Ch15: Age of Jackson
(1820-1840)
15-1: A New Kind of Politics
I CAN…
• 1.) Define Missouri Compromise
• 2.) Describe how the Missouri
Compromise led to the addition of
new states.
• 3.) Analyze how the Missouri
Compromise impacted the balance
of power in Congress.
Divisions began in the US that reflected the
very different economies of the country=
Sectionalism, began to replace nationalism!
The Missouri Compromise
Sectionalism stood out when Missouri applied
for statehood…
– People in the state wanted slavery.
• At this time, US had 11 free and 11 slave
states, and a new slave state would tilt the
balance of power in Congress (pg.380).
• Also, Maine applies for statehood
– Henry Clay suggests that Maine enter
as a free state and Missouri enter as a
slave state to keep the balance!
– Also, slavery would be banned in
the Louisiana Territory north of the
36th parallel.
Andrew Jackson as President
Won election of 1828 (1829-1837)
Jacksonian Democracy: Everyday people
began gaining more political power.
(read aloud page 383 “New Political Era” – today?)
Ch15: Age of Jackson
(1820-1840)
15-2: Jackson’s
Harsh Indian Policy
INDIAN REMOVAL ACT
• Since the War of
1812 the US gov’t
pushed Indians west
of the Mississippi
River.
• No matter how the
Indians behaved
whites wanted their
land.
(Cherokee attempts pg. 384)
1830 Jackson’s
Indian Removal
Act: Indians must
move to public
lands west of the
Miss. River to
reservations.
(today OK state)
INDIAN RESISTANCE
2 violent examples
1832 Black Hawk War: Indians try to return to
homeland from Iowa reservation; stopped by Illinois
militia!
1835 Seminole Wars: Indians fought for 7 years to
stay in Florida homeland; most died, others fled.
1 peaceful example
 1832 Cherokee appealed to Supreme Court Justice
John Marshall who ruled in favor of the Cherokee that
GA had no right to overrule a federal gov’t treaty with
the Indians that protected their land.
TRAIL OF TEARS
The Trail of Tears
Cherokees refused to obey the
Indian Removal Act, the US
govt sent 7,000 troops, who
forced them out of their homes.
The Cherokees didn't even get
a chance to gather their
belongings, which were soon
looted by the white settlers that
came to claim their land. This
started the Trail of Tears, called
such because over 4,000
Cherokee died from the cold
and harsh conditions of the trail.
Hunger and disease also
claimed quite a few before they
had reached their allotted
western lands.
1838: Jackson sent troops
to physically move 15,000
Cherokee to reservations.
Section 3: Sectional and
Financial Controversies
I CAN…
1.) Define states’ rights
2.) Explain how states’ rights continued
to divide the country
3.) Explain the purpose and effects of
tariffs enacted before the Civil War
The Doctrine of Nullification
• VP John Calhoun proposed the doctrine of
nullification
– Congress had no authority to pass laws that
favored one section of the nation over the
others
• When it did, a state had the right to
declare that law null and void w/in the
state
– Another version of states’ rights
The Hayne-Webster Debates
• Hayne’s views:
– 1.) Rights of the states came before the unity of the
nation
– 2.) State could nullify any federal law it judged to be
unfair
• Webster’s views:
– 1.) Laws made by Congress were not subject to the
approval of each state
– 2.) Laws represented the will of the people as a whole
• Southern states lost the backing of the western
states and looked to Pres. Jackson for help
– Did not get it
South Carolina’s Threat
• Jackson asked Congress to lower the tariff and
they did
• SC still thought it was too high and voted to nullify
it
– SC said they would secede from the Union if
Congress tried to enforce it
• Jackson mad but VP Calhoun said each state chose
to join and they could choose to leave
• Jackson announces that he will enforce tariffs and
send troops to SC if needed
• Clay steps in w/ a compromise to gradually lower
tariffs over next 10 yrs
– Jackson signs it into law and SC stays in Union
Ch15: Age of Jackson
1829-1837
15-4 PROSPERITY & PANIC
POLITICAL PARTIES
Dem.Rep. for Jackson
a.k.a. DEMOCRATS
(Jackson is considered the ‘father’)
Low tariffs
• States rights
• South/Western support
•
Dem.Rep. who opposed
Jackson a.k.a. National
REPUBLICANS or WHIGS
• High tariffs
• Strong nat’l gov’t
• Northeast
Panic of 1837 – next Presidents
Jackson left office under US prosperity.
 By year end, under Van Buren, economic crisis
or Panic of 1837:

Paper money value
 Supply of gold and silver
 Factories and Jobs

Dem. Van Buren 1837-1841
Whig W.H.Harrison 1841
Whig Tyler 1841-1845… ??
Dem. Polk 1845-1849
Whig Taylor 1849- interesting, huh!
Chapter 16: Changes in
American Life (1820-1860)
Section 1: The Impact of
Immigration
(I Believe) I CAN (Fly)…
• 1.) Define IMMIGRATION
• 2.) Define NATIVISTS
• 3.) Explain how the diverse
peoples of the US developed a
common nat’l identify
• 4.) Explain how immigration
changed geographic patterns in
the US
Germans in America
• One of the largest immigrant groups
• Did not speak English, but were
educated and came w/ money and skills
• Settled along Erie Canal and Great Lakes
• Brought a large community of German
Jews who settled in the West
• Opposed slavery
Scandinavian Immigrants
• Moved to the West and the
North
• Brought deep religious faith
and strong sense of
community
The Irish Experience
• 1845- Irish potato famine caused 1,000’s to
leave the country
• Most stayed in NY, Boston, and Philly
– Took jobs that they could get
• Lived in crowded shacks and tenements
• Banded together and joined Democrat Party
– Became local political leaders
• Heavily involved in Roman Catholic Church
The Nativist Reaction
• Some native-born Americans saw the newcomers
as a threat
– Worried that immigrants would take jobs from
Americans (sound familiar??)
• Some refused to hire immigrants, some got
violent, and some formed secret societies
– Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner-> “KnowNothings”-> American Party
• Gained support on East Coast w/ anti-immigration platform
• Nativism continues today… so does immigration!
16-2 SPIRIT OF REFORM 1820-1860
I Can… explain how diverse peoples of the US developed a
common nat’l ID.
I Can… describe historical limitations on participation of
women in US society and their efforts to gain equal rights.
Second Great Awakening
• A revival of religious faith in the early
1800s – inspired by worries about
the future, Americans felt a need to
solve new issues/changes and
religious preaching’s led to a spirit of
reform… it would help solve society’s
problems.
[1740, First Great Awakening]
• This movement was led by women
within the church.
I Can… explain how diverse peoples of the US developed a
common nat’l ID.
I Can… describe historical limitations on participation of
women in US society and their efforts to gain equal rights.
American Reform 1820-1860
I Can… explain how diverse peoples of the US developed a common nat’l ID.
I Can… describe historical limitations on participation of women in US society and their
efforts to gain equal rights.
Work Conditions:
 Early labor mvmt got a few
health and safety laws –
Pres. Van Buren backed a
10 hour work day.
School:
 Children- a demand for free
and good public education
for all children.
 Women- at first banned
from HS and college, some
started going to schools for
females.
 AA- North; elementary
schools for blacks, few
going to college. South;
illegal to school blacks.
American Reform 1820-1860
I Can… explain how diverse peoples of the US developed a common nat’l ID.
I Can… describe historical limitations on participation of women in US society and their
efforts to gain equal rights.
Rehabilitation:
 Prisoners- organize prisons
to separate types of
criminals & men, women
and children.
 Mentally ill- improve their
hospital conditions and
care to include specialized
institutes.
Temperance: giving up alcohol
to improve quality of life.
 From sermons to pledges to
state laws being passed
and then repealed, this
mvmt. had power.
Section 3: Call for Equality
I CAN…
1.) Define the abolitionist movement
2.) Explain how the abolitionist movement continued to
divide the country
3.) Identify Fredrick Douglass and his role in the
abolitionist movement
4.) Identify Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her role in the
fight for women’s rights
Expanding Democracy
• At this point, most white men can vote
– Specifically in direct elections for gov’t
officials
– Also in nat’l conventions to choose party
delegates for Pres. and VP
• This gave ordinary people a stronger
voice in the party nominations
Equality vs. Slavery
• Abolitionists: wanted to abolish, or put an end to, slavery
• Fredrick Douglass:
– Born a slave
– Escaped to Massachusetts
– He spoke about his life and against slavery in his newspaper, “The
North Star”
• Sojourner Truth:
– Freed slave
– One of the first AA women to speak against slavery
• Underground RR:
– Informal system moving runaway slaves north with help from
“conductors” through hiding places called “stations”
• Harriet Tubman:
– Escaped slave
– Most famous conductor who risked over 19 trips to the
South to help free over 300 slaves
Women’s Rights
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other women attended int’l
conference against slavery yet were silenced by men
– Most state laws kept married women as property of the husband
• Seneca Falls Convention:
– 1848 NY meeting of men and women about women’s rights
– Stanton’s speech “Declaration of Sentiments” declared all men
and women were created equal
– The Convention called for women’s equality at work, school,
church, plus before the law
• Susan B. Anthony:
– Active in Temperance, an Abolitionist, and women’s rights
movement
– Most influential leader for women’s suffrage
I Can explain how the
diverse peoples of the
US developed a
common nat’l identity!
AMERICAN LIT AND ART
A spirit of democracy and equality swept through the
country changing attitudes & American life.
By mid 1840’s, American writers were
taking pride in their country’s culture.
They were creating a unique
American philosophy and style. This
helped create a common national
identity – a New American Culture.
AMERICAN LIT AND ART
Ralph Waldo Emerson: lectures and
writings based on Jacksonian ideals and
realities of American life.
Emerson taught it was important for
people to truly understand themselves to
be self-reliant and be able to survive.
His teachings led to a new American
philosophy known as Transcendentalism
(a belief or way of life emphasizing human thought and spirituality
over science and material things)
He urged Americans to develop their
own way of thinking – no longer based
on European influence!
AMERICAN LIT AND ART
Henry David Thoreau: a
student of Emerson,
he believed in
simplicity and living in
harmony with nature.
He influenced many
future world leaders
through a practice of
passive resistance in
refusing to obey
unfair laws,
peacefully.
I Can explain how the diverse
peoples of the US developed a
common national identity!
 1800’s American Literature and Art
 R.W.Emerson’s teachings & writings
 Transcendentalism
 H.D.Thoreau