Samuel Petersen, Megan King, Sho Murphey, Naomi Choice, Jack Demello
Question 1 (Document-Based Question): 55 minutes
Suggested Reading period: 15 minutes
Suggested writing period: 40 minutes
Directions: Question 1 is based on the accompanying documents. The documents have been edited for the
purpose of this exercise. You are advised to spend 15 minutes reading and planning and 45 minutes writing
your answer.
Write your responses on the lined pages that follow the question.
In your response you should do the following:
 State a relevant thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question.
 Support the thesis or a relevant argument with evidence from all, or all but one, of the documents.
 Incorporate analysis of all, or all but one, of the documents into your argument.
 Focus your analysis of each document on at least one of the following: intended audience, purpose,
historical context, and/or point of view.
 Support your argument with analysis of historical examples outside the documents
 Connect historical phenomena relevant to your argument to broader events or processes.
 Synthesize the elements above into a persuasive essay that extends your argument, connects it to a
different historical context, or accounts for contradictory evidence on the topic.
1. To what extent did the Jackson Administration and it’s actions represent a turning point in American
Democracy?
Document 1
Source: Jackson presidential campaign poster (1828)
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
Source: George Henry Evans, "The Working Men's Declaration of Independence" (December 1829)
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that
to secure these rights" against the undue influence of other classes of society, prudence, as well as the
claims of self defense, dictates the necessity of the organization of a party, who shall, by their
representatives, prevent dangerous combinations to subvert these indefeasible and fundamental privileges.
"All experience hath shown, that mankind" in general, and we as a class in particular, "are more disposed
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves," by an opposition which the pride and self
interest of unprincipled political aspirants, with more unprincipled zeal or religious bigotry, will willfully
misrepresent. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations" take place, all invariably tending to the
oppression and degradation of one class of society, and to the unnatural and iniquitous exaltation of
another by political leaders, "it is their right, it is their duty," to use every constitutional means to reform
the abuses of such a government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
Document 2
Document 3
Source: Andrew Jackson's veto message (July 10, 1832)
I sincerely regret that in the act before me I can perceive none of those modifications of the bank charter
which are necessary, in my opinion, to make it compatible with justice, with sound policy, or with the
Constitution of our country. . . . The present Bank of the United States . . . enjoys an exclusive privilege of
banking, . . . almost a monopoly of the foreign and domestic exchange.
It appears that more than a fourth part of the stock is held by foreigners and the residue is held by a
few hundred of our own citizens, chiefly of the richest class.
Of the twenty-five directors of this bank five are chosen by the Government and twenty by the citizen
stockholders. . . . It is easy to conceive that great evils to our country and its institutions might flow from
such a concentration of power in the hands of a few men irresponsible to the people.
Is there no danger to our liberty and independence in a bank that in its nature has so little to bind it to
our country?
It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes.
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
Document 4
Source: Democratic cartoon. Jackson destroying the National Bank with his “Order for Removal.”
(1833)
Document 5
Source: Alexis De Tocqueville, French writer and observer of Democracy;“Democracy in America”(1835)
In America the people appoints the legislative and the executive power, and furnishes the jurors who
punish all offences against the laws. The American institutions are democratic, not only in their principle but
in all their consequences; and the people elects its representatives directly, and for the most part annually, in
order to ensure their dependence. The people is therefore the real directing power; and although the form of
government is representative, it is evident that the opinions, the prejudices, the interests, and even the
passions of the community are hindered by no durable obstacles from exercising a perpetual influence on
society. In the United States the majority governs in the name of the people, as is the case in all the countries
in which the people is supreme. The majority is principally composed of peaceful citizens who, either by
inclination or by interest, are sincerely desirous of the welfare of their country. But they are surrounded by
the incessant agitation of parties, which attempt to gain their co-operation and to avail themselves of their
support.
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
Document 6
Source: Acts and Resolutions of South Carolina (1835)
3.
Resolved, That the legislature of South Carolina, having every confidence in the justice and
friendship of the non-slaveholding states, . . . earnestly requests that the governments of these states will
promptly and effectually suppress all those associations within their respective limits purporting to be
abolition societies, and that they will make it highly penal to print, publish, and distribute newspapers,
pamphlets, tracts and pictorial representations calculated and having an obvious tendency to excite the slaves
of the southern states to insurrection and revolt.
7.
Resolved, That the legislature of South Carolina regards with decided approbation the
measures of security adopted by the Post Office Department of the United States in relation to the
transmission of incendiary tracts. But if this highly essential and protective policy be counteracted by
Congress, and the United States mail becomes a vehicle for the transmission of the mischievous documents, .
. . [we] expect that the Chief Magistrate of our state will forthwith call the legislature together, that timely
measures may be taken to prevent [such mail] traversing our territory.
Document 7
Source: Jackson’s Farewell Address (March 4, 1837)
But when the charter for the Bank of the United States was obtained from Congress it perfected the
schemes of the paper system and gave to its advocates the position they have struggled to obtain
from the commencement of the Federal Government to the present hour. The immense capital and
peculiar privileges bestowed upon it enabled it to exercise despotic sway over the other banks in
every part of the country. From its superior strength it could seriously injure, if not destroy, the
business of any one of them which might incur its resentment; and it openly claimed for itself the
power of regulating the currency throughout the United States. In other words, it asserted (and it
undoubtedly possessed) the power to make money plenty or scarce at its pleasure, at any time and
in any quarter of the Union, by controlling the issues of other banks and permitting an expansion
or compelling a general contraction of the circulating medium, according to its own will….the
result of the ill-advised legislation which established this great monopoly was to concentrate the
whole moneyed power of the Union, with its boundless means of corruption and its numerous
dependents, under the direction and command of one acknowledged head, thus organizing this
particular interest as one body and securing to it unity and concert of action throughout the United
States, and enabling it to bring forward upon any occasion its entire and undivided strength to
support or defeat any measure of the Government. In the hands of this formidable power, thus
perfectly organized, was also placed unlimited dominion over the amount of the circulating
medium, giving it the power to regulate the value of property and the fruits of labor in every
quarter of the Union, and to bestow prosperity or bring ruin upon any city or section of the country
as might best comport with its own interest or policy.
END OF DOCUMENTS FOR QUESTION 1
Scoring Guidelines
DBQ Notes
Prompt: To what extent did the Jackson Administration and its actions represent a turning point in American
Democracy?
SCORING NOTES
Thesis: Possible thesis statements could include the following.
The Jacksonian era promoted the growing strength of presidency and brought a rise of power to the common
man such as with the expansion of a new electorate to all white male adult citizens.
Jackson’s attitudes toward states rights and the American people were a swift change from his predecessors and
were the groundwork for the sectionalism to come in the next quarter century.
Although the rise of Jackson marked a new turn in American politics, in which his democratic movement gave
everyday citizens a new sense of independence, it was still criticized by the controversy of white superiority.
The policies of Jackson’s administration shaped the beginning of modern American politics with expansionism
and presidential significance.
Analysis of Documents
As explained in the scoring notes, to earn full credit for analyzing documents, responses must include at least
one of the following for all or all but one of the documents: intended audience, purpose, historical context,
author’s point of view.Although examples of these elements are listed below, these examples of analysis must
explicitly be used in support of a stated thesis or a relevant argument.
Document 1:
Source: Jackson presidential campaign poster (1828)
 Intended audience: Campaigning towards the “Common Man”, war veterans, the working man, middle
and lower class.
 Purpose: to specifically attract the attention of the common man, the workers of America, in order to
depict Andrew Jackson as a people person. The poster also wanted to attract the war veteran population
portraying Jackson as a hero of war.
 Historical context: After the popularity of Andrew Jackson in the war of 1812, the campaign poster
wanted to use the popularity to Jackson’s advantage in the campaign. The poster also exploited Andrew
Jackson as being a person of the common man, being from a middle, lower class family, and being
raised the same as many working Americans.
 The author’s point of view: The creator of the poster was completely bias towards making Andrew
Jackson as appealing as possible, because his job was to do just that.
Document 2:
Source: George Henry Evans. "The Working Men's Declaration of Independence." (December 1829)
 Intended audience: the working class of American society, newspaper readers, and the general American
public
 Purpose: to openly criticize the government’s maltreatment of the working class and to declare
reformation in order to have equal rights and representation for the working society
 Historical context: the same year of the foundation of The Working Man’s Party in New York City and
the Working Men movement of 1829, and almost a year after Jackson’s presidential election
 The author’s point of view: written by a radical reformer and editor of radical newspapers, who strongly
believed in the rights of the working class society and pushed for change in the government to attend to
workers’ equality
Document 3:
Source: Andrew Jackson's veto message (July 10, 1832)
 Intended audience: US population, specifically congress
 Purpose: to explain why the national bank was detrimental to economy, to use his power to decide
whether or not the National Bank was necessary
 Historical context: extended charter for Second National Bank was proposed, Jackson took opportunity to
destroy bank
 The author’s point of view: created by Jackson himself, strongly opposed to National Bank
Document 4:
Source: Democratic cartoon. Jackson destroying the National Bank with his “Order for Removal.” (1833)
 Intended audience: the American reading public
 Purpose: to paint Jackson as a hero for destorying the corrupt bank
 Historical context: created after Jackson’s reelection
 The author’s point of view: likely created by a Democrat who supported Jackson
Document 5:
Source: Alexis De Tocqueville, French writer and observer of Democracy;“Democracy in America”(1835)
 Intended audience: French middle and high class society, people in France interested in western politics
and Democracy.
 Purpose: To inform his audience about the people of the United States being the ones in power in the
Democratic government. The people hold the power because they have direct say in who their officials
are, and that the people’s opinion and passion affect decisions made by officials greatly.
 Historical context: the Jacksonian democracy put the opinion and ideals of the population at a great
importance, trying to portray the belief of the common man. Jacksonians demanded elected (not
appointed) judges and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values.
 The authors point of view: Tocqueville was a prominent believer of Democracy. He supported Cavaignac
against Louis Napoleon Bonaparte for the presidential election of 1848. He always was a firm believer
in political liberty, eventually giving up in French politics because he couldn't work for someone whom
he considered usurper and despot.
Document 6:
Source: Acts and Resolutions of South Carolina (1835)
 Audience: directed to non-slave holding states and Congress
 Purpose: to request that non-slaveholding states suppress abolitionist association and make it illegal to
print or distribute information about abolition and to warn Congress that there will be consequences for
not complying with their request
 Historical context: the same year of Jacksons annual message to congress where he attacked abolitionists
and their publications and a year before the gag rule was passed
 The author’s point of view: stated by the Legislature of South Carolina who strongly opposed abolition
Document 7:
Source: Jackson’s Farewell Address (March 4, 1837)
 Intended Audience: American public, future political candidates
 Purpose: to warn future politicians about dangers of the Second National Bank, to explain how the bank
can use its power to cause many problems
 Historical Context: Jackson is no longer president, he feels the need to share his beliefs about the National
Bank
 The author’s point of view: created by Jackson himself, firm critic of national bank
Outside Info:
Possible examples of information not found in the documents that could be used to support the stated thesis or a
relevant argument could include the following.
 The Market Revolution (starting after 1812)
 Federally financed internal improvements; infrastructure
 National bank created, “The Second Bank of the United States” (1816)
 Latin America winning independence from Spain
 The Creation of the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
 Spoils System to clear out elected officials in government of an opposing party
 The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the 36/30 line of latitude
 Creation of the Whig party against Jackson gaining too much power (1833)
 The Tariff of 1828 and the Tariff of 1838
 The Force Act authorizing navy and army to collect taxes (1833)
 Indian Removal act of 1830
 Jackson’s veto of bill to extend 2nd National Bank of America (1832)
 Jackson Issues Nullification Proclamation (1832)
 The Spoils system turning into inflation
 The Panic of 1837
Contextualization:
Students can earn a point for contextualization by accurately and explicitly connecting historical phenomena
relevant to the argument to broader historical events and/or processes. These historical phenomena may
include,but are not limited to, the following.
 End of America’s first two party system
 Expansion of voting rights
 Debates over federally funded internal improvements
 Beginning of new two party system - democrats, whigs
 Appeal to new “common man” - President nicknames
 Idea of “self-made” man
 Supporters for democratic party - middle to lower class
 Jackson portrayed as “King Andrew”
 Jackson’s battle with South Carolina
 Jackson’s veto of the Second National Bank charter - many other vetoes as well
 Creation of “pet banks”
 Jackson’s bank policy - economic collapse
Synthesis:
Essays can earn the point for synthesis by crafting a persuasive and coherent essay. This can be accomplished
providing a conclusion that extends or modifies the analysis in the essay, by using disparate and sometimes
contradictory evidence from primary and/or secondary sources to craft a coherent argument, or by connecting to
another historical period or context. Examples could include, but are not limited to, the following.
 Linking the argument to Andrew Jackson’s influence on the modern democratic party and the two party
system
 Linking the argument to Andrew Jackson’s influence on presidential authority
 Linking the argument to Andrew Jackson’s emphasis on the protection of the common man
 Linking the argument to earlier views on individual liberties in comparison to Andrew Jackson’s
Jacksonian DBQ (Sample 7)
During the time of Andrew Jackson’s presidency from 1829 to 1837, he altered and re-defined many
aspects of American democracy. The four presidents preceding Jackson were advocates for states’ rights, while
Jackson was in favor of a stronger central government for the people. Jackson’s widening of democracy through
expanded suffrage was one major factor that contributed to the characterization of the “Age of Jackson” as a
turning point in American history. Also, Jackson’s campaign methods, supporters, and style in which he
governed made his presidency pivotal. Lastly, his financial decisions affected every man who took his place in
the presidential seat.
Jackson refined what American democracy means, primarily through the expansion of voting rights. For
instance, Alexis De Tocqueville, a French writer, articulated in his book, “Democracy in America,” that the
people of America elect their representatives directly, and therefore have their opinions, prejudices, interests,
and passions expressed (Doc 5). When De Tocqueville’s paper was published, Jackson was in the process of
expanding voting rights to all white males, and throughout his presidency, voting rose from 27 percent, to
almost 80 percent of all white males. Illustrating this white male dominance, the Acts and Resolutions of South
Carolina of 1835 called for the participation of free states in suppressing abolitionist movements, and banned
the United States mail of transporting “mischievous documents”(Doc 6). This distrust and unrest in South
Carolina was similar to the conflict caused by former V.P. John C. Calhoun’s theory of nullification, eventually
leading to Jackson’s signing of the Compromise of 1833 curbing the so called “tariff of abominations”. This
showed the public that Jackson was willing to compromise and work to better democracy in the eyes of the
people.
Jackson also redefined the presidential image and campaigning during his presidency. Jackson ran the
first real presidential campaign in the U.S., creating posters that portrayed him as a “man of the people,” and
“Old Hickory” (Doc 1). Jackson’s campaign also relied heavily on mudslinging against his opponent, John
Quincy Adams, in 1828, who allegedly abused federal money to make the White House more decadent. The
Working Man’s Party, in their “Declaration of Independence,” stated that it is the people’s responsibility to
reform the abuses of the government (Doc 2). Jackson’s biggest abuses of power, unlike those of the preceding
presidents, were through his use of the spoils system which rewarded supporters with federal jobs, and the
informal advice he received through his “kitchen cabinet,” a small group of advisors who were not always
federally employed. Jackson’s campaign and governing style represented a turning point from the aristocraticlike presidents before him.
Jackson’s presidency also represented a drastic financial turning point in America through his vetoing of
Henry Clay’s proposal to renew the National Bank charter. His veto message of 1832 justifies his decision by
blaming the National Bank for the failure of most private banks in the country (Doc 3). Clay’s proposal and
Jackson’s veto were known as the “Bank War.” Jackson’s veto may have been biased due to his hatred of the
bank’s president, Nicholas Biddle. The cartoon “Order for Removal,” printed in 1833, depicts Jackson vetoing
the bank in front of the bank officials portrayed as devils (Doc 4). Clearly biased in Jackson’s favor, the cartoon
shows his heroic decision and the defeat of the evil, money-laundering Nicholas Biddle. In his Farewell
Address, Jackson remarked on the National Bank, stating that the bank’s power to regulate all financial matters
was far too great to be concentrated in one institution (Doc 7). As he left office, Jackson felt the need to restress his warning against the bank, and its overwhelming power. Due to these justifications, Jackson’s
destruction of the National Bank represented a pivotal change in American economics.
Andrew Jackson’s presidency was undoubtedly a turning point in American democracy. His influence
on people’s views about the value of the “common man” defined the campaigning of most presidential
candidates post 1840. Abraham Lincoln is a perfect example of a candidate who won the presidential race
through appealing to the common people. Elected in 1860, he won support of the common people through his
debates with senator Douglass a few years earlier, just as Jackson had won through his identification with the
American people. Jackson’s values and techniques characterized democracy in America for decades to come.