Presidency of Andrew Jackson

Ch.5 Sec.2

Jackson's Childhood

Jackson's Early Life

Orphaned at age 14

Had little formal education

Joined army as a teen, later became a top commander for the US

America's 7th PresidentWinning the Election

Jackson defeated the incumbent John Quincy Adams

The election featured mudslinging between candidates, or attacks on morals & personalities

Won due to the ability of non-property owners being able to vote

Early Presidential ActionsSpoils System

Act of newly-elected presidents hiring people based on party loyalty

Caucus

Party members in Congress elect who will run for President

Jackson replaced this with a convention for all party supporters to pick their candidates

The Nullification CrisisNullification Crisis

SC threatened to secede because of high import tariffs

Jackson's VP betrayed him and spoke out in support of SC

SC attempted to pass a state law that would ignore the federal tariff

Jackson sent warships to SC and they never passed the state law

Jackson did convince Congress to lower tariffs for 20 years to help SC

Other Domestic Matters

Indian Removal Act

Allowed states to relocate Native Americans across the Mississippi

Most famous move was the Cherokee to the West (Trail of Tears)

Some felt Jackson's treatment of Natives stained America's early reputation

Other Domestic Matters

Destroying the National Bank

Jackson felt the bank only supported rich Americans

Also believed it was unconstitutional

Killing the bank was popular among many Americans, but caused major financial issues in years to come.