A New Era in Politics

Chapter 15

15-1: Political Change

• Government began as a republic• People had more influence in government

over time• Government became more like a democracy

Suffrage Reform

• Women, blacks, and poor whites could not vote

• By the 1850s all of the states adopted universal (white) manhood suffrage

Interest in Politics

• People became more interested and involved in politics because of political parties and the controversies they spurred on

Direct Election

• More officials were being chosen by the people rather than assemblies and legislatures

Andrew Jackson

• Champion of the Common Man• Humble beginnings• Served in government since 1796• Military hero• Very popular

Election of 1824

• John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson• Jackson had most votes, but not majority• Election had to be decided in the House• Adams won• Corrupt bargain– Clay encouraged his supporters to vote for Adams– Adams won and made Clay his secretary of state

President Adams

• Experienced and brilliant, but not a good president

• Good ideas, but never passed in Congress• Jacksonians outmaneuvered him

New Politics

• Jackson prepared for election of 1828• Spent a million dollars on his campaign• Encouraged mudslinging and rough, dishonest

campaigning

The Results of the Election

• Jackson won 178 votes to 83• Twice as many men turned out to vote• Two new parties were established– New Republican/Whig– Democratic-Republican/Democratic

15-2: The Presidency of Andrew Jackson

• Elected in 1828• First president from the West• “Common man”

The Inauguration

• His supporters followed him back to the White House and partied all night

Jackson’s Appointments

• Jackson replaced many cabinet members with men of his choosing

• He relied more on his “kitchen cabinet” (an informal group of his friends) for advice

Jacksonian Democrats

• Most favored slavery • Preferred a small federal government• Wanted to give the common man a fairer

chance in life• Government must not give artificial

advantages to any person or group

The Spoils System

• “To the victor go the spoils.”• Rewarding supporters with political offices• Jackson used his power to increase the

strength of his party

The Bank War

• The Bank of the U.S. was rechartered from 1816-1836– It was a safe place for the government to keep its money– It sold bonds for the government– It loaned money to business people to help them get

started– It gave the country a sound national currency– It helped keep state banks operating responsibly– It had tremendous economic power– It controlled the nation’s credit and its specie (gold and

silver)

The Bank War Continued

• There was very little government control over the bank

• Opponents and many important politicians said it was corrupt

• Jackson questioned the constitutionality and the usefulness of the bank

• He preferred gold and silver over paper money

Nicholas Biddle

• President of the Second Bank of the U.S.• Applied for a new charter four years before

the old charter ran out• It passed in Congress• Jackson said “The bank is trying to kill me, but

I will kill it” and vetoed it

The Election of 1832

• Clay used the veto in his campaign against Jackson

• The people supported Jackson’s decision about the bank

• Jackson won the election

The Bank’s Last Stand

• Jackson chose Roger Taney as Secretary of Treasury

• Taney paid the government’s expenses out of the funds in the national bank but made deposits to state banks

• Jackson’s enemies called these state banks Jackson’s “pet banks”

King Andrew I

• National Republicans started calling Jackson “King Andrew I”

• National Republicans adopted the name “Whig” Party after the English party that wanted to limit the power of the king

The Specie Circular

• State banks issued so much paper money that it began to lose value

• Government lands were being bought with the paper money that was declining in value

• Jackson issued the Specie Circular which decreed that in the future government lands would have to be paid for with gold or silver

The Nullification Crisis

• Jackson was a strong nationalist, deeply devoted to the U.S. as a nation

• South Carolina’s economy was in trouble in the 1820s

• In 1828 the “Tariff of Abominations” raised federal tariffs

• Northern manufacturers were helped by this tariff, but the South was hurt

The Nullification Crisis Continued

• John C. Calhoun (Jackson’s VP) wrote The South Carolina Exposition and Protest”

• The essay developed the doctrine of nullification (the states’ right to cancel a federal law they did not support)

• Read the first full paragraph on page 316

Calhoun’s Reasons

• Calhoun proposed nullification because some people in South Carolina were proposing to secede (leave the Union)

• He thought the threat of nullification would make Congress more careful and respectful and end the threat of secession

Jackson and Calhoun

• Jackson and Calhoun had several disagreements over social issues and past political events

• At a political dinner Jackson was called on to make a toast and said, “Our Union – it must be preserved.”

• Calhoun responded with a toast saying, “The Union. Next to our liberties, most dear.”

The Crisis

• 1832 – Jackson signed a new tariff bill• South Carolina declared the tariffs of 1828 and

1832 “null, void, and no law”• Jackson issued a proclamation against

nullification

The Crisis Continued

• Henry Clay designed a compromise tariff that gradually reduced duties

• 1833 – Congress passed the Force Bill allowing the President to use the army and navy to enforce federal laws

• South Carolina accepted the compromise tariff and withdrew nullification but nullified the Force Bill, which Jackson overlooked

Indian Removal

• Jackson sought to move Native Americans further west and make them become settled farmers

The Cherokee Nation

• Lived in Northwest Georgia• They had settled as farmers and lived like

Europeans• The state of Georgia tried to take their lands, so

they took the case to the Supreme Court• Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)• Worcester v. Georgia• Jackson said “Marshall has made his decision.

Now let him enforce it.”

Trail of Tears

• Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830

• The Choctaw agreed to move in return for free land in the west, help moving and settling, and yearly payments

• 1830-1833: 15,000 Choctaw headed west, many dying along the way

Trail of Tears Continued

• The Creek in Alabama were forced west by the U.S. Army in 1836

• 1837: the Chickasaw were forced west• 1838: Cherokee forced out by U.S. Army on

the Trail of Tears from Georgia to Oklahoma– About 4,000 out of 15,000 died on the way

The Indian Wars

• Second Seminole War (1835-1842)– U.S. lost 1,500 soldiers and $20 million before

giving up in Florida• Black Hawk War (1832)

Jackson’s Achievements

• Jackson took charge as no one had before• He used the veto power more than any other

president before him• He showed strength by standing up to South

Carolina during the nullification crisis• Showed his strength in claiming the power as

spokesman for all the people in the United States