Unit IV
Part 6
Andrew Jackson
The and the Second BUS
The Whigs
Remember
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Jackson hated Banks
He distrusted paper money
He opposed the Second BUS because it put power
into the hands of his enemies
The Second BUS was not popular with farmers
Ruthless foreclosures
Jackson was elected in 1832
The BUS charter was up for renewal in 1836
Who would be President in 1836?
Friends of the BUS
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Were worried that even if congress passed a
BUS renewal, Jackson would veto it
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Nicholas Biddle was President of the Second
BUS…he ran it very well
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Biddle was worried too
Daniel Webster had a plan
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To save the Second BUS
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He told Biddle to apply EARLY for a recharter
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He believed that Jackson would not dare to veto a
bank bill before the election of 1832
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Belief that if Jackson DID veto the BUS recharter, he
would LOSE the election
Biddle asked for an early re-charter
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Congress passed the Second BUS recharter bill
Jackson vetoed it
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NOTE: the Second BUS would still operate
until 1836
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Biddle made lots of low-interest loans to those
opposed to Jackson during the election
BUT THEN
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Jackson was re-elected!
Still two factions of one party:
Democratic Republicans:
Jackson (VP Van Buren) (219)
National Republicans:
Henry Clay (49): first to have a national platform
Anti-Masonics (Third Party)
Wirt (0): first to have a National Convention
Jackson
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Believed his election was a sign from the people
that they wanted him to destroy the Bank even
before the charter ran out
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So he asked his Secretary of the Treasury to
remove all of the federal $ from the Bank…he
refused and was fired
The next Sec. of the Treasury…the same
They both believed it would be really bad for the
economy
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Roger Taney (Attorney General)
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Was made the new Sec. of the Treasury
HE removed the federal $ from the Second BUS
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The $ was re-deposited into several “PET”
banks owned by Jackson lovers
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Was this more democratic?
Yes…before the government $ could only be
used by one bank, now…many
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The Federal Money
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Was used by more banks = more economic
opportunities for more people
Marshall died! 1834
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Jackson named Taney as new Supreme Court
Chief Justice (a reward?)
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In the meantime…Nicholas Biddle was forced
to call in loans early to keep the bank afloat
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More farmers lost land
Businesses failed, factories closed, lost jobs
Depression for several years
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The Specie Circular 1836
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A Jackson idea passed by congress
Required buyers to buy land with specie!
Made economy even worse
Contributed to the Panic of 1837
Panic will be blamed on Van Buren because he
will be the president to inherit it
Taney’s Court
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Modified some of Marshall’s decisions:
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Charles River Bridge v Warren Bridge 1837: Taney
said that a state MAY amend a contract if it
would benefit that state’s citizens
The Rise of the Whigs
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Jackson made many enemies due to his actions during
the Nullification Crisis and his war with the Second
BUS
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During his second term, the Whig Party was formed
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It was a combination of National Republicans and
Jackson Haters (who did not necessarily agree with the
ideology of the National Republicans)
The Whigs
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Founders: Daniel Webster and Henry Clay
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Platform: Clay’s American System
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Ideology: Stood for the same issues as the
Federalist Party: High Tariff, Strong Central
Government, a BUS
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Remember: Webster was the last spokesman for
the Federalist Party at the Hartford Convention
Election of 1836
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Democrats (Old Democratic-Republican Party)
Van Buren (NY) (170)
VP Johnson (killed Tecumseh)
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Three Whig Candidates:
W.H. Harrison (73)
Hugh White (26)
Daniel Webster (14)
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Independent: Magnum (11)
Van Buren
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Will only serve one term because the economy
was so bad and it was all blamed on him
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Although Jackson was at fault: his war with the
Second BUS and the Specie Circular
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BUT Jackson was still President until March of
1837
African Americans
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Free in the North but second class citizens
Often could not vote in Northern States
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1831 Nat Turner’s Rebellion: White family killed while
slaves attempted to escape
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Great fear by Southerners
Abolitionist societies disappeared in the South
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The Gag Rule
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The slavery issue was such a hot topic that if it
was introduced in Congress, no work was
done…only fighting over slavery
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SO…members of the House were subject to the
Gag Rule…Members were not supposed to
bring up the topic of slavery so other work
could get done
The Gag Rule
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John Quincy Adams (was elected to the House
after his presidency) tried to break the Gag Rule
over 300 times
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He continually tried to introduce petition to end
slavery.
Native Americans
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Since Jefferson, the U.S. policy was removal to
east of the Mississippi
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Jackson’s Trail of Tears
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1832 Black Hawk War in the Northwest
1837-42 Seminole War in Florida
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Foreign Affairs
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The English finally opened up West Indies trade
to the U.S.
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The French paid us compensation for ships and
cargo seized prior to the War of 1812 with the
Convention of 1831
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Now…Mexico…
Mexico
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Had gained its independence from Spain in early
1820’s
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Big U.S. migration to Mexico due the the
Empressario System (like the Headright system:
free land to settlers)
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Stephen Austin one of the first
Great Migration
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By 1830 there were 20,000 Americans in Mexico
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BUT they were not happy:
Did not like to pay a tariff on U.S. goods
Did not have self-government
1829: Mexico outlawed slavery
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Mexico
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Americans in Texas area formed a provisional
government
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Santa Ana (Mexican dictator) Led the Mexican
army against the Americans
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Americans in Texas (Mexico) declared their
independence in 1836
The War for Texas Independence
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1836: Battle of the Alamo (big win for Mexico)
1836: Battle of the Goliad (big win for Mexico)
1836: Battle of San Jacinto (Americans won
their independence by capturing Santa Ana)
Sam Houston: President of the Texas Republic
asked for U.S. annexation
Texas
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Jackson would not consider annexing Texas
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Did not want to risk war with Mexico
Did not want to upset the Senate balance of free
and slave states…Texas would enter as a slave
state.
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Will be annexed by Tyler after election of Polk
in 1844