Age of Jackson
9/25/2007 12:34:00 AM
Why is Jackson significant?
 Presidency unique - no nonsense. Trying to revive power of
presidency and expand power of executive.
 Popular mandate. Partisan spoils. Plebiscitary president.
 Pres. after Jackson dedicated themselves to Jacksonian ideas. Were
all Jacksonian democrats.
 Attempt of successors to brand themselves as Jacksonian or
opposed to Jackson.
 Trend of Presidents from west. Change in balance. Opposition of
patrician model. Anti-idea that president needs to be occupied by
people of elite. (Jackson didn’t have much formal education).
 Served two terms and his term was very full of issues. Nullification
crisis, Bank of U.S., Georgia and Indian affairs.
 Active presidency in way office functioned.
Institutional changes:
 Jackson eliminated the official cabinet and had his own Kitchen
Cabinet.
 Puts a mark on the cabinet – controls them. Dealing with a subcabinet of his own creation.

During Bank Crisis, fired sec. of treasury twice until found a guy
that would follow his plan.
o Jackson was censored by Congress over the bank firing of the
sec. of treasury. Too early to think about impeachment –
later in Johnson’s administration he is impeached but not
convicted.
 Exercised a lot of enumerated powers.
Jackson’s Opponents:
 Whigs not united. Anti-Jackson.

1825 – end of Era of Good feelings (1817-1825) and see opposition
forming under label of Whig party.
o Whig – party that provided opposition to executive (King) and
was pro-parliament (Congress).
 Whigs wished to underline their opposition to strong executive.
Power should reside in Legislature (House).
Surprising about Jacksonian presidency:

Jackson took more moderate views in office, esp. about Georgia.
Only later in his presidency that he tried to use executive power to
change.
 Restrained in use of presidential weapon. Like Jefferson.
 Jackson changes and exercises stance more directly when realizes
he doesn’t have consensus that Jefferson did. Jackson surrounded
by opponents.
John Calhoun:
 Jackson’s vice president, from South Carolina. Opposed to Jackson’s
policies concerning states rights issues.

1832 – Tariff of abominations. Calhoun and Jackson controversy
apparent.
 Calhoun worked with Henry Clay against Jackson. Clay is Whig,
Calhoun is democrat.
Nullification Crisis of 1832:
 Towards end of Jackson’s first term
 Overshadowed rest of history that came after up to civil war.
 Issue was disagreements over tariffs. Tariffs excite public passions.
 South Carolina/Calhoun’s position – tariff was unconstitutional and



each state had right to disobey federal statute because was
unconstitutional. South Carolina officials ordered it not to be
enforced at ports.
Precedent – Jackson responds to South Carolina by threatening to
call troops to enforce federal law. South Carolina backs down. (But
first state to succeed form the union later).
Later, Lincoln claims to have power to send military force to bring
state back in line because of this precedent 30 years ago.
State-federal tension meeting at president.
Staff of Government offices:
 Jackson regularly changes who is in his cabinet. Also had Kitchen
cabinet. Exerted control over executive and executive agencies.
 Spoils system – Offices are filled by government by partisan
supporters. “to the victor go the spoils”. Staffing of executive
offices change when power shifts in executive.



Election






Larges bureaucracy at this time is the post office. Font of
bureaucracy. Accustomed to name post master general the chief
spoiler.
Spoils system increased power of presidency because it gave them
justification to put their people into office. May weaken in some
ways too depending on perspective.
Staffing sometimes led by local public office. Decision not always in
hands of president, but those of his party.
strategies:
Party conventions begin. Innovation. Made up of delegates from
states that choose candidates for party.
Previously, were chosen by caucuses and state legislatures. “King
Caucus”.
Popularized elections – songs, articles, etc.
Jefferson’s idea was to open up elections to others, Jackson takes
care of this through patronage and popularized elections.
Vote spread to all free white men – no property requirements. More
free white men allowed to vote.
All states (except one) having popular elections for presidential
candidates. (South Carolina still hangs on to caucus).
 Direct connection with the people further forged.
Consequences of Popular Mandate:
 Can appeal directly to the people and go over the heads of
Congress.
 See more of it in modern presidency but gets its start in Age of
Jackson.
Van Buren’s administration:
 Get’s caught in bad place – pays penalty for Jackson’s decision to


put national deposits in state banks.
Panic of 1837 – too much easy credit. Banks unable to pay deposits
that were called. Van Buren expected to handle it but not as
charismatic than Jackson.
Van Buren proposes a sub-treasury to solve problem. Clay and
opponents would have liked for treasury to be taken away from
president’s hands to Congressional hands.

Van Buren grew up in humble backgrounds and overcompensated
for fact.
Harrison’s administration:
 Tippecanoe – battle of 1812 – military hero.
 Tyler – came from smaller wing of Whig party. More wedded to
states rights.
 Harrison dies 30 days in office and Tyler takes over.
Tyler’s administration:
 Tyler establishes situation where vp takes on power of presidency in
his own right. Quickly assumes power.

Carried himself as the president – not as interim president. Insisted
to serve out term. Important precedent.
Election 1845:
 Van Buren seems heir to democratic party. Texas petitioned to be
part of U.S. after fighting with Mexico. Democrats picked “Dark
Horse” because Van Buren didn’t want Texas.
 Chose Polk. Close ally of Jackson.
Polk administration:
 Strong president, shrewd.





Manifest destiny big topic. Slogan is “54/40 or fight” – northwest
territory Oregon. Gets California and new Mexico.
Didn’t run for second term.
War-time president. Almost goes to war with Britain over the issue
of expansion.
Has control over his own cabinet. Innovation is to bring together
budget of agencies and to attempt to govern federal budget and
keep it under control. Strong ruling figure in terms of fiscal policy.
Polk insisted that dept of war go back to pre-war levels as far as
budget.
Pierce and Buchanan administration:
 Terms overshadowed by slavery.
 In latter days of Buchanan’s presidency, states declared they want
to succeed. He felt there was nothing he could do. Not more
popular/well regarded president. Worst president.
9/25/2007 12:34:00 AM
9/25/2007 12:34:00 AM