The Age of Jackson Objectives: Describes the regional economic differences in the early United States. Summarize tensions between national and sectional interests. Examine the critical issues and events of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Identify the presidents that followed Jackson and the challenges they faced.

Regional Economies Create Differences Early Industry in the United States Industrial Revolution – Large scale production resulting in massive change in social and economic organization Began in Great Britain and spread to the US Industry took off first in New England, whose economy depended on shipping and foreign trade The South Remains Agricultural While the North developed industrially, the south continued to grow as an agricultural power Cotton Gin – Device produced by Eli Whitney that allowed farmers to produce cotton more profitably The emergence of cotton as a highly profitable crop in the South led to the need for more field laborers Slavery expanded

Balancing Nationalism and Sectionalism As the North and South developed different economies, President Madison moved to develop a plan that would make the US economically independent from Europe “American System” – Plan promoted by Henry Clay Had three main points: Establishing a protective tariff Rechartering the national bank Sponsoring the development of transportation systems and other internal improvements to make travel throughout the nation easier The Missouri Compromise Because of the difference in economies in the North and South, political tensions between the North and South arose In 1818 settlers in Missouri requested admission to the Union Northerners and Southerners disagreed over whether Missouri should be a free state or a slave state The Missouri Compromise – Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, and Maine would be admitted as a free state The rest of the Louisiana Territory was split into two parts In the north half slavery was outlawed, in the southern half it was permitted

The Election of Andrew Jackson President John Quincy Adams Election broke apart the Democratic-Republican Party Expanding Democracy Changes Politics During John Quincy Adams presidency, most states had eased the property requirements for voting Greatly enlarged the voting population Election of 1828 President Andrew Jackson Helped in the election by the new voting population who saw the rugged westerner as their champion

Jacksonian Democracy The Spoils System The Indian Removal Act (1830) Jacksonian Democracy – Jackson’s ideal of political power for all classes Jackson sought to give common people a chance to participate in government Spoils System – System in which new administrations hire their supporters to replace supporters of the previous administration The Indian Removal Act (1830) Federal government provided funds to negotiate treaties that would force Native Americans to move west The Trail of Tears US troops rounded up the Cherokee and herded them into camps to await their journey west Beginning in the Fall of 1838, the Cherokee were sent off in groups on an 800 mile journey, mostly on foot More than a quarter of the Cherokee died on this journey Trail of Tears

Nullification and the Bank War In 1824 and again in 1828, Congress agreed to increase the Tariff of 1816 Tariff of Abominations Blamed for many of the economic problems in the South Because of the high tariff, Britain reduced exports to the US, and because of this, purchased less cotton With the decline of British goods, the South was forced to buy the more expensive Northern manufactured goods The Nullification Crisis To try and free southern states from the tariff, Jackson’s vice-president John C. Calhoun proposed the theory of nullification Nullification – Idea that because the nation had been created by a compact among sovereign states, each state then has the authority to decide whether acts of Congress are constitutional In 1832 the issue of states’ rights was put to the test when Congress raised the tariff again South Carolina declared the tariff nullified and threatened to secede if custom officials tried to collect duties Eventually a compromise was reached Jackson’s Bank War Jackson was opposed to the national bank Believed it was an agent for the wealthy and that its members cared nothing for the common people Eliminated the bank as a governmental institution Because of his actions, many people were opposed to Jackson Formed a new political party Whig Party

Successors Deal with Jackson’s Legacy Election of 1836 President Martin Van Buren (Democrat) Backed by Jackson The Panic of 1837 With the Bank of the United States no longer a federal institution, federal funds were disseminated to many smaller pet banks Many of these banks printed bank notes wildly in excess of the gold and silver they had on deposit These banks were doomed to fail when people tried to redeem their currency for gold or silver Panic of 1837 – Financial collapse caused by a series of bank failures Caused many to lose their savings, bankrupted hundreds of businesses, and put more than a third of the population out of work Harrison and Tyler Election of 1840 Martin Van Buren (Democrat) vs. William Henry Harrison (Whig) “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” Harrison won the election but died one month into office Vice-president John Tyler became president Tyler, a former Democrat, opposed many parts of the Whig program