Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
I
Introduction
1. Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political philosophy of United States President Andrew
Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson.
Jackson's Democratic Party was resisted by the rival Whig Party. More broadly, the term refers
to the period of the Second Party System (1824-1854) when Jacksonian philosophy was ascendant as well as the spirit of that era. It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian
democracy, which dominated the previous political era. The Jacksonian era saw a great increase
of respect and power for the common man, as the electorate expanded to include all white male
adult citizens, rather than only land owners in that group.
2. In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the executive
branch and the Presidency at the expense of Congressional power, while also seeking to broaden
the public's participation in government. Jacksonians believed in enfranchising all white men,
rather than just the propertied class, and supported the patronage system that enabled politicians
to appoint their supporters into administrative offices, arguing it would reduce the power of
elites and prevent aristocracies from emerging. They demanded elected (not appointed) judges
and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values. In national terms the Jacksonians
favored geographical expansion, justifying it in terms of Manifest Destiny. There was usually a
consensus among both Jacksonians and Whigs that battles over slavery should be avoided. The
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
Jacksonian Era lasted roughly from Jackson's 1828 election until the slavery issue became
dominant after 1850 and the American Civil War dramatically reshaped American politics as
the Third Party System emerged.
II
Jacksonian Democracy and Modern America
1. Andrew Jackson rose to national prominence as a General during the War of 1812.
2. The presidential election of 1828 brought a great victory for Andrew Jackson. Not only did he
get almost 70 percent of the votes cast in the electoral college, popular participation in the
election soared to an unheard of 60 percent. This more than doubled the turnout in 1824; Jackson clearly headed a sweeping political movement. His central message remained largely the
same from the previous election, but had grown in intensity. Jackson warned that the nation
had been corrupted by "special privilege," characterized especially by the policies of the Second Bank of the United States. The proper road to reform, according to Jackson, lay in an absolute acceptance of majority rule as expressed through the democratic process. Beyond these
general principles, however, Jackson's campaign was notably vague about specific policies.
Instead, it stressed Jackson's life story as a man who had risen from modest origins to become
a successful Tennessee planter. Jackson's claim to distinction lay in a military career that in-
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
cluded service as a young man in the Revolutionary War, several anti-Indian campaigns, and,
of course, his crowning moment in the Battle of New Orleans at the end of the War of 1812.
3. Jackson's election marked a new direction in American politics. He was the first westerner
elected president, indeed, the first president from a state other than Virginia or Massachusetts.
He boldly proclaimed himself to be the "champion of the common man" and believed that
their interests were ignored by the aggressive national economic plans of Clay and Adams.
More than this, however, when Martin Van Buren followed Jackson as president, it indicated
that the Jacksonian movement had long-term significance that would outlast his own charismatic leadership.
4. Van Buren, perhaps even more than Jackson, helped to create the new Democratic party that
centered upon three chief qualities closely linked to Jacksonian Democracy. First, it declared
itself to be the party of ordinary farmers and workers. Second, it opposed the special privileges
of economic elites. Third, to offer affordable western land to ordinary white Americans, Indians needed to be forced further westward. The Whig party soon arose to challenge the Democrats with a different policy platform and vision for the nation. Whigs' favored active government support for economic improvement as the best route to sustained prosperity. Thus, the
Whig-Democrat political contest was in large part a disagreement about the early Industrial
Revolution. Whigs defended economic development's broad benefits, while Democrats
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
stressed the new forms of dependence that it created. The fiercely partisan campaigns waged
between these parties lasted into the 1850s and are known as the Second Party System, an assuredly modern framework of political competition that reached ordinary voters as never before with both sides organizing tirelessly to carry their message directly to the American people. A new era of American politics began with Jackson's election in 1828, but it also completed a grand social experiment begun by the American Revolution.
5. Although the Founding Fathers would have been astounded by the new shape of the nation
during Jackson's presidency, just as Jackson himself had served in the American Revolution,
its values helped form his sense of the world. The ideals of the Revolution had, of course, been
altered by the new conditions of the early nineteenth century and would continue to be reworked over time. Economic, religious, and geographic changes had all reshaped the nation in
fundamental ways and pointed toward still greater opportunities and pitfalls in the future. Nevertheless, Jacksonian Democracy represented a provocative blending of the best and worst
qualities of American society. On the one hand it was an authentic democratic movement that
contained a principled egalitarian thrust, but this powerful social critique was always cast for
the benefit of white men. This tragic mix of egalitarianism, masculine privilege, and racial
prejudice remains a central quality of American life and to explore their relationship in the past
may help suggest ways of overcoming their haunting limitations in the future.
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
III
Highlights of Jacksons Presidency
Jackson personified the desirable and undesirable qualities of Westerners. He stood for the right of the
common people to have a greater voice in government. Distinct changes in laws, practices, and popular
attitudes gave rise to Jacksonian Democracy and were in turn accelerated by the new equalitarian spirit.
1. Jacksonian Revolution of 1828: Jackson won more than twice the electoral vote of John Quincy Adams. However the popular vote was much closer. Adams had strong support in New England while
Jackson swept the South and Southwest. In the middle states and the Northwest, the popular vote was
close.
2. Age of the Common Man: All white males had access to the polls. Jackson was portrayed by the opposition as a common man, an illiterate backwoodsman, during the election of 1828. He was depicted
as being uncorrupt, natural, and plain. His supporters described his simple and true morals and fierce
and resolute will.
3. Spoils System: Jackson defended the principle of "rotation in office," the removal of officeholders of
the rival party on democratic grounds. He wanted to give as many individuals as possible a chance to
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
work for the government and to prevent the development of an elite bureaucracy.
4. National Republicans: They became the Whig party during Jackson’s second term. John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay guided this party in the 1830s. They were the Jeffersonian Republicans, along
with numerous former Federalists who believed that the national government should advocate economic development.
5. Trail of Tears: A pro-removal chief signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835 which ceded all Cherokee land to the United States for $5.6 million. Most Cherokees condemned the treaty. Between 1835
and 1838, 16,000 Cherokees migrated west to the Mississippi along the Trail of Tears. 2,000 to 4,000
Cherokees died.
6. Kitchen Cabinets: During his first term, Jackson repeatedly relied on an informal group of partisan
supporters for advice while ignoring his appointed cabinet officers. Supposedly, they met in the White
House kitchen. Martin Van Buren and John H. Eaton belonged to this group, but were also members
of the official cabinet.
7. Worcester v. Georgia, 1832: Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokees were not a state
nor a foreign nation and therefore lacked standing to bring suit. Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831:
Marshall ruled that the Cherokees were a "domestic dependent nation" entitled to federal protection
from mistreatment by Georgia.
8. Whigs: The National Republican party altered its name to the Whig party during Jackson’s second
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
term. They were united by their opposition of Jackson’s policies, committed to Clay’s American System and believed in active intervention by the government to change society. They became a national
party with appeal by 1836.
9. Maysville Road veto: President Jackson vetoed a bill to grant federal aid for a road in Kentucky between Maysville and Lexington in 1830. He believed that internal improvements violated the principle
that Congress could appropriate money for objectives only shared by all Americans. It increased Jackson’s popularity in the South.
10. Election of 1832: Jackson, a strong defender of states’ rights and Unionism won the presidency. The
National Republicans ran Henry Clay whose platform consisted of his American System. The AntiMasonic Party ran William Wirt who received 7 electoral votes.
11. Bank War: Nicholas Biddle operated the Bank of the United States since 1823. Many opposed the
Bank because it was big and powerful. Some disputed its constitutionality. Jackson tried to destroy the
Bank by vetoing a bill to recharter the Bank. He removed the federal government’s deposits from the
Bank and put them into various state and local banks or "pet banks." Biddle tightened up on credit and
called in loans, hoping for a retraction by Jackson, which never occurred. A financial recession resulted.
12. Roger B. Taney: Jackson’s policy was to remove federal deposits form the Bank of US and put them
in state banks. Secretary of treasury Roger B. Taney implemented the policy. Critics called the state-
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
bank depositories pet banks because they were chosen for their loyalty to the Democratic party.
13. Webster-Hayne Debate: Senator Robert Hayne of South Carolina made a speech in favor of cheap
land in 1830. He used Calhoun’s anti-tariff arguments to support his position and referred to the plausibility of nullification. Webster contended that the Union was indissoluble and sovereign over the
individual states.
14. Calhoun resigns: When Jackson favored the higher rates for the Tariff of 1832, Calhoun resigned in
the same year. He went back to South Carolina and composed an Ordinance of Nullification which
was approved by a special convention, and the customs officials were ordered to stop collecting the
duties at Charleston.
15. Nullification Crisis: Calhoun introduced the idea in his SC Exposition and Protest. States that suffered from the tariff of 1828 had the right to nullify or override the law within their borders. Jackson
proclaimed that nullification was unconstitutional and that the Constitution established "a single nation," not a league of states. A final resolution of the question of nullification was postponed until
1861, when South Carolina, accompanied by other southern states, seceded from the Union and started the Civil War.
16. Clay Compromise: He devised the Compromise Tariff which provided for a gradual lowering of duties between 1833-1842. The Force Bill authorized the president to use arms to collect customs duties
in South Carolina. Without the compromise, he believed that the Force Bill would produce a civil war.
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
17. Martin Van Buren: The accepted name for a group of Democratic party politicians, their activities
were centered in Albany, NY. They took a leading role in national and NY State politics between
1820 and 1850. One of the earliest, competent political machines in the US, prominent members included Van Buren.
18. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney: The Charles River Bridge Company sued to prevent Mass. from permitting the construction of a new bridge across the Charles River. Taney ruled that no charter given to
a private corporation forever vested rights that might hurt the public interest.
19. Panic of 1837: Prices began to fall in May 1837 and bank after bank refused specie payments. The
Bank of the United States also failed. The origins of the depression included Jackson’s Specie Circular. Also, Britain controlled the flow of specie from its shores to the US in an attempt to hinder the
outflow of British investments in 1836.
20. Dorr’s Rebellion: As a popular movement emerged in Rhode Island to abolish the limitations set
forth by the charter granted by Charles II in 1663, so did much violence and serious disturbances. The
protesters sought to do away with the state constitution which restricted suffrage to freeholders led the
reform to grant suffrage to non-property owners.
21. Independent Treasury Plan: Instead of depositing its revenue in state banks, Van Buren persuaded
Congress to establish an Independent Treasury in which the federal government would keep the revenue itself and thereby withhold public money from the grasp of business cooperation.
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson
Discussion 12-1
US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy
Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages
The Age of Jackson (1824-1840)
Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights
Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans
Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic
Pages 394-401
Pages 402-407
Pages 408-412
Key Ideas
The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government
The Bank Wars
The Spoils System
The Battle with the Cherokee Nation
State Rights
Related Topics
War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution
The Second National Bank
The Trail of Tears
States Rights and Unionism
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
22. Election of 1840: Van Buren was nominated but no vice president was put up. His opponent, William
Henry Harrison was ridiculed as "Old Granny" by the Democrats, and was given the most successful
campaign slogans in history. "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" Harrison won 80% of the electoral vote but
died a moth later.
23. Rise of the second party system: Because of the gradual hardening of the line between the two parties, interests in politic erupted among the people. New things such as rousing campaign techniques,
strong contrasts, and simple choices began to appeal to the ordinary people.
24. Tariff of 1842: In August of 1842, due to the need of revenue to run the government, Tyler signed a
bill which maintained some tariffs above 20%, but abandoned distribution to the states. This satisfied
northern manufacturers, but by abandoning distribution, it infuriated many southerners and westerners
Questions to Think About
Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man?
How could the US people support him?
Why was he so hard on the Native American people?
Why do people in the South still revere his legacy?
Why is his picture on the $20 bill?
Supporting Materials
Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands
Andrew Jackson: by Remini
Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz
The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson