investors

• The bank was viewed as a sin against American democracy

• Working for profit 

Why was the bank hated in the west

Due to foreclosures and the perception that it drained money from the west to eastern banks, fuelling the perception that the bank was working for profit, not the people

What was the Bank War (1832): Recharter effort

Nicholas Biddle and Henry Clay presented a bill to renew the charter of the bank:

• Clay wanted to push it through Congress to strengthen his election campaign. Clay hoped that Jackson would either approve the bill, alienating his supporters or veto it, alienating the rich. However, Clay undervalued the influence of the people, and overestimated the influence of the rich

What was the result of Jackson’s Veto of the renewal of the bank

It amplified the power of the presidency because he invoked that he personally didn’t believe that the renewal of the bank wasn’t the right choice for America - this claimed that the president was equivalent to Congress

The Bank War: How did Jackson attempt to kill the bank

• He took out federal deposits and bled the bank dry of federal money 

• Jackson then let the bank expire in 1836

What was the result of the death of the bank

It led to a vacuum in the economy, and with the lack of a central bank, wildcat banks and pet banks flooded the nation with paper money, severely weakening the economy

What happened to the federal funds, drawn out of the national bank

They were placed in pet banks, these were state banks chosen by Andrew Jackson, that supported him 

What was the Specie Circular (1836)

Because of the unreliability of wildcat currency, Jackson authorised that all public land had to be purchased the metallic means

What was the election of 1832

This race included three parties:

• Jackson’s Democrats

• National Republicans

• Anti-Masonic Party

National nomination conventions were called for the first time at this election

The Anti-Masonic League and national republicans adopted formal platforms

Jackson easily won the election of 1834 due to his power base in the south and west, while Henry clay even with the support of the rich, lost

Who were the anti-masonic party

A third party in the election of 1834, it gained prominence due to its outspoken stance on secret societies, which were condemned as places of monopoly - they were anti-jackson because he was a mason

Who were the Whigs, and who was a part of them

The whigs were a political party that formed in opposition to the Jackson democrats and they attracted groups alienated by Jackson:

• Supporters of Clay’s American system

• Southern state righters, offended by Jackson’s response to the nullification crisis

• Northern industrialists and merchants

• The anti-Masonic league

• National Republicans

What did the Whigs start to do during the election of 1838 that enabled them to garner support

They started to paint themselves as the ally of the common man and painted the democrats as aristocrats

What was the result of 1836 election

Martin Van Buren was elected to the presidency by the slimmest of margins but due to the disunity of the whigs he won the electoral college vote easily

What messes did Van Buren spend most of his election cleaning up

• Conflicts on the border with Canada that threatened war with Britain

• Anti-Slavery agitators were picking up steam regarding the annexation of texas

• The Panic of 1837

What were the causes of the panic of 1837

• Speculative craze due to people in the West trying to get rich quickly, bet on and bought land with unstable currency from wildcat banks - which spread to canals, roads, and railroads

• The bank war

• Specie circular

• Failure of wheat crops deepened the distress

• The failure of two British banks led investors calling in foreign loans

What was the result of the panic of 1837

• American banks collapsed - specifically pet banks which had government funds

• Commodities prices dropped

• Sales of public land fell

• Custom revenues decreased

• Unemployment increased

What was the Whig and Democrat solution to the panic of 1837

Whigs: They wanted an expansion of bank credit, higher tariffs, and subsidies to states for internal improvements

Democrats: Van buren attempted a divorce bill, which removed even more federal funds from the national banks. Buren then established an independent treasury, where the government could store surplus funds - independent treasury bill (1840)

What led to a large number of Americans living in Texas

Following Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican government struck an agreement with Stephen Austin in 1823, which saw the Mexican government grant him huge amounts of land, and allowed 300 American immigrants to settle in Texas, under the conditions that they were Roman Catholic and were willing to go under the process of Mexicanization - the immigrants ignored these two things

What three things caused friction between the Mexican government and the Americans in Texas

• Slavery: Mexico emancipated slaves in 1830 and banned more from coming into Texas, regardless Americans brought more

• Immigration: The Mexicans didn’t allow any more American immigration, they came regardless

• Local rights: Santa Anna (Mexican dictator) raised an army to suppress the Americans

In 1836 Texas declared their independence and three ensuing battles took place

• The Alamo - Mexican forces crushed a texan holdout

• Golidad - Mexican forces butchered a texan force

• San Jacinto - Sam houston defeated the Mexican forces and captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign a treaty which stipulated that Mexican soldiers had to withdraw from Texas and the Mexican government had to recognise the border of Texas to be the rio grande

What was the response by the American government to the independence of the Texan state

The U.S was in a tough position, while they had to retain their neutrality due to their obligation to the American states, popular opinion in the United States desired for the annexation of Texas

Was Texas admitted to the union?

While Texas was recognised by Andrew Jackson, it was not admitted to the union due to the push back, because if Texas was admitted, it would upset the sectional divide between the northern and southern states, over slave states and free states

What was the election of 1840

• The Whigs united around William Henry Harrison and ran him without a strict platform: They ran Harrison as a humble man who grew up in a log cabin out west

• The Whigs had done what Jackson had done, by claiming to be one of the people, he won the election

• The Whigs won the electoral college by a landslide 

What major political shift characterized the rise of populist democracy during the era of good feelings

It saw the rise of the populist democratic style in which politics couldn’t rely on currying favour with aristocrats or rich elites to win, like in the federalist days, they had to reach out to the common folk to win elections - the people now held the sway

How did the two party system solidify its role in American politics following the election of 1840

Following the election of 1840, a vigorous and durable two-party system emerged - while both came from Jeffersonian republicanism, the democrats and Whigs took different approaches to governance

Whigs V Democrats: Party ethos

Whigs:

• Natural harmony of society

• Value of community

• Utilise the government to realise objectives

• Opposed leaders who fostered conflicts among individuals, classes

Democrats:

• Glorified the liberty of individuals

• No government involvement to realise objectives

Whigs V Democrats: Social and Economic

Whigs:

• Renewed National Bank

• Protective tariffs

• Internal improvements 

• Public Schools

• Prohibition of Alcohol

• Abolition of Slavery

Democrats:

• State rights

• Federal restraint in social and economic affairs

What similarities did the whigs and democrats share

They were both mass-based and each appealed to a large diversity of people which included all social classes of people - this diversity prevented either party from assuring extreme or radical positions

What was life like on the frontier

While often romanticised, living on the frontier was tough. Frontiersmen lived in quickly erected houses, were ill-fed, isolated, and victims of disease. The isolation drove many to insanity and depression. - This particularly affected women who were confined to their homes

What did frontiersmen hold dear to them

They held individualism as dear to themselves - self reliance - a book that resonated with many and it touched on the key themes of individualism 

What did people on the frontier need

They needed community, many men required the support of their families 

What was ecological imperialism

Pioneers took advantage of the natural resources and livestock of the West and damaged it for their own economic gain

• Fur-trappers: They hunted the beaver to near extinction as they followed the Rendezvous system, which saw trappers trade with traders for manufactured goods

• Bison for trade - The bison were also hunted to near extinction due to popular trade of Bison fur

• Sea otters off the coast of the Pacific were also hunted to near extinction due to desire for their pelts

• Prospectors destroyed land by planting tobacco, and then moving west for more land, then destroying that land

How did the West and American nationalism inspire American uniqueness

Many Americans revered the natural beauty of the west, and coupled with nationalism, the far reaching extent of nature, uninterrupted by civilisation, fuelled the idea of American uniqueness 

What did American Uniqueness inspire

• Literature

• Paintings

• Conservation efforts

What were some of the reasons for the rampant increase in population in the U.S

• Higher birthrates

• Higher immigration: Around 500,000 Irish immigrants and 500,000 German immigrants came to the U.S during this time period 

What was the result of the rampant increase in population

Urbanisation increased heavily during this period, as people began to move to cities, which in itself led to modernisation efforts in cities, such as the Boston sewage system (1823) and New York changing from wells to pumping in water (1842)

Why did the Irish immigrate to America

Following the dreadful potato blight, it led to the great famine, tens of thousands fled to America, seeking asylum from the destitution of Ireland

Why did the Irish usually settle down in cities such as New York or Boston

Because they were coming over with limited funds, and couldn’t afford to buy places out west, so they had to settle in the cities, which led to a sizeable Irish minority in New York and had to work poor jobs: Biddies worked the kitchen, and the Piddies worked manual labour

Why did the local population of cities such as New York hate the Irish and what result did it have

Because the Irish were poor, they were willing to work for low wages, this led to many jobs being taken up by Irish workers, alienating the natives - this led to the creation of NINA’s which saw factories turn away the Irish and were shunned from society 

How did the Irish band together during times of prejiduce

• Ancient Order of Hibernians - served as a benevolent society, providing aid to the downtrodden Irish

• Molly Maguires: Irish miners union

Why did American politicians attempt to cultivate the Irish

Due to the sizeable amount of Irish, especially in New York, led to politicians attempting to captivate the Irish vote, to win elections, more often than not using anti-British sentiment

Why did the Germans emigrate to America

• Crop failures

• Hardships

• Failure of the revolution of 1848 in Germany, many of these Germans came to America seeking the democratic freedoms it offers 

Where did German immigrants usually settle in America

Because they had more material possessions and money, they were able to move out west and secure land - they established communities in Wisconsin and while they did embrace American culture, they also kept themselves aloof from certain American aspects

Why was the German vote less able to be cultivated by politicans

Because, unlike the Irish, German immigrants were much more spread out, 

What were the prejudices against the Irish

Prejudices from the old protestant elite against the Catholic Irish took hold, as they worried that the influx of Irish to Catholicism would take over protestantism

How did the Irish aim to maintain their culture and faith in the face of prejiduce

They constructed their own schooling system 

The Know-Nothing Party

A nativist political party who wanted to take political action against the large degree of immigrants and promoted rigid restrictions on immigration and naturalisation and wanted more deportation of immigrants 

What did the prejudice and tensions between the nativists and immigrants result in 

Riots and destruction of catholic churches

Why was the clashes of nativists and immigrants limited and not often?

The reason the clashes weren’t widespread was because of the rapid increase of the American economy due to the industrial revolution, the American economy needed immigration for economic expansion, and there was enough American wealth because of the industrial revolution 

What was the industrial revolution

The harnessing of steam, which multiplied the amount of product produced, coupled with the factory system, goods were made faster and cheaper 

Why was America so slow to industrialise

• Land was cheap - why coop yourself up in a factory when you can get cheap land and live in the expanse

• Labour was scarce until immigration

• Money for capital investment wasn’t present - America needed an influx of foreign capital, which in turn needed political stability, an adequate workforce, and assurance of property rights

• British goods were of higher quality and cheaper than American goods

• Britain also had a patent and monopoly on textile machinery 

How was textile machinery introduced to America

Samuel Slater memorised the plan of textile machinery and stole away to America, where, with the backing of Moses Brown, he recreated the machine and constructed the first textile machines

What was the cotton gin and its significance

Eli Whitney stole the cotton gin, which removed the seeds from picked cotton,

Significance:

• Making it much cheaper to produce American-made cotton cloth

• The south was tied to king cotton:

  • Thousands of acres was cleared for cotton plantations in the south

  • Slavery, which had been dying out, was resuscitated and became even stricter as demand for cotton increased -which was then sold to yankee manufactures 

Why was New England the home of factories

• The soil was too tough, making farming impossible, therefore making industry profitable

• Densely populated, so labour was present

• The market was easily accessible - shipping brought capital

• The rivers provided water power to power the cogs of the machines in factories

What were some key industrial inventions

• Eli Whitney patented the idea of interchangeable parts for firearms - this became the basis for modern mass production

• The Sewing machine: Invented by Elias Howe, it gave a boost to northern industrialisation, and it gave way to the ready-made clothing industry, drove women out into the factory

• McCormick reaper - a mechanical reaper that made the cultivation of crops like wheat more productive

• The Morse telegram (Samuel F.B. Morse) - revolutionised communication and offered a quick means of communication between people - fostered interconnectedness

What was limited liability

It permitted an investor in counts of legal claims and bankruptcy to risk no more than his own share of corporations

What is the significance of the Boston associates

Businessmen could create corporations without applying for individual charters from legislature

What were wage slaves

Due to poor conditions and poor pay, workers worked long hours just to acquire wages of basic subsistence

What role did children have in factories

They worked long hours for minimal pay and were left emotionally scarred

How were workers able to raise concerns about factory life

Due to the rise of Jacksonian democracy, the right to vote expanded to the working man, who attempted to lighten the burden they suffered  

Why did the poor vote for Jackson

They aligned with his skepticism on privileges regarding wealth

What were some of the desires of labourers in factories

• 10 hour day

• higher wages

• tolerable working conditions

• Public education for children

• End of imprisonment for debts

Why did labour unions form

To receive their desirers

How did employers stop labour unions from striking

Employers resisted unions from striking by inviting immigrants to fill the jobs of the workers, as well as refusing their pay

What was commonwealth v Hunt (1842)

The supreme court established labour and trade unions were not illegal and they were honourable and peaceful

Where and why did females usually take up jobs in factories

They took up jobs in the textile industry and took them up for a greater degree of economic independence 

What were the factory girls

Women who toiled away in factories for 13 hours and were provided board 

Why were factory jobs not always available for women and uncommon

Much of female labour was provided working in household service and domestic service

What was the cult of domesticity

Cultural ideal that glorified women's roles as homemakers, emphasizing their moral authority, piety, purity, and submissiveness. It held that women shaped the character of the family by maintaining domestic virtue and nurturing the next generation.

What was the impact on families during the industrial revolution

Families became closer-knit to one another, which coincided with the decrease in children born due to lower wages making it harder for a large family to operate

How did the role of the woman in the household grant her more independence

Due to the cult of domesticity, the household was seen as the womans dominion and she asserted herself there, granting more independence

How did the trans-alleghery region become the breadbasket of America

Pioneer farmers grew corn due to its versatility and it was able to be shipped to the east easier due to advents of better transportation 

Where did most produce from the west go

It went south along the Mississippi river and fed the cotton kingdom of the south

What inventions allowed for bigger and better land cultivation in the west

John deere’s steel plow: Broke stubborn soil

McCormicks Reaper: A mechanical mower that was horse drawn that could do the work of five men 

Following inventions that improved land cultivation in the west, how did the type of farming change 

Subsistence farming gave way to food production on a domestic and global scale as large-scale cash crop farms became more feasible with improvements to cultivation

Why did the west start to supply more food globally and to the east

because there was so much food, and the south which was largely sufficient didn’t need more food from the west

With the production of all this food what was the impact on small farmers

Humble farmers became rich capitalists

What was transportation like in the 1780s and what had to be done for raw goods to be transported at a better degree

Transportation was rugged and unreliable, and for large scale gods to be transported from west to east, the infrastructure had to improve

Why did transportation have to improve?

So that goods from west to east could be transported more reliably and cheaply to fuel the industrial revolution and factories in the east

How were highways crucial for transportation

Highways such as the Cumberland Road were crucial to western farmers transporting their goods from the west to eastern factories