APUSH Lecture 3A
(covers chapter 9)
Ms. Kray
Some slides taken from Susan Pojer
► Amazed
by the informal
manners and democratic
attitudes of
Americans
► Equality
was becoming
the governing principle of
American society
► Widespread
belief in the
principle of equality of
opportunity for white
males
► The
hero of the age was
the “self-made man”
 Jackson was the symbol
►
No more property requirements for voting
 Universal Manhood suffrage became the norm
►
►
Party nominating conventions replaced “King Caucus” System
More popular campaigning: floats, parades, rallies, etc.
 Issues downplayed, more personal attacks
► RI
constitution barred more
than ½ adult males from voting
 Legislature blocked all reforms
► 1840
– Thomas Dorr drafted a
new constitution
 Won the majority of the popular
vote
 Legislature refused to accept
► 1842
– Dorr set up a rival gov’t
 Tried to seize state arsenal
► Jacksonians
had great respect for the common
sense and abilities of the common man
 Believed one man could do a job just as well as the next
► Patronage
in office
is the policy of placing political supporters
 Many Jacksonians believed that victorious candidates
had a duty to reward their supporters and punish their
opponents
 Originally intended break elites stranglehold on positions
of power but became a source of corruption
► Rotation
of office
► As
a champion of the common
man, Jacksonians despised the
special privileges of Eastern elites
► Special
privileges were
anathemas to a government
dedicated to promoting and
protecting the common man
► Jackson
coalition:
 Planter elite, westerners, state
politicians, & immigrants
► Protector
of the common man
► Opposed
increased spending &
the national debt
 Frugal Jeffersonian
► Strict
Constructionist
 Vetoed 12 bills - more than all
other presidents combined
 Maysville Road Bill vetoed
► The
Kitchen Cabinet
► Wife
of Secretary of War
John Eaton
► Target
of malicious gossip
 Jackson tried to get the cabinet
wives to accept Peggy socially
► Most
of the cabinet resigned
 Contributed to V.P. John C.
Calhoun resignation a year
later
► South
angered by passage of
Tariff of 1828
 Feared growing federal interference
w/states’ rights and its implications
for slavery in the South
 Decided time to take a stand
► South
Carolina Exposition, 1828
 Written by former VP John C.
Calhoun
 Argued tariff was unconstitutional
and should be nullified
► Based
on arguments from Virginia and
Kentucky Resolutions
►
Two senators engaged in a
debate over the nature of the
Union and states’ rights
►
Sen. Robert Hayne of South
Carolina took Calhoun’s
position in favor of states’
rights and nullification
►
Sen. Daniel Webster argued
for national power and of the
dangers nullification posed for
unity
 “Our Federal Union – It must
be preserved”
►
What was Jackson’s position?
►
South Carolina Nullification Convention
 Nullified the Tariff of 1828 & 1832
 Forbid the collection of tariffs within SC
►
Jackson Reacted Decisively
 Jackson’s position: event though he wished to reduce federal
power, he believed in the supremacy of the federal
government and only favored states’ rights as long as it
didn’t threaten disunion
 Force Bill
 Proclamation to the People of South Carolina
►
►
Nullification and talk of disunion was treason
Compromise Tariff of 1833
 Henry Clay helped get it passed
 Crisis averted
► South
Carolina Nullification Convention
 Nullified the Tariff of 1828 & 1832
 Forbid the collection of tariffs within SC
► Jackson
Reacted Decisively
 Force Bill
 Proclamation to the People of South Carolina
► Nullification
► Compromise
and talk of disunion was treason
Tariff of 1833
 Henry Clay helped get it passed
► Jackson
sympathized
w/land hungry whites but
also feared what would
happen to Indians
► Most
humane solution was
to move the Indians
westward
 Rejection of noble savage
argument
► Authorized
Jackson to set aside lands west of the
Mississippi in exchange for lands of the Indian
nations in the East
► Court
ruled that the laws of Georgia
had no force within the boundaries
of the Cherokee nation
 In keeping w/Marshall’s beliefs on
states’ rights
► Andrew
Jackson ignored the ruling,
supported Georgia’s removal of the
Indians anyway
 “John Marshall has made his decision,
now let him enforce it.”
►
By 1835 most eastern tribes
had reluctantly complied and
moved west, a few like
continued to resist
►
1836 - Bureau of Indian
Affairs created to assist the
resettled tribes
 Corrupt and incompetent
►
1838 – Trail of Tears
 U.S. army forcefully removed
the Cherokee from Georgia
 Done after Jackson left office
► 4,000
Cherokee died on the trek westward
“Soft”
money
(paper)
 state bankers felt it
restrained their banks
from issuing bank notes
freely.
 supported rapid economic
growth & speculation.
 Opposed BUS
“Hard”
money
(specie)
 felt that coin was the only
safe currency.
 didn’t like any bank that
issued bank notes.
 suspicious of expansion &
speculation.
 Supported BUS
► Jackson’s
belief in federal
supremacy did not extent to using
federal power to concentrate
economic power either in the
government or its allied
institutions
 Ex. vetoed Maysville Road in 1830
► 2nd
Bank of the United States
 Viewed as serving only the
interests of wealthy elites and
abusing its power
 Thought it was unconstitutional
► 1832
was an election year
 Henry Clay thought the bank
could be a campaign issue in the
election
 Got Congress to pass bank recharter early
► Jackson
vetoed the bank bill
 Denounced bank as “hydra of
corruption” that only benefited
the wealthy
 Voters side with Jackson
►
Jackson transferred government funds out of BUS into “pet banks”
 Did it while Congress was in recess!!!
 Congress censured Jackson
►
The bank eventually went bankrupt
► Jackson’s
extraordinary use of
presidential power led his
opponents to label him King
Andrew
 Vetoed more bills than all
previous presidents combined,
Bank War
► Led
to the development of the
Whig Party
 Henry Clay was their leader
Democrats
Whigs
Leaders
Andrew Jackson
Henry Clay
Resembled
Old Republican Party
of Jefferson
Defunct Federalist
Party
Position on Issues
Favored states’ rights,
Favored Clay’s
Base of Voter
Support
limited gov’t, free trade,
equal opportunity (for
white men)
Opposed monopolies, a
national bank, high
tariffs, high land prices
American System
(national bank, federal
$$$ for internal
improvements, tariff)
Opposed immorality,
vice, & crime, which
some blamed on
immigrants
Southerners,
westerners, small
farmers, urban workers
New Englanders,
residents of mid-Atlantic
& Upper-Middle West
states, WASPs, middleclass urban
professionals
► Jackson
honored 2term tradition
started by
Washington
► Persuaded
Democrats to
nominate his VP
Martin van Buren
► Whigs nominated 3
candidates
 Wanted to throw the
election to the
House of Reps.
 Plan failed
1767 - 1845
► Dominated
by economic problems
► Panic of 1837
 Caused by Jackson’s economic policies and
opposition to the 2nd BUS
 Specie Circular, 1836 – required all federal land
purchases to be made in gold and silver rather than
paper bank notes
 Land sales plummeted, credit dried up, businesses
failed, unemployment rose
► Whigs
in a strong position b/c
of bad economy
 Nominate William Henry Harrison
► Whigs
took campaign hoopla to
new heights
► Illustrated
how fully concept of
party competition,
subordination of ideology to
immediate political needs, had
established itself in America
 Whigs = party of the business elites but
portray selves as supporters of the
common man
“Tip and Tye”
(Words and Music by "A member of the Fifth Ward Club“, published 1840)
What has caus'd this great com-mo-tion,
mo-tion, mot-ion our coun-try through,
It is the ball that's rol-ling on,
For Tip-pi-ca-noe, and Ty-ler too,
For Tip-pi-ca-noe, and Ty-ler too,
And with them we'll beat lit-tle Van, Van,
Van is a us'd up man,
And with them we'll beat lit-tle Van.
Campaign Pull-Card Criticizing van
Buren as an aristocratic dandy.
► 78%
of the
eligible
voters turned
out
► This election
established
the Whigs as
a national
party
► Harrison
► Tyler
died after 1 month
was not much of a Whig
 Originally a states’ rights Dem.
► Vetoed
Whigs’ National Bank
and other legislation
► Favored
Southern &
Expansionist democrats most
of his term
►
Caroline Affair, 1837
►
Aroostook War
 Canadian rebels chartered
Am. steamship Caroline to
bring supplied across Niagara
River
 Brits burn ship, 1 Am. killed,
Brits won’t compensate U.S.
 NY authorities charge
Alexander McLeod w/murder
 over the ill-defined boundary
between Maine & New
Brunswick
 Fighting erupted between
lumbermen
 Webster-Ashburton Treaty
settles the boundary dispute