Andrew Jackson received the most votes but not a majority in the Electoral College.
The election was decided by Congress.
John Quincy Adams became president due to Henry Clay's support. Clay and Adams coordinated to prevent Jackson from winning.
Clay was promised Secretary of State position.
Jackson was viewed as an outsider, reckless, and not part of the political establishment.
Secretary of State
The position of Secretary of State was a stepping stone to the presidency in the early years of the United States.
The Vice President had a less influential role.
Era of Good Feeling
James Monroe ran unopposed in 1820.
The Federalist Party had dissolved after the War of 1812, leaving only the Democratic-Republican Party.
Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party
Jackson broke away from the Democratic-Republicans and formed the Democratic Party.
Jackson positioned himself as the candidate for the "common man."
The "common man" referred to the lower-class white men.
Election of 1828
Andrew Jackson won the election with the help of lower-class white men and universal white male suffrage.
Whig Party
The Whig Party formed in response to Andrew Jackson's policies.
The Whigs viewed Jackson as a tyrant and criticized his expansion of presidential power.
Two Whig presidents were elected, but both died in office.
Treatment of Native Americans
Andrew Jackson's policies targeted Native Americans.
Worcester v. Georgia: The Supreme Court ruled that states could not negotiate with Native American tribes because they were considered nations.
Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling.
Indian Removal Act: Led to the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands, known as the Trail of Tears (which occurred after Jackson's presidency during Martin Van Buren's term).
Martin Van Buren and the Panic of 1837
Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson's vice president, inherited economic problems.
Andrew Jackson killed the National Bank.
The absence of a national bank led to the Panic of 1837, a major economic depression.
Westward Expansion
Louisiana Purchase: Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the United States.
Manifest Destiny: The belief that it was the United States' God-given right to expand westward.
John O'Sullivan coined the term "Manifest Destiny."
This idea was popularized by penny press pamphlets.
Texas Independence
In the 1820s, Mexico encouraged Americans to settle in Texas.
Conflicts arose over slavery and taxes.
American settlers wanted to continue owning slaves and refused to pay taxes.
Texans declared independence from Mexico.
The Texas Revolution included events such as the Alamo.
Santa Anna, the Mexican leader, was captured, and Texas gained independence.
Texas wanted to join The United States, but the issue of slavery and potential conflict with Mexico were obstacles.
James K. Polk and Expansion
James K. Polk ran for president in 1844, promising to annex Texas.
Polk's election led to the annexation of Texas and increased tensions with Mexico.
Mexican-American War
The United States and Mexico disputed the border of Texas.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) ended the Mexican-American War.
The United States gained the Mexican Cession, including California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Oregon Territory
The United States and Britain disputed the Oregon Territory.
The slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight" referred to the United States' desire to acquire the entire territory up to the 54°40′ parallel.
A compromise was reached, and the border was set at the 49th parallel.
Slavery and Expansion
The expansion of the United States led to debates over slavery.
The Missouri Compromise (1820) admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to maintain the balance of power in the Senate.
36°30′ parallel: Slavery was prohibited north of this line in the Louisiana Purchase territory, except for Missouri.
Compromise of 1850
California was admitted as a free state.
The slave trade was abolished in Washington, D.C.
The Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened, requiring the return of escaped slaves to their owners.
Popular sovereignty: The people in the territories would decide whether to allow slavery.
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
Stephen Douglas proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed popular sovereignty in the Kansas and Nebraska territories.
The goal was to organize the territories and facilitate the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
The act led to "Bleeding Kansas," as pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces clashed.
John Brown: An abolitionist who led a raid on Potawatomi Creek, killing pro-slavery settlers.
Kansas never became a slave state and was admitted to the Union in 1861.
Republican Party
The Republican Party formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
The party's main goal was to preserve the Union.
The party opposed the expansion of slavery and polygamy.
Abraham Lincoln: A prominent Republican who opposed the expansion of slavery.
Dred Scott Decision (1857)
The Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and could be taken into any territory.
The decision invalidated the Missouri Compromise and the concept of popular sovereignty.
Other Events
Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859): John Brown led a raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to start a slave rebellion.
Violence in the Senate: Preston Brooks attacked Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor.
Election of 1860
The Democratic Party split into factions, weakening their chances.
Abraham Lincoln won the election, leading to the secession of Southern states.
South Carolina was the first state to secede.
Civil War
The Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861.
Battle of Gettysburg: A turning point in the war in favor of the North.
Sherman's March to the Sea: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman led a destructive campaign through Georgia, weakening the Confederacy.
Reconstruction Amendments
Thirteenth Amendment: Abolished slavery.
Fourteenth Amendment: Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in The United States, including former slaves, and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
Fifteenth Amendment: Granted African American men the right to vote.
Reconstruction Era
Radical Republicans in Congress sought to punish the South.
Wade-Davis Bill: A radical plan for Reconstruction that required a majority of voters in each Southern state to take an oath of allegiance to the Union. It was pocket-vetoed by President Lincoln.
Lincoln's 10% Plan: Required only 10% of a state's voters to take an oath of allegiance.
Freedmen's Bureau: Provided assistance to freed slaves in the South.
Ku Klux Klan: A white supremacist group that used violence and intimidation to suppress African Americans.
Jim Crow laws: State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the South.
End of Reconstruction
Panic of 1873: An economic depression that led to a reduction in federal spending on Reconstruction.
Election of 1876: Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) and Samuel Tilden (Democrat). A compromise was reached where Hayes became president, and federal troops were withdrawn from the South, ending Reconstruction.
Plessy v. Ferguson: Established "separate but equal."