Chapter 13The Age of Jackson

1824 - 1842

Section 1: The People’s President

• July 4, 1826 – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died

• Suffrage – right to vote; extended to all men in new Western states; free African men lost vote in north in early 1800’s

• Caucus – closed political meeting to nominate officials

• “King Caucus” – only party leaders could nominate officials

• Nominating conventions – delegates from each state voted for officials

• In 1824, 27% voted; by 1840, 80% voted• Election of 1824 – only political party was

Democratic-Republicans; candidates were Clay, Jackson, Adams, Crawford

• Adams – son of President; Monroe’s Secretary of State; not well liked

• Clay – well-liked; witty; Speaker of House

• Crawford – Monroe’s Secretary of Treasury; member of Congress

• Jackson – hero of Battle of New Orleans; one of the common people

• Jackson – won popular vote; no one won a majority of electoral votes

• House of Rep. – chose Adams (backed by Clay); Adams chooses Clay as Sec. of State (“corrupt bargain”)

• National Republicans – supported by Adams and Clay

• Democratic – supported by Jackson

• Election of 1828 – Jackson v. Adams; attacked each other

• Jackson won by landslide; symbol of growing power of democracy

Section 2: A New Spirit in the White House• Jackson’s wife died shortly before inauguration;

common people invited; “The reign of King Mob seemed triumphant”

• fired many govt. employees and replaced with loyal supporters – “To the victor belong the spoils of the enemy” (spoils system)

• Kitchen cabinet – Jackson’s own personal advisers

• Nicholas Biddle – president of the Bank; asked Congress to renew charter (not due until 1836); Jackson vetoed bill and said Bank was corrupt

• Election of 1832 – Jackson wins easily• Jackson ordered Sec. of Treasury Roger Taney to

put federal funds in certain state banks known as pet banks

• Biddle restricted funds leaving the Bank; paper money became scarce; Bank went out of business in 1836

Section 3: Crisis and Conflict

• Tariff – tax on imported goods; liked by North and West; South called it the Tariff of Abominations (disgusting or hateful)

• VP Calhoun – each sovereign (independent) state can nullify any federal law such as a tariff

• Sen. Daniel Webster of MA – states’ rights threat to Union

• Sen. Robert Hayne of SC – defended nullification (right of states to declare federal laws illegal)

• Pres. Jackson – “Our Federal Union—it must be preserved!”

• VP Calhoun – “The Union—next to our liberty, the most dear!”; resigned as VP; Martin Van Buren became VP

• Nullification Act – SC declared the tariff “null, void, and no law”; SC threatened to secede (leave Union); no state followed lead; compromised

• Native Americans – Jackson wanted them to go to present-day OK; by 1820, only 120,000 lived east of MS River

• 1828 – Cherokee asked Supreme Court to defend their rights; GA wanted to make laws for Cherokee; Chief Justice Marshall sided with Cherokee and Supreme Court ruled against GA; Jackson ignored Court’s decision

• Sequoya – written alphabet for Cherokee; newspaper called Cherokee Phoenix

• Indian Removal Act of 1830 – federal money used to relocate Indians

• John Ross – Cherokee leader led people southwest; 1/8th died including wife; known as “Trail of Tears”

Osceola

• Seminole leader who refused to leave FL

• Runaway slaves fought with Seminole

• Federal troops fought with them for 7 years

• Osceola died in prison

• Some fled deep in the Everglades

Section 4: The End of the Jacksonian Era

• Election of 1836 – Martin Van Buren (Democrat) ran against 3 in the Whig party; Van Buren won easily

• State banks started loaning too much money; printed paper notes not backed by specie (gold or silver); increased prices especially land

• Specie Circular – Jackson issued paper stating land could be bought only with gold or silver; land sales dropped; speculators could not pay loans; banks repossessed land but at a loss

• People exchanged paper money for gold or silver which caused problems for banks

• Price of cotton dropped; farmers couldn’t repay loans; same in West

• Demand for factory goods dropped because people had less money; many became homeless

• Panic of 1837 – 3 months into Van Buren’s term, many banks closed

• 1840 – Van Buren establishes independent federal treasury; no federal money in private state banks

• Election of 1840 – Whig’s candidate was William Henry Harrison, hero of 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe

William Henry Harrison

• From wealthy family in VA• Was presented as humble OH farmer born

in log cabin• Running mate was John Tyler• Slogan was “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”• Harrison won 234 electoral votes to Van

Buren’s 60 votes; died one month into presidency of pneumonia

• John Tyler - first VP to become President upon death of President

• Tyler – proponent of westward expansion

Chapter 13 Study Guide

• Indian territory – area in which Indians were relocated in 1838

• Spoils system – awarding jobs to political supporters

• Roger Taney – deposited funds in pet banks for Jackson

• FL – the Osceola and Seminole tribes territory• House of Representatives (1824) – elected

President in 1824

• John Tyler – 1st VP to take over for a President after his death

• John C. Calhoun – opposed the Tariff of Abominations

• Nicholas Biddle – president of the Bank of U.S.

• Andrew Jackson – hero of Battle of New Orleans

• William Crawford – Pres. Monroe’s Secretary of Treasury

• West frontier in the 1800’s – between Appalachian Mts. And MS River

• Andrew Jackson – from TN• Bank of U.S. in 1832 had control over credit• Abomination – dreadful; hateful• Farmers and merchants – opposed Bank

• Specie Circular – Jackson tried to stop land speculators by buying with specie (gold or silver)

• Panic of 1837 – during presidency of Martin Van Buren

• Jackson – “Our Federal Union – It Must Be Preserved”

• Tariff of 1828 – helped Western farmers and Northern manufacturers

• Suffrage – only free men in 1800’s

Short essays

• Name 2 ways Andrew Jackson’s presidency was different from those before him - projected image of common man; inauguration was loud; kitchen cabinet; spoils system

• Define Nullification Act – states were sovereign and had right to cancel federal laws they felt were unconstitutional