Andrew Jackson, Reform Era, and Emerging American Culture

Presidential Election of 1828 and Jackson’s Inauguration

• Andrew Jackson defeats John Quincy Adams; the first president seen as champion of the “common man.”

• Electoral coalition: overwhelmingly from the South and expanding West (frontier/agricultural regions).

• Campaign rhetoric: “Ordinary Americans can do anything.”

  • Motivational slogan, but speaker notes the practical limits (e.g., being a doctor requires math/science competence).

  • Function: rallies base loyalty rather than describing literal social mobility.

• Inaugural ball held inside the White House

  • Guests = southern & western rural supporters (“rednecks”).

  • They chew tobacco, break windows to bypass long line, climb in.

  • Tobacco juice spat on carpets; spittoons overflow → spit on floor.

  • Curtains cut down to take home for dresses.

  • Property damage forces staff to escort Jackson out for his own safety.

  • Washington elites horrified → fuels image of uncouth majority rule.

The Spoils System

• Definition: the practice of awarding government jobs to loyal members of the victorious political party.

• Jackson installs it nationally; motto: “To the victor belong the spoils.”

• Problems highlighted:

  • Favors loyalty over competence; friends may be “idiots.”

  • Creates a larger bureaucracy—need enough offices to reward all allies.

  • Sets precedent that persists into modern patronage politics.

Guiding Principle of Jackson’s Administration

• “Everything he does is for the benefit of the white man.”

  • Will be evident in Indian policy, economic policy, and resistance to black rights.

The Second Great Awakening (SGA)

• Time frame overlaps Jackson era; primarily 1820s–40s.

• Geography: concentrated in the South.

• Denominational leadership: Baptists and Methodists dominate.

  • Origin of the label “Southern Baptist.”

  • Region later nicknamed the “Bible Belt.”

• Core theological/cultural features:

  • Salvation is an individual/personal transaction with God (less emphasis on ritual hierarchy).

  • Women encouraged to obtain religious training ⇒ teach children, reinforce piety in home.

  • Popular culture imported into worship (precursor to modern praise bands, church gyms, rec leagues, etc.) to boost attendance.

  • A minority of SGA preachers begin publicly condemning slavery as immoral, targeting slave-owners’ morals for first time → owners become defensive & hostile.

Indian Removal & The Trail of Tears

• Cherokee Nation in Georgia = “civilized tribe” (own constitution & newspaper).

• White farmers covet Cherokee land → lobby Jackson.

• Sequence:

  1. Georgia legislature strips Cherokee of all legal rights.

  2. Congress passes Indian Removal Act; Jackson promises removal is “for their protection.”

  3. Forced military relocation west of the Mississippi to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).

• Trail of Tears

  • Multiple routes; thousands die from disease, exposure, starvation.

  • Legacy: many Cherokees today refuse the \$20 bill (Jackson’s portrait).

• Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

  • Chief Justice John Marshall rules Cherokee have right to remain/return.

  • Jackson replies: “Good luck enforcing that,” openly defies Supreme Court.

• Political fallout: Opposition coalesces into new Whig Party (anti-Jackson coalition).

Tariff of Abominations & Nullification Crisis

• Tariff of Abominations (1828) – extremely high import duties; burdens Southern & Western consumers.

• Vice President John C. Calhoun (South Carolina): Doctrine of Nullification

  • A state may void (nullify) a federal law it deems unconstitutional.

• Jackson’s response: Force Act / Force Bill

  • If any state legislature nullifies a federal law, military will arrest members, charge with treason, and (if convicted) execute.

• Crisis diffused temporarily, but issue of federal vs. state sovereignty intensifies sectional tensions.

War on the National Bank & Economic Consequences

• Jackson distrusts Hamilton’s Bank of the United States (BUS).

  • Wants Congress to deny re-charter.

• Henry Clay (Speaker/Senate leader; Jackson enemy) renews charter.

• Jackson retaliates:

  • Orders federal deposits withdrawn and placed in select state “pet banks” run by loyalists.

  • Pet-bank managers reckless with funds → speculation bubble.

• Post-Jackson economic spiral

  • (Instructor mis-labels president as Monroe; historically Martin Van Buren inherits downturn.)

  • Specie Act (Specie Circular, 1836) – federal payments (instructor says “all taxes”) must be made in gold or silver (specie).

  • Few citizens hold specie; government hoards gold/silver ⇒ money supply contracts.

  • Combination triggers severe Panic of 1837 / Depression.

• Jackson’s death-bed regret: not killing Calhoun & Clay.

Abolitionist Movement (1830-1850)

• Goal: abolish slavery AND grant equal rights to freed African Americans.

• Considered radical because many anti-slavery whites still rejected equality.

• Key leaders:

  • Frederick Douglass – formerly enslaved, powerful orator & writer.

  • William Lloyd Garrison – white publisher of The Liberator.

Defining “Culture” (Class Discussion)

• Components: traditions, religion, region, environment, food, technology, music, dress, beliefs, diversity, patriotism level.

• Youth culture described as tech-savvy, diverse, less overtly patriotic.

Early-Mid 19th-C. American Literature & What It Teaches About National Identity

Modern Analogies & Ethical/Practical Implications (Instructor Side-Bars)

• Obsessions today: celebrity culture, sports, appearance/youth, technology.

• Gravity & aging: cosmetic obsession can bankrupt or endanger health; “gravity always wins.”

• Technology & Privacy

  • Smartphones already compromise privacy (constant data reporting).

  • Speculative future: AI & implanted neural chips ("10-terabyte brain implant" thought experiment).

  • Benefits: instant language downloads, real-time health monitoring.

  • Risks: hacked chips, loss of human connection, erosion of autonomy.

• Manual vs. automatic: students unfamiliar with crank-windows in cars – illustrates rapid tech change.

Key Dates & Numbers (LaTeX format)

• Presidential victory: 1828

• Tariff of Abominations: 1828

• Worcester v. Georgia decision: 1832

• Specie Circular (Act): 1836

• Panic/Depression onset: 1837

• Approximate cultural window for American literary flowering: 1830\text{--}1850

• Value of bill boycotted by Cherokee: \$20

Cause-and-Effect Chains to Remember

1. Spoils System → Incompetent appointments → Larger bureaucracy.

2. Georgia strips Cherokee rights → Indian Removal Act → Trail of Tears → Supreme Court pushback → Jackson defiance → Birth of Whig Party.

3. Tariff of Abominations → Calhoun’s nullification theory → Jackson’s Force Act → Tension over federal supremacy.

4. Withdrawal of BUS deposits + Specie Act → credit collapse → Panic of 1837.

Potential Essay Themes

• Evaluate Jackson’s legacy: champion of the common (white) man vs. abuser of executive power.

• Compare First & Second Great Awakenings: regional base, denominations, social reform impact (e.g., slavery).

• Literature as mirror: how do Cooper, Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Whitman, & Melville collectively define “American” values/fears?

Quick Concept Flash-Cards

• Spoils System – patronage; loyalty > merit.

• Nullification – state voiding federal law.

• Force Act – federal military enforcement against nullifiers.

• Specie – gold/silver; hard currency.

• Trail of Tears – forced Cherokee migration, thousands dead.

• Abolitionist vs. Anti-Slavery – abolition demands equality; anti-slavery may still deny rights.