Cover Slide
The American
Pageant
Chapter 13
The Rise of a
Mass Democracy,
1824-1840
Slideshow Adapted from: Ms. Susan M. Pojer
Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The Corrupt Bargain of 1824
• Election of 1824
•
•
•
•
Andrew Jackson of Tennessee
Henry Clay of Kentucky
William H. Crawford of Georgia
John Q. Adams of Massachusetts
– All called themselves Republicans
The Corrupt Bargain of 1824
– Jackson = most popular &
electoral votes
• BUT DIDN’T get majority in Electoral College.
– Adams=2nd in both
– Crawford=4th in the popular vote but 3rd in the
electoral votes
– Clay = 4th in the electoral vote
• SO?
– 12th Amendment top 3 vote getters voted upon
in House of Reps
– Majority (over 50%) = President
The Corrupt Bargain of 1824
• Clay = eliminated
– he was the Speaker of the House
– Crawford suffered a paralytic stroke
(he’s out of the picture)
– Clay hated Jackson,
– supports John Q. Adams (becomes
president)
The Corrupt Bargain of 1824
• So what’s the bargain?
– Clay is appointed Secretary of the State
– SO? = the traditional stepping-stone to
the presidency
– Jacksonians cried foul play &
corruption
– Jackson said:
• he was the people’s choice
• He had been swindled out of the presidency
by career politicians in Washington D.C.
– Evidence?
• Never been found
• Both men’s reputations = flawed
Results of the 1824 Election
A
“Corrupt
Bargain?”
Opposition to John Quincy Adams
3
3
Some believed he allowed too much
political control to be held by elites.
Some objected to his support of national
economic development on constitutional
grounds.
 Adams believed a strong, active central
government was necessary.
 A national university.
 An astronomical observatory.
 A naval academy.
3
Many Americans saw Adams’ vision of a
mighty nation led by a strong president as
a threat to individual liberties.
A Yankee Misfit in the White House
• Public reaction was mixed:
– roads = good,
– Southerners knew that if the
government did anything, it would
have to continue collecting tariffs
• Land:
– tried to curb over-speculation of land,
much to Westerners’ anger
• even though he was doing it for their own
good
Tariff Battles
3
3
3
Tariff of 1816  on imports of cheap
textiles.
Tariff of 1824  on iron goods and more
expensive woolen and cotton imports.
Tariff of 1828  higher tariffs on
imported raw materials [like wool & hemp].
 Supported by Jacksonians to gain votes
from farmers in NY, OH, KY.
 The South alone was adamantly against it.
 As producers of the world’s cheapest
cotton, it did not need a protective tariff.
 They were negatively impacted  American
textiles and iron goods [or the taxed
English goods] were more expensive!
Votes in the House for the “Tariff of Abomination”
Land & Indian Policies
3
John Quincy Adams:
 His land policies gave westerners another
reason to dislike him.
 He attempted to curb speculation for
public lands  his opponent accused him of
denying their individual rights and
freedoms to expand westward!
 He supported the land rights of Native
Americans against white settlers.
 1825  govt. officials negotiated a treaty
with a group of Creek Indians to cede
their land rights to GA.
 The Creek Indians appealed to Adams to
renounce the treaty.
 Congress sided with the governor of GA.
The 1828 Election
3
Jackson’s campaign was engineered by
Senator Martin Van Buren of NY
 He wanted to recreate the old
Jeffersonian coalition of:
 Northern farmers and artisans.
 Southern slave owners.
 Farmers with small land holdings.
 He created the Democratic Party from
the remains of Jefferson’s old party:
 Created a national committee that
oversaw local and state party units.
 Mass meetings, parades, picnics.
 A lot of political mudslinging on both sides.
Rachel Jackson
Final Divorce Decree
A devoted wife who did not live to become first lady, she died a
month after the election of 1828. Andrew Jackson was convinced
that this enemies vicious accusations that she was a bigamist and
adulteress had killed her. The more complicated truth was that
Andrew Jackson had married Rachel Robards confident that her
divorce had been granted. Two years later, when they discovered
to their dismay that it had not bee, they made haste to correct
the marital miscue.
Jackson in Mourning for His Wife
1828 Election
Results
The New “Jackson Coalition”
3
The Planter Elite in the South
3
People on the Frontier
3
3
Artisans [competition from factory
labor].
State Politicians  spoils system
 To the victor belong the spoils of
the enemy! [William Marcy of NY]
3
Immigrants in the cities.
Jackson as Satan Dangles
the Spoils of Victory over his
Supporters
Jackson’s Faith
in the “Common Man”
3
Intense distrust of Eastern
“establishment,” monopolies, &
special privilege.
3
His heart & soul was with the
“plain folk.”
3
Belief that the common man was
capable of uncommon
achievements.
The Reign of “King Mob”
Andrew Jackson as President
• Who?
The “Peggy Eaton Affair”
– The wife of, Eaton, Secretary of War
• She was the daughter of a Washington boardinghouse keeper
• Rumors:
– spread about her and the male boarders
• So?
– She was snubbed by ladies in Jackson's family & Vice
President Calhoun's wife
• So???
– Jackson wanted to help her because his wife had been the
object of many rumors
– tried to force the social acceptance of Peggy
– was called the "Petticoat Wars"
• So????
– scandal played into the hands of Secretary of State Van
Buren
• He paid attention to Mrs. Eaton so he could get on Jackson's good
side.
The Tariff & Nullification
• Tariff of 1828
– Jackson’s opposition to it helped him
to win the election
– He was forced to protect it….WHY?
• November 1832: the South Carolina
state convention adopted an Ordinance
of Nullification
• Declared the tariffs of 1828 & 1832
null & void & threatened secession.
The Tariff & Nullification
• John C. Calhoun (VP)
– maintained that the U.S. Constitution
had been ratified by state conventions
– therefore, a state convention could
declare a congressional law null &
void.
• Jackson rejected Calhoun’s ideas &
asserted that nullification was
unauthorized & destructive.
The Tariff & Nullification
• Congress passed a Force Bill
– authorized the use of the army & navy
to force South Carolina’s obedience.
• At the same time, legislation was passed
to reduce tariffs.
• South Carolina rescinded its nullification
of the tariff, & Jackson had established
the principle that no state could nullify a
law of the United States.
Indian Removal
• In the late 1820s, whites in both the
West & East called for the resettlement
of the Indians west of the Mississippi
River.
• Indian peoples still controlled vast tracts
of land
• 1827: the Cherokees introduced a new
charter of government modeled directly
on the U.S. Constitution.
Indian Removal
• The Georgia legislature:
– Declared that the Cherokees were
only tenants on state-owned land,
not an independent nation
– Jackson agreed; he withdrew the
federal troops that had protected
Indian enclaves.
Indian Removal
• Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830:
– Provided territory in modern-day
Oklahoma & Kansas to Indians who
would give up their ancestral
holdings.
• Jackson sent troops & applied both
military force & diplomatic pressure to
force 70 Indian peoples to sign treaties
& move west of the Mississippi.
Indian Removal
• Supreme Court:
– Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
The Supreme Court ruled that Indians
weren't independent nations but
dependent domestic nations which
could be regulated by the federal
government. From then until 1871,
treaties were formalities with the terms
dictated by the federal government.
Indian Removal
• Worchester v. Georgia: 1832 –
– The Supreme Court decided Georgia
had no jurisdiction over Cherokee
reservations.
– Georgia refused to enforce decision
and President Jackson didn't support
the Court.
• Jackson relentlessly took Cherokee
territory
The Trail of Tears
• President Martin Van Buren’s
ordered General Winfield Scott’s
army to march the Cherokees 1,200
miles to the new Indian Territory—
the journey is remembered as the
Trail of Tears.
Indian Removal
The Grand National Caravan
Moving West
Trail of Tears (1838-1839)
Indian Removal
• The national government asserted
its control over most eastern Indian
peoples & forced their removal to
the West.
The Bank War
• Background:
– In operation since 1816
– Had 20 year charter
– Privately managed, but federal gov’t
owned 20% of its stock
– Most important role = stabilizing
money supply
The Bank War
• State banks issued paper money.
• They promised to redeem notes on
demand with specie (medal coins)
• The Second Bank of the United
States kept state banks from issuing
too many notes
– They collected notes
– Regularly demanded specie
– This prevented monetary inflation
& higher prices.
The Bank War
• During the 1820s the 2nd Bank had
maintained monetary stability by
restraining some expansion-minded
banks in western states and forcing
others to close.
• Most Americans did not understand the
regulatory role of the Second Bank:
– They feared its ability to force bank
closures, which left them holding
worthless paper.
The Bank War
• Jackson’s opponents persuaded
the Second Bank’s president to
request an early recharter…WHY?
– They had hoped Jackson’s veto would
split the Democrats before the election
of 1832.
The Bank War
• Jackson vetoed the bank bill &
became a public hero
• He declared that the Second Bank
promoted the advancement of the few at
the expense of the many.
The Bank War
• Jackson won the election of 1832:
– Dumped Calhoun as vice president
– Chose Martin Van Buren instead.
• Jackson had Secretary of the Treasury
Roger B. Taney withdraw the
government’s gold from the Second
Bank & deposit it in state “pet” banks.
The Bank War
• Jackson opponents in the Senate:
– Passed a resolution censuring the
president for acting independently of
Congress
– Jackson continued to dismantle the
bank & turned it into a state-chartered
bank in Pennsylvania.
1832 Election
Results
The Bank War
• Jackson had destroyed
– National banking
– The American System of protective
tariffs
– Internal improvements
• The result was a profound change
in the policies & powers of national
government.
A Whig World View
• By the mid-1830’s a 2nd national party
was created
– Called themselves “whigs”
• took their name from the British
pol. party that had opposed King
George during the Am. Revolution
• Included: Henry Clay, Daniel
Webster, and, for a while,
Calhoun.
• policies included support of
industry, protective tariffs, and
Clay's American System
• were generally upper class in
origin.
A Whig World View
• Created in response to
– the rise of the Democracy
– & Jackson’s tumultuous presidency
• Goal was a political world dominated by
men of ability & wealth
– Sought votes among evangelical
Protestants & upwardly mobile middle& working-class citizens in the North.
A Whig World View
• Northern Whigs called for a return
to Clay & Adams’s American
System;
• Southern Whigs advocated
economic development but did not
support high tariffs & social mobility.
Election of 1836
• Martin Van Buren (D)
– emphasized his opposition to the
American System & his support for
individual rights.
• 4 regional candidates
– The Whigs ran 4 regional candidates
in the election hoping to throw the
contest to the House, which they
controlled
– plan failed & Van Buren won
Labor Politics & the
Depression of 1837–1843
• The ideology of artisan Republicanism:
– Embraced by Working Men’s Parties
– Soon they joined the Jacksonians
• demanding equal rights
• attacking chartered corporations
• monopolistic banks.
• Taking advantage of the economic boom
of the early 1830s, workers formed
unions to bargain for higher wages.
Labor Politics & the
Depression of 1837–1843
• Employers
– Attacked the union movement
– Brought lawsuits to overturn closed
shop agreements that required
them to hire only union members.
– Argued that such agreements
violated:
• Common law
• Legislative statutes that
prohibited “conspiracies” in
restraint of trade; judges usually
agreed
Panic of 1837
• Threw the American economy into
disarray
• began when the Bank of England
sharply curtailed the flow of money &
credit to the United States.
• To pay their foreign loans &
commercial debts, Americans had to
withdraw specie from domestic banks
• Local banks didn’t have enough specie
& without a national bank to turn to,
domestic banks suspended all
payments in specie.
Panic of 1837
• By 1839 the American economy fell
into deep depression:
– Canal construction fell by 90%
– Prices dropped nearly 50%
– Unemployment rose to 20% in
some areas.
• Depression devastated labor
movement
– Depleted membership of unions &
destroyes their bargaining power
• By 1843, most unions had
disappeared.
Panic of 1837
• During the depression:
– Commonwealth v. Hunt
• upheld the rights of workers to form
unions & enforce a closed shop
• Van Buren established a ten-hour
day for federal employees.
The Panic of 1837
Hits Everyone!
The Independence of
Texas
• The Adams-Onís Treaty (1819)
– Guaranteed Spanish sovereignty over
Texas
• After winning independence from
Spain in 1821, the Mexican
government, short on population &
cash for settling the region,
encouraged settlement by both
Mexicans & migrants from the U.S.
The Independence of
Texas
• 1829: the Americans won
special exemption from a law
ending slavery in Mexico.
• By the 1830s, Americans in
Texas had split into two groups:
– The “peace party”: wanted more
self-government for the province
– The “war party”: wanted
independence from Mexico.
The Independence of
Texas
• On March 2, 1836, the war party
proclaimed the independence of
Texas & adopted a constitution
legalizing slavery.
• General Antonio Lopéz de Santa
Anna’s army wiped out the war
party’s garrison that was defending
the Alamo & then captured Goliad.
Assault on
•
the Alamo
After a 13-day siege, on
March 6, 1836, a Mexican
army of 4000 stormed the
small mission in San Antonio,
Texas. “the first to climb were
thrown down by bayonets…or
by pistol fire,” reported a
Mexican officer. Only a half
hour of continuous assaults
gave the attackers control of
the wall. This contemporary
woodcut shows the fierceness
of the battle, which took the
lives of all 250 American
defenders; the Mexicans
suffered 1500 dead or
wounded.
Fall of the Alamo by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk
Fall of the Alamo by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk
Although they were greatly outnumbered, Texas forces held off a
siege at the Alamo by the Mexican army under Antonio López de
Santa Anna. The old mission's walls were eventually breached,
however, and the Texans were overcome in hand-to-hand fighting.
This painting is an artist's conception of the last moments of battle,
before the remaining Texans were finally defeated. (Friends of the
Governor's Mansion)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The Independence of
Texas
• General Sam Houston (strong
leader)
– With reinforcements, the war party
routed the Mexicans in the Battle of
San Jacinto, establishing de facto
independence.
Sam Houston, by Martin
Johnson Heade, 1846
• Military hero, president of the
Lone Star Republic of Texas,
and senator from the state of
Texas: Sam Houston cut an
impressive figure and had
many admirers both inside
and outside politics.
According to a Nashville belle
who knew the Texan as a
young man, “two classes of
people pursued Sam Houston
all of his life—artists and
women.” Heade’s portrait,
painted when Houston was a
senator, conveys the Texan’s
flamboyant character.
The Independence of
Texas
• Presidents Jackson & Van Buren:
– Refused to allow the annexation of
Texas
– Felt its status as a slave state would:
• Divide the Democratic Party
• Lead to war with Mexico.
Photo of Andrew Jackson in 1844
(one year before his death)
1767 - 1845