Chapter Nine
Jacksonian America
Multiple Choice Questions
1.
Which statement regarding the American electorate during the 1820s is TRUE?
A. The right to vote was expanded to include many more white males.
B. The right to vote was restricted to property owners.
C. Married white women had the right to vote but could not hold elected office.
D. Changes in voting rights occurred first in New England states and spread west.
E. Older states began to expand their property ownership requirements.
Answer: A
Page: 238
2.
In 1840, efforts to expand voting rights in Rhode Island resulted in
A. new laws that actually further restricted voting rights.
B. federal troops occupying the state capital for two years.
C. an effort within the state to secede from the Union.
D. two governments claiming control of the state.
E. female and black male suffrage for a brief period of time.
Answer: D
Page: 239
3.
The lawyer and activist who led the campaign to expand voting rights in Rhode Island was
A. Amos Kendall.
B. Joseph Story.
C. Daniel Webster.
D. Roger Taney.
E. Thomas Dorr.
Answer: E
Page: 239
4.
By 1828, in all but one state, presidential electors were chosen by
A. state legislatures.
B. popular vote.
C. lottery.
D. Congress.
E. state governors.
Answer: B
Page: 240
5.
By the 1830s, political parties were generally regarded as
A. in the control of special interest factions.
B. unnecessary to the political process.
C. a dangerous threat to the democratic process.
D. a desired and essential part of the democratic process.
E. an aberration.
Answer: D
Page: 240
6.
In the years after the War of 1812, support for the idea of political parties was greatest in
A. Virginia.
B. New Jersey.
C. New York.
D. Rhode Island.
E. Pennsylvania.
Answer: C
Page: 240
7.
In the 1830s, an argument in favor of political parties was the belief that
A. the parties would provide the training ground for candidates.
B. a permanent political opposition made parties sensitive to the people’s will.
C. the present system of government had little effective organization.
D. inexperienced political candidates would be less likely to gain office.
E. parties could create a broader form of consensus than individual leaders.
Answer: B
Page: 240
8.
Today, the oldest political party in the United States is
A. the Green Party.
B. the Socialist Party.
C. the Libertarian Party.
D. the Republican Party.
E. the Democratic Party.
Answer: E
Page: 241
9.
According to Andrew Jackson’s theory of democracy
A. there should be one national political party.
B. all white male citizens should be treated equally.
C. all white Americans should eventually be given the vote.
D. slavery should not extend into the west.
E. the South and West deserved special privileges as growing areas.
Answer: B
Page: 242
10. President Andrew Jackson sought to apply his democratic principles by first targeting
A. the wealthy New England aristocracy.
B. the Southern planter class.
C. federal officeholders.
D. his Whig opponents.
E. the Five Civilized Tribes.
Answer: C
Page: 242
11. The “spoils system” refers to
A. making illegal payoffs to political supporters.
B. giving away land taken from Indians to white settlers.
C. the destruction of land by overly aggressive settlement.
D. giving out jobs as political rewards.
E. parceling out federal land to the highest bidder.
Answer: D
Page: 242
12. In 1832, supporters of President Jackson held a national convention in order to
A. force the opposition to make their case in public.
B. bring more public attention to their candidate.
C. have greater control of the nominating process.
D. shore up Jackson’s shaky support among voters in the Northeast.
E. make the nominating process more democratic.
Answer: E
Page: 242
13. As president, Andrew Jackson believed the power of the federal government
A. should be reduced.
B. should be expanded.
C. was supreme over individual states.
D. should be expanded and was supreme over individual states.
E. should be reduced and yet was supreme over individual states.
Answer: E
Page: 242-243
14. When John C. Calhoun put forth his doctrine of nullification he was
A. congressman.
B. senator.
C. secretary of state.
D. vice-president.
E. governor of South Carolina.
Answer: D
Page: 243
15. In the 1820s, John C. Calhoun proposed his doctrine of nullification
A. to reduce the political power of Andrew Jackson.
B. as an alternative to possible secession.
C. as a means to end the national bank.
D. to support trade tariffs.
E. to counter the growing influence of abolitionism in the North.
Answer: B
Page: 243
16. John C. Calhoun drew his doctrine of nullification ideas from the
A. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
B. United States Constitution.
C. Missouri Compromise.
D. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and the United States Constitution.
E. United States Constitution and the Missouri Compromise.
Answer: D
Page: 243
17. In his doctrine of nullification, John C. Calhoun argued
A. that states were the final authority on the constitutionality of federal laws.
B. all laws related to a state’s economic development should come from that state.
C. states, not the Congress, should ratify amendments to the constitution.
D. there should not be a federal court system.
E. that a state could not impose tariffs and levies on goods made in a neighboring state.
Answer: A
Page: 243
18. Who of the following saw his close ties and great influence with President Jackson grow stronger as
a result of the Peggy Eaton affair?
A. DeWitt Clinton
B. Martin Van Buren
C. Isaac Hill
D. Francis Blair
E. John C. Calhoun
Answer: B
Page: 244
19. The political significance of Peggy Eaton on Andrew Jackson’s administration was
A. the presidential aspirations of John C. Calhoun were likely ended.
B. John Eaton’s ties with the administration were strengthened.
C. Martin Van Buren had a political falling out with President Jackson.
D. the political strength of President Jackson was weakened.
E. it encouraged Jackson to liberalize the nation’s divorce and coverture laws.
Answer: A
Page: 244
20. In 1830, the Daniel Webster-Robert Hayne debate was begun by a political dispute over
A. the value of the two-party system.
B. the sale of public land.
C. slavery.
D. trade with England.
E. relations with Indian tribes.
Answer: B
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21. Senator Robert Hayne represented the state of
A. New York.
B. Ohio.
C. Pennsylvania.
D. Virginia.
E. South Carolina.
Answer: E
Page: 244
22. In the 1830 Daniel Webster-Robert Hayne debate, Webster considered Hayne’s arguments to be an
attack on
A. free states.
B. the nation’s tariff policies.
C. President Jackson’s leadership.
D. federal authority.
E. the institution of slavery.
Answer: D
Page: 244
23. In 1830, what political figure said, “Our Federal Union—It must be preserved”?
A. Andrew Jackson
B. Robert Hayne
C. John C. Calhoun
D. Daniel Webster
E. Henry Clay
Answer: A
Page: 245
24. In 1830, what political figure said, “The Union, next to our liberty most dear”?
A. Andrew Jackson
B. Robert Hayne
C. John C. Calhoun
D. Daniel Webster
E. Henry Clay
Answer: C
Page: 245
25. In 1833, the nullification crisis came to an end after President Andrew Jackson
A. authorized the use of military force to see the acts of Congress were obeyed.
B. raised the tariff.
C. threatened to arrest supporters of nullification.
D. agreed to give a larger share of federal authority to the states.
E. acceded to John C. Calhoun’s doctrine of nullification.
Answer: A
Page: 245
26. The primary goal of the United States’ policy toward Indians in the early 1800s was to
A. spread the Christian faith among tribes.
B. protect Indians from attacks by white settlers.
C. assimilate Indian tribes into white society.
D. acquire the land occupied by Indian tribes.
E. preserve disappearing Indian traditions and culture.
Answer: D
Page: 246
27. The Black Hawk War
A. constituted a major, although temporary, Indian victory.
B. occurred in New England and upstate New York.
C. was notable for vicious behavior by the American military.
D. was sparked by the kidnapping of the leader of the Fox Indians.
E. resulted in the removal of the Five Civilized Tribes to the west.
Answer: C
Page: 246
28. The Supreme Court ruled in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)
A. that Georgia could remove the Cherokee tribes if it served the “public good.”
B. the Cherokee had no right to file a legal claim in United States’ courts.
C. the entire process of Indian removal was unconstitutional.
D. that the Cherokee tribes could only be removed if they were properly compensated.
E. that Georgia had no authority to remove the Cherokee tribes.
Answer: E
Page: 247
29. The “Trail of Tears” taken by the Cherokees led them to the area that later became
A. Texas.
B. Oklahoma.
C. Missouri.
D. New Mexico.
E. Nevada.
Answer: B
Page: 247
30. In 1830, the first of the “Five Civilized Tribes” to be removed to the west was the
A. Creek.
B. Seminole.
C. Chickasaw.
D. Choctaw.
E. Cherokee.
Answer: D
Page: 248
31. Of the “Five Civilized Tribes,” the tribe that best resisted the pressures of removal were the
A. Creeks.
B. Choctaws.
C. Seminoles.
D. Chickasaws.
E. Cherokees.
Answer: C
Page: 248
32. As a result of the United States government’s Indian policy in the 1830s and 1840s,
A. violence between white Americans and Indian tribes ended.
B. all Indian tribes were forced to intermingle on one large reservation.
C. new federal attempts were made to assimilate Indian tribes into white society.
D. the United States gained control of ten million acres of Indian lands.
E. nearly all American Indian societies were removed to west of the Mississippi.
Answer: E
Page: 249
33. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson vetoed a federal subsidy to the Maysville Road because
A. he sought to demonstrate his presidential power at a time when it was being questioned.
B. the road was not a part of any system of interstate commerce.
C. the subsidy was to be paid for out of tariff revenue, which he opposed.
D. he thought the proposal might jeopardize his bid for reelection.
E. he thought it would upset the balance created by the Missouri Compromise nine years earlier.
Answer: B
Page: 250
34. In the 1820s, under Nicholas Biddle, the Bank of the United States
A. was financially sound and profitable.
B. exercised little influence on state banks.
C. had restricted credit to growing enterprises.
D. prohibited the existence of state banks.
E. had to borrow credit from state banks to stay afloat.
Answer: A
Page: 250
35. In the 1830s, the Bank of the United States was opposed by
A. “soft-money” advocates.
B. “hard-money” advocates.
C. Henry Clay.
D. both “soft-money” advocates and “hard-money” advocates.
E. None of these answers is correct.
Answer: D
Page: 250
36. In the debate over the Bank of the United States, President Andrew Jackson agreed with
A. the “soft-money” advocates.
B. the “hard-money” advocates.
C. Henry Clay.
D. both “soft-money” and “hard-money” advocates.
E. None of these answers is correct.
Answer: B
Page: 250
37. In 1832, Henry Clay sought to use the debate over the Bank of the United States primarily to
A. politically embarrass President Jackson.
B. help his reelection to the Senate.
C. promote his “American System.”
D. boost his presidential candidacy.
E. exact revenge on Nicholas Biddle for a perceived slight.
Answer: D
Page: 251
38. Which of the following statements regarding the Bank of the United States is FALSE?
A. The charter of the Bank was due to expire in 1836.
B. Nicholas Biddle had the support of Daniel Webster and Henry Clay.
C. The controversy over the Bank became the leading issue in the 1832 election.
D. President Jackson ordered the Bank closed before the expiration of its charter.
E. President Jackson went through several Secretaries of the Treasury before finding one who
would help him weaken the bank.
Answer: D
Page: 251
39. President Andrew Jackson’s success in abolishing the Bank of the United States
A. caused serious political damage to his administration.
B. led the nation into a period of long economic decline.
C. left the nation with an unstable banking system for many years.
D. led him to lose the political support of Roger B. Taney.
E. seriously damaged his support within the Democratic Party.
Answer: C
Page: 251-252
40. The Supreme Court ruling in Charles River Bridge Company v. Warren Bridge Company (1837)
A. outraged supporters of Andrew Jackson.
B. was a victory for federal authority.
C. continued the constitutional interpretation set forth by John Marshall.
D. affirmed the inviolability of contracts.
E. reflected Jacksonian ideas of democracy and economic opportunity.
Answer: E
Page: 253
41. Jacksonian Democrats
A. praised President Jackson as “King Andrew I.”
B. faced little political opposition by the mid-1830s.
C. were strongest among the merchants and manufacturers of the Northeast.
D. All these answers are correct.
E. None of these answers is correct.
Answer: E
Page: 253
42. In the 1830s, Democrats were more likely than Whigs to support
A. the chartering of banks and corporations.
B. territorial expansion.
C. established wealth.
D. federally supported internal improvements.
E. the abolition of slavery.
Answer: B
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43. In the 1830s, the so-called Locofocos were
A. radical Democrats.
B. defenders of monopolies.
C. Southern slaveholders.
D. Western farmers.
E. radical abolitionists.
Answer: A
Page: 253
44. The political philosophy of Whigs
A. opposed industrialism as a source of concentrated wealth.
B. favored expanding the power of the federal government.
C. encouraged the rapid western expansion of the nation.
D. allied itself with the abolition movement.
E. celebrated “honest workers” and “simple farmers.”
Answer: B
Page: 253
45. From the following groups, support for the Whigs was weakest among
A. wealthy Southern planters.
B. substantial New England manufacturers.
C. small Western farmers.
D. aristocratic Americans.
E. evangelical Protestants.
Answer: C
Page: 253
46. In the 1820s, Whig support for the Anti-Mason Party demonstrated
A. the desire of the party to attract the largest possible number of voters.
B. the intention of the party to refrain from political mud-slinging.
C. their conviction that Masonry encouraged radical egalitarianism.
D. All these answers are correct.
E. None of these answers is correct.
Answer: A
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47. During the 1830s, evangelical Protestants tended to support
A. Democrats.
B. Irish immigrants.
C. Whigs.
D. German immigrants.
E. Masons.
Answer: C
Page: 254
48. Who among the following was NOT a leading Whig at some point during his political career?
A. Martin Van Buren
B. John C. Calhoun
C. Daniel Webster
D. Henry Clay
E. None of these answers is correct.
Answer: A
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49. During its two-decade history, the Whig Party won the presidency
A. zero times.
B. one time.
C. two times.
D. three times.
E. four times.
Answer: C
Page: 260
50. The Whig Party was least successful at
A. defining its political position.
B. attracting a loyal constituency of voters.
C. connecting with evangelical Protestants.
D. competing against Democrats in local, state, and congressional races.
E. uniting behind a strong national leader.
Answer: E
Page: 254
51. In 1836, Martin Van Buren won the presidency because
A. he was more popular with the public than Andrew Jackson.
B. federal spending had supported an economic boom.
C. the political opposition offered multiple candidates.
D. land speculation had been reduced under President Andrew Jackson.
E. his opponent openly advocated ending Indian removal.
Answer: C
Page: 254
52. In 1836, Congress passed a “distribution” act that required the federal government to
A. apply a higher tax to foreign bondholders.
B. parcel out Indian land to the states.
C. reward loyal Democrats with government jobs.
D. make pension payments to veterans of the War of 1812.
E. disperse its surplus funds to the states.
Answer: E
Page: 254
53. In 1836, President Andrew Jackson’s “specie circular”
A. resulted in a severe financial panic.
B. was defeated by Congress.
C. was of considerable political benefit to Martin Van Buren.
D. required foreigners doing business in the United States to pay their debts in hard currency.
E. caused a significant rise in prices, especially the price of land.
Answer: A
Page: 255
54. President Martin Van Buren’s “subtreasury” system
A. was a financial system to replace the Bank of the United States.
B. created a new national bank.
C. never became law.
D. quickly failed.
E. did not pass until his successor’s administration.
Answer: A
Page: 256
55. The presidential election campaign of 1840 saw
A. Martin Van Buren drop out of the presidential race.
B. the first influence of the “penny press” in politics.
C. Henry Clay chosen as the Whig presidential candidate.
D. the emergence of the Republican Party.
E. William Henry Harrison serve as the Democratic candidate.
Answer: B
Page: 256
56. In 1840, William Henry Harrison
A. was, at the time, the youngest man to win the presidency.
B. was a simple frontiersman with little money or resources to his name.
C. died before he took office.
D. was a Republican.
E. was part of a wealthy, large land-owning, frontier elite.
Answer: E
Page: 256
57. As president, John Tyler
A. was a Whig who had once been a Democrat.
B. favored the recharter of the Bank of the United States.
C. considered Andrew Jackson to be his political role model.
D. approved several internal improvement bills.
E. forced John C. Calhoun out of his cabinet.
Answer: A
Page: 257
58. In 1841, the story of the American ship, the Creole, saw the British government
A. support the rights and freedom of mutinous slaves on the ship.
B. seize the ship because it carried slaves.
C. briefly declare war on American shipping.
D. refuse to trade with American shipping companies that carried slaves.
E. return mutinous slaves to Virginia at the request of President Tyler.
Answer: A
Page: 258-259
59. Which statement about the 1842 Webster-Ashburton Treaty is FALSE?
A. It settled the Aroostook War.
B. It resulted in new territory being added to the United States.
C. It included an American pledge not to allow slave ships to land at British ports.
D. It included a British pledge not to interfere with American ships.
E. It significantly improved Anglo-American relations.
Answer: C
Page: 259
True/False Questions
60. Jacksonian democracy included a weak challenge to the institution of slavery.
Answer: False
Page: 237
61. The “age of Jackson” was less a triumph for the common man than conservatives feared.
Answer: True
Page: 238
62. More people gained the right to vote in the 1830s, but requirements for voters to own property
remained in place.
Answer: False
Page: 238
63. The Dorr Rebellion was generally consistent with Jacksonian principles.
Answer: True
Page: 239
64. During the Jacksonian era, free blacks could not vote at all in the South and hardly anywhere in the
North.
Answer: True
Page: 239
65. One of the major reforms of the Jacksonian period was the introduction of the secret ballot.
Answer: False
Page: 239-240
66. By 1840 the actual number of adult white males who voted had risen to 80 percent.
Answer: True
Page: 240
67. During the Jacksonian period, political parties were regarded as a threat to democracy.
Answer: False
Page: 240
68. The Whig Party was the first national political party.
Answer: False
Page: 241
69. As president, Andrew Jackson’s first political target was the Bank of the United States.
Answer: False
Page: 242
70. National political conventions were introduced during the Jacksonian period in order to expand the
democratic process.
Answer: True
Page: 242
71. Andrew Jackson believed a strong federal government would lead to a strong democracy.
Answer: False
Page: 243
72. As Andrew Jackson’s vice president, John C. Calhoun became a strong Jackson opponent.
Answer: True
Page: 243
73. The Peggy Eaton affair improved Andrew Jackson’s relationship with John C. Calhoun.
Answer: False
Page: 244
74. The Webster-Hayne debate concerned primarily the issue of the sale of public lands.
Answer: False
Page: 244
75. Calhoun’s defense of his doctrine of nullification was directed primarily at the issue of tariffs.
Answer: True
Page: 245
76. Andrew Jackson sided with Robert Hayne in the Webster-Hayne debate.
Answer: False
Page: 245
77. President Jackson considered those who favored nullification to be traitors.
Answer: True
Page: 245
78. President Jackson was a strong advocate for protecting the autonomy of Indian tribes.
Answer: False
Page: 246
79. In the early nineteenth century, many whites viewed Indians as “noble savages.”
Answer: False
Page: 246
80. President Jackson sought to remove all of the eastern Indian tribes except the “Five Civilized
Tribes.”
Answer: False
Page: 246
81. In the Black Hawk War, white forces attacked Indians as they surrendered and retreated.
Answer: True
Page: 246
82. In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled against the Indian tribe.
Answer: False
Page: 247
83. Unlike most other tribes, the relocation of the Seminoles in Florida was never completed.
Answer: True
Page: 249
84. In the 1830s, as a result of removal policies, the United States gained control of more than 100
million acres of Indian lands.
Answer: True
Page: 249
85. President Jackson vetoed the Maysville Road even though this proposed road was in his home state.
Answer: False
Page: 256
86. Opposition to the Bank of the United States came from both “soft-money” and “hard-money”
advocates.
Answer: True
Page: 250
87. The results of the election of 1832 could be interpreted as a defeat for both Henry Clay and Nicholas
Biddle.
Answer: True
Page: 251
88. The case of Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge could be interpreted as a victory for the forces of
democracy.
Answer: True
Page: 253
89. Although political opponents, Whigs supported President Jackson’s use of the veto.
Answer: False
Page: 251
90. The Whigs were more concerned with their political philosophy than with winning elections.
Answer: False
Page: 253
91. Jacksonians were more likely than Whigs to favor territorial expansion.
Answer: True
Page: 253
92. The Democrats were more likely than Whigs to oppose legislation establishing banks.
Answer: True
Page: 253
93. The well-to-do were more likely to support Whigs than Democrats.
Answer: True
Page: 253
94. The Panic of 1837 began the worst American depression to that point.
Answer: True
Page: 255
95. The “penny press” was more lively and sensationalistic than previous newspapers.
Answer: True
Page: 256
96. The Washington Star was the first of the new “penny press” newspapers.
Answer: False
Page: 258
97. In 1840 the Whigs elected a president for the first time.
Answer: True
Page: 256
98. John Tyler saw every cabinet member but one resign together from his administration.
Answer: True
Page: 257
99. The “Aroostook War” was the result of tensions between Canada and Maine.
Answer: True
Page: 258
100. The Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 was strongly criticized in the United States.
Answer: False
Page: 259
101. During the Tyler administration, the United States established diplomatic relations with China.
Answer: True
Page: 259
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
102. President Jackson’s attack on federal officeholders led to the introduction of what one of his allies
called the “______________________.”
Answer: spoils system
Page: 242
103. Jackson’s supporters created the ___________________ as a forum for selecting candidates for
president.
Answer: national convention
Page: 242
104. Thomas Dorr and his followers formed a _________________.
Answer: People’s Party
Page: 239
105. John C. Calhoun championed a states’ rights theory called ___________________.
Answer: nullification
Page: 243
106. John C. Calhoun argued that the federal government was a creation of the __________.
Answer: states
Page: 243
107. John C. Calhoun’s most powerful rival within the Jackson administration was _______________
_______.
Answer: Martin Van Buren
Page: 243
108. The main issue of public policy at stake in the Webster-Hayne debate was the _____________.
Answer: tariff
Page: 244
109. The most successful of the “Five Civilized Tribes” when it came to resisting Jackson’s removal
policy were the _________________.
Answer: Seminoles
Page: 248
110. The forced Cherokee migration on what was called the Trail of Tears ended in the territory of
________________.
Answer: Oklahoma
Page: 247
111. In the election of 1832, Andrew Jackson was opposed by _________________.
Answer: Henry Clay
Page: 251
112. ____________________ succeeded John Marshall as chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Answer: Roger B. Taney
Page: 252
113. Radical Jacksonians were known as __________________.
Answer: Locofocos
Page: 253
114. William Morgan mysteriously disappeared shortly before he published a book, which allegedly
exposed the secrets of _________________.
Answer: Freemasonry
Page: 253
115. The Great Triumvirate consisted of Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and ________________.
Answer: Daniel Webster
Page: 254
116. President Jackson’s distrust of paper currency became obvious when in 1836 he issued an executive
order called the “_____________________.”
Answer: specie circular
Page: 255
117. Upon the death of William Henry Harrison, the former Democrat who became president was
________________.
Answer: John Tyler
Page: 256
Essay Questions
118. What changes in the political process occurred during the 1820s which support the claim that
American democracy was on the rise?
119. How “democratic” was the United States during the 1830s? Who was included in the political
process and who was not?
120. What obstacles did Andrew Jackson see to American democracy? What steps did he take to reduce
those obstacles?
121. What steps did Andrew Jackson take as president to strengthen the authority of the federal
government? What did he believe should be the limit of that authority?
122. How did Andrew Jackson’s ideals of democracy compare with Thomas Jefferson’s?
123. What role did political parties play during the 1830s and 1840s?
124. Since 1790, how had the nation’s general perception of political parties as part of the democratic
process changed and why?
125. Why did Andrew Jackson not consider native tribes to be a part of democratic America? How did his
Indian removal policy fit into his concept of democracy?
126. What were the various tactics employed by the “Five Civilized Tribes” to resist removal? Why were
these tactics ultimately unable to prevent their removal?
127. What alternatives to Indian removal existed and why were they not taken?
128. For what reasons did Andrew Jackson oppose the doctrine of nullification and the Bank of the
United States. What were the consequences of his successful defeat of the doctrine and the Bank?
129. Characterize the presidency of Martin Van Buren.
130. What evidence supports the claim that Andrew Jackson was a “man of his times”?
131. What historical assessment would you give to Andrew Jackson’s presidency? What rating would you
give him as president? Explain.