Jacksonian+Democracy

Chris O'Brien

media type="custom" key="24857156" Picture can be found [|here].

**Andrew Jackson** -President from 1829-1837 -Self made man -Changed American's rights by gaining universal male suffrage to all white male land owners -Dealt with nullification crisis. Threatened military action and got rights to do so. Suggested congress lower tariff, which they did. -Vetoed the Bank of the United States and put federal funds into many smaller "pet banks" - Two party system of Democrats and Whigs == Picture found at [|here] **Martin Van** **Buren** -President from 1837-1841 -Dealt with economic depressions by setting up a system of bonds to recover -Denied Texas's request to join the U.S -President from March 4th, 1841 to April 4th, 1841 -Harrison holds the record for the shortest presidency -His election for office against Van Buren was wild, as the election of 1840 was filled with name calling and other "Campaign Hoopla". In April, Harrison fell suddenly ill to pneumonia, and left his presidency to John Tyler. J**ohn Tyler** -President from 1841 to 1845 -President Tyler did not do much in favor of the Whig party. He denied their national bank bill, and supporter southerners and democrats who were seeking expansion. **James Polk** -President from 1845 to 1849 -Annexed Texas -Fought for the Oregon territory and settled for half of it, which was at the 49th parallel -Engaged the Mexican War. He sent John Slidell to persuade Mexico to sell California, and do settle the Texas-Mexico border dispute. Texas refused to sell California, and still believed the border was on the Nueces River. The Mexico army crossed the Rio and killed eleven American army patrol. -The war came to The Treaty of Guadalupe, which established the Texas border at the Rio and gave the U.S California for 15 million. The Clayton- Bulwer Treaty was also passed, which said the the U.S and Britain would stay out of South America. =**Vocabulary**= **Henry Clay**- Developed the American System, which was was to have protective tariffs, form and a national bank, and have internal improvements. He also proposed the Missouri Compromise. During the Jacksonian Era, Henry Clay was Jackson's rival. Supporters of Jackson were called Democrats, and supporters of Clay were called Whigs. **John C. Calhoun**- Calhoun devised the plan behind the South Carolina nullification crisis. As Vice president, Calhoun allowed the Tariff of Abominations to pass, then went back home to South Carolina and turned against Jackson. **Andrew Jackson's bank veto message**- This document is important because it explains how Jackson thinks that the bank is corrupt and takes away from the common man to benefit the wealthy, as well as many foreigners rather than the citizens themselves. **Peggy Eaton affair**- Many of the wives in the cabinet gossiped about Peggy Eaton (her adulteress), and would not be invited to dinners. Jackson tried to force the cabinet wives to accept her, but instead they all resigned accept Martin Van Buren (Who was not married). Van Buren was then appointed the new vic e president. **Panic of 1837**- Just as Van Buren took office, the Panic of 1837 came in. They were entering an economic depression, which was due to Jackson not rechartering the Bank of the United States and the laissez-faire economics. This allowed for little federal involvement in the economy. Van Buren devised a system of bonds to help bring the economy back. **Popular campaigning**- Candidates had new campaign tactics, which would direct towards peoples interests. Candidates would give out food and drinks,have parades and parties, and would attack the other candidates. Campaigns became a source of entertainment. One example of extreme popular campaigning was the election of 1840.
 * Presidents: **
 * William Harrison **
 * Nullification ** **Crisis**- South Carolina declared the Tariffof 1828 to be unconstitutional. The Calhouns idea's, the state had plans to nullify the tariff and put in th e Tariff law of 1832. Jackson Threatened military action, and passed a bill that would allow him to do so. Instead of using military oppression, Jackson convinced Congress to lower the tariff, which South Carolina agreed to.
 * Tariff of 1828 ** - Also known as the "Tariff of Abominations", was what led to the nullification crises. This Tariff was extremely high, and was supposed to be a protective tariff for northern industry. However, it also led to The South being unable to compete.
 * Trail of Tears ** - In the Cherokee Nation v. Georgia case, it was ruled that Cherokees were not a foreign nation and could not sue. Jackson sided with the states, forcing the Cherokees to move. Later in 1838, the U.S Army forced 15,000 Cherokees to leave Georgia. 4,000 Cherokees dies on the westward movement.
 * The Indian Removal Act of 1830 ** - This document forces indians to move out of Georgia (and other U.S territories) and to move west. This leads to the Trail of Tears and many indian death's.
 * Bank of the United States ** - The Bank of the United States was the national bank. It's purpose was to cushion the ups and downs in the national economy. It was managed well by Nicholas Biddle, but he was arrogant. Jackson believed that the bank was only in the interest of the wealthy and took away from the common man, so he vetoed the bank.
 * spoils system ** - The system in which government jobs would be appointed by the party you were with, and people who were against the party would be fired. Jackson fired anyone who was not a democrat when he moved into office.

**Documents** **Democracy in America**- Written by Alexis de Tocqueville, it describes the change from the aristocracy to democracy, and how equality is to beneficial to most men. The Jacksonian Democracy had many changes improved equality among men. **The Seneca Falls Declaration**- Written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention, it was a document based off the Declaration of Independence. The document was a list of rights that women had, and was a key part of the Jacksonian Democracy because it shows more rights and equality being gained in more than just men.
 * South Carolina Exposition and Protest ** - Written by Calhoun, this document stated that South Carolina nullified the Tariff of 1828. It also stated that South Carolina would secede from the Union if the tariff was not repealed. These are early signs of conflict between The North and The South (Note the Calhoun did not formally sign his name on this document, keeping it secret).

Picture can be found [|here]. Quote of Andrew Jackson after losing the vote in the house of representatives.

**Q1**. Define Jacksonian Democracy – was it a contradiction in terms? To some degree, Jacksonian Democracy was a contradiction. In the Jacksonian Era, Andrew Jackson attempted to make it a place where men were more equal. He represented the common man, and stood for their protection and rights. All white men gained the right to vote, and were therefore created more equal.Jackson allowed people to nominate candidates for elections. He also vetoed the bank thinking that it would benefit the common man. However, some actions contradicted Jackson's goals. Jackson gave more rights almost exclusively to white men. People like the Cherokees were forced from their land, under the claims that they are not a nation and therefore don't have the right to sue. Jackson also did not work to help slaves and black men, for he owned slaves himself.
 * Essential Questions **

**Q2**. What was the connection between The Liberator, Nat Turner, the "Eaton Affair" and Nullification? The Liberator, Nat Turner, and the, "Eaton Affair" all created tension between The North and The South. The Liberator was written by Garrison to try to inform people about slavery and to promote pro-abolitionist feelings. However, many people were angered by Garrison, and even threatened him. Nat Turner revolted against whites in The South, and created even higher tension. The Eaton Affair created tension in the the cabinet, and eventually led to most of the cabinet resigning. The Nullification crisis created even more tension between The North and The South. All of this tension was building up to what will be the American Civil War.

Bibliography: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/primarysources_39911.pdf http://fiveminutevacations.com/Blog/and-the-band-begins-to-play/ http://sedition.com/a/2230 http://www.conservapedia.com/Jacksonian_Democracy