The Age of Andrew Jackson: Old Hickory’s Presidency

 Andrew Jackson was born in 1767 in South Carolina.  After both his parents died he moved to North Carolina, where he would later become a lawyer.  He was a well respected General during the War of  He would become America’s 7 th President in 1828.

 Andrew Jackson first ran for the office of the presidency in  He ran against John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William Crawford.  Although he received the largest number of electoral votes, he did not earn a majority of the votes, which meant the House of Representatives would decide who would become president.  The House of Representatives selected John Quincy Adams on the first ballot, after being heavily influenced by Henry Clay to select Adams.  Jackson was furious and declared that Clay and Adams had made a “corrupt bargain” since shortly thereafter Clay was named as Adams’ Secretary of State

 In this election, 3 times as many people voted compared to the election of 1824  The majority of these new voters were supporters of Jackson, who easily defeated John Quincy Adams in their rematch.  Jackson’s supporters claimed the victory as a victory for the common man as the majority of his supporters were farmers, small business people and artisans.  Thousands of people attended Jackson’s inauguration in March of 1829, many destroying furniture, rugs, glassware and dishes in the White House.  Opponents of Jackson described the scene during his inauguration as the “reign of the King’s mob”  Supporters of Jackson described it as “ the People’s day with the People’s president and that the people would rule.”

 Jackson rewarded his supporters with government jobs. This practice would come to be known as the spoils system.  The Spoils System is the practice of rewarding jobs to loyal supporters of the party that wins the election.  Jackson also relied a great deal on an informal group of trusted advisers.  This group became known as Jackson’s “kitchen cabinet” because it members sometimes met in the White House kitchen.

Northern StatesSouthern States Northern manufactures wanted high tariffs to protect their new industries from foreign competitors. Southerners did not want high tariffs because they imported most of their manufactured goods from Europe. British companies could drive smaller American firms out of business by selling factory goods more cheaply than Americans could afford to make them. The Southern economy relied mostly on agriculture, particularly cotton exports. High tariffs would anger them as well as their European trading partners.

 John C. Calhoun helped to lead opposition toward the tariff.  Calhoun stated that according to the Constitution the states had a right to nullify, or cancel any federal law they considered unconstitutional.  This dispute between the state and national government became known as the Nullification Crisis.

 South Carolina try to test the Nullification theory. Officials from the state said they would withdraw form the Union if the federal government tried to force them to pay the tariffs  Jackson threatened to send troops into S.C. It was unnecessary because the two sides soon reached an agreement  The government lowered the tariffs little by little over the years

The Second Bank Of The United States was founded by Congress in  Like Jackson, many states opposed the Bank and had taken action against it, such as Maryland which taxed the national bank branches.  James McCulloch a cashier of the banks branch in Maryland refused to pay the tax.  In McCulloch v. Maryland he took the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

 The court ruled in favor of the banks constitutionality.  Marshall first ruled that Congress had a right to establish the bank based on the implied powers of Congress.  The Court also stated that federal law was superior to state law.  The Bank than request to renew their charter.  Jackson vetoed the bill, and Congress could not get then two-thirds majority to override the veto.

 The Indian Removal Act of 1830 authorized the removal of American Indians who lived east of the Mississippi River.  Congress established Indian Territory as a new Indian homeland. The area contained most of what is now Oklahoma. GROUPS FORCED TO MOVE:  Choctaw Chickasaw  CherokeeSauk  Creek Seminole

 Society was based on hunting, trading, and agriculture.  The society was matriarchal, this means that a child's kinship and clan was traced back to the mother  During the American Revolution the Cherokees supported the British.  As time went by the Cherokees began to assimilate into white culture

TO BECOME A PART OF,OR TAKE ON THE TRAITS OF How do people assimilate?

Map of the "Trail of Tears"

 When the Cherokee refused to move from their land, The Georgians began attacking Cherokee towns.  The Cherokee decided to take legal action.  In Worcester v. Georgia, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that, “The Cherokee nation is a distinct community, occupying its own territory, in which laws of Georgia can have no force”.  The Supreme Court decision declared Georgia’s action illegal

 President Jackson took no action! “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it” What's the problem here?

 Federal troops began to systematically remove several Native American tribes from their homes.  The Choctaw were the first to make the trip in the winter of  The trip was a disaster, federal troops did not provide enough food or supplies. The Choctaw began to die of cold, disease, and starvation.  The Cherokee were forced to make an 800 mile march, where 1/4 of the 18,000 Cherokee would die.  When the Creek refused federal officials led 14,500 captured Creek, many in chains to Indian Territory.