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Jackson’s PresidencyHow do the problems of Jackson’s presidency
create new rules* for the president?
Jackson: The Man•Born on the South Carolina frontier
• Family was poor because of father’s early death
•Had scars from capture during American Revolution
•Became a lawyer after the Revolution began practicing in Tennessee
• Joined politics & served in both house & Senate
•1824 – ran for president
Election of 1824•4 candidates:
• Henry Clay• John Q. Adams• Andrew Jackson• William Crawford
• Jackson won popular vote but didn’t have electoral majority, although he had the most electoral votes
•Clay told follows to vote Adams – Adams won
•Clay chosen for Adams’ Cabinet
Growth of Democratic Party
• Jackson & supporters built during time between 1824 and 1828
•Represent ordinary farmers, workers, the poor
•NOT for the rich and upper class
•Voter participation expands – new states pushed for all men to have the right to vote*
Growth of Opposition
• Whig Party – led by Henry Clay
• Named after the English antimonarchist party
• According to Democrats – only interested in wealth
Presidential Campaign of 1828•Both side fought dirty
• John Q. Adams called “Sabbath-breaker” – because he traveled on Sunday; accused of using public money to purchase “gambling furniture” (a pool table) for the White House
• Jackson – called crude & dumb – brought up stuff about his wife
•More than 3 times as many people voted as had in 1828
•BUT the campaign for Jackson was stronger – he won
Kitchen Cabinet•Most decisions made with trusted friends
•Met in White House kitchen
•Men previously in power distrusted this group
The Spoils System• Rewarding political supporters with government jobs
• Civil servants – saw jobs as for a lifetime – Jackson didn’t agree
• Jackson began to replace many Republican officeholders with Democratic ones
• Replaced about 10 % of civil servants
Nullification Crisis • 1828 – Congress raised tariffs (to encourage US manufacturing growth)
• Higher price for imported factory goods – allowed American goods to be cheaper
• Northern states liked the law
• Southern planters worried it would hurt cotton sales to other countries
• Calhoun (VP) – called on Southern states to declare the tariff “null & void” (illegal)
• 1832 – lowered the tariff -South Carolina rejected this
• Jackson wanted permission to allowed him to use the federal army to collect the tax
• Congress passed a compromise to lower the tariff again• South Carolina backed down
Maysville Road Veto•1830 – Congress passed a bill sponsored by Clay (Jackson’s
“enemy”) for the federal government to purchase stock in the Maysville, Washington, Paris, & Lexington Turnpike Road Company
•May 27, 1830 – Jackson vetoed the bill• Because the road was inside a single state it was unconstitutional to
use federal dollars to fund
•Not popular with the Democratic Party
•Created a precedent to limit the use of federal funds to interstate projects, harbors, & river improvements serving foreign trade
Battling the Bank of the United States•PARTLY owned by federal government – held monopoly on
federal deposits
•Bank’s contract up for renewal in 1836
•1832 – Clay pushed a bill through Congress to renew the contract early – Jackson vetoed it
• Jackson claimed bank was unconstitutional – disagreeing with the Supreme Court
•1833 – ordered Secretary of the Treasury to remove all federal deposits from bank & put into state banks (“pet banks”) run by his supporters – killed the bank
Previous Indian policies•Many areas claimed for settlers were also areas the government promised to let Indians have forever • Indians who would move promised food, supplies, &
money
•Many who remained gave up native ways & became farmers to stay on homeland
Indian Removal Act •1830 – law allowed president to make treaties where
American Indians in the East traded lands for territory on the Great Plains• Didn’t say if Indians should be removed by force
•1831 – Supreme Court ruled Indians had a right to keep lands• Jackson disagreed & groups who wouldn’t move met with military
force
Trail of Tears•1836 – thousands of Creek Indians who wouldn’t lease
Alabama rounded up & marched West in handcuffs• Jackson claimed he had “solved” the Indian problem for good
when he left office
•Work to remove Indians would continue under Van Buren
• Seminoles in Florida resisted removal - resulted in a very expensive war but eventually lost – those that didn’t leave moved to swamps