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Age of Jackson Review Guide
1. For each of the following subjects, know THREE people, THREE vocab terms, and the significance of the event(s).
a. Corrupt Bargain & the Election of Andrew Jackson
i. People: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay
ii. Vocabulary: Corrupt Bargain, Era of the Common Man, Election of 1828
iii. Significance: Henry Clay helped John Quincy Adams win the election of 1824 through back door
deals. Jackson’s supporters were upset. Voting restrictions changed and Jackson related to the
common man. Jackson won in the election of 1828.
b. Spoils System & the Peggy Eaton Affair
i. People: Jackson, Peggy Eaton, John C. Calhoun
ii. Vocabulary: Spoils System, “kitchen cabinet”
iii. Significance: Defender of the common man, Jackson stood up for Peggy Eaton who was being
criticized by Cabinet members’ wives for her reputation. Eventually led to the resignation of
Jackson’s entire cabinet. This led to Jackson providing jobs for his friends and supporters.
c. Tariff of Abominations and Nullification Crisis
i. People: Jackson, Calhoun, Henry Clay
ii. Vocabulary: Tariff, Nullification, force act
iii. Significance: Tariff put on foreign goods that the south hates. Calhoun refuses to collect and
threatens to nullify the law and possibly succeed from the US. Jackson threatens Calhoun with
force bill passage. Cooled heads prevail when Clay passes the Compromise Tariff.
d. The National Bank & Pet Banks
i. People: Nicholas Biddle, Jackson, Secretary of Treasury
ii. Vocabulary: Panic of 1837, Pet Banks, National Bank
iii. Significance: Jackson hates the National Bank and vows to destroy it. Legally, he can’t, so he
gets multiple Secretary of Treasury’s to close the bank and remove money. He puts the money
into Democratic-favored “Pet Banks”, leading to the Panic of 1837
e. Indian Removal Act & the Trail of Tears
i. People: John Marshall, Cherokee, Jackson
ii. Vocabulary: Indian Removal Act, Worcester v. Georgia, Trail of Tears
iii. Significance: Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act to remove 5 civilized tribes from Georgia.
The Cherokee tribe sued in court and John Marshall ruled in favor of the Cherokee people.
Jackson disregarded Marshall and forced the Cherokee people to march from Georgia to
Oklahoma territory in what became known as the Trail of Tears. Thousands of Cherokee people
died along the way.
f. Oregon, California, and the Gold Rush
i. People: James K. Polk, 49ers, James Marshall (not the chief justice)
ii. Vocabulary: Sutter’s Mill, 54’40’ or fight, 49ers
iii. Significance: James K. Polk pledged to connect the coasts. He used the motto 54’40’ or fight to
pressure Britain to compromise on Oregon territory @ 49th parallel. The discovery of gold by
James Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in California led to mass migration to California (1849 – “49ers” –
the people who migrated to California in search of gold). Created a multicultural society and
sped the entry of California into US.
g. Texas & the Texas Revolution
i. People: Santa Anna, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin
ii. Vocabulary: Alamo, San Jacinto, Texas Independence
iii. Significance: Mexico invited Americans to Texas territory as long as they followed rules. They
didn’t! When Santa Anna came to power he tightened the rules. Texans revolted, led by Austin
and Houston. After massacres at the Alamo and Goliad, Texans used rallying cry of “Remember
the Alamo” to defeat and capture Santa Anna and San Jacinto.
h. Mexican-American War
i. People: Santa Anna, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor
ii. Vocabulary: Mexican Cession, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Rio Grande
iii. Significance: After American troops were killed in disputed area on Southern Texas border, Polk
sent troops into Mexico after short war that America dominated. Mexico accepted defeat and
signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, giving US HUGE tract of land known as Mexican
Cession. That land became multiple states in the South West, US.
2. Vocabulary
a. Era of the Common Man: (1828) Jackson defeated Quincy Adams in rematch election; Began the
Jackson era the promoted the “common man”
b. Spoils system: Winning candidates reward their supporters with government jobs
c. Indian Removal Act: (1830) Jackson used act to force Native Americans east of the Mississippi to move
west
d. Trail of Tears: (1838-1840) Jackson forcibly removed Cherokee people to march from Georgia to
Oklahoma territory, thousands of Cherokee people died along the journey
e. Tariff of Abominations: (1828) named by Calhoun, tariff increase that Southerners felt only enriched
the North
f. Pet banks: (1833) State banks selected by U.S. Department of Treasury to receive surplus government
funds
g. Sutter’s Mill: Located in California where James Marshall found gold on John Sutter’s mill, leading to a
mass migration to California in search of gold
h. Whig Party: (formed in 1834) Political party formed to oppose the policies of Andrew Jackson
i. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: (1848) ended the US war with Mexico, Mexico ceded California and New
Mexico to U.S.
j. The Alamo: (1836) a mission and fort in San Antonio, Texas where Mexican forces massacred rebellious
Texans
k. Corrupt Bargain: (1824) Henry Clay agreed to support John Quincy Adams in election against Jackson in
exchange for the position of Secretary of State
l. Election of 1828: Rematch election between Jackson and Quincy Adams, Jackson won
m. Manifest Destiny: Belief that God wanted Americans to expand westward to Pacific Ocean and Mexico
Territory
n. Fifty-four Forty or Fight: Polk used this slogan to call for U.S. annexation of the entire Oregon territory
o. Worcester v. Georgia: (1832) The case was filed by Worcester who claimed that his family’s forced
removal was a violation of his constitutional rights. Chief Justice John Marshall (the judge who presided
over the case) ruled in favor of Mr. Worcester in Worcester v. Georgia. Chief Justice Marshall believed
that the state government of Georgia did not have the power to enforce a law within lands that were
not within the jurisdiction of the state.
p. Mexican Cession: (1848) region of the modern day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to
the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
3. REVIEW YOUR MAP on pg. A20 in your textbook!
*Know that Henry Clay is from Kentucky