President Andrew Jackson
and “Jacksonian Democracy”
The Election of 1824
In 1824 there was heated race for president.
There were four men hoping to replace James
Monroe as president. These four men were John
Quincy Adams (the son of John Adams), William
Crawford, Henry Clay “the great compromiser”
and Andrew Jackson.
John Quincy Adams
Jackson won the popular vote but did not receive
the electoral vote. According to the Constitution, if
one person wins a majority of electoral votes, the
House of Representatives must choose the
president. The House of Representatives choose
John Quincy Adams to be the 6th president.
Hahaha in your face Jackson….
The House of Representative
picked me!!!!!
Jackson is Upset!!
Jackson felt that Adams had stolen the
presidency from him. He was so upset he was
determined to run again in the next election and
win as president in 1828.
I hate you
Adams!!!
I am
determined to
be President!
Democratic Republican Party Splits
For the next four years, the gap in the
Democratic-Republican Party grew wider and the
party was about to split in two. Some in the party
supported Jackson and others supported Adams.
“Common Man”
Andrew Jackson claimed that he represented the
“common man.” He said that Adams represented
people who were privileged and wealthy. The
division eventually created two parties. The
Democrats came from the supports of Jackson
and the Republicans supported Adams.
I’m voting Republican
for John Quincy
Adams
Yeah..
me too
Dear… I know I
can’t vote but you
should vote for
Adams
President for the “Common Man”
During his campaign for president Andrew
Jackson claimed that he represented the “common
man”.
He promised to look out for the interests of
average people, not just the rich and welleducated. Jackson was determined to have the
majority rule, regardless of one’s education or
wealth. This idea of the majority rule has become
known as “Jacksonian Democracy”.
I’m voting for Andrew
Jackson
Yeah he
supports us
“common
men”
Burp…
I’m voting for Andrew Jackson
Whooo…
Go Common Man…
Ugh yes Sarah…
I am going to go
vote for Andrew
Jackson
Good, he says
he supports
people like us.
Andrew Jackson Wins Election!
Large numbers of Western farmers and workers
in the nations cities turned out to vote for Andrew
Jackson. With an overwhelming number of
votes, Andrew Jackson won the 1828 race for
president making him the 7th president of the
United States.
The People’s President
So who was Andrew Jackson? Well, Andrew
Jackson had a hard life growing up on a frontier
farm. At the age of 13 he and his brother were
taken prisoner by the British during the
Revolutionary War. While being held captive, he
apparently refused to shine the boots of a British
officer. The officer then hit Jackson with a sword
cutting both his hands and face and leaving ugly
scars.
Clean my
shoes boy!!!
Scars on Andrew
Jackson’s face
Revenge!!
After his experience being held prisoner by the
British when he was 13 he developed a strong
hatred for anything British. At the age of 35,
Andrew Jackson was given the chance to fight
the British during the War of 1812.
“Old Hickory”
Jackson was appointed to be a general in the
American Army. At the Battle of New Orleans in
1815, Jackson crushed the British army even
though his troops were greatly outnumbered. He
became a national war hero. He earned the
nickname “Old Hickory,” after a solider said he
was as “tough as a hickory tree.”
“Old Hickory”
Hero of the Battle
of New Orleans
Jackson Becomes President
Shortly after Jackson won the election of 1828
his wife Rachel died of a heart attack. Andrew
Jackson looked thin, pale and sad during his
inauguration on March 4, 1829.
Jackson’s Inauguration
Thousands of people where there to celebrate
Jackson becoming president. One person wrote,
“all sorts of people, from the highest and most
polished, down to the most vulgar and gross in
the nation were there.”
The crowd got so rowdy people broke glasses
and grabbed for food and drink. The pushing and
shoving of the crowd forced the new president to
flee from the White House.
Spoils System
When Andrew Jackson became president he fired
many of the government officials and replaced
them with his friends and supporters. This
practice of giving government jobs to his political
backers became known as the “spoils system.” In
my ways Andrew Jackson was spoiling his friends
by giving them jobs in government.
I spoil my friends
by giving them
jobs
Native Americans in the Southeast
Since the 1600s, white settlers pushed Native
Americans westward as they took more and more
land. However, by 1820 there were still about
100,000 Native Americans living east of the
Mississippi River.
Native Americans
Some whites hoped that these Native Americans
could adapt to the white people’s way of life.
Others believed the Native Americans were
“uncivilized and refused to live near them.
Cherokee Nation
More than any other Southeastern tribe, the
Cherokee Indians had adopted white culture. The
Cherokee had their own Constitution, they spoke
English, they sent their kids to missionary school,
and some even owned slaves!!!
We have done so
much to be respected
and accepted by white
culture.
Jackson’s Removal Policy
However, gold was discovered on Cherokee land
in 1828. The discovery of gold made the
Cherokee land very desirable and whites wanted
it!!! In 1830 Andrew Jackson passed the Indian
Removal act that required Native Americans to
give up their land and relocate west. Andrew
Jackson gave them one year to leave.
Sorry lady
You have to leave…We want your
land and Jackson passed the Indian
Removal Act
The Trail of Tears
In 1838, federal troops rounded up over 16,000
Cherokee men, women and children and forced
them into camps. Soldiers then gave the people a
hour to pack up everything from their homes and
get ready to leave. Most people ended up with
nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
The Trail of Tears
Over the fall and winter of 1838-1839, these Cherokees
set out on the long journey west. Forced to march in the
cold, rain and snow without proper clothing or food many
grew weak and died. It is estimated that ¼ of the 16,000
Cherokee people who were forced to march west died
(that’s 1 out of every 4). This harsh journey of the
Cherokee from their homeland to Indian Territory in
Oklahoma has become known as the Trail of Tears.
Modern state
of Oklahoma
Rising Sectional Differences
When Andrew Jackson took office the nation was
divided into 3 main sections. The Northeast,
South and West. Legislators from these regions
were arguing over 3 major economic issues: the
sale of land, national improvement such as canals
and railroads, and tariffs (taxes).
North Vs. South
People in the north supported the idea of high tariffs
(taxes on imported goods) because the tariffs meant that
people would want to buy the cheaper American made
goods rather than imported products with the higher
taxes.
The South however didn’t like the high tariffs. The South
made their money by growing cotton and other crops and
selling them to foreign countries for credit rather than
money. The tariffs would make the foreign goods cost
more.
Sorry ladies if you
want any of this
stuff you are going
to have to pay a
tariff since all this
was made in
Europe.
The tariff helps us in the North!!!
Because of the tariff, the stuff we
make here in the factory is always
cheaper than the stuff made
overseas. Therefore, people want
to buy the stuff we make here in
America.
We in the South hate these tariffs!!
We trade our cotton for stuff with
Europe but because of the tariff we
always have to pay more on the
stuff we get from overseas.
I want to be able to trade my cotton
for stuff made in Europe without
having to pay a tariff!!
Tariff of Abomination
In 1828 Congress passed a bill that greatly raised
tariffs (taxes) on raw materials and manufactured
goods. People in the South were outraged!!!
Southerners felt that the economic interests of the
Northeast were determining national policy and
the South was being ignored by the national
government. They hated the tariff and called it the
Tariff of Abominations. This is an
abomination!!
(An abomination=
a hated/horrible thing)
What! We have to pay
more on the products
we trade with
Europe!
This is an
abomination!
Ahhh!!!! These tariffs
only help the Northern
factories!!!!!
These tariffs
are an
abomination!!
Nullification Crisis
John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson’s vicepresident understood the frustration of the
Southern farmers over the tariffs. Calhoun
developed a plan called the Doctrine of
Nullification. The Doctrine of Nullification said that
a state had the right to nullify (reject) a federal law
that it considers unconstitutional.
South Carolina Threatens to Secede
President Jackson was against the Doctrine of
Nullification but didn’t want the South to remain upset.
He asked Congress to lower the taxes and Congress
agreed however South Carolina was still not happy.
Congress please
lower the tariffs!!
South Carolina Threats to Secede
South Carolina threatened that if the tariffs weren’t
lowered even more they would secede (break away)
from the United States and start their own country.
Jackson was furious and said he would hang the first
person he got his hands on!!!!!!!!!
We still
aren’t
happy!
Ugh….
This is so
frustrating!!!
Andrew Jackson and the Bank
In 1832 when Andrew Jackson was elected for
this 2nd term as president he vowed to destroy the
Second Bank of the United States run by Nicholas
Biddle. Jackson believed that the Second Bank
was evil and only helped the rich, not the average
man. Jackson vetoed (rejected) bill after bill that
would renew the bank’s charter. (The charter
would that allowed the bank to stay open.)
I will destroy
you Bank!!
Jackson’s War on the Bank
Jackson won
on the bank the economy
I’m the
going war
to destroy
you evil bank!! With
my power towas
veto hurt.
(reject) your charter!
King Andrew
Opponents (people who were against) Andrew
Jackson called him a “King Andrew”. They said he
wanted too much power as a president and was
more like a tyrant.
Martin Van Buren Becomes
President
When Andrew Jackson’s second term as
president was over Martin Van Buren took over
as the 8th president of the United States. During
Martin Van Buren’s presidency the US was going
through a deep depression.
The Rise of Whig Party
During the election of 1840, a new political party
called the Whigs was created. They were given
their name after a British party that opposed
power of the king. The leader of the Whigs
thought that the name would fit since he disliked
Andrew Jackson and often called him “ King
Andrew”.