Night #1 - Up to Texas Independence slide # 29 Night #2 - #29 end and then on to Manifest Destiny President Andrew Jackson: (Dem) ( ) The Age of the Common Man A man of the poor people, a frontier president who vowed to reform American government. His inauguration was a drunken bash where hundreds of people attended the White House for a huge party after his speech. From the South, but was not a friend of the planters. He continued to add to the tariffs, making it more difficult for planters to obtain great wealth. Split with his VP. John C. Calhoun over Tariffs. Drunken bash at the White house The Spoils System President Andrew Jacksons inauguration signaled a sharp departure from past presidencies. An unruly mob of office seekers made something of a shambles of the March inauguration, and though some tried to explain this as democratic enthusiasm, the real truth was Jackson supporters had been lavished with promises of positions in return for political support. These promises were honored by an astonishing number of removals after Jackson assumed power. Fully 919 officials were removed from government positions, amounting to near 10 percent of all government postings. In one year 423 postmasters were deprived of their positions, most with extensive records of good service. The new emphasis on loyalty rather than competence would have a long term negative effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government. Jackson riding a pig into office: To the victors goes the spoils. John C. Calhoun defies Andrew Jackson In 1828, Calhoun wrote South Carolina Exposition and Protest, also known as Calhoun's Exposition. Calhoun did not formally state his authorship at the time, though it was known by some and assumed by others. The document was a protest against the Tariff of Abominations. The document stated that if the tariff was not repealed, South Carolina would secede. John C. Calhoun declared this to be legal because it was the states right since the states formed the constitution. Webster Hayne debate The Webster-Hayne debate was a famous debate between Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Senator Robert Y. Hayne of South Carolina that took place on January 19-27, 1830 regarding protectionists tariffs. The heated speeches between Webster and Hayne themselves stemmed from debate over a resolution by Connecticut Senator Sam Foote calling for the temporary suspension of further land surveying until land already on the market was sold (this would effectively stop the introduction of new lands onto the market). Webster's "Second Reply to Hayne" (1830) was generally regarded as "the most eloquent speech ever delivered in Congress." Webster's description of the US government as "made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people," was later used by Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. Webster Replies to Hayne Jefferson Day Speeches: Jackson V. Calhoun At the 1830 Jefferson Day dinner at Jesse Brown's Indian Queen Hotel, Calhoun proposed a toast and proclaimed, "the Union, next to our liberty, the most dear." Jackson replied, "Our federal Union, it must be preserved." In May 1830, Jackson discovered that Calhoun had asked President Monroe to censure then-General Jackson for his invasion of Spanish Florida in Calhoun resigned in protest against Jackson's continuing support of the 1828 tariff. Jackson reacts to Calhouns Constitutional challenge Pres. Jackson passes the Force Bill through congress giving him authority to send 5,000 troops and eight ships to South Carolina to blockade the coast. Calhoun responds by forming a militia, calling out the Citadel Cadets and slave patrols for defense. Henry Clay to the rescue Henry Clay offers The Compromise Tariff of 1833 which slowly lowers tariffs over the next ten years. SC gives up before blood shed occurs, but as a large gesture of defiance, John C. Calhoun Nullifies the Force Bill in the state of South Carolina. John C. Calhoun in 1832 The Peggy Eaton Affair More upheaval came when Calhouns wife Floride Calhoun organized Cabinet wives against Peggy Eaton, wife of Secretary of War John Eaton. The scandal, which became known as the Petticoat Affair" or the "Peggy Eaton affair", ripped apart the cabinet and created an intolerable situation for Jackson. Jackson saw attacks on Eaton stemming ultimately from the political opposition of Calhoun, and he used the affair to consolidate control over his cabinet, forcing the resignation of several members and ending Calhoun's influence in the cabinet. Jackson breaks up his cabinet and flushes out the rats. Indian Removal Act Removal of all Indians East of the Mississippi to Oklahoma. This is called the Trail of Tears. Thousands of Indians are forced to march to Oklahoma in the wintertime many died along the way. Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole and Creek. The Civilized Tribes The Cherokees in 1828 were not nomadic savages. In fact, they had assimilated many European-style customs, including the wearing of gowns by Cherokee women. They built roads, schools and churches, had a system of representative government, and were farmers and cattle ranchers, written language was perfected by Sequoyah, and some Cherokee even became cotton planters. Jackson versus the Supreme Court In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway. President Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court and by establishing an independent Cherokee Nation. At first the court seemed to rule against the Indians. In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, the Court refused to hear a case extending Georgia's laws on the Cherokee because they did not represent a sovereign nation. Jackson v. the Supreme Court continued In 1832, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee on the same issue in Worcester v. Georgia. In this case Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign, making the removal laws invalid. The Cherokee would have to agree to removal in a treaty. Jackson said, John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!" Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall Removal The Treaty of New Echota, signed by John Ridge (a self appointed chief of the Nation) and members of the Treaty Party in 1835, gave Jackson the legal document he needed to remove the First Americans. Ratification of the treaty by the United States Senate sealed the fate of the Cherokee. Among the few who spoke out against the ratification were Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, but it passed by a single vote. In 1838 the United States began the removal to Oklahoma, fulfilling a promise the government made to Georgia in Ordered to move on the Cherokee, General John Wool resigned his command in protest, delaying the action. His replacement, General Winfield Scott, arrived at New Echota on May 17, 1838 with 7,000 men. Early that summer General Scott and the United States Army began the invasion of the Cherokee Nation. The Trail Of Tears Indian Removal Bank War At that time, the bank was the only nationwide bank and, along with its president Nicholas Biddle, exerted tremendous influence over the nation's financial system. Jackson viewed the Second Bank of the United States as a monopoly since it was a private institution managed by a board of directors, and in 1832 he vetoed the renewal of its charter. Calhoun and Clay were responsible for pushing for the renewal of the charter on the Bank of the United States. To crush the bank, Jackson withdrew all federal funds and deposited the money in the banks of his personal friends. His detractors will call these pet banks. Jackson destroys Biddles bank Jackson battles the bank The birth of the Whigs New Party formed called the Whigs who deem Jackson King Andrew I for his abuses of power. Leaders of the Whigs were Webster, Calhoun and Clay. Everyone runs for president in 1836 in an attempt to split the vote and drive the election into the House of Representatives. The Whigs call for internal improvements rather than boundless territorial expansion. They also call for better prisons, asylums, some wanted public schools, and better canals, railroads, telegraph lines and roads. The Whigs claimed to be the defenders of the common man, as Jackson had done earlier. King Andrew Jackson I Texas Expansion Moses Austin speaks to President of Mexico and asks if Americans can settle in Mexican providence of Texas. Santa Anna agrees as long as Americans 1.) obey Mexican laws, 2.) become Catholic, 3.) give up holding slaves. Americans agree to do all of the follow but of course they actually do none of the following, so Santa Anna, Mexican President, masses his troops and prepares to attack Texas. Texas Declaration of Independence Sam Houston Stephen Austin The Independent Republic of Texas The War Americans under Sam Houston form a Texas army and fight the Mexicans. About 100 Americans killed at the battle of the Alamo (thirteen day siege of an old Catholic mission converted to a Texan fort). Over the next six weeks several battles are fought including the massacre at Goliad, where Texans are slaughtered after they surrendered because the Mexicans deem the Texans pirates. The Alamo Davey Crocketts last stand The Texas War for Independence continued Rallying around the calls, Remember the Alamo and Remember Goliad, the Texans (with American volunteers) win the war. The Mexican Army is defeated at San Jacinto (near modern Houston). Texans attacked while the Mexicans were taking a siesta and captured Santa Anna, Mexican Leader. Mexico gives independence to Texas (the war lasted from Feb. through April, 1836) but vows to take it back in the future. Texans, the Lone Star Republic has its Southern bordered at the Rio Grande River). Also, Mexico threatens the US do not annex Texas. The Texas Question in the US Texas remains an independent nation for 9 years (Sam Houston was the only President of Texas). Many Texans want not only to be free from Mexico, but to become part of the United States. The issue is a political hot potato because it re-opens up the northern argument against the expansion of the slavocracy. In an attempt to really get northerners fired up, John C. Calhoun suggested that Texas be divided into five states which should all be entered as new slave states. In 1844, South Carolina threatens to Seceded at the Beaufort Convention if Texas is not granted statehood. Texas cotton sales to England (without tariffs) was killing the American cotton planters. President Martin Van Buren ( ) (Dem.) (N Y) Jackson carries Van Buren into office Van Buren as President Was known as the Northern man with Southern principles. He was an old fashion type man and he did not like controversy. His detractors called him a first class second rate man. 1836 Presidential Campaign centered around the fact that Van Buren was Jacksons chosen successor. Van Buren won the election, and he also inherited Jacksons old enemies and a sagging economy, and international problems along the Canadian border (Canadian rebellion) which nearly brought us to war with England. Financial Panic of 1837 Shortly after his election, the nation went into a severe economic depression that he could not control. The recession was caused by several elements including, speculation in western lands on borrowed capital, the wild cat banks, and speculation craze in canals, roads, railroads and slaves. Also, failures in wheat crops (caused by the Hessian fly) caused grain prices to go so high that most people couldnt afford it. The fallout from the Panic of 1837 Mobs broke into warehouses and broke open flour barrels. Also, the failures of two British banks caused the British to call in loans that Americans had from the British. All of this combined to cause a major recession where many factories American banks failed and carried down with them millions in government funds. The Divorce Bill In an attempt to remedy the economy, Van Buren created the Divorce Bill which championed the idea of divorcing the federal government from banking altogether. Under this bill the Independent Treasury was created where the United States locked up its surplus money in vaults in large American cities. The Whigs did not like this plan because it went against their plan for a revived Bank of the United States.