andrew jackson trial

Jackson DBQ1 of 10

How Democratic WasAndrew Jackson?

A Document Based Question (DBQ)

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Jackson DBQ

TEACHER DOCUMENT LIST (SV)

There are 11 documents in the Shorter Version of this DBQ. The documents are •grouped into four analytical categories. Each category contains documents that arguefor and against Jackson's democratic leanings. An uncategorized list of documentsaccompanies the student materials. An important part of student analysis is to developcategories that mayor may not be the same as those below.

Jackson and America - Extending Power to the "Common Man"

Document 1: Voting for Presidential Electors - A State-by-State View

Document 2: The Election of 1828: One Historian's View

Jackson and the National Bank

Document 3: "King Andrew the Firsf' (a cartoon)

Document 4: Jackson's Veto of the National Bank

Document 5: Daniel Webster's Reply to Jackson's Bank Veto Message

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Jackson and the Spoils System

Document 6: Jackson Discusses Rotating Government Officials

Document 7: The Swartwout Case: A Study in Corruption

Jackson and Native Americans

Document 8: Jackson on Native Americans and Indian Removal

Document 9: The Cherokee Plea

Document 10: Map - Indian Removal

Document 11: Jackson's Letters about His Adopted Native American Son

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Background Essay

How Democratic Was Andrew Jackson?

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Andrew Jackson may have been the mostpopular president in the history of the UnitedStates. Although he had his enemies during histwo terms (1829-1837), many Americans at thetime thought he could do no wrong. He was sopopular that he was still getting votes for thepresidency fifteen years after he died!

Historians connect Jackson to a new spiritof democracy that swept over the United Statesduring the early 18oos. This era of the "commonman" marked a new stage for Americandemocracy where average people began to havea say in the workings of their government.There is no question Jackson saw himself as thePresident of the People. But just how democraticwas he? Before examining this question, it isimportant to review the early life of this mostremarkable American.

BoyhoodBorn on the border between North and

South Carolina in 1767, Jackson grew up poor.His father died a few days before his birth, andAndrew was not an easy child for his mother toraise. He enlisted in the Revolutionary War at age13, was captured and seriously wounded by aBritish officer. Typical of Jackson throughout hislife, he had refused to take a demeaning orderand was slashed with a sword. Because of aprisoner exchange, Jackson managed to survivehis wounds. Sadly, his mother died shortly after

he returned home, and young Andrew was leftto confront the world on his own.

Jackson was a tough kid with a wild streakthat ran deep. He never backed away from afight - not even as a 75-year-old man - and lefta trail of card games, busted-up taverns, liquorbottles, and bloody noses in his wake. A favoritetrick of Andrew and his buddies was to dragaway family outhouses and hide them in remoteplaces.

At age 17 Jackson's self-discipline improved,and he began his study of the law. At 21 hebecame a public prosecutor on the NorthCarolina frontier. Jackson soon moved west toTennessee, married his wife for life, RachelDonelson, and got involved in land speculation,farming, and slave ownership. At age 29Jackson was elected Tennessee's first representative in the U.S. House of Representatives anda year later was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Military CareerIt was not, however, Andrew Jackson's early

political career that would make him anAmerican hero; it was war. Andrew Jackson wasborn to be a soldier. His first successes camewhen he led a campaign of Tennessee volunteersagainst the Creek Indians in Alabama in 1813and 1814. A year later he commanded Americanforces in the defense of New Orleans against theBritish. Jackson unknowingly took a huge steptowards the presidency when he held off a

Battle of the Alamo

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Thomas Jefferson andJohn Adams die on

Congress July 4th, 50 years afterauthorizes steamboats the signing of the

to carry mail Declaration of Independence

General Andrew Jackson Jackson isrouts British forces elected

in New Orleans to 1st of 2terms

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Nat Turner'sRebellion Cherokee

Trail of TearsFirst women's rightsconvention held inSeneca Falls, N.Y.

1813 1815 1826 1828 1831 1836 1838 1848


Jackson DBQ

Teacher Notes

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Background Essay (Continued) Jackson DBQ4 of 13

pushed up through the skin in his arm. Hecarried a bullet next to his heart from a nearlyfatal duel over the honor of his wife. For the last25 years of Jackson's life, including his eightyears in the White House, he lived in nearlyconstant pain, but he never stopped. Knownaffectionately as Old Hickory, Andrew Jacksonwas tough and unbreakable.

Jackson spent much of the time between1815 and 1820 removing the Spanish fromFlorida and negotiating treaties with the Five"Civilized" Indian Tribes - the Cherokees,

Creeks, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Seminoles.His treatment of the Indians is one subject ofthis DBQ.

Presidential PoliticsIn 1824, Jackson made his fIrst run for

President of the United States. The vote wassplit four ways - 158,000 popular votes forJackson, 114,000 for John Quincy Adams,47,217 for Henry Clay, and 46,979 for WilliamCrawford. In presidential elections, however, thepopular vote does not determine the winner. Awinning candidate needs a majority of theelectoral votes, and Jackson, while ahead in thepopular vote, fell short. The electoral tally was

Jackson 99, Adams 84,Crawford 41, and Clay 37.

What happened next wasto have a huge effect onJackson and his thinking forthe next 20 years. Accordingto the 12th Amendment, whenno candidate for the presidencyreceives a majority of theelectoral votes, the House ofRepresentatives elects thepresident from the top threevote-getters. This left Clayout of the running but notwithout great influence. In adeal that Jackson supporters

forever branded "the corrupt bargain," Claytraded his support and 37 electoral votes toAdams for Clay's appointment as the Secretaryof State. Jackson raged that the People's voicehad been silenced. He had been the choice of thelargest number of voters, and he was being sentback home to Tennessee. Was this democracy?!

Andrew Jackson spent much of the next fouryears preparing for the election of 1828. Hismantra was that the voice of the People must beheard. The electoral system and Henry Clay hadcost him the presidency. He, Andrew Jackson,would create a new era of real democracy in

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British attack on January 8, 1815. The resultsof the battle were staggering - 71 Americancasualties versus 2,037 British soldiers killed,wounded, or missing. It did not matter to theAmerican people that a peace treaty had alreadybeen agreed upon in Europe (news traveledslowly in 1815). Jackson instantly became anational hero.

Jackson won American hearts not justbecause he won battles. Jackson never asked hismen to endure more than he endured. During abad patch of the Creek War, he ate acorns andcattle offal with his soldiers. He mailed homebone splinters to Rachel that occasionally

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Jackson DBQ

Teacher Notes

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Background Essay (Continued)

America. He would listen to the People and dotheir will.

Jackson was elected President in 1828 andagain in 1832. How well he listened to thePeople and did their will is left for you to decide.

Ideas About DemocracyThe focus question of this DBQ is "How

democratic was Andrew Jackson?" A few wordsabout Jackson's understanding of democracy arein order. Jackson and others of his time distinguished between something called republicanismand democracy. Republicanism might bethought of as cautious democracy. This ideaplaced an elite group of men - mostly lawyers,merchants, and wealthy farmers - between thecommon man and power. The electoral systemis a good example of republicanism. The peoplevote for electors and electors vote for the president. The Founding Fathers created this systemso that the electors could change an unwisechoice by the common voter. Election to the USSenate before 1913 was another example ofrepublicanism. The people in a given state votedfor state legislators; then the state legislators

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elected the two members of that state to the USSenate. For Andrew Jackson, this was notdemocracy. To Jackson, democracy meant thatall branches and agencies of the government the President, the Congress, the National Bank,even the Supreme Court - must listen to andfollow the wishes of the People. Of course,Jackson, like most men of his times, had certainideas about who were included in the People,and enemies of Jackson claimed he behavedmore like an autocrat, or a king, than a democratically elected president.

Following are 15 documents that touch onsome of the key issues Jackson faced during hislife and his presidency. This DBQ asks you tomake a judgment about Jackson's commitmentto democracy: How democratic was AndrewJackson?

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Jackson DBQ

Teacher Document Notes - Longer Version (LV)

Document A: Voting for Presidential Electors - A State-by-State View •

Document B: The Election of 1828: One Historian's View

Content Notes:

• Both Documents A and B place Jackson in the middle of a larger democratizing spirit sweeping theUnited States. It is important to note that Jacksonwas both the product and the cause of this wave ofegalitarianism.

• The Methods of Electing Presidential Electors chartis a good way of showing the shift in power fromthe wealthy elite, who still controlled many of thestate legislatures, to the more common, less prosperous classes in society.

• The framers of the Constitution saw the ElectoralCollege as a way to keep less educated groups insociety from making a bad decision when electingthe President.

• It is important to note that by the time Jackson waselected in 1828, the process of allowing the peopleto choose electors was nearly complete. Jacksondid not cause this change, but he clearly benefittedfrom it.

Content Notes:

• Remind students that the "Revolution of 1800" wasthe election of Thomas Jefferson and his defeat ofJohn Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and theFederalist Party. This peaceful transition of powerfrom one party to another is a hallmark of Americanstyle democracy.

• Remind students that Jackson was the first president from west of the Appalachian mountains. Notonly was there a class shift in power, but a regionalshift as well.

• This might also be a good time to share the storyof Jackson's 1829 inauguration party held at theWhite House. At least one observer recounts thatmany of the 20,000 people who followed Jacksonfrom his inauguration to the reception nearlypressed to death their new president as they triedto shake his hand. Not only were Jackson's clothesripped, thousands of dollars of White House chinawas destroyed, ladies fainted, men left the partywith bloody noses, and those who could not exitthe party through the front door were seen climbingout the White House windows.

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Teaching Tips:

• By 1836 there were 25 states in the Union. Askstudents how many states had already allowed thepeople to elect the electors by 1816. (13) Whichstates had already chosen this path? (See map inBackground Essay.)

• Ask students if this document helps answer theDBQ question. (Not really - it only provides a context for understanding Jackson's rise to power.)

• Ask students where this document might be usedin their final essays. (in the introduction as they aresetting up the question and providing background)

• The teacher might tell students that South Carolinais in a familiar role as rebel. The South Caroliniansunder the leadership of Jackson's first V.P, John C.Calhoun, had almost started a civil war with theTariff and Nullification Crisis. They also were thefirst state to secede, of course, from the Unionafter Lincoln was elected in 1860.

• In this document and in Document G, DanielWebster comes across as an enemy of Jackson.While it is true that Webster hated Jackson forpolitical reasons, he did side with him on one of themost important issues of the 1830s, the Tariff andNullification Crisis. Webster's insistence on theprimacy of federal law over states' rights appealedto Jackson at least on the issue of the tariff.

Teaching Tips:

• Emphasize to the students that this document doesnot really discuss any specific action of AndrewJackson. It does not provide an answer to thequestion, was Jackson democratic. It does, however,suggest that because of Jackson a certain group ofpeople felt connected to the govemment for thefirst time. Just like Document A, this documentmight be referenced in the introduction or even theconclusion.

• Have students underline the single phrase fromthis document that they would like to quote in theiressays. Ask why they chose what they did.

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Document A-Source: Adapted from Historical Statistics of the United States, Part 2, 1975.

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~Notes

Methods of Electing Presidential Electors: 1816 to 1836p- by people L- by legislature

1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836Massachusetts L P P P P P

New York L L L P P P

Delaware L L L L P P

S. Carolina L L L L L L

Georgia L L L P P P

Vermont L L L P P P

Louisiana L L L P P P

Indiana L L P P P P

Illinois * P P P P P

Alabama * L P P P P

Maine * P P P P P

Missouri * L P P P P

Note: States not listed above chose Presidential Electors by the people as of 1816.States displaying the (*) were not yet admitted as states.

Document B

-Source: Thomas Bailey and David Kennedy, The American Pageant, 1994.

...(T)he concept of a political revolution in 1828 is not completely farfetched. The increasedturnout of voters proved that the common people, especially in the universal-white-manhoodsuffrage states, now had the vote and the will to use it for their ends....

So in a broader sense the election was a "revolution" comparable to that of 1800. It was apeaceful revolution, achieved by ballots instead of bullets.... "Shall the people rule?" cried theJacksonians. The answering roar seemed to say, "The people shall rule!" In the strugglebetween the poorer masses and the entrenched classes, the homespun folk scored a resoundingtriumph, befuddling some members of the elite establishment. "I never saw anything like it,"a puzzled Daniel Webster mused about Jackson's inaugural. "Persons have come five hundredmiles to see General Jackson, and they really think that the country is rescued from somedreadful danger."

America hitherto had been ruled by an elite of brains and wealth, whether aristocraticFederalist shippers or aristocratic Jeffersonian planters. Jackson's victory accelerated thetransfer of national power from the country house to the farmhouse, from the East to the West,from the snobs to the mobs. If Jefferson had been the hero of the gentleman farmer, Jacksonwas the hero of the dirt farmer. The plowholders were now ready to take over the government:their government.

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Jackson DBQ

Document C: Jackson's Letter Regarding Voting Restrictions

Document D: An Historian Discusses Jackson's Attitudes about Voting

Content Notes:

• Jackson historians have cited this letter as evidencethat Jackson favored universal manhood suffrage.Students might note, however, that Jacksonrecognizes the constitutional right of Florida toestablish property qualifications for voting sometime in the future. Since land was easy to acquireon the frontier, land ownership was not a biglimiting factor on who could vote.

• At the time, of course, not everyone was includedin "universal manhood suffrage." Slaves, women,Indians, and most free black males did not havethe suffrage. Before the Civil War only four northemstates allowed free black males to vote.

• Hermitage is the name of Jackson's home inTennessee.

Content Notes:

• Three proposals by Jackson are discussed here.The direct election of Senators has been adoptedby the 17th Amendment. Term limitation for thepresident was established by the 22ndAmendment. Attempts to get rid of the ElectoralCollege have been many and, in the aftermath ofthe 2000 Presidential election, may one day besuccessful.

• Robert Remini is considered by many as the foremost contemporary Jackson historian. He is alsovery pro-Jackson.

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Teaching Tips:

• Remind students that Jackson's name has longbeen associated with democracy and the commonman. One way to test Jackson's support ofdemocracy is to see what he said about the right tovote. Is Jackson supporting the voting right for allin this letter? Are there any limitations on universalwhite male sUffrage? (Initially, the only limitationJackson is recommending for Florida Territory is sixmonths' residency in the Territory. However, after aterritorial constitution is written, Jackson suggestsvoting limits can be established. He does not saywhat these limits might be.)

Teaching Tips:

• This might be a good time to remind studentsabout the differences between primary andsecondary sources. This is a secondary source.Does that make it any more or less reliable asevidence?

• Do students agree that each of Jackson's threeproposals would have created a more democraticAmerica? The more conservative FoundingFathers, like Alexander Hamilton, feared directelection of senators and presidents because thecommon voter might make an unwise choice, achoice detrimental to the well-being of the countryand themselves.

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Document C

-Source: Reprinted by permission of P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History, University of Florida.

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Document D-

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Source: Robert V. Remini, Andrew Jackson and The Course of American Empire, Vol III, Copyright (c) 1984.

Reprinted by permission from Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.

...(T)he General's views on office holding became even more democratic ashe grew older. He proceeded from the (idea) that all offices - whether appointedor elected - must ultimately fall under the absolute control of the people.Appointed offices should be rotated, preferably every four years. Elected officesmust be filled directly by the people. In keeping with this principle, Jackson triedto abolish the College of Electors in the selection of the chief executive byproposing a constitutional amendment. In addition, he said, the President shouldserve a single term of no more than four or six years.... Moreover, he believedthat United States senators should be directly elected by the people. Also, theirterm should be limited to four years and they should be subject to removal.


Jackson DBQ

Document E: "King Andrew the First" (a cartoon)

Content Notes:

• Critics of Andrew Jackson believed he ignored theseparation of powers among the three branches ofgovernment. Here Jackson stands with the vetopower in hand, the Constitution under foot, and twokey Congressional efforts - the re-chartering of theNational Bank and an internal improvement bill(perhaps the Maysville Road bill) - under anotherfoot. The cartoonist believes that Jackson isthwarting constitutional democracy. Note the waryAmerican eagle holding up Jackson's work table.One gets the feeling that the nation may be on itslast democratic leg.

• This cartoon appeared during the campaign forJackson's second term. Jackson won that electionby a considerable margin receiving 55% of thepopular vote and winning 219 electoral votes to 49for runner-up Henry Clay. Apparently most votersdid not see Jackson as a would-be king, or at leastweren't fearful of the prospect.

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Teaching Tips:

• Have students begin their cartoon analysis bypointing out details. What is Jackson standing on?(See Content Notes.) What does it mean when you"walk all over" something? What is holding up thetable? Significance? (See Content Notes.) What isJackson holding in his hands? (a veto sign and ascepter) What is a scepter? (a staff held by a ruleras a symbol of authority) What is Jackson wearingon his head? (a crown)

• Taking all the details together, what is the cartoonisfsmessage? (See Content Notes.)


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Document E

-Source: Reprinted by permission of Library of Congress, Lithograph, 1832, LC-USZ62-1562.

Note: Cartoon appeared in the presidential election of 1832.

BORN TO COMMA.ND.

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Jackson DBQ

Documents F: Jackson's Veto of the National Bank

Content Notes:

• Next to slavery, the most hotly debated issue inCongress in the entire 19th century may have beenre-chartering the National Bank. For AndrewJackson, the bank pitted poor farmers and factoryworkers against those wealthy Americans whowould take advantage of them. The bank could hurtthe nation in several ways. One, it could limit theloans it gave out and make money tight. This hurtfarmers who tend to be debtors and benefit frombeing able to pay back with inflated dollars. Two,the bank hurt democracy by favoring certainCongressmen with lower interest loans, therebyinfluencing their votes on key issues. Jacksonbelieved that he must destroy the bank in order toprotect the people.

Teaching Tips:

• Relying entirely on the words in the document, askstudents to explain why Jackson does not like theBank of the United States. (1. Stock ownership isin the hands of foreigners and a few hundred richAmericans. 2. The directors of the bank are mostlychosen by the rich stockholders. 3. There is noone, therefore, looking out for the interest of theaverage American.)

• Ask students if they can think of ways that theNational Bank might actually hurt the averageperson. (See Content Notes.)

• Ask students about how the National Bank mighthave helped the average person.

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Documents G: Daniel Webster's Reply to Jackson's Bank Veto Message

Content Notes:

• Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts,was an adversary of Jackson. Webster representedEastern banking interests. Indeed, at times hereceived a retainer fee from the National Bank forlegal services.

• Historical footnote: Jackson eventually caused thefall of the National Bank by withdrawing government funds and placing them in state banks. Thestate banks created too many paper money loansfor everybody's taste, Jackson included, which ledJackson to issue his Species Circular, requiringland mortgages to be paid off in gold or silver. This,and other factors, led to the Panic of 1837 and adepression. It could therefore be argued that, in thelong run, Jackson hurt the very people he wasseeking to help. But the majority of the Americanpeople loved him to the end.

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Teaching Tips:

• Ask students what arguments in Webster's replymight be used to show that Jackson's attack on thebank was undemocratic. (Two possibilities exist:1. Jackson's use of the presidential veto squashesthe majority vote of both houses in Congress andextends the power of the president. 2. Jackson'swords encourage a kind of class war between richand poor. Reading beyond Webster's words, thisconflict would. weaken the nation and democracywith it.)

• Do students feel Jackson's anti-bank position isdemocratic or undemocratic? Why?

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•Document F-

Source: James D. Richardson, A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents,1789-1902, 1905.

Andrew Jackson's Bank Veto Message to Congress

July 10,1832

I sincerely regret that in the act before me I can perceive none of those modificationsof the bank charter which are necessary, in my opinion, to make it compatible withjustice, with sound policy, or with the Constitution of our country.... The presentBank of the United States...enjoys an exclusive privilege of banking,... almost amonopoly of the foreign and domestic exchange.

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It appears that more than a fourth part of the stock is held by foreigners and the (rest)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 andtwenty by the citizen stockholders.... It is easy to conceive that great evils to ourcountry...might flow from such a concentration of power in the hands of a few menirresponsible to the people.

Is there no danger to our liberty and independence in a bank that in its nature has solittle to bind it to our country?

It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of governmentto their selfish purposes.

Document G-Source: Daniel Webster, July 11, 1832.

Daniel Webster's Reply to Jackson's Bank Veto Message

July 11, 1832

(President Jackson's message) extends the grasp of (the chief executive) over everypower of the government.. .. It sows...the seeds of jealousy and ill-will against thegovernment of which its author is the official head. It raises a cry that liberty is indanger, at the very moment when it puts forth claims to powers heretoforeunknown and unheard of.. .. It manifestly seeks to inflame the poor against the rich,it wantonly attacks whole classes of the people, for the purposes of turning againstthem the prejudices and resentments of the other classes.


Jackson DBQ

Document H: Jackson Discusses Rotating Government Officials

Document I: The Swartwout Case: A Study in Corruption

Content Notes:

• This document is the first of two pertaining to theappointment of officeholders. Here Jackson standsup for rotation of officers in government, aka thepatronage system or the "spoils system."

• Doing the math reveals that Jackson removed 9%of officeholders during the first 18 months of histenure. Apologists for Jackson have argued thatgiven reasons like illness, corruption and incompetence, this is not an outrageous number. Jacksonsaw it as necessary house cleaning.

Content Notes:

• The collector of the Port of New York collected tariffduties on goods arriving in New York harbor.

• Opponents of Jackson saw rotation in office as justa political device Jackson was using to get hisbuddies government jobs. It was another instanceof Jackson's abusing his presidential powers andundercutting the smooth running of government.The Swartwout case was proof of the pudding.When the story of Swartwout's theft became public,Swartwout quickly fled to France and Jackson wasleft angry and embarrassed.

• Some 50 years later, in 1883, Congress passedthe Pendleton Act which created a non-partisanCivil Service Commission and established a competitive examination system for granting manygovernment jobs. It is a system we still have.

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Teaching Tips:

• If needed, explain to students the derivation of"spoils." (To the victor goes the spoils. Spoils arethe bounty of war just as the right to appointfriends to government positions is one of the perksof becoming a mayor, or a president. Patronage isa classic way to lock in political control: I appointyou; you help me get elected in the next election.It was widely used in cities like Chicago andBoston in the early and mid 20th century.)

• Ask students what Jackson said to put a positive,pro-democracy spin on his appointment power. (Hesaid he would use it to give more Americans anopportunity to participate in government and toweed out corruption and incompetence.)

• Do students buy Jackson's argument that thespoils system is really a democratic tool?

Teaching Tips:

• Review the main idea of the document. (Swartwoutwas an embarrassment to Jackson; Swartwout'sbehavior made Jackson's position on the spoilssystem look bad.)

• Mention the Pendleton Act reform described above.Ask students if Andrew Jackson would havesupported this reform. (This is an interestingquestion because it would have limited Jackson'sappointment opportunities. Is the Pendleton Actmore democratic than the spoils system Jacksonembraced?)

• Ask students, when all is said and done, ifJackson's ideas and actions regarding appointment to government jobs were democratic orundemocratic.


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Document H-• Source: Senate Documents, 21st Congress, 1829-1830.

Andrew Jackson's Letter To CongressDecember 8, 1829

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i-a ~lve SL\ppaYi- i-a pt.:'\mcL\lt.:'\y lMe\\ t.:'\i- i-lt\e pL\bllc e)<pe\\se. Na l\\~lvl~L\t.:'\l

wya\\~ is, i-lt\eye-Paye, ~a\\e by yelMaVt.:'\l, sl\\ce \\eli-lt\ey t.:'\ppal\\i-lMe\\i- i-a \\ayca\\H\\L\t.:'\\\ce l\\ a-P-Plce is t.:'\ lMt.:'\i-i-ey a-P yl~lt\i-.

Document I-Source: Robert V. Remini, The Life of Andrew Jackson, 1988.

Reprinted by permission from Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. from The Life of Andrew Jackson,Copyright (c)1988 by Robert V. Remini.

One bit of advice (Secretary of State) Van Buren offered (Jackson)concerned the appointment of the collector of the Port of New York. This was avery sensitive and important position. Some $15 million annually passed throughthe collector's hands. If any post needed a man of the highest integrity it was thisone. And when Van Buren learned that Jackson intended to appoint SamuelSwartwout to the office he almost collapsed. Not only did Swartwout havecriminal tendencies but the Regency detested him. Van Buren alerted the Presidentimmediately and warned him that Swartwout's appointment would "not be inaccordance with public sentiment, the interest of the Country or the credit of theadministration." Unfortunately, Jackson refused to listen. He liked Swartwoutbecause he had been an early supporter - unlike Van Buren - and so he wentahead with the appointment. In time, of course, Swartwout absconded with$1,222,705.09. It was a monumental theft.. .. Jackson was mortified.

When the scandal broke, Jackson's opponents doubled over with laughter.All the talk about rooting out corruption in government, they said, and here thegreatest theft in the history of the Republic occurred in the General's ownadministration.... Here, then, was the bitter fruit of rotation, hooted the President'scritics. Here the dreadful consequence of denying the government the service of anelite bureaucracy in order to serve some idealistic democratic principle.

02002 The DBa Project This page may be reproduced for classroom use119

Jackson DBQ

Document J: Jackson on Native Americans and Indian Removal

Content Notes:

• Most students will have difficulty, as they should,giving Jackson's position on Indian removal ademocratic spin. Indeed, removal appears to runcounter to the many reform efforts - abolitionism,temperance, and public education - that werebeginning to emerge.

• It is likely that Andrew Jackson sincerely believedthat removal was the only way to save the easternand southem Indian tribes from extinction. At least,that is what he argues here. It is a question thatevery president before him wrestled with.

• Jackson also believed that since it had theapproval of most Americans (certainly not all) andsince it promoted the security and economic welfareof many Americans, removal was an act in theinterest of most of the people. In that sense it wasdemocratic.

• Jackson went to extraordinary lengths to carry outhis policy, including ignoring an 1835 ruling by theSupreme Court that supported Cherokee rights ofsovereignty in Georgia.

Document K: The Cherokee Plea

Content Notes:

• It is important to stress, as it is in any discussion oflarge scale oppression, that the Cherokee were notpassive victims. Any decent American history textbook will relate that the Cherokee, along withseveral other Indian tribes, decided that survivalrequired adapting to the ways of White America.The Cherokee settled in towns and farms. Someconverted to Christianity. Schools and churcheswere built, and Sequoya, the great Cherokee Chief,created an alphabet. There were even someCherokee who ran cotton plantations with slavelabor. Despite all of these efforts to assimilate,Jackson insisted that Native Americans could neverpeacefully live alongside Americans.

• The Cherokee eventually took their case to theU.S. Supreme Court. In Worcester v. Georgia, theSupreme Court, led by Chief Justice JohnMarshall, upheld the Cherokee right to establishtheir own nation within the state of Georgia.Jackson ignored the decision and allowed Georgiato pressure the Cherokee into ceding their lands in1835.

• The Indian Removal issue was hotly debated inCongress throughout the 1820s and 1830s. Manypeople in the country, especially in New England,felt it was unjust to deny Native Americans a rightto their ancestral homelands.

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Teaching Tips:

• Ask students if they think Indian removal was anundemocratic or a democratic act. Why? Prodstudents at least to consider Jackson's side of theargument. (See Content Notes.)

• Why should Jackson's arguments be either acceptedor rejected?

Teaching Tips:

• Ask students to list the reasons the Cherokee donot want to move. An interesting discussion alwaysemerges when students are asked to rank thestrongest of the Cherokee's arguments.

• Discuss the Worcester v. Georgia case from theContent Notes. Ask Why Jackson was able toignore the Supreme Court's decision. (maybebecause he knew the majority in Congress supported his position and impeachment was unlikely)

• This might be a good time to discuss the conceptof tyranny of the majority. Students often equatemajority rule with justice and democracy. Help students broaden their definitions of democracy bybrainstorming times in history when the will of themajority denied basic rights to the minority. Does atrue democracy exist only when the basic rights ofall are protected?

• Ask students if the Cherokee today deserve theirlands back. Some will say it's too late. The issue ofreparations for many different groups flows naturallyfrom this document.


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•Document J-

Source: James D. Richardson, A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents,1789-1902. 1905.

Andrew Jackson's Message to CongressDecember 7, 1829

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~Notes

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The condition and destiny of the Indian tribes within the limits of some of ourstates have become objects of much interest and importance.... By persuasion and forcethey have been made to retire from river to river and from mountain to mountain, untilsome of the tribes have become extinct and others have left but remnants.... Surroundedby the whites with their arts of civilization, which, by destroying the resources of the savage, doom him to weakness and decay, the fate of the Mohegan.. .is fast overcoming theChoctaw, the Cherokee, and the Creek. ... Humanity and national honor demand that everyeffort should be made to avert so great a calamity.

.. .1 suggest for your consideration...setting apart an ample district west of theMississippi, and (outside) the limits of any state or territory now formed, to be guaranteedto the Indian tribes as long as they shall occupy it, each tribe having a distinct controlover the portion designated for its use.... This emigration should be voluntary, for itwould be as cruel as unjust to compel the aborigines to abandon the graves of theirfathers and seek a home in a distant land. But they should be distinctly informed that ifthey remain within the limits of the states they must be subject to their laws.

Document K-Source: "Memorial of the Cherokee Nation," as reprinted in Niles Weekly Register, August 21, 1830.

We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have a perfect and original rightto remain without interruption or molestation....

But if we are compelled to leave our country, we see nothing but ruin before us.The country west of the Arkansas territory is unknown to us.... The far greater part ofthat region is, beyond all controversy, badly supplied with food and water; and no Indiantribe can live as agriculturalists without these articles. All our neighbors...would speak alanguage totally different from ours, and practice different customs.... It contains neitherthe scenes of our childhood, nor the graves of our fathers ....

Shall we be compelled by a civilized and Christian people, with whom we havelived in perfect peace for the last forty years, and for whom we have willingly bled inwar, to bid adieu to our homes, our farms, our streams and our beautiful forests? No. Weare still firm.... Our consciences bear us witness that we are the invaders of no man'srights - we have robbed no man of his territory - we have usurped no man's authority,nor have we deprived anyone of his unalienable privileges. How then shall we indirectlyconfess the right of another people to our land by leaving it forever? On the soil whichcontains the ashes of our beloved men we wish to live - on this soil we wish to die....


Document M: Jackson's Letters about His Adopted Native American Son

Jackson DBQ

Document L: Map - Indian Removal

Content Notes:

• The forcible removal of the Cherokee began in thesummer of 1838. They were rounded up, put instockades, shipped by steamboat down theTennessee River, and walked the final 800 miles toIndian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Ofthe approximately 18,000 Cherokee who wereremoved, an estimated 4000 died. One of thedead was Quatie, wife of the Cherokee chief, JohnRoss. Jackson, who was no longer in the WhiteHouse, regretted these results, but was ultimatelyresponsible.

• The Creeks had already been removed in 1836.The last Seminoles were removed in 1842. All told,the removal of some 45,000 Native Americansmeant that about 100,000,000 acres of Indian landeast of the Mississippi River was now in US orstate hands.

• The driving economic force behind removal in theSouth was the pressure for more cotton land. Inthe 1830s, the South supplied nearly two-thirds ofthe world's cotton export crop. There was money tobe made.

Content Notes:

• These two very brief excerpts are included to showJackson's complexity regarding his treatment ofIndians. In 1813 a renegade band of 1000 Creekwarriors massacred 250 white soldiers, women,and children in Mississippi Territory. AndrewJackson formed a Tennessee militia to track downthe renegades. Some Creeks fought on his side. AtTallashatchie, Jackson's men killed 186 Creekbraves and captured 84 Creek women andchildren. One of the children was Lyncoya. As footnoted in the document, Lyncoya died at 14. It hadbeen Jackson's hope that Lyncoya would beeducated at West Point.

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Teaching Tips:

• Share some of the Content Notes material. WasIndian Removal democratic?

Teaching Tips:

• Ask students if this document changes theiropinion about Jackson's treatment of Indians.If so, why? If not, why not?

02002 The DBQ Project

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Document L-Source: Map created from various sources.

INDIAN REMOVAL, 1831·18405

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~Notes---

TEXAS

MEXICO

Document M-Source: John Spencer Bassett (ed.), Correspondence of Andrew Jackson, 1931.

Reprinted by permission of the Camegie Institution of Washington.

Excerpts of letters written by Andrew Jackson to his wife Rachel regarding their CreekIndian son, Lyncoya, adopted after the battle of Tallashatchie, November 13, 1813

December 19, 1813

He is the only branch of his family left, and theothers when offered to them to take care ofwould have nothing to do with him but wantedhim to be killed.... Charity and Christianity sayshe ought to be taken care of and I send him tomy little Andrew and I hope he will adopt himas one of our family.

December 28, 1823

Tell Lyncoya to read his book and be agood boy and obey you in all things.

Note: Lyncoya died at age 14 of tuberculosis in 1827 and was buried in the family cemetery.

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Jackson DBQ

Document N: Jackson's Call to the Free Blacks during the War of 1812

Content Notes:

·In September 1814 the United States was engagedin the War of 1812 with Great Britain. The Britishwere poised to attack and capture New Orleansand drive the Americans out of West Florida andLouisiana. General Andrew Jackson was assignedthe task of defending the city from invasion.

• Critics of this appeal say it was a military man anda slave owner exploiting free black Americans intime of need. In his defense, Jackson warded offcriticism from Louisianans who questioned bothblack participation and equal pay. Jackson alsopersonally and publicly reviewed these black troopswhen he arrived in New Orleans as a display of hiscommitment.

Document 0: Jackson's Siavehoidings

Content Notes:

• Andrew Jackson was a slave owner much of hisadult life. His treatment of slaves was regardedat the time as fair but firm. As president he wasstrongly against abolitionists who sought theimmediate end of slavery. He feared that abolitionism would lead to slave revolts, sectional conflictand possible disunion. If that happened, Jacksonfeared the people would seek out a dictator torestore order and democracy would be dead.

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Teaching Notes:

Ask students:

• What war was going on when Andrew Jacksonwrote these words? (War of 1812 with Britain)

• Is this "call" or speech evidence of democraticbehavior by Jackson? Explain.

Teaching Notes:

• Ask students if it is possible to be a slaveholderand a supporter of democracy. (Thomas Jeffersonalso owned slaves.)

• Share the Content Notes with students. DoesJackson's fear of abolitionism make any sense?Explain.

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Document N-Source: H. Eaton, A Treatise on the Intellectual Character and Civil and Political Condition

of the Colored People of the United States, 1837.

Jackson's Call "To the Free Coloured Inhabitants of Louisiana"before the Battle of New Orleans, September 21, 1814

Jackson DBQ13 of 13

~Notes

Through a mistaken policy youhave heretofore been deprived of aparticipation in the glorious strugglefor national rights, in which ourcountry is engaged. This shall nolonger exist.. ..

To every noblehearted free manof color, volunteering to serve to thepresent contest with Great Britain andno longer, there will be paid the samebounty in money and lands nowreceived by the white soldiers of theUnited States, viz. $124 in money, and160 acres of land. The non-commissioned officers and privates will alsobe entitled to the same monthly payand daily rations and clothes furnishedto any American soldier.

On enrolling yourselves incompanies, the major general commanding will select officers for yourgovernment, from your fellow whitecitizens. Your non-commissionedofficers will be appointed from amongyourselves.

Due regard will be paid to thefeelings of freemen and soldiers.You will not, by being associatedwith white men in the same corps, beexposed to improper comparisons orunjust sarcasm. As a distinct, independent battalion or regiment, pursuingthe path of glory, you will, undivided,receive the applause and gratitude ofyour countrymen.

Document 0

-Source: Robert Remini, Life of Andrew Jackson, 1988.

Slave Holdings of Andrew Jackson

150

120

90

60

30

01...-----l--1..-----__1794 1798 1820 1829 mid 18305

Note: Andrew Jackson served asPresident from 1829-1837.


Jackson DBQ

Jackson DBQ Lesson Plan - Shorter Version (SV)

--------------'1 DAY 1 I •HOOK (Optional)10-15 min.

BACKGROUNDESSAY15-20 min.

DOCUMENTORGANIZATION10 min.

Homework

Complete the Hook Exercise on democracy. See Hook Exercise sheet and directions inthe Teachers' Toolkit.

Have students read the Background Essay. Be sure they are oriented in time (see limeLine) and place (see Map). The essay addresses four topics: Jackson's boyhood, hismilitary career, his entry into presidential politics, and Jackson's notions about democracy.

After handing out the document packets, ask students to skim each of the documents. Askwhat images, or ideas stand out. Next, ask students if there are any documents that canbe grouped together. Explain that these groupings can be called analytical categories.

For homework, ask students to read through the documents and finalize their analyticalcategories. They should then place each document in the appropriate category. Explainto students that by doing this they are really formulating a simple outline. Outlines ofdocument groupings are due at the beginning of the next class.

--------------11 DAY 2 IDISCUSSION10 min.

DOCUMENTANALYSIS30 min.

Homework

DISCUSSION45 min.

Discuss outlines. Drawing from students' homework, create an outline on the board thatapproaches the outline in the Teacher Document List.

Using an overhead projector, examine one or more documents together as a class. On atransparency, model the kind of notation you expect for each document. Then, in pairs orgroups of three, have students analyze the documents, making notations either in themargins or on Document Analysis Sheets.

Students complete document analysis.

DAY3 IWhen students have finished their analytical notes, conduct a full class discussion. Havetransparencies of selected documents available for reference. Individuals or groups mightcome forward to describe a document or cluster of documents. They should assess thedegree to which Jackson was democratic in each of several analytical categories. Use theContent Notes and Teaching lips in the Teacher Document Notes to guide your discussion.

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ESSAY45 min.

-------------1 DAY 4 (optional) IDepending on the skill level of the class, a one-day writing workshop is suggested.See the Teachers' Toolkit for ideas.

Homework

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Write essay.

Pressed for Time?

If only two days available. Day One: 1) Summarize the Background Essay emphasizingthe radical shift that Jackson represented for 19th century America. 2) After definingdemocracy, have students look at the list of documents in their packet. Before class ends,have students sift through the document set to find three or four issues by which they willjudge Jackson. List them on the board. For homework, have students read through andtake notes on each of the issues. Day Two: 1) Discuss each issue and whether Jacksonwas democratic or undemocratic in each case. 2) Before class ends, discuss whetherJackson should generally be considered a democratic president.
