ANDREW JACKSON
Reading Questions: “Andrew Jackson and the Rise of Liberal Capitalism”
Respond to the questions below as you read Ch. 3 in The American Political Tradition
1. Briefly describe Jackson’s youth and early career.
2. Explain the changing character of politics and the electorate from 1812 to 1821.
3. What were Jackson’s political beliefs and party affiliations?
4. How did the panic of 1819 affect Jackson?
5. Explain the “corrupt bargain” ssociated with the election of 1824.
6. How does the election of Andrew Jackson represent a change in American politics?
7. Why was the Second National Bank vulnerable to criticism?
8. What function did the Second National Back serve?
9. Briefly explain the social philosophy of the Jacksonian movement.
10. Why does Hofstadter say Jackson found “defeat in victory” when it came to his battle
with the bank?
11. How does the decision by the Taney Court in the Charles River Bridge case reflect the
Jacksonian philosophy in the Supreme Court?
12. Write a brief paragraph that sums up Hofstadter’s thesis on Andrew Jackson.
Prep. for the Press Conference of President Jackson
After completing the textbook, RAH, and APT readings, write out 10 questions to ask
President Jackson at a press conference. (You do not need to write out the answers to your
questions, but you must know the answers to the questions you ask.) The questions should be
asked in a way President Jackson not only is required to respond to the facts of his
administration but also to the motives behind his actions as they relate to his presidency.
Avoid questions that require knowledge of obscure facts, such as “What is your wife’s
father’s first name?”