Chapter 13
The Rise of Mass Democracy
I. The “Corrupt Bargain” of 1824
i. After the Era of Good Feelings, politics was transformed. The big winner of this
transformation was the common man. Specifically, the common white man as
universal white manhood suffrage (all white men could vote) became the
norm.
ii. In the election of 1824, there were four towering candidates: Andrew Jackson
of Tennessee, Henry Clay of Kentucky, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and
John Q. Adams of Massachusetts.
1. All four called themselves Republicans.
2. Three were a “favorite son” of their respective region but Clay thought
of himself as a national figure (he was Speaker of the House and author
of the “American System”).
iii. In the results, Jackson got the most popular votes and the most electoral votes,
but he failed to get the majority in the Electoral College. Adams came in
second in both, while Crawford was fourth in the popular vote but third in the
electoral votes. Clay was 4th in the electoral vote.
iv. By the 12th Amendment, the top three electoral vote getters would be voted
upon in the House of Reps. and the majority (over 50%) would be elected
president.
v. Clay was eliminated, but he was the Speaker of the House, and since Crawford
had recently suffered a paralytic stroke and Clay hated Jackson, he threw his
support behind John Q. Adams, helping him become president.
1. When Clay was appointed Secretary of the State, the traditional
stepping-stone to the presidency, Jacksonians cried foul play and
corruption. Jackson said he, the people’s choice, had been swindled out
of the presidency by career politicians in Washington D.C.
2. John Randolph publicly assailed the alliance between Adams and Clay.
vi. Evidence against any possible deal has never been found in this “Corrupt
Bargain,” but both men flawed their reputations.
II. A Yankee Misfit in the White House
i. John Quincy Adams was a man of puritanical honor, and he had achieved
high office by commanding respect rather than by boasting great popularity.
Like his father, however, he was able but somewhat wooden and lacked the
“people’s touch” (which Jackson notably had).
ii. During his administration, he only removed 12 public servants from the federal
payroll, thus refusing to kick out efficient officeholders in favor of his own,
possibly less efficient, supporters.
iii. In his first annual message, Adams urged Congress on the construction of
roads and canals,
proposed a national university, and advocated support for an astronomical
observatory.
1. Public reaction was mixed: roads were good, but observatories weren’t
important, and Southerners knew that if the government did anything, it
would have to continue collecting tariffs.
iv. With land, Adams tried to curb over-speculation of land, much to Westerners’
anger even though he was doing it for their own good, and with the Cherokee
Indians, he tried to deal fairly with them although the state of Georgia
successfully resisted federal attempts to help the Cherokees.
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III. Going “Whole Hog” for Jackson in 1828”
i.
Jacksonians argued, “Should the people rule?” and said that the Adams-Clay
bargaining four years before had cheated the people out of the rightful victor.
1. They successfully turned public opinion against an honest and honorable
president.
ii. However, Adams’ supporters also hit below the belt, even though Adams
himself wouldn’t stoop to that level.
1. They called Jackson’s mother a prostitute, called him an adulterer (he had
married his wife Rachel thinking that her divorce had been granted, only
to discover two years later that it hadn’t been), and after he got elected,
Rachel died. Jackson blamed Adams’ men who had slandered Andrew
Jackson for Rachel Jackson’s death—he never forgave them.
iii. John Q. Adams had purchased, with his own money and for his own use, a
billiard table and a set of chessmen, but the Jacksonians had seized this,
criticizing Adams’ incessant spending.
IV. “Old Hickory” as President
i. When he became president, Andrew Jackson had already battled dysentery,
malaria, tuberculosis, and lead poisoning from two bullets lodged somewhere in
his body.
ii. He personified the new West: rough, a jack-of-all-trades, a genuine folk hero.
iii. Born in the backwoods of the Carolinas (we’re not even sure if it was North or
South Carolina, and both states still claim to be his home), Jackson had been
early orphaned, was interested in cockfighting as a kid, and wasn’t really
good with reading and writing, sometimes misspelling the same word twice in
one letter.
iv. He went to Tennessee, where he became a judge and a congressman, and his
passions were so profound that he could choke up on the floor.
v. A man with a violent temper, he got into many duels, fights, stabbings, etcÉ
vi. He was a Western aristocrat, having owned many slaves, and lived in a fine
mansion, the Hermitage, and he shared many of the prejudices of the masses.
vii. He was called “Old Hickory” by his troops because of his toughness.
viii. He was anti-federalist, believing that the federal government was for the
privileged only, although he maintained the sacredness of the Union and the
federal power over the states. Still, he welcomed the western democracy.
ix. Jackson commanded fear and respect from his subordinates, and ignored the
Supreme Court on several occasions; he also used the veto 12 times
(compared to a combined 10 times by his predecessors) and on his
inauguration, he let commoners come into the White House.
1. They wrecked the china and caused chaos until they heard that there
was spiked punch on the White House front lawn; thus was the
“inaugural bowl.”
2. Conservatives condemned Jackson as “King Mob” and berated him
greatly.
V. The Spoils System
i.
The spoils system rewarded supporters with good positions in office.
ii. Jackson believed that experience counted, but that loyalty and young blood
and sharp eyes counted more, and thus, he went to work on overhauling
positions and erasing the old.
iii. Not since the election of 1800 had a new party been voted into the presidency,
and even then, many positions had stayed and not changed.
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Though he wanted to “wipe the slate clean,” only 1/5 of the men were sent
home, and clean sweeps would come later, but there were always people
hounding Jackson for positions, and those who were discharged often went mad,
killed themselves, or had a tough time with it.
v. The spoils system denied many able people a chance to contribute.
vi. Samuel Swartwout was awarded the lucrative post of collector of the customs
of the port of New York, and nearly nine years later, he fled for England,
leaving his accounts more than a million dollars short, and thus becoming the
first person to steal a million dollars from the government.
vii. The spoils system was built up by gifts from expectant party members, and
the system secured such a tenacious hold that it took more than 50 years before
its grip was even loosened.
VI. The Tricky “Tariff of Abominations”
i. In 1824, Congress had increased the general tariff from 23% to 37%, but wool
manufactures still wanted higher tariffs.
ii. In the Tariff of 1828, the Jacksonians (who disliked tariffs) schemed to drive
up duties to as high as 45% while imposing heavy tariffs on raw materials like
wool, so that even New England, where the tariff was needed, would vote the
bill down and give Adams another political black eye.
1. However, the New Englanders backfired the plan and passed the law
(amended).
2.
Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun reversed their positions from
1816, with Webster supporting the tariff and Calhoun being against it.
3. The Southerners immediately branded it as the “Tariff of
Abominations.”
iii. In the South at this time, Denmark Vesey, a free Black, led an ominous
slave rebellion in Charleston. This raised fears by Southern whites and led to a
tightening of control over slaves.
1. The South mostly complained because it was now the least expanding
of the sections.
2. Cotton prices were falling and land was growing scarce.
iv. Southerners sold their cotton and other products without tariffs, while the
products that they bought were heavily taxed. The South said all tariffs did for
them was hike up prices.
v. Tariffs led the U.S. to buy less British products and vice versa, but it did help
the Northeast prosper so that it could buy more of the South’s products.
vi. John C. Calhoun secretly wrote “The South Carolina Exposition” in 1828,
boldly denouncing the recent tariff and calling for nullification of the tariff by
all states.
vii. However, South Carolina was alone in this nullification threat, since Andrew
Jackson had been elected two weeks earlier, and was expected to sympathize
with the South against the tariff.
VII. “Nullies” in South Carolina
i. South Carolinians, still scornful toward the Tariff of 1828, attempted to garner
the necessary two-thirds majority to nullify it in the S.C. legislature, but
determined Unionists blocked them.
iv.
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ii. In response to the anger at the “Tariff of Abominations,” Congress
passed the Tariff of 1832, which did away with the worst parts of
the Tariff of 1828, such as lowering the tariff down to 35%, a
reduction of 10%, but many southerners still hated it.
iii. In the elections of 1832, the Nullies came out with a two-thirds
majority over the Unionists, met in the state legislature, and declared
the Tariff of 1832 to be void within S.C. boundaries.
1. They also threatened with secession against the Union,
causing a huge problem.
2. President Jackson issued a ringing proclamation against
S.C., to which governor Hayne issued a counterproclamation, and civil war loomed dangerously.
3. To compromise and prevent Jackson from crushing S.C. and
becoming more popular, the president’s rival, Henry Clay,
proposed a compromise bill that would gradually reduce the
Tariff of 1832 by about 10% over a period of eight years, so
that by 1842 the rates would be down to 20% to 25%.
i. The Tariff of 1833 narrowly squeezed through
Congress.
ii. However, to save face, Congress also passed
the Force Bill (AKA the “Bloody Bill”) that
authorized the president to use the army and
navy, if necessary, to collect tariffs.
iv. No other states had supported South Carolina’s stance of possible
secession, though Georgia and Virginia toyed with the idea.
v. Finally, S.C. repealed the nullification ordinance.
VIII.
The Trail of Tears
i. By 1830, the U.S. population stood at 13 million, and as states emerged, the Indians
were stranded.
ii. Federal policy officially was to acquire land from the Indians
through formal treaties, but too many times, they were tricked.
iii. Many people respected the Indians, though, and tried to Christianize
them.
1. i.e. the Society for Propagating the Gospel Among Indians
(est. 1787).
iv. Some Indians violently resisted, but the Cherokees were among the
few that tried to adopt the Americans ways, adopting a system of
settled agriculture, devising an alphabet, legislating legal code in
1808, and adopting a written constitution in 1827.
v. The Cherokees, the Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and the
Seminoles were known as the “Five Civilized Tribes.”
vi. However, in 1828, Congress declared the Cherokee tribal council
illegal, and asserted its own jurisdiction over Indian lands and affairs,
and even though the Cherokees appealed to and won in the Supreme
Court, Jackson refused to recognize the decision.
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vii. Jackson, though, still harbored some sentiment of Indians, and
proposed that they be bodily transferred west of the Mississippi,
where they could preserve the culture, and in 1830, Congress passed
the Indian Removal Act, in which Indians were moved to Oklahoma.
1. Thousands of Indians died on the “Trail of Tears” after being
uprooted from their sacred lands that had been theirs for
centuries.
2. Also, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was established in 1836 to
deal with Indians.
viii. In 1832, in Illinois and Wisconsin, the Sauk and Fox tribes revolted but were crushed.
ix. From 1835 to 1842, the Seminoles waged guerrilla warfare against
the U.S., but were broken after their leader, Osceola, was seized;
some fled deeper into the Everglades of Florida; others moved to
Oklahoma.
IX. The Bank War
i. Andrew Jackson, like most westerners, distrusted big banks,
especially the BUS—Bank of the United States.
1. To Jackson and westerners, the BUS was simply a tool of the
rich to get richer.
2. The BUS minted coin money (“hard money”), but not paper
money. Farmers out west wanted paper money which caused
inflation, and enabled them to more easily pay off their debts.
3. Jackson and westerners saw the BUS and eastern banks as being
in a conspiracy to keep the common man down economically.
This conspiracy was carried out through hard money and debt.
ii. The BUS, led by Nicholas Biddle, was harsh on the volatile western
“wildcat” banks that churned out unstable money and too-lenient
credit for land (which the westerners loved). The BUS seemed pretty
autocratic and out of touch with America during its New Democracy
era, and it was corrupt.
iii. Nicholas Biddle cleverly lent U.S. funds to friends, and often
used the money of the BUS to bribe people, like the press.
iv. However, the bank was financially sound, reduced bank failures,
issued sound notes, promoted economic expansion by making
abundant credit, and was a safe depository for the funds of the
Washington government.
v. It was highly important and useful, though sometimes not
necessarily pure and wholesome.
vi. In 1832, Henry Clay, in a strategy to bring Jackson’s popularity
down so that he could defeat him for presidency, rammed a bill
for the re-chartering of the BUS—four years early.
vii. He felt that if Jackson signed it, he’d alienate his followers in
the West and South, and if he vetoed it, he’d lose the supports of
the “best people” of the East.
viii. He failed to realize that the West held more power now, not the
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East.
ix. The re-charter bill passed through Congress easily, but Jackson
demolished it in a scorching veto that condemned the BUS as
unconstitutional (despite political foe John Marshall’s ruling
that it was okay), and anti-American.
x. The veto amplified the power of the president by ignoring the
Supreme Court and aligned the West against the East.
X. “Old Hickory” Wallops Clay in 1832
i. Jackson’s supporters again raised the hickory pole while Clay’s men
detracted Jackson’s dueling, gambling, cockfighting, and fast living.
ii. However, a new third party, the Anti-Masonic Party, made its entrance
for the first time.
1. Opposed to the fearsome secrecy of the Masonic order, it was
energized by the mysterious murder of someone who
threatened to expose the Freemason’s secrets.
2. While sharing Jacksonian ideals, they were against Jackson, a
Mason.
3. Also, they were supported by churches hoping to pass
religious reform.
iii. Also for the first time, national conventions were held to nominate
candidates.
iv. Clay had the money and the “support” of the press, but the poor
people voted too, and Jackson won handily, handing Clay his third
loss in three tries.
XI. Burying Biddle’s Bank
i. Hoping to kill the BUS, Jackson now began to withdraw federal
funds from the bank, so as to drain it of its wealth; in reaction,
Biddle began to call for unnecessary loans, personally causing a
mini panic.
ii. Jackson won, and in 1836, the BUS breathed its last breath, but
because it had been the only source of sure credit in the United
States, hard times fell upon the West once the BUS died, since the
wildcat banks were very unreliable.
XII. The Birth of the Whigs
i. Under Jackson, the modern two-party system of politics came to be.
ii. Opponents of Jackson despised his iron-fisted nature and called him
“King Andrew.” This wide group coalesced into the Whig party,
united only by dislike of Jackson.
iii. Generally, the Whigs:
1. Disliked Jackson
2. Supported Henry Clay’s American System and internal
improvements.
iv. Once formed, American would have at least two major political parties
thenceforth.
XIII. The Election of 1836
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“King Andrew” was too old to run again, but offered Martin van
Buren to follow in his coattails.
ii. The Whigs suffered from disorganization. They tried to offer a
favorite son candidate from each section of the country—their
hopes were that no one would win a majority of electoral votes, the
election would thus be thrown to the House of Representatives, and
they could win there. Their scheme failed, and van Buren won.
XIV. Big Woes for the “Little Magician”
i. Van Buren was the first president to have been born in America, but
he lacked the support of many Democrats and Jackson’s popularity.
ii. A rebellion in Canada in 1837 threatened to plunge America into
war, and Van Buren also inherited the depression caused by
Jackson’s BUS killing.
XV. Depression Doldrums and the Independent Treasury
i.
The Panic of 1837 was caused by the “wildcat banks” loans, the
over-speculation, the “Bank War,” and the Specie Circular stating
that debts must be paid in specie (gold or silver), which no one had.
ii. Failures of wheat crops caused by the Hessian fly also worsened the
situation, and the failure of two large British Banks in 1836 had
already started the panic going.
iii. Hundreds of banks fell, including some of Jackson’s “pet banks,”
banks that had received the money that Jackson had withdrawn
from the BUS to kill it.
iv. The Whigs proposed expansion of bank credit, higher tariffs,
and subsidies for internal improvements, but Van Buren spurned
such ideas.
v. Instead, he proposed the “Divorce Bill” (separating the bank from
the government and storing money in some of the vaults of the
larger American cities, thus keeping the money safe but also
unavailable) that advocated the independent treasury, and in 1840, it
was passed.
1. The next year, the victorious Whigs repealed it, but in 1846, it was brought back; it
finally
merged with the Federal Reserve System in the next century.
XVI.
Gone to Texas
i. Americans continued to covet Texas, and in 1823, after Mexico had
gained independence from Spain, Stephen Austin had made an
agreement with the Mexican government to bring about 300 families
into a huge tract of granted land to settle.
ii. The stipulations were: (1) they must become Mexican citizens, (2)
they must become Catholic, and (3) no slavery allowed. These
stipulations were largely ignored by the new settlers.
XVII.The Lone Star Rebellion
i. The Texans (among them Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie) resented
the “foreign” government, but they were led by Sam Houston, a man
i.
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whose wife had left him.
ii. In 1830, Mexico freed its slaves and prohibited them in Texas, much
to the anger of citizens.
iii. In 1833, Stephen Austin went to Mexico City to clear up differences
and was jailed for 8 months.
iv. In 1835, dictator Santa Anna started to raise an army to suppress the
Texans; the next year, they declared their independence.
v. After armed conflict and slaughters at the Alamo and at Goliad,
Texan war cries rallied citizens, volunteers, and soldiers, and the
turning point came after Sam Houston led his army for 37 days
eastward, then turned on the Mexicans, taking advantage of their
siesta hour, wiping them out, and capturing Santa Anna.
vi. The treaty he was forced to sign was later negated by him on
grounds that the treaty was extorted under duress.
vii. Texas was supported in their war by the United States, but Jackson
was hesitant to formally recognize Texas as an independent nation
until he had secured Martin Van Buren as his successor, but after he
succeeded, Jackson did indeed recognize Texas on his last day
before he left office, in 1837.
viii. Many Texans wanted to become part of the Union, but the slavery
issue blocked this.
ix. The end was an unsettled predicament in which Texans feared the
return of Santa Anna.
XVIII.Log Cabins and Hard Cider of 1840
i. In 1840, William Harrison was nominated due to his being
issueless and enemyless, with John Tyler as his running mate.
ii. He had only been popular from Tippecanoe (1811) and the Battle of
the Thames (1813).
iii. A stupid Democratic editor also helped Harrison’s cause when he
called the candidate a poor old farmer with hard cider and
inadvertently made him look like many poor Westerners.
iv. With slogans of “Tippecanoe and Tyler too,” the Whigs advocated
this “poor man’s president” idea and replied, to such questions of
the bank, internal improvements, and the tariff, with answers of
“log cabin,” “hard cider,” and “Harrison is a poor man.”
v. The popular election was close, but Harrison blew Van Buren away
in the Electoral College.
vi. Basically, the election was a protest against the hard times of the era.
XIX. Politics for the People
i. When the Federalists had dominated, democracy was not respected, but
by the 1820s, it was widely appealing.
1. Politicians now had to bend to appease and appeal to the
masses, and the popular ones were the ones who claimed to be
born in log cabins and had humble backgrounds.
2. Those who were aristocratic (too clean, too well-dressed, too
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grammatical, to highly intellectual) were scorned.
ii. Western Indian fighters and/or militia commanders, like Andrew
Jackson, Davy Crocket, and William Henry Harrison, were quite
popular.
iii. Jacksonian Democracy said that whatever governing that was to be
done should be done directly by the people.
iv. This time was called the New Democracy, and was based on universal
white manhood suffrage.
1. In 1791, Vermont became the first state admitted to the union
to allow all white males to vote in the elections.
v. While the old bigwigs who used to have power sneered at the
“coonskin congressmen” and the “bipeds of the forest,” the new
democrats argued that if they messed up, they messed up together and
were not victims of aristocratic domination.
XX. The Two-Party System
a. The Democrats had so successfully absorbed the Federalist ideas before,
that a true two party system had never emerged—until now.
b. The Democrats
i. Glorified the liberty of the individual.
ii. Clung to states’ rights and federal restraint in social and economic
affairs.
iii. Mostly more humble, poorer folk.
iv. Generally from the South and West.
c. The Whigs
i. Trumpeted the natural harmony of society and the value of
community.
ii. Berated leaders whose appeals and self-interest fostered conflict
among individuals.
iii. Favored a renewed national bank, protective tariffs, internal
improvements, public schools, and moral reforms.
iv. Mostly more aristocratic and wealthier.
v. Generally from the East.
d. Things in Common
i. Based on the people, with “catchall” phrases for popularity.
ii. Both also commanded loyalties from all kinds of people.
Chapter 13 Vocabulary
John Quincy Adams -- He was the sixth president of the United States. He was a
Republican from Massachusetts who was the first minority president (less than 50% of
Americans did not vote for him). He served only four years, from 1824-1828. He could
never gain the support of the Americans because he was a minority president. He was in
favor of funding national research and he appointed Henry Clay as his Secretary of State
in the infamous “Corrupt Bargain” election. During his presidency, the National-
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Republicans were formed in support of him.
Andrew Jackson -- Andrew Jackson was a Democratic-Republican who was voted into
office in 1828. The people wanted representation and reform from the administration of
John Quincy Adams. Jackson believed that the people should rule. He was the first
president from the west, and he represented many of the characteristics of the west.
Jackson appealed to the common man as he was said to be one. He believed in the strength
of the Union and the supremacy of the federal government over the state government.
William Crawford -- Originally from Georgia, Crawford ran in the 1824 election
representing the South. He was forced to drop out of the race due to a stroke.
Peggy Eaton – Peggy married Sec. of War John Eaton. She was snubbed by ladies of the
White House, especially VP Calhoun’s wife, for allegedly being disreputable. Jackson
tried to help her be accepted, but failed. This helped in the dissolution of Jackson and
Calhoun, and moved Calhoun down a states’ rights path.
Daniel Webster -- Daniel Webster was a nationalist and was involved in the WebsterHaynes debate over states' rights. He served as Secretary of State under the Tyler
administration. In 1836, he ran for the presidency as a member of the Whig party, losing to
Martin Van Buren. He was also America's greatest orator.
Denmark Vesey -- Denmark Vesey was a black man who lived in the Carolinas. Vesey led
a slave rebellion in Charleston in 1822. This slave rebellion was part of what led to the
anxieties of the South, especially in South Carolina. The Missouri Compromise and the
slave rebellion both caused the South to worry about federal government interference in
slavery issues. Robert Hayne – Hayne was a senator from South Carolina, a major player
in the sectional debate during 1829 and 1830. A great orator, he denounced New England.
He pointed out New England's treasonous activities during the War of 1812. He also spoke
out against the "Tariff of Abominations," which hurt the South. He supported Calhoun's
idea of nullification. While he did not want secession, he did add fuel to the sectional
flames, and this led to secession.
“Common Man” – This concept held that a political leader who worked his way up to the
top from the bottom was desirable. Andrew Jackson was the model common man. Born in
the Carolina backwoods, he had been orphaned, so he fought in the Revolutionary War at
age thirteen. In the War of 1812, he became a hero and launched his political career soon
after. He was like the rest of the country, and was liked for that fact. The common man
began to take over during the Jacksonian Democracy thanks mostly to “universal white
manhood suffrage.”
New Democracy -- The New Democracy got more people involved in the government.
There were also fewer voter restrictions and voter turnout increased. The #1 factor was
“universal white manhood suffrage” (all white men could vote).
Nullification – In the “compact theory,” the states said that since the states had formed the
federal government, any law passed by the federal government could be declared null and
void by the states. The South was extremely upset about the extremely high Tariff of
Abominations. "The South Carolina Exposition," written by John C. Calhoun, denounced the
tariff as unjust and unconstitutional. The document bluntly proposed that the states should
nullify the tariff. The even more dangerous doctrine of secession was foreshadowed.
Spoils system -- This system was set up by Andrew Jackson not long after his election
into the presidency in 1828. It had
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already developed a strong hold in the industrial states such as New York and
Pennsylvania. It gave the public offices to the
political supporters of the campaign, to those loyal to Jackson. The name came from
Senator Marcy's remark in 1832, "to the victor belong the spoils.”
Rotation in Office – This idea was supported by the New Democracy. Rotation said that it
was good to clean out government officials every so often. This was part of the spoils
system used by Jackson. Jackson felt it made the government more democratic by having
more participation, and avoided long term laziness.
“King Caucus” -- Rather than a few “bigwhigs” choosing a bigwhig candidate, in a
caucus, the people choose the candidate they want. This new and more democratic method
of nominating presidential candidates led to having national nominating conventions.
Democratic-Republicans -- Once shortened to "Republicans" under Jefferson, when
Andrew Jackson came into power he renamed the party "Democrats." The Jacksonian
Democrats were very democratic and were opposed to the Whigs. Jackson was a real
common man and believed in the common man. They opposed to very strong national
bank. When he was president the Whigs called him "King Jackson". This party is the
present day Democratic party.
Anti-Masonic Party -- The Anti-Masonic Party was basically against elite groups such as
the Masons (a private, secret organization). They were also opposed to Jackson, who was a
Mason. The Anti-Masonic party did not hold much bearing while they existed.
Revolution of 1828 – This was the election of 1828. The candidates for president were
John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson. The election of 1828 is often called the "Revolution
of 1828" because there was an increased turnout of voters at this election (50% of eligible
voters, twice the number of four years prior). The large turnout proved that the common
people now had the vote and the will to use it for their ends. The results of the election
show that the political center of gravity was shifting away from the conservative eastern
seaboard and toward the emerging states across the mountains. The revolution was peaceful
and achieved by ballots. America had been ruled by the elite brains and wealthy class. In
this sense, it was similar to Jefferson’s “Revolution of 1800.” Jackson's victory accelerated
the transfer of national power from the countinghouse to the farmhouse, from the East to
the West, and from the snobs to the mobs.
King Mob -- Nickname for all the new participants in government that came with Jackson's
presidency. This nickname was negative and proposed that Jackson believed in too much
democracy, perhaps leading to anarchy.
Corrupt Bargain -- Immediately after John Quincy Adams became president in 1824, he
appointed Henry Clay as Secretary of State. Jacksonians were furious because all former
Secretaries of State became presidents. This "corrupt bargain" occurred after the Election of
1824 when Andrew Jackson had the most electoral votes, but not a majority. Then, Speaker
of the House Henry Clay (having the least of the electoral votes and thereby being
eliminated) gave his support to John Q. Adams, giving him the winning vote and making
him president. Jacksonians question whether John Q. Adams made Henry Clay Sec. of
State for payback in giving his votes.
Kitchen Cabinet -- President Jackson had an official cabinet, but its members were used
more as executive clerks than anything else. Jackson had a private cabinet of about thirteen
members that were always changing. The cabinet grew out of Jackson's unofficial meetings
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and was known as "the Kitchen Cabinet." Jackson's adversaries and enemies gave the group
of advisors this name.
Tariff of Abominations -- (1) An extremely high tariff (45%) that Jacksonian Democrats
tried to get Adams to veto. (2) caused a sectional split and began the nullification crisis led
by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. (3) Prelude to the Civil War.
Eaton Affair – John Eaton, Secretary of War, married the daughter of a Washington
boardinghouse keeper, Peggy O'Neal. She had rumors spread about her and the male
boarders. She was snubbed by ladies in Jackson's cabinet and especially Vice President
Calhoun's wife. The president wanted to help her because his wife had been the object of
many rumors. He tried to force the social acceptance of Peggy. This was called the
"Petticoat War." The Eaton scandal played into the hands of Secretary of State Van Buren.
He paid attention to Mrs. Eaton so he could get on Jackson's good side. Jackson turned
against Calhoun and in 1831 Calhoun's supporters broke away from cabinet. Calhoun
resigned the vice presidency the next year and entered the Senate for South Carolina.
South Carolina Exposition -- A pamphlet published by the South Carolina legislature,
written secretly by Vice President John C. Calhoun. It spoke against the "Tariff of
Abominations," and proposed nullification of the tariff. Calhoun wished to use nullification
to prevent secession, yet address the grievances of sectionalist Southerners. These
sectionalist ideas helped lead to the Civil War.
Maysville Road – The Maysville road was a road built within Kentucky and was considered
an individual state road, but was connected to an interstate. Andrew Jackson withheld funds
from localized roads and vetoed a bill for improving the Maysville road. This was a great
setback for the internal improvements of the American society.
Twelfth Amendment – Cleans up the electoral process for electing the president. Was
made to avoid a situation like what occurred in 1800 with Thomas Jefferson and with
Andrew Jackson/John Q. Adams in 1824’s “Corrupt Bargain” election. Nicholas Biddle –
Biddle was nicknamed "Czar Nicholas I" and was president of the Bank of the United
States. Jackson wanted to weaken the Bank and Biddle, so Jackson gradually began to
withdraw federal money and stowed the money in his "pet banks." Jackson destroyed the
Bank in 1832 with his veto of the Bank’s re-charter and withdrawals.
Osceola – Osceola was a leader of the Seminole. The Seminole Indians in Florida were
engaged in a bitter guerrilla war that proved to be the costliest Indian conflict. Fifteen
hundred American soldiers lost their lives in the battle. The war ended when the Americans
captured Osceola. Osceola ventually died in captivity. The ordeal split up the Seminole
tribe, some fled into theEverglades and others were herded to Oklahoma. He led one of the
many Indian conflicts that furthered westward expansion for the Americans.
Andrew Jackson – Jackson was the seventh president and supported mostly by the West
and South (the common people). He had no formal education. His beliefs were simple, and
his military background often influenced him. He introduced the spoils system into
American government, or rotation in office as he called it. His unofficial advisors were called
the "kitchen cabinet" because they were thought of as Jackson's friends, not political office
holders. Mostly though, he represented the common man both in his life and presidency.
Martin Van Buren – Van Buren was Andrew Jackson's own choice as his successor. Van
Buren became our eighth president in 1836. He was doomed from the start, though, as the
people thought he was only "mediocre" and the Democrats hated him. He was also left to
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deal with some very difficult situations, such as a developing Panic of 1837 for which he
was blamed. Van Buren tried to do his best in the circumstances, as with the controversial
"Divorce Bill," but Martin Van Buren's efforts were futile.
Stephen Austin -- Stephen Austin was an American colonizer and pioneer from Virginia
led the first settlers into Texas. His father, Moses Austin, secured a land grant from Spain,
and Stephen later renewed this grant with the independent Mexico. Austin succeeded in
bringing over 20,000 Americans to Texas by 1830. He requested self-government for the
territory, and was subsequently thrown into a Mexican prison. In 1835 he returned, and took
the command of a Texan army ready to fight for independence. He soon resigned. After
Texas became a republic in 1836, Austin worked for the U.S.’ annexation of Texas as a
state.
William Henry Harrison – Harrison was a war hero fighting Indians back in the War of
1812 and was not nominated for president in 1840 based mostly on his war record. He
won the 1840 presidential election with his log cabin and hard cider campaign. He became
the 1st Whig president & 1st president to die in office.
Henry Clay – Clay was a National-Republican and chief player in the presidential contest
of 1832. He threw himself behind the Senate's move to re-charter the bank. He was able to
pass a compromise bill that would slowly reduce the 1832 Tariff. He came from Kentucky
and strongly disliked Jackson, his western rival. Clay had 50,000 dollars in funds for "life
insurance" with the Bank of the United States. He lost the presidential election in 1832
because the rich people did not create enough support to elect him president. The loss of the
election crushed Clay, but his American System and other ideas had helped the United
States. Clay had previously been a War Hawk and later formed the “American System.” He
helped to form the "Whigs" in the Senate to defend the Bank of the United States.
Sam Houston – Houston was the president of Texas. Mexicans and Texans were in conflict
over issues such as slavery and immigration. In 1836, the Texans declared their
independence from Mexico and made Sam Houston their commander in chief. Santa Anna,
the dictator of Mexico, resented this American decree and charged into Texas with
Mexican forces. Houston and his troops initially retreated, but eventually they defeated the
Mexican army and captured Santa Anna.
John Tyler – Tyler ran as Vice-President to William Henry Harrison in the election of
1840 as a Whig. Harrison was elected, but shortly died, so Tyler became the first VicePresident to take the office of a dead president.
John C. Calhoun -- Calhoun was Vice President under Andrew Jackson although he
continually moved away from Jackson and his national policies and toward his native South
Carolina and a states’ rights position. This is best seen in his writing of the South Carolina
Exposition calling for nullification of the Tariff of Abominations, the Peggy Eaton Scandal,
and the icy toast against Jackson, and then his resignation from the VP job. In 1834, Calhoun
joined with Henry Clay against President Jackson, forming the beginnings of the Whig Party.
Santa Anna -- Santa Anna was a Mexican dictator who in 1835 wiped out all local rights
in Texas and started to raise an army to put down the Texans. With six thousand men he
swept through Texas until he was finally defeated by Sam Houston's army. He then signed
two treaties dealing with the border of Texas and the withdrawal of Mexican troops.
Black Hawk – Black Hawk was the leader of the Illinois tribes of Indians in the 1830's.
When the Indians were uprooted, and forced out of their homes, Black Hawk led the Indians
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in resisting the move. However, he wasn't powerful enough, because in 1832, they were
brutally defeated, and forced to move into Oklahoma.
William Travis -- William Travis was a colonel during the Texas Revolution. He fought on
the side of the Texans against the Mexicans in 1836 at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
Colonel Travis and two hundred Texans were trapped at the Alamo by Santa Anna and his
six thousand men. During this two week siege, all but one of the Texans was killed.
Annexation – Annexation was a method used by the government to acquire and establish
sovereignty over new territory. Sometimes force was used in annexation, but other times
it is done through a legal system, such as a purchase. The U.S. annexed Texas in 1845.
Antislavery -- Antislavery was a widespread idea (with most of its supporters being in the
New England areas) in the 1800s. The North readily opposed the idea of slavery, because
it was abusive and their economy didn't rely on it. But even in the South, in the 1820's,
there were numerous antislavery societies. These societies were actually more numerous
south of Mason and Dixon line.
favorite son -- The term "favorite son" referred to the Whig candidates of 1836 that were not
nationally known. They were only popular in their home states. The Whigs tried to use
these men to scatter the vote and force the House of Representatives to choose the
president.
Specie Circular -- Jackson authorized the U.S. Treasury to issue the Specie Circular in
1836. It was a decree which stated that all public lands must be purchased with gold or
silver money, because the B.U.S. was collapsing and the paper money floating around was
almost worthless. This decree caused a run on the banks for gold and silver and, in turn,
ignited the Panic of 1837. Slavocracy – The term “slavocracy” was the northerners' idea of
the South trying to gain slave land. The idea had to do with Texas joining the union. People
from the north thought the Southern slavocracy was involved in a conspiracy to bring new
slave states to America.
Tariff of 1833 -- This was a compromise bill. It would gradually reduce the tariff of 1832
by 10% over an 8 year period. It would be a 20-25% tax on dutiable goods. Henry Clay
wrote the bill. It ended the nullification crisis over the “Tariff of Abominations” when
South Carolina accepted the compromise.
Panic of 1837 – This was the nation’s first economic depression. Banks loaned too much
money out for Western expansion and they began to fail one by one. Hardship was acute
and widespread and hundreds of banks collapsed. Martin Van Buren (who was president at
the time) tried to "divorce" the government from banking altogether. This idea was not
highly supported but the Independent Treasury Bill passed Congress in 1840. Although
the Whigs repealed it the next year, the scheme was reenacted by the Democrats in 1846.
Force Bill – The Force Bill was passed by the Congress in 1833. It was also knowns as the
"Bloody Bill" to the Southerners. This bill allowed the president to use the Army and the
Navy to collect federal tariff duties (if necessary). It was an result to the Nullification Crisis
during this time and illustrated the stand-off between the federal government and states.
Seminole Indians – This Indian tribe lived in Florida and waged a seven year war against
the Americans in attempt to halt their being forcibly removed to the west. They were tricked
into a truce where their chief Osceola was captured. Most were moved to Oklahoma while
others remained hidden in the Everglades.
Divorce Bill – This was a bill proposed by Martin Van Buren to move federal monies into
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a separate bank vault so it would not be connected with the ups and downs of the federal
economy. It barely passed in 1840 by the Democrats, then repealed when the Whigs came
into power a year later. It was, however, a predecessor of today’s Federal Reserve System.
Bank of United States -- The federal Bank of the U.S. was first created in 1791 under
Hamilton's economic plan. In 1816, the Bank of the U.S.'s charter was renewed. Because
of the economic recession of the 1810's, the bank suffered great mismanagement until
1822 when Nicholas Biddle, a Philadelphia financier, became its president. Andrew
Jackson, in 1831, vetoed the act to renew the bank's charter due to expire in 1836. Jackson
then set out to kill the bank by withdrawing money and putting it in his “pet banks.”
Because of the lack of the federal bank in 1836, the U.S. suffered through its first major
economic depression. Banks went bankrupt, paper money became worthless, and the Panic of
1837 struck.
Lone Star State—Texas, was first ruled by Spain for over 300. When Mexico became an
independent country in 1821, Texas became a Mexican state and new settlers from the
United States were welcomed. The large influx of Americans led to skirmishes with
Mexican troops. After a successful war of independence against Mexico, Texans raised the
Lone Star flag over their own republic in 1836. Their government was recognized by the
United States and several other European countries. In 1845 Texas accepted annexation by
the United States and was admitted as the 28th state.
Independent Treasury -- Martin Van Buren passed the "Divorce Bill" in 1840 which
created an independent treasury that took the government's funds out of the pet banks that
Jackson had created and put them in vaults in several of the largest cities. This way the
funds would be safe from inflation and denied to the state banks as revenue.
Anti-Masonic Party -- The Anti-Masonic Party was a third political party that developed
during the campaign of 1832 because of the fierce debate between Henry Clay and Andrew
Jackson. This party also developed as opposition to the Masons (a secret society). It gained
support from evangelical Protestant groups and people who were neglected by Jackson.
However, it never took a majority position in elections.
Pet Banks – These were state banks that existed in the 1830's and which received federal
funds from Jackson. These funds were from the removal of the deposits in the B.U.S. in
order to ensure the B.U.S.’s demise even before its charter ran out. These banks then loaned
money and printed paper money to increase spending, which led to inflation. Jackson
attempted to stop this inflation with the Specie Circular, which lead to the Panic of 1837.
Whig Party -- The Whig party was a party that formed for those who opposed Jackson's
views. It was created in the 1830s and the 1840s. When Jackson was elected, Clay and
Calhoun formed a party for those who opposed Democratic views. The first Whig to
become president was William Henry Harrison in the 1840 election. This fulfilled the reemergence of the two-party system.
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