The Americans

Page 262

Andrew Jackson 3 Column Chart

Kitchen Cabinet

Spoils System

Veto Power

For your assigned category give examples that show Jackson’s changes in government.

Lime – Kitchen Cabinet

Yellow – Spoils System

Blue – Veto Power

The Americans – page 262 to 263

Upper Left Hand Column

A B C D E F

There should be one person of each color in your group of 3.

Share your notes (verbally) with your group mates so they can take down the notes on their chart

Andrew Jackson: The Common Man

What makes him a common man?

Born in poverty in North Carolina backcountry Son of Scotch-Irish immigrants First President without a college education Had careers in law, politics, land speculation,

cotton planting, and soldiering prior to Presidency

Political Beliefs

Believed he represented the nation as a whole

Disliked people who obtained power from wealth

Relied on Kitchen Cabinet – personal friends who advised him in political and governmental decisions

Actions as President

Used spoils system, a practice in which he fired and replaced 10% of government employees with his loyal supporters

Vetoed more bills than did all previous Presidents combined

Signed pork-barrel bills – those that benefited his political friends You will still hear this phrase today!

Treatment of Indians

Indian Removal Act of 1830 – forced Indians west to land that later became Oklahoma

Black Hawk War of 1832 – Illinois, Indians who resisted Jackson’s plan slaughtered by local militia

Jackson’s removal of the Cherokees – ignored the Supreme Court decision in Worcester v Georgia (1832) allowing the Cherokees to remain in Georgia

2 Major Issues of Jackson’s Presidency

States’ Rights

Second Bank of the United States

States’ Rights

States’ Rights

Senator Benton of Missouri

Proposal Unsold federal lands

be reduced in price or given away

Northern states disagreed Power play by Western

states

Tariff of Abominations

Tariff on British goods Caused hardships only to Southern states VP John Calhoun devised a nullification plan:

each state had the right to nullify (cancel) a national law (tariff) within its borders if it felt that the law was unconstitutional

South Carolina threatened to secede (withdraw) from the Union if forced to pay tariffs any longer

National DebateJanuary 1830 Senator Robert Hayne South Carolina States’ Rights

Senator Daniel Webster Massachusetts Federal Rights

Jackson decides

To support federal rights Disagrees with his VP Decides that Martin Van Buren will be his VP

candidate in 1832 election

Outcome

Force Bill (1833) legalized the use of federal militia against the state

South Carolina repealed (ended) its nullification ordinance in response to the Force Bill

Second Bank of the United States

Banks . . .

Jackson considered them a symbol of the privileged class, and therefore, a threat to democracy.

States considered them too strong a competitor

Farmers distrusted paper money issued by bank; preferred hard money

Bank Leader, Nicholas Biddle, was disliked

1831: Senator Benton (Missouri) introduced a resolution against renewing the bank

Bank became most important issue of 1832 Election Jackson moved federal funds ($) into chosen state

banks (known as pet banks by opponents) Biddle refuses loans to new businesses (1832-1833)

due to large amount of federal money removed from banks

State banks – printed more $ than what was deposited – value of $ declines

Outcome

US financial capital moved from Philadelphia to New York (still there today!)

Formation of Whig Party Supporters of States’ Rights People who opposed Jackson’s bank policies Opposed a chief executive having too much

power

Chapter 10 Section 3

Daily Activity – Nullification Crisis Enrichment Activity – Henry Clay and the

Bank