andrew jackson the common man's president
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Andrew Jackson: The Common Man’s President
Andrew Jackson: Man of the Common Man
• Andrew Jackson was a SELF-MADE man
– He grew up poor with his two brothers and
single mother (His father died)
– Loved sports, hot-tempered, liked to have
fun
• He went to work for a law firm to learn how to
be a lawyer, he didn’t go to college
• Bought land and slaves, became plantation
owner
• He was a military general and became a
national hero at the Battle of New Orleans
• He entered politics when he was about 30 yrs
old as a Representative and a Senator
Battle of New Orleans
Where Jackson grew up
Jackson’s Style of President: The Spoil’s System
• Jackson believed that changing the people in
government jobs would be more democratic and fair
• Jackson replaced many of the Republicans in the
government with his loyal Democratic supporters
– People who had given money to his campaign
– Loyal friends
– Democratic Party members that worked hard during
his campaign.
• His opponents said Jackson was abusing his power and
playing favorites by picking his friends and supporters.
– Jackson was not picking the best person for the job
Jackson’s Style of President:
The Kitchen Cabinet
• Jackson would go to his trusted friends and
political supporters for advise on how to run
the government, instead of his official
cabinet
– They met in the White House kitchen so
they were known as the “kitchen cabinet”
• The Republicans felt that Jackson was
getting poor advise and would made bad
decisions for the country because of it.
The Nullification Crisis
• In 1828 Congress passed a law
increasing TARIFFS to help the
growth of American manufacturing
• Southern states felt the tariff was
unfair
– It played favorites with Northern
states and hurt the South which was
unconstitutional
• John C. Calhoun wanted to NULLIFY
the law
• Andrew Jackson tried to work with
the South and signed a law that
lowered the tariff in 1832
The Nullification Crisis
• It was not enough for John C.
Calhoun, so he and South
Carolina threatened to SECEDE if
the national government tried to
enforce the tariff laws
• Jackson was furious at the threat
and asked Congress to pass the
Force Bill which would give him
the right to use the Army to
enforce the tariff
• John C. Calhoun and South
Carolina backed down and
accepted the lower tariffs
Stop! You have gone too far. Or by the
Eternal, I’ll hang you all!
A little farther Cal!! And we are safe.
One step more and it will be within my grasp!
A glorious prize, how bright it looks. Keep
steady my friend you shall be exalted!
We must bear the burden, brother.
I tell you what neighbor, I won’t stand it, they are putting
too much on us.
Jackson and the United States Bank
• The bank was needing to be renewed in 1836
• As the President of the Common man, Andrew
Jackson distrusted the Bank of the United States
and set out to “slay the monster”
– He vetoed a bill from Congress to renew the
bank in 1832
– He took out all the money the government had
deposited in the bank and put it into state banks
• The banks charter expired in 1836 and it closed
down
Indian Removal Act
• Land-Hungry Whites go west
(southern cotton plantation
owners).
• Gold is found in Georgia. Georgia
tries to force the Cherokee out of
land.
• In 1830 Jackson signed the
Indian Removal Act which forced
the tribes to move from the
South to Indian territory in
Oklahoma
Supreme Court Worcester v. Georgia
• Cherokee take their case to Supreme Court in 1831
• Worcester v. Georgia Chief Justice John Marshal rules in favor of Cherokee. Georgia can’t force them to move out.
Samuel Worcester John Ross
Trail of Tears• Jackson ignores the Supreme
Court ruling and sends the army
to Georgia.
• The Creek and the Cherokee
resisted until they were
removed by force
• In 1838, the U.S. Army was used
to remove 17,000 Cherokee
from their lands in Georgia
– They were not given time to
get their things together
– They were forced by the
troops into holding pens to
be held like animals
Trail of Tears• They were then
forced to walk
about 1,000
miles to Indian
Territory.
• 4,000 of them
died from
starvation,
disease, injuries,
and exhaustion.