Wednesday November 8, 2017 All Electronics Off & Away 1. Bellringer: SAQ in CompBook Interpretation Jackson (3x3 and proper noun as evidence) 2. Discuss Venn: Jefferson & Jackson Discuss DocBook 228-32 & 246-47 3. Venn for Thursday: Elections of 1836, 1840, 1844 4. DocBook for Thursday:
The era of the Common Man Andrew Jackson and Jacksonian Democracy
Jacksonian Democracy Strict interpretation of Constitution Powerful Executive based upon vote of people Hands-off approach to economy (laissez faire) fueled by suspicion of upper class & big business Spoils (patronage) system
Jacksonian Democracy (continued) Manifest Destiny Indian relocation Increased suffrage for white men President for the common man More a force of personality than an ideology or movement. Allows him to defy federal law (Worcester). As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures to use the rights of persons and of property, liberty of conscience and of the press, it will be worth defending. Andrew Jackson
Jackson s Inauguration Mobs of regular people attended inauguration for champion of the common man Unruly crowd followed him to Executive Mansion Chaos in the mansion Jackson fled to a hotel
John Quincy Adams o A presidential boom began for Jackson in 1821, and to foster it, he returned to the Senate (1823 25). o Won the most popular votes and a plurality of electoral votes in 1824, he lost in the House when Henry Clay threw his strength to John Q. Adams. o Clay became Adams Secretary of State, bringing rumors of a corrupt bargain, as that office usually led to the Presidency. o Adam s never recovers from charge. o Appeared as though a Congressional cabal had usurped the will of the people. o Jackson calls Clay Judas of the West Henry Clay
Results of the 1824 Election A Corrupt Bargain?
#1: What events led to the emergence of Andrew Jackson as President in 1828? To what extent were these an affirmation of him or a reaction to the political environment? 1. Two Party System Democrats & Whigs 2. The Corrupt Bargain of 1824 3. JQA Minority President 4. Going Whole Hog for Jackson in 1828 5. Old Hickory as President
Oh Andy! Oh Andy! How many men have you hanged in your life? How many weddings make a wife? The 1828 presidential election was one of the dirtiest ever, and Jackson believed, with some reason, that his wife Rachel was driven to an early grave by charges of immorality. First election with neither Virginian nor an Adams in the White House
"Andrew Jackson, I am given to understand, was a patriot and a traitor. He was one of the greatest of generals, and wholly ignorant of the art of war. A writer brilliant, elegant, eloquent, and without being able to compose a correct sentence, or spell words of four syllables. The first of statesmen, he never devised, he never framed a measure. He was the most candid of men, and was capable of the profoundest dissimulation. A most law-defying, law-obeying citizen. A stickler for discipline, he never hesitated to disobey his superior. A democratic aristocrat. An urbane savage. An atrocious saint. - James Parton
Jeffersonian Republicans Dem-Reps Democrats (1828) Why Increased Democratization? Universal white male suffrage increased Party nominating committees end of infamous caucus system for selecting candidates. Voters chose their state s slate of Presidential electors. Spoils system. Rise of Third Parties. Popular campaigning (parades, rallies, floats, etc.) Two-party system returned in the 1832 election (roots): Federalists Natl. Reps.(1828) Whigs (1832) Republicans (1854)
Andrew Jackson may have been our seventh president, but he was first in many ways. 1 st populist president who did not come from the aristocracy 1 st POTUS from the west 1 st to have his vicepresident resign ( John C. Calhoun) 1 st to marry a divorcee The first Hermitage
1 st to be nominated at a national convention (his second term). 1 st to use an informal "Kitchen Cabinet" of advisers. 1 st president to use the "pocket veto" to kill a congressional bill (legislation fails to become law if Congress adjourns and the president has not signed the bill in question w/i 10 days).
The New Jackson Coalition The Planter Elite in the South People on the Frontier State Politicians spoils system Immigrants in the cities.
#2: What were the major issues during Jackson s presidency? How would you rate the effectiveness of his handling of each of those issues? 1. The Spoils System 2.The Tariff of Abominations Nullification 3. The Trail of Tears 4. The Bank War Internal Improvements Maysville Road Veto *
The Second Bank of the United States Had campaigned against the Second Bank of the U.S. BUS was a privately held bank where the federal government deposited its money Jackson opposed to the bank for a variety of reasons Cartoon depicting Jackson fighting the Bank, shown here as a many-headed monster
The Second Bank of the United States (continued) Cartoon showing Jackson in a boxing match against Bank president Nicholas Biddle Jackson vetoed renewal of bank s charter Executive order ended federal deposits into Second Bank Deposits instead went into state banks (pet banks) mainly owned by Jackson supporters Second BUS failed
Opposition to the 2 nd B.U.S. Soft (paper) $ state bankers felt it restrained their banks from issuing bank notes freely. supported rapid economic growth & speculation. Hard (specie) $ felt that coin (specie) was the only safe currency. didn t like any bank that issued bank notes. suspicious of expansion & speculation.
The Specie Circular (1836) wildcat banks. buy future federal land only with gold or silver. Jackson s goal?
Results of the Specie Circular $ Banknotes lose their value. $ Land sales plummeted. $ Credit not available. $ Businesses began to fail. $ Unemployment rose. The Panic of 1837!
An astonishing fact is that the number of voters counted nearly quadrupled over 1824. Four of the 24 states, including New York, took away property requirements for voting, so that basically all white males could vote = universal male suffrage. In addition, Jackson was saying "Vote for us if you believe the people should govern". First time appeal to common people for a vote. Democracy expanded only if you were a white male.
Change in voter qualifications 1800-1830
In 1831, Eaton and Van Buren resigned their offices, putting pressure on the other members to do likewise. These resignations gave Jackson the opportunity to appoint Cabinet officers who were loyal to him rather than Calhoun.
The Spoils System Jackson replaced many long-serving officials Rotation in office Claimed government would better serve the people and uphold its ideals Critics called this the spoils system ; charged that it might install unqualified cronies of the president Cartoon depicting Jackson s championing of the spoils system
The Tariff of Abomination and Nullification One of the main issues during Jackson s presidency was the matter of a high or low tariff (tax on imported goods). A high tariff protected northern industry and was good for the north, but made goods more expensive and was bad for the south. John C. Calhoun
The Nullification Crisis Calhoun: only states could judge the constitutionality of federal law Nullification as an alternative to secession Force Bill Compromise Tariff of 1833 Jackson lost much Southern support Impetus for Whig Party John C. Calhoun
The Tariff Issue [the tariff of 1828], with the whole system of legislation imposing duties on imports, not for revenue, but the protection of one branch of industry at the expense of others is unconstitutional, unequal, and oppressive, and calculated to corrupt the public virtue and destroy the liberty of the country. John C. Calhoun Tariff of 1828 ( Tariff of Abominations ) Jackson did not reduce tariff Calhoun resigned as VP; argued against tariff as SC senator Jackson s compromise: Tariff of 1832 1832 tariff pleased only some Southerners
Great Debate in the Senate Sen. Daniel Webster [MA] Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable. D.W. Sen. Robert Hayne [SC]
John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice-President to resign, so he can come back as the Senator from South Carolina and lead the nullification fight.
Nullification is a constitutional theory that gives an individual state the right to declare null and void any law passed by the United States Congress which the state deems unacceptable and unconstitutional. Jackson threatened military action against South Carolina. Letter, Andrew Jackson to Martin Van Buren discussing the nullification crisis, 13 January 1833. (Martin Van Buren Papers)
Nullification Crisis Tariff of 1828 Tariff of Abominations Read the South Carolina Protest against the Tariff of 1828, and discuss the concerns and arguments against the national tariff Force Bill Enacted by Jackson to authorize the federal government to collect by force if necessary the tariffs out of South Carolina I ll hang him higher than Haman Crucial Issue: Maintaining the Union VS. State s Rights
Jackson s Professed Love for Native Americans
President Thomas Jefferson to William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory, 1803 You will receive from the Secretary of War from time to time information and instructions as to our Indian affairs. These communications being for the public records, are restrained always to particular objects and occasions; but this letter being unofficial and private, I may with safety give you a more extensive view of our policy respecting the Indians Our system is to live in perpetual peace with the Indians, to cultivate an affectionate attachment from them, by everything just and liberal which we can do for them within the bounds of reason, and by giving them effectual protection against wrongs from our own people. The decrease of game rendering their subsistence by hunting insufficient, we wish to draw them to agriculture, to spinning and weaving To promote this disposition to exchange lands, which they have to spare and we want, for necessaries, which we have to spare and they want, we shall push our trading uses, and be glad to see the good and influential individuals among them run in debt, because we observe that when these debts get beyond what the individuals can pay, they become willing to lop them off by a cession of lands. At our trading houses, too, we mean to sell so low as merely to repay us cost and charges, so as neither to lessen or enlarge our capital. This is what private traders cannot do, for they must gain; they will consequently retire from the competition, and we shall thus get clear of this pest In this way our settlements will gradually circumscribe and approach the Indians, and they will in time either incorporate with us a citizens or the United States, or remove beyond the Mississippi Should any tribe be foolhardy enough to take up the hatchet at any time, the seizing the whole country of that tribe, and driving them across the Mississippi, as the only condition of peace, would be an example to others, and a furtherance of our final consolidation.
Monroe's 1825 Message to Congress Being deeply impressed with the opinion that the removal of the Indian tribes from the lands which they now occupy within the limits of the several states and Territories... is of very high importance to our Union, and may be accomplished on conditions and in a manner to promote the interest and happiness of those tribes, the attention of the Government has been long drawn with great solicitude to the object. For the removal of the tribes within the limits of the State of Georgia the motive has been peculiarly strong, arising from the compact with that State whereby the United States are bound to extinguish the Indian title to the lands within it whenever it may be done peaceably and on reasonable conditions.... The removal of the tribes from the territory which they now inhabit... would not only shield them from impending ruin, but promote their welfare and happiness. Experience has clearly demonstrated that in their present state it is impossible to incorporate them in such masses, in any form whatever, into our system. It has also demonstrated with equal certainty that without a timely anticipation of and provision against the dangers to which they are exposed, under causes which it will be difficult, if not impossible to control, their degradation and extermination will be inevitable.
The Indian Removal Act Jackson s long history of fighting Native Americans Southeastern Indian nations most affected Some protested government treatment Supreme Court decision in favor of Cherokee Act passed in 1830 with Jackson s support The consequence of a speedy removal will be important to the United States, to individual States, and to the Indians themselves It will place a dense and civilized population in large tracts of a country now occupied by a few savage hunters. Andrew Jackson on Indian removal
Indian Removal Jackson s Goal? 1830 Indian Removal Act Cherokee Nation v. GA (1831) * domestic dependent nation so no standing to sue ( no jurisdiction to hear case) Worcester v. GA (1832) only the United States, and not the individual states, had power to regulate tribes b/c sovereign nations Jackson: John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!
The Trail of Tears: Primary Source I have no motive, my friends, to deceive you. I am sincerely desirous to promote your welfare. Listen to me, therefore, while I tell you that you cannot remain where you now are. Circumstances that cannot be controlled, and which are beyond the reach of human laws, render it impossible that you can flourish in the midst of a civilized community. You have but one remedy within your reach. And that is, to remove to the West and join your countrymen, who are already established there. And the sooner you do this the sooner you will commence your career of improvement and prosperity. Andrew Jackson, to the Cherokee National Council
In 1830, just a year after taking office, Jackson pushed a new piece of legislation called the "Indian Removal Act" through both houses of Congress. It gave the president power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi.
The Trail of Tears Forced removal to Indian Territory (in present-day Oklahoma) Cherokee unprepared for harsh conditions Smallpox About a quarter died along the way African Americans, slave and free
The IRA affected not only the southeastern nations, but many others further north. Arguably the most infamous in the Northwest was the Black Hawk War (Abe L.) where the Sax and Fox were nearly exterminated 150/1000 attempting to surrender at the Mississippi. The removal was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful, and it was that way for the tribes that agreed to the conditions. But the southeastern nations resisted and force prevailed.
By 1838 only 2,000 had migrated; 16,000 remained on their land. The U.S. government sent in 7,000 troops, who forced the Cherokees into stockades at bayonet point.
The Second Seminole War Painting depicting the burning of a Seminole village by U.S. troops Seminole reservation in Florida Territory Slaves escaped to Seminole territory Osceola captured Treaty of Payne s Landing Jackson sent army to forcibly remove the Seminole Most expensive Indian War Seminole surrendered in 1842
Jackson handily reelected in 1832
The Second Bank of the United States Had campaigned against the Second Bank of the U.S. BUS was a privately held bank where the federal government deposited its money Jackson opposed to the bank for a variety of reasons Cartoon depicting Jackson fighting the Bank, shown here as a many-headed monster
The Second Bank of the United States (continued) Cartoon showing Jackson in a boxing match against Bank president Nicholas Biddle Jackson vetoed renewal of bank s charter Executive order ended federal deposits into Second Bank Deposits instead went into state banks (pet banks) mainly owned by Jackson supporters Second BUS failed
The National Bank Debate Nicholas Biddle President Jackson
Opposition to the 2 nd B.U.S. Soft (paper) $ state bankers felt it restrained their banks from issuing bank notes freely. supported rapid economic growth & speculation. Hard (specie) $ felt that coin (specie) was the only safe currency. didn t like any bank that issued bank notes. suspicious of expansion & speculation.
The Monster Is Destroyed! pet banks? 1832 Jackson vetoed the extension of the 2 nd National Bank of the United States. 1836 the charter expired. 1841 the bank went bankrupt!
The Downfall of Mother Bank
An 1832 Cartoon: King Andrew? What say you?
The Specie Circular (1836) wildcat banks. buy future federal land only with gold or silver. Jackson s goal?
Results of the Specie Circular $ Banknotes lose their value. $ Land sales plummeted. $ Credit not available. $ Businesses began to fail. $ Unemployment rose. The Panic of 1837!
Can You Answer? 1. What were some characteristics of Jacksonian Democracy? 2. Why did the Tariff of 1828 upset Southern politicians? Why didn t Jackson repeal the tariff once in office? 3. What events led to the formation of the Whig Party? What were some of its positions?
#4: What were the major problems faced by the Van Buren administration? Did these demonstrate a weakness of Jackson s economic and financial policies? Why was he unable to outmaneuver the Whig opposition? The Birth of the Whigs Little Van Van Ruin The Election of 1836 Big Woes for the Little Magician Depression Doldrums Independent Treasury
The Whig Party = begins 2 nd Two Party System Formed over nullification crisis, closing of Second Bank of U.S. Led by Clay and Webster Positions: Stronger Congress, less powerful executive Modernization of economy National Bank and higher tariffs Contrasted sharply with Democrats agrarian ideals
The Election of 1836 VP Martin Van Buren ran against four Whigs, each from a different region: W.H. Harrison (OH) H.L. White (TN) Daniel Webster (MA) W.P. Mangum (NC) Whigs hoped the House would have to decide election Van Buren won with 170 electoral votes Known for party machine politics in NY Continued Indian removal Oppose annexation of Texas - sectionalism Martin Van Buren
The 1836 Election Results Martin Van Buren Old Kinderhook [O. K.]
The Panic of 1837 Spreads Quickly!
Van Buren and the Panic of 1837 Cartoon portraying Van Buren s continuation of Jackson s hardmoney policies as the reason for the Panic of 1837 NY senator, Jackson s secretary of state and VP Inherited economic problems from Jackson Administration Specie Circular Economic depression Van Buren set up a special treasury for govt s money Economy recovered around 1843
Harrison and the Election of 1840 Van Buren s increasing unpopularity and the new campaign style first used by Jackson against Adams Harrison (Whig) ran log cabin and common man campaign vs. Van Buren (Dem.) portrayed as an aristocrat Martin Van Ruin Whigs blamed Van Buren for the nation s economic problems Harrison (Old Tippecanoe) won, but died a month into his term William Henry Harrison War hero Common man Hard cider
John Tyler s Presidency John Tyler A Whig, but disagreed with most of the Whig platform States Rights Vetoed most Whig bills Opposed a national bank and tariffs Mob at White House Whigs unsuccessfully introduced impeachment legislation
Can You Answer? 1. What was the Panic of 1837, and what likely caused it? 2. Why did the Whig Party run four candidates against Martin Van Buren in 1836? Was their plan successful? 3. Why did Whigs introduce impeachment legislation against John Tyler?
New States and Territorial Acquisitions New states: Arkansas, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, California Treaties resolving land disputes: Webster Ashburton Treaty (1842) Oregon Treaty (1846) Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) The United States in 1850