Chapter 13
The Age of Jackson
1824 - 1842
Section 1:
People’s President
The
• July 4, 1826 – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
died
• Suffrage – right to vote; extended to all men in
new Western states; free African men lost vote in
north in early 1800’s
• Caucus – closed political meeting to nominate
officials
• “King Caucus” – only party leaders could
nominate officials
• Nominating conventions – delegates from each
state voted for officials
• In 1824, 27% voted; by 1840, 80% voted
• Election of 1824 – only political party was
Democratic-Republicans; candidates were Clay,
Jackson, Adams, Crawford
• Adams – son of President; Monroe’s Secretary of
State; not well liked
• Clay – well-liked; witty; Speaker of House
• Crawford – Monroe’s Secretary of Treasury;
member of Congress
• Jackson – hero of Battle of New Orleans; one of
the common people
• Jackson – won popular vote; no one won a
majority of electoral votes
• House of Rep. – chose Adams (backed by Clay);
Adams chooses Clay as Sec. of State (“corrupt
bargain”)
• National Republicans – supported by
Adams and Clay
• Democratic – supported by Jackson
• Election of 1828 – Jackson v. Adams;
attacked each other
• Jackson won by landslide; symbol of
growing power of democracy
Section 2:
A New Spirit in the White House
• Jackson’s wife died shortly before inauguration;
common people invited; “The reign of King Mob
seemed triumphant”
• fired many govt. employees and replaced with
loyal supporters – “To the victor belong the spoils
of the enemy” (spoils system)
• Kitchen cabinet – Jackson’s own personal advisers
• Nicholas Biddle – president of the Bank; asked
Congress to renew charter (not due until 1836);
Jackson vetoed bill and said Bank was corrupt
• Election of 1832 – Jackson wins easily
• Jackson ordered Sec. of Treasury Roger Taney to
put federal funds in certain state banks known as
pet banks
• Biddle restricted funds leaving the Bank; paper
money became scarce; Bank went out of business
in 1836
Section 3: Crisis and Conflict
• Tariff – tax on imported goods; liked by
North and West; South called it the Tariff of
Abominations (disgusting or hateful)
• VP Calhoun – each sovereign (independent)
state can nullify any federal law such as a
tariff
• Sen. Daniel Webster of MA – states’ rights
threat to Union
• Sen. Robert Hayne of SC – defended
nullification (right of states to declare
federal laws illegal)
• Pres. Jackson – “Our Federal Union—it
must be preserved!”
• VP Calhoun – “The Union—next to our
liberty, the most dear!”; resigned as VP;
Martin Van Buren became VP
• Nullification Act – SC declared the tariff “null,
void, and no law”; SC threatened to secede (leave
Union); no state followed lead; compromised
• Native Americans – Jackson wanted them to go to
present-day OK; by 1820, only 120,000 lived east
of MS River
• 1828 – Cherokee asked Supreme Court to defend
their rights; GA wanted to make laws for
Cherokee; Chief Justice Marshall sided with
Cherokee and Supreme Court ruled against GA;
Jackson ignored Court’s decision
• Sequoya – written alphabet for Cherokee;
newspaper called Cherokee Phoenix
• Indian Removal Act of 1830 – federal
money used to relocate Indians
• John Ross – Cherokee leader led people
southwest; 1/8th died including wife; known
as “Trail of Tears”
Osceola
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Seminole leader who refused to leave FL
Runaway slaves fought with Seminole
Federal troops fought with them for 7 years
Osceola died in prison
Some fled deep in the Everglades
Section 4:
The End of the Jacksonian Era
• Election of 1836 – Martin Van Buren
(Democrat) ran against 3 in the Whig party;
Van Buren won easily
• State banks started loaning too much
money; printed paper notes not backed by
specie (gold or silver); increased prices
especially land
• Specie Circular – Jackson issued paper stating
land could be bought only with gold or silver; land
sales dropped; speculators could not pay loans;
banks repossessed land but at a loss
• People exchanged paper money for gold or silver
which caused problems for banks
• Price of cotton dropped; farmers couldn’t repay
loans; same in West
• Demand for factory goods dropped because people
had less money; many became homeless
• Panic of 1837 – 3 months into Van Buren’s term,
many banks closed
• 1840 – Van Buren establishes independent federal
treasury; no federal money in private state banks
• Election of 1840 – Whig’s candidate was William
Henry Harrison, hero of 1811 Battle of
Tippecanoe
William Henry Harrison
• From wealthy family in VA
• Was presented as humble OH farmer born
in log cabin
• Running mate was John Tyler
• Slogan was “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”
• Harrison won 234 electoral votes to Van
Buren’s 60 votes; died one month into
presidency of pneumonia
• John Tyler - first VP to become President
upon death of President
• Tyler – proponent of westward expansion
Chapter 13 Study Guide
• Indian territory – area in which Indians were
relocated in 1838
• Spoils system – awarding jobs to political
supporters
• Roger Taney – deposited funds in pet banks for
Jackson
• FL – the Osceola and Seminole tribes territory
• House of Representatives (1824) – elected
President in 1824
• John Tyler – 1st VP to take over for a
President after his death
• John C. Calhoun – opposed the Tariff of
Abominations
• Nicholas Biddle – president of the Bank of
U.S.
• Andrew Jackson – hero of Battle of New
Orleans
• William Crawford – Pres. Monroe’s Secretary of
Treasury
• West frontier in the 1800’s – between Appalachian
Mts. And MS River
• Andrew Jackson – from TN
• Bank of U.S. in 1832 had control over credit
• Abomination – dreadful; hateful
• Farmers and merchants – opposed Bank
• Specie Circular – Jackson tried to stop land
speculators by buying with specie (gold or
silver)
• Panic of 1837 – during presidency of Martin
Van Buren
• Jackson – “Our Federal Union – It Must Be
Preserved”
• Tariff of 1828 – helped Western farmers and
Northern manufacturers
• Suffrage – only free men in 1800’s
Short essays
• Name 2 ways Andrew Jackson’s
presidency was different from those
before him - projected image of common
man; inauguration was loud; kitchen
cabinet; spoils system
• Define Nullification Act – states were
sovereign and had right to cancel federal
laws they felt were unconstitutional