Ch. 13 In-Class Questions
1. Why did the presidency of so distinguished a statesman as John Quincy
Adams prove to be less than satisfactory?
2. Why did both Webster and Calhoun reverse their positions on the tariff
between 1816 and 1828? Should statesmen always be consistent?
3. Why was the election of John Quincy Adams to the presidency alleged to
have been the result of a corrupt bargain? What are your conclusions?
4. Why was the administration of President Van Buren doomed almost from
the start?
5. Why did the Texas revolution break out, and why was the United States
reluctant to annex the new republic? Why was the slavery-conspiracy
theory improbable?
6. Was Jackson properly regarded as a tyrant riding roughshod over the
Constitution? Present both sides, and then draw your own conclusions.
7. Why did Jackson favor a policy of removing Southern Indians to a transMississippi frontier?
8. Jackson’s handling of finance and diplomacy has been described as being
like a bull in a china closet. Explain.
9. Argue both sides of the proposition that Jackson was not justified in
removing federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. What are
your conclusions?
 Compare and contrast the inconsistencies of Jefferson and Jackson after
they reached office.
 Comment on the implication of the remark, attributed to Jackson: “John
Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”