Lesson 37
Do Now:
Who won the election of 1828? Who was not happy with Andrew Jackson as
president? What nickname was given to Andrew Jackson during the war of 1812?
Who was Jackson and why were the people so excited about him? What was the
“Spoils System”? What was “The Kitchen Cabinet”? According to Jackson, what was
unfair about the way presidential candidates were chosen? What was the
Nominating Convention?
Motivation:
In the election of 1828, Andrew Jackson received twice as many electoral votes as
John Quincy Adams. Andrew Jackson had won! Excitement filled Washington DC!
Jackson became the 7th president of the US. Many of his supporters were farmers
and frontiersmen. Those with wealth and power, especially those in the North
(Massachusetts) were unhappy. Andrew Jackson was very different from anyone
who had been president before him. Most presidents were wealthy and well
educated. Most presidents before him were from Virginia or Massachusetts. Andrew
Jackson was born very poor. He grew up to be rich…this made him admirable. He
proved that a poor person, born in a log cabin could rise to power in the US. In most
other countries this could never happen. Andrew Jackson grew up without parents
and was too poor to go to school. He mostly taught himself. He became a lawyer in
Tennessee, then was elected to Congress, then became a judge, but no matter what,
he remained a man of the frontier! There is a saying… “to the victor belong the
spoils”, What does this mean? This means that the winner can do whatever he wants
with what he has won! Andrew Jackson practiced what some people called a “spoils
system” of handing out government jobs. He gave many government jobs to his
friends. Jackson was not very concerned with the experience or education of the
people he chose for certain positions in government. Instead, he picked those who
were loyal to him and the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson did not always turn to
his Cabinet for advice. Instead he often discussed government problems with old
friends. These friends helped him to make important decisions. Jackson’s helpful
friends often walked into the White House through the kitchen door. They met with
the president informally. They became known as Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet”.
Jackson believed that the common people should have a voice in choosing political
candidates. Congressmen at secret meetings had always chosen candidates for
president and vice-president. Americans voted, but only after the candidates had
been picked by others. During Jackson’s term, a new system of choosing presidential
candidates was set up. Political parties now held nominating conventions. At these
conventions delegates from each party came together. These delegates represented
people from all parts of the country. These delegates chose the candidates for their
party. (Today, we watch the nominating conventions on TV.)
CQs/Notes:
1. How was America changing under President Jackson in the cities and out
West?
a. America was changing. The country was spreading westward.
b. Back in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson was president this was a nation
of farmers
c. By 1828, when Jackson was elected America was changing into a
nation of city people.
2. Why did people go to the cities?
a. People went to the cities for Jobs in factories in the Northeast…
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Watch the following segments:
Life Before the Ind. Rev. (1 min)
Textile Manufacturing before the IR (1 min)
Revol. In the Textile Industry (2 min)
Factories and the Growth of Industrial Cities (1 min)
The Industrial Rev. comes to America 1 min
New England’s Industrial Revolution (1min)
Factory Work (2 min)
3. What is industrialization?
a. As industry grew more and more, products were made by machine.
b. Before, many things were made by hand.
c. The growth in industry and the change from hand-work to machinework was called the Industrial Revolution.
4. Where did the Industrial Revolution take place?
a. The Industrial Revolution took place mainly in the North.
b. In the South, much of the farming, such as picking cotton was done by
hand. Slaves did it.
Watch: Flight From Famine (5 min) (united Streaming)
try this: http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=1CEE06285B60-4737-B4B0-242EC3C5A7BF
5. What was the “Great Hunger”
a. Often immigrants came to the US to escape terrible living conditions
in their home country
b. In the early 1800s, many European farmers had trouble growing
enough food to feed their families
c. This “Great Hunger” drove people to the US.
6. What were the working and living conditions like for immigrants?
a. Most of the immigrants were forced to work at low-paying jobs and to
live in run down buildings.
b. A low-paying job was a better job than no job at all!
7. Why did immigrants come to the US?
a. In America, people could work hard and improve their lives
b. In America people had rights they did not have in Europe
c. In America, immigrants who became citizens had the right to vote.