Homework:
New Mass Democracy
By the 1824 presidential election, the
political landscape of America had changed:
Federalists had disappeared
Sectional issues divided the Republicans
New forms of politicking emerged; parades,
political buttons, baby kissing, BBQs
Voter turnout was on the rise
Political Democratization
Universal White Manhood Suffrage
Private, written ballot
Party nominating caucuses
Electors go by popular vote
A One-Party Election
Unlike previous elections, the 1824 election
comprised of five men who all claimed to be
Republicans:
 Henry Clay of Kentucky
 John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts
 William Crawford of Georgia
 Andrew Jackson of Tennessee
 John C. Calhoun of South Carolina
Calhoun dropped out and opted for the
unopposed Vice Presidency. Jackson won the
popular vote, but failed to get the majority of
the electoral vote.
Clay Chooses the President
As directed in the 12th
Amendment, the House of
Representatives had to choose the
winner from the top three
candidates. This led to Henry
Clay’s elimination, however, he
was still the acting Speaker of the
House, and could influence votes.
Crawford suddenly became
paralyzed from a stroke. Jackson
was Clay’s rival in the West and
the two detested one another.
Adams supported Clay’s American
system.
The “Corrupt Bargain”
Shortly before the casting of the ballots,
Clay met privately with Adams and assured
him support. Adams was elected president
and he nominated Clay as his Secretary of
State. Jacksonians believed that an illegal
bargain had been struck.
A President Against the Wall
From the election, John Quincy
Adams was fighting up hill:
 Jackson began campaigning the day
after the House election on the
platform of corruption and
patronage.
 Fewer than one-third of the people
actually had voted for him.
 He demanded respect rather than
courting popularity.
 He removed very few of his
political adversaries from office.
 Adams took a national view of
leadership, which alienated him
from the growing sectional
conflicts.
“Old Hickory” For Office
In 1828, Jackson ran against
Adams who was going for his
second term:
 Adams supporters called
themselves National
Republicans.
 Jackson supporters called
themselves DemocraticRepublicans. (Martin Van
Buren)
 Jackson had the support of the
West and the South. Adams had
the support of the Northeast.
 Mudslinging reached a new low.
 Jackson won the election.
Changing the Culture of DC
 Jackson was the second president not to have a
college education.
 He was considered more of a frontiersman than a
gentleman.
 “Hickoryites” filled the streets of Washington to
watch Jackson take the oath of office.
 More uncouth than cultured, Jackson took his
western style of enforcement to the presidency.
 He was a Jeffersonian Democrat, looking at the
powers of Congress narrowly and vetoing 12 bills
he dubbed unconstitutional, which was more than
all six preceding presidents.
Rotation in Office
To make it possible for a maximum number of
supporters to hold office, Jackson would limit a
person’s tenure in office to just one term and
appoint some other deserving supporter in his
place. Jacksonians contempt for experts believed
that ordinary Americans were capable of holding
any government office. Both the spoils system and
the rotation of officeholders affirmed the
democratic ideal that one man was a good as
another. They also helped build a strong-two party
system.
Spoils System
Also know as patronage,
this was the system in
which supporters of a
candidate receive
political favors upon that
candidate’s election. Not
unheard of in America,
but put in on a large
scale by Jackson.
Maysville Road Veto
On May 27, 1830 President Jackson vetoed a bill
which would allow the Federal government to
purchase stock in the Maysville, Washington,
Paris, and Lexington Turnpike Road Company,
which had been organized to construct a road
linking Lexington and the Ohio River. The entirety
of the road would have been in the state of
Kentucky. Congress passed a bill in 1830
providing federal funds to complete the project.
Jackson vetoed the bill on the grounds that federal
funding of intrastate projects of this nature was
unconstitutional.
“Sectional” Tariff of 1824
After having enacted the first true protective
tariff in 1816, Congress continued the
progression in 1824 by raising rates (over
30% on average) and by including such
products as glass, lead, iron and wool in the
protected category.
Issues Over the Tariff
The Tariff of 1816 eight years before had passed
into law upon a wave of nationalism that followed
the War of 1812. But by 1824, this nationalism
was transforming into strong sectionalism.
Northern and Western representatives joined
together in passing the tariff, turning a deaf ear to
complaints from the South. Cotton growers sold
heavily to Britain and other European nations, and
justifiably feared tariff retaliation. Northern
manufacturers and Western farmers produced
largely for the domestic market and were more
immune from foreign tariff discrimination than
Southern growers.
Tariff of Abominations
This was a high tariff, passed
in 1828 as a Jacksonian tactic
against Adams. The “Old”
southern states hated the
tariffs, which they considered
an unequal tax. They also
believed that the tariff was
the beginning of federal
encroachments on states’
rights.
Encroachments on States’ Rights
• The Old South was falling on hard times
and the tariff was a convenient scapegoat
• With federal interference on the tariff,
slavery could be next.
• Slavery anxiety caused by:
• Missouri Compromise, 1820
• Denmark Vesey slave revolt, 1822
• Abolition in Britain bringing pressure on the
West Indies
• Nat Turner’s Rebellion, 1831
• William Lloyd Garrison’s The Liberator
John C. Calhoun
A former War Hawk Congressman from South
Carolina and Jackson’s Vice President. After
the War of 1812, Calhoun staunchly supported
the American System, however, he believed
that the outcome of the 1824 presidential
election demonstrated that control of the federal
government was subject to manipulation by
Adams and Clay. Calhoun resolved to thwart
Adams and Clay's nationalist program. He saw
the protective tariff as a device that benefited
the North at the expense of the South, which
relied on foreign manufactured goods and open
foreign markets for its cotton. A program of
turnpikes built at federal expense, which Clay
advocated, would burden the South with taxes
without bringing it substantial benefits.
The South Carolina Exposition and
Protest
Published in 1828 by the South Carolina
legislature, and written by Calhoun, but
kept anonymously, the document
denounced the recent tariff as unjust and
unconstitutional. It bluntly proposed that the
states should nullify the tariff.
Peggy Eaton Affair
The champion of the common man
also went to the aid of the common
woman, at least for Peggy
O’Neale Eaton. The wife of
Jackson’s Secretary of War, she
was the target of malicious gossip
by the other cabinet wives of being
an adulteress, much like Jackson’s
late wife. When Jackson tried to
force the cabinet wives to accept
Peggy Eaton socially, most of the
cabinet resigned. This controversy
along with future disputes will also
contribute to the resignation of
Jackson’s vice president, John C.
Calhoun.
The Nullification Crisis
A lower tariff was passed
in 1832, however, “nullies”
in South Carolina
convinced the state’s
legislature to nullify the
law. South Carolina even
threatened to secede if
federal officials tried to
collect the tariff. Jackson
was not a supporter of the
tariff, but he was a staunch
unionist and threatened
South Carolina with
invasion.
Compromise of 1833
• Compromise Tariff of 1833 - A tariff
proposal created by Henry Clay. It was a
tariff that would gradually reduce by
10% in eight years. The bill barely
passed in Congress.
• Force Bill – This law was enacted to
allow the president to use the army and
navy, if necessary, to collect federal tariff
duties. This was in hope to prevent
further insurrection by the states.
The Bank War
Jackson did believe in banking and business, he just
hated the BUS for its “above authority" persona and
the businesses who were growing rich off of the
bank’s loans. Henry Clay tried to use this hatred of
the Bank to his advantage asking for a renewal of
the BUS’s charter in the upcoming presidential
election year of 1832. He underestimated Jackson’s
supporters.
The Election of 1832
 Believing that the veto of the BUS’s charter
weakened Jackson, Henry Clay opposed him for
president as a National Republican
 For the first time a third party entered the fray, the
Anti-Masonic Party. These people opposed the
secrecy and influence of the Masons and
considered them a society of the privileged.
 Despite having impressive advantages
campaigning, Clay and supporters vastly
underestimated the power Jackson had with the
masses. Jackson won the presidency
overwhelmingly.
Burying the BUS
After Jackson won the 1832
election, he believed that the
voters had called on him to
end the power of the BUS.
He did by withdrawing all
federal funds in the bank,
and went through a few
Secretary of Treasuries to do
it. He then deposited the
money in “pet” banks who
were loyal to him. The BUS
eventually went bankrupt in
during the Panic of 1837.
Pet Banks
The popular term for pro-Jackson state banks that
received the bulk of federal deposits during
Jackson’s war with the BUS. Without control of a
central bank, andwith the passing of the Deposit
Act, these pet banks and the smaller wildcat banks
began printing money indiscriminately. Over night
this paper money inflated, and ultimately became
worthless.
Specie Circular
With the wildcat currency becoming
increasingly unreliable, Jackson made this
decree to the Treasury Department. It
required all public lands to be purchased
with “hard”, or metallic, money. This
drastic step slowed down the speculation
boom of the western banks, but instigated a
future economic recession.
Locofocos
A faction of the Democratic Party hat existed
from 1835 until the mid-1840s. The faction
was originally named the Equal Rights Party
and was created in New York City as a
protest against that city’s regular Democratic
organization. They were vigorous advocates
of laissez-faire and opponents of monopolies.
They were for free trade, greater circulation
of specie, legal protections of labor unions,
and against paper money, finacial
speculation, and state banks.
Whig Party
Formed between 1828
and 1834, this party
amassed the opponents of
Jackson into a rival party
of the Democrats. They
called for the American
System, public
education, reforms in
prisons and asylums, a
market economy, and
pushed against antiprotestants and elites
Van Buren Becomes President
By the end of his second term,
Jackson was nearing seventy
and toyed with the idea of
running for a third. Instead he
hand-picked his successor
nominating Martin Van Buren,
Jackson’s former Secretary of
State and present Vice
President. The Whigs were far
from organized and nominated
a group of men, hoping for
another House selection. Van
Buren squeaked out a victory.
No Magic For the Magician
From the beginning, Van Buren’s
presidency was doomed:
Resentment from fellow Democrats
Inherited Jackson’s vengeful enemies
Rebellion in Canada (Caroline Incident)
Annexation of Texas and the slavery issue
Panic of 1837
Independent Treasury Bill (Divorce Bill)
“Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”
In 1840, the Democrats
nominated Van Buren despite
his unsuccessful presidential
term. The Whigs learned from
their mistakes and nominated
William Henry Harrison. Just
like the Democrats did with
Jackson, the Whigs portrayed
Harrison as a backwoods,
frontier American and labeled
Van Buren as an elitist.
Harrison won the election.
Changes in Politics
The election of 1840 demonstrated two
major changes in American politics since
the Era of Good Feelings:
1) The triumph of the populist democratic system
and the fall the elite
2) The formation of a permanent and durable twoparty system
Second Great Awakening
This event was a religious revival
characterized by emotional mass “camp
meetings” and widespread conversion. The
event brought about democratization of
religion as numerous denominations vied for
membership and pushed Americans toward
various social reform movements.
Outcomes of the Awakening
• New evangelical leaders like Peter
Cartwright and Charles Grandison Finney
(Seek out sin, or Theological Perfectionism)
• Promoted social and moral order on the
frontier
• Feminization of religion and reform
• Fragmentation of religious faiths (BurnedOver District, Millerites or Adventists)
• Widened the lines between classes and
regions
Unitarians
Inspired by Deism, this belief first caught on
in New England at the end of the 18th century.
They believed in a unitary, or one, deity not
the Trinity, rejected the divinity of Christ, and
emphasized the inherent goodness of
mankind. They proclaimed a belief in free
will, salvation through good deeds, a
benevolent God. The movement mostly
inspired intellectuals whose rationalism and
optimism contrasted sharply with Calvinism.
Mormons
Religious followers of Joseph
Smith, who founded a religious,
oligarchic religious order in the
1830s and were officially
known as the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Facing deep hostility from their
non-Mormon neighbors, they
eventually migrated west and
established a flourishing
settlement in the Utah desert.
Shakers
Founded by Mother Ann Lee, who depicted herself as
the Daughter of God, this group practiced celibacy and
Christian socialism to promote religious perfection.
Congregation relied on converts and adoption to
replenish the ranks.
Reform Movements
The Second Great Awakening inspired
countless people to improve society:
•Temperance
•Anti-War Crusade
•Education Reform
•Abolition
•Women’s Rights
•Prison and Punishment Reform
•Utopian Societies
Temperance Movement
• American Temperance Society
(Boston 1826) “Cold Water Army”
• Washington Societies
• T.S. Arthur’s Ten Nights in a
Barroom and What I Saw There
(1854) – Story of a once happy
village ruined by Sam Slade’s
Tavern
• Maine Law of 1851 – Prohibited the
manufacture and sale of alcohol. A
dozen other states followed, but
repealed the law within the decade
because of ineffectiveness.
Anti-War Crusade
In 1828, the American Peace
Society was formed which
officially declared war on war.
Leader William Ladd gave
riveting speeches on ending
war and promoted global
cooperation. His society and it
European counterpart saw
promising results until the
outbreak of the Crimean War
in Europe and the American
Civil War
Early Schools
• One room schoolhouse, one
teacher, eight grades
• Curriculum: three-R’s of
education (reading, writing,
arithmetic)
• Schoolteachers were mainly
men, ill-paid, ill-trained, and
ill-tempered.
• Schools only stayed open for
a few months of the year and
many students did not stay
full length.
Horace Mann
A brilliant and idealistic
graduate of Brown University,
he became the secretary of the
Massachusetts Board of
Education. He campaigned
effectively for more and better
schoolhouses, longer school
terms, higher pay for teachers,
and an expanded curriculum.
His influence changed the focus
of education and influenced
other states.
Education for the Disabled
Two reformers founded special institutions to help
people with physical disabilities. Thomas Gallaudet
founded a school in Connecticut in 1817 for the deaf.
Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe founded a school for the
blind in 1839 called the Perkins Institution and
Massachusetts School for the Blind.
Abolition
• American
Colonization Society
(1816)
• David Walker, Appeal
to the Colored Citizens
of the World
• William Lloyd
Garrison, The
Liberator, and the
American Antislavery
Society
• Frederick Douglass
and The North Star
• Moderate v. Radical
Abolitionists
• Theodore Dwight
Weld
• Angelina and Sarah
Grimke
• Sojourner Truth
• James E. Birney and
the Liberty Party
• “Gag” Rule, freedom
of expression, and
Constitutional petition
th
19
Century Womanhood
• A woman’s place was in the home,
subordinate to her husband
• They could not vote and could be legally
beaten by husbands
• If married, women had no legal rights to
property.
• 10% of women did not marry.
• Women were thought to be physically and
emotionally weak, but also artistic and
refined.
• Keepers of society’s conscience.
Early Female Activists
• Lucretia Mott
• Elizabeth Cady
Stanton
• Susan B. Anthony
• Dr. Elizabeth
Blackwell
• Margaret Fuller (Woman
in the Nineteenth
Century)
• Sarah and Angelina
Grimke
• Lucy Stone
• Amelia Bloomer
Seneca Falls Convention
Also known as the Women’s Rights
Convention, this was a gathering of feminist
activists, in 1848, where Elizabeth Cady
Stanton read her “Declaration of
Sentiments,” stating that “all men and
women are created equal.” The primary right
the women demanded was suffrage. This
event ignited the Women’s Rights
Movement.
Prison And Punishment Reform
• State legislatures gradually
abolished debtor’s prisons as more
white males gained the right to
vote
• Criminal codes were softened,
capital offenses were reduced, and
brutal punishments, like branding
and whippings, were eliminated
• Dorothea Dix pursued prison
reform and better treatment for the
mentally ill
• Penitentiaries, Almshouses and
Workhouses, and Insane Asylums
Utopian Societies
Various communal experiments, mostly on
the small scale, had been attempted, but in
competition with democratic free enterprise,
all failed or changed their methods:
• New Harmony
• Brook Farm
• Oneida Community
• Fourier Phalanxes