THE AGE OF ANDREW JACKSON A New Era of Politics & Change

THE ELECTION OF 1824 An increase in sectionalism caused candidates for President to come from different areas of the country.

THE CANDIDATES John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts was supported by the businesses and shipping interests of the Northeast.

William H. Crawford of Georgia, Monroe’s Secretary of the Treasury, was supported by the plantation owners of the south.

Henry Clay of Kentucky, a member of the House of Representatives, appealed to the western farmers.

Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, United States Senator and hero from the War of 1812, was also supported by the western farmers. All the candidates were members of the Democratic-Republican Party.

After the votes were counted no one had the majority of electoral votes (131) in the Electoral College. The House of Representatives has to decide between the three highest vote-getters.

Henry Clay finished fourth – he’s not considered. William Crawford suffered a stroke. While officially still in, he’s not going to get it.

The choice is between Adams and Jackson. It’s clear that Jackson was the people’s choice, based on the popular vote The vote takes place in the House, each state gets one vote. A lot of politics going on.

Henry Clay steps in and convinces his friends in Congress to vote for Adams. Adams then makes Clay the Secretary of State. Was there a deal between them? Probably.

ADAMS’ PRESIDENCY Adams’ Presidency was unsuccessful because of the growing sectionalism. Each section concerned about itself led to very little to help the nation as a whole. Meanwhile, Jackson was getting ready for the Election of 1828.

THE ELECTION OF 1828 Adams v. Jackson in the brawl to settle it all. Adams has support from the businessmen, bankers, wealthy merchants, etc. Jackson has support from the farmers in the south and west, laborers, small businessmen, etc.

Jackson’s campaign manager was Martin Van Buren. He knew the key to victory was being able to get the support of new voters from the new western states.

With average citizen being able to vote instead of just the wealthy more people began to be involved in the electoral process. This is a good thing for the country.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY Van Buren took advantage of new voters and formed the Democratic Party. Jackson and this party would speak for the average voter.

Adams and his followers form a new party called the National-Republicans.

THE CAMPAIGN Neither side wanted to make enemies with the voters. Instead of talking about the issues they resorted to mudslinging.

When the votes were counted Jackson won easily. 178 electoral votes for Jackson and 83 electoral votes for Adams. His victory was considered to be a “VICTORY FOR CONTROL OF GOVERNMENT BY THE COMMON PEOPLE.” (Jacksonian Democracy)

On Inauguration day so many people showed up at the White House that Jackson had to escape out a window and hide in a hotel.

The people then broke furniture, ruined rugs and had to be moved outside. The rich were worried now that the common people were in charge.

JACKSON TAKES CHARGE Jackson rarely met with his cabinet. Instead he had a close group of friends as advisors. They met in the White House kitchen and were called his “Kitchen Cabinet”.

Jackson tries to reduce the size of government by removing people who held their jobs for a long time.

Jackson called it “rotation in office”. His enemies called it the “spoils system”

THE TARIFF OF 1828 Congress passed a tariff that the south objected to. They called it the “TARIFF OF ABOMINATIONS”

The South Carolina legislature demanded the tariff be removed or they would secede from the union.

John C. Calhoun from South Carolina was Jackson’s Vice President. He wanted to be President some day and knew that if South Carolina seceded he would never make it.

THE NULLIFICATION CRISIS Calhoun suggests that states can NULLIFY laws they do not agree with. Congress divides on the issue.

Those with Calhoun argued that they had SOVEREIGNTY (the right to control their own affairs). They also said the states had created the Constitution and, therefore, controlled it.

Those against Calhoun argued that the Constitution was created by the people and they controlled it. Also that states were obliged to follow it.

Jackson got Congress to pass a lower tariff, but SC still refused to pay it. Jackson threatened to hang the first person who threatened the US over this issue.

In 1833 Congress passed the Force Bill, giving Jackson the authority to use the military to collect the tariff.

JACKSON’S INDIAN POLICY Andrew Jackson hated the Indians. He felt the Indians were keeping the country from moving forward.

Jackson wanted to move the Indians west of the Mississippi river.

Jackson tried to convince the Indians that moving west was in their best interests.

Georgia had early agreements to move the Indians west of the Mississippi River. Now they wanted those agreements enforced.

The Indians took the state of Georgia to court in order to keep their land.

Jackson agreed with the state of Georgia. Chief Justice John Marshall decided that the Indians should be able to keep their land.

Georgia ignored the order. Jackson became angry and refused to enforce it.

THE INDIAN REMOVAL ACT In 1830 Jackson convinces Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act.

Jackson now had the authority to make treaties with the Indians and move them west. It was supposed to be voluntary, but the Indians were tricked, lied to and forced off their land.

BLACK HAWK’S WAR Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk and Fox Indians refused to stay west of the Mississippi River. After he returned to Wisconsin fighting began.

In 1838 (2 years after Jackson left office) the Georgia militia forced 17,000 Cherokee Indians off their land and force-marched them into Indian Territory (today Oklahoma). 4,000 Indians died along the way. It became known as the “Trail of Tears”.

The Indians who resisted most were in Florida. Starting in 1835 the Seminoles led by Chief Osceola fought a guerrilla war against the US Army that lasted seven years.

THE BANK WAR Andrew Jackson hated the Bank of the United States. He felt the bank was responsible for the foreclosures on farms in the south & west.

Jackson also hated the bank’s President, Nicholas Biddle. He felt Biddle favored the rich at the expense of the poor.

Jackson planned the reject the renewal of the Bank Charter in 1836.

Henry Clay plans to run for President in 1832 and wants to cause Jackson to lose support. He convinces his friend Nicholas Biddle to ask for an early renewal of the Bank Charter Bill.

CLAY’S STRATEGY If Jackson renews the charter the people in the west and south who hate the bank will also hate Jackson and he will lose their support. If he doesn’t renew the charter bankers and businessmen who need the bank for loans and good interest rates will hate Jackson, and he will lose northern support.

The strategy backfires and Jackson does not lose enough support to cost him the election. Jackson wins 219 to 49 electoral votes.

Jackson takes all the government’s money out of the Second US bank and puts it in smaller state banks. The Second US Bank fails.

THE EFFECT OF JACKSON’S POLICIES Jackson made lots of enemies with his bank policies, nullification policy, Indian policies, etc.

A new party was formed made up of the rich, bankers, states’ rights supporters and unhappy democrats. It was called the WHIG party.

The WHIG party was not strong enough to defeat the Democrats in the election of 1836.

Martin Van Buren becomes the 8 th President.

In 1837 the country fell into a depression. Van Buren was blamed for it, but it came about because of the policies of Jackson.

ELECTION OF 1840 William Henry Harrison (Whig) against Martin Van Buren (Democrat)

The Whig’s campaign slogan was “Tippecanoe & Tyler Too”. This was to remind people of the kind of hero Harrison was during the War of 1812.

On his inauguration day, Harrison refused to wear a hat or coat and gave an hour and forty-five minute speech in a cold rainstorm. He caught pneumonia and died a month later.

John Tyler becomes the first VP to replace a President who has died in office. Tyler became known as “His Accidency”.

Tyler was a former Democrat who was unhappy with Jackson. He wasn’t really a Whig. When he starts thinking more like a Democrat than a Whig, the party refuses to nominate him in the election of 1844.