13.2 A New Spirit in the White House pp. 426-429

Objectives: Explain how the spoils system operated under Andrew Jackson. Discuss why Andrew Jackson battled the Bank of the United States.

Review: 1. What did it mean to be a “self-made man”? 2. Define suffrage— 3. List three groups that were still denied the vote in the early 1800s. 4. Define caucus— 5. Define nominating convention— 6. Jackson’s supporters claimed that the selection of John Quincy Adams as President in 1824 was the result of a “_______________ _______________.” 7. Supporters of Jackson became known as the _______________ Party. 8. Jackson’s nickname was “_________ _______________.” 9. The expansion of suffrage and an emphasis on the common man were characteristics of _____________ ______________.

A. The Spoils System (pp. 426-427) After he became President, Andrew Jackson fired many government employees. He replaced them with people he knew and trusted, a practice known as the spoils system. Jackson believed the spoils system expanded democracy by giving more people a chance to take part in governing.

B. An Unofficial Cabinet (p. 427) Jackson angered many people by relying upon a group of his own personal advisers. These advisers, many of whom ran influential newspapers, were nicknamed the kitchen cabinet. Critics believed that Jackson should seek the advice of the cabinet members approved by Congress.

C. Jackson and the Bank (p. 427) Jackson had a deep hatred for the (2nd) Bank of the United States, which he regarded as a tool for the wealthy. Although the federal government deposited all of its money in the Bank, the Bank was privately owned by rich stockholders. Jackson’s hatred for the Bank’s president, Nicholas Biddle, was particularly intense.

D. The Bank War (p. 427) In 1832, four years earlier than necessary, Biddle asked Congress to renew the Bank’s charter. Henry Clay saw the Bank Bill as a way to win the Election of 1832 by forcing Jackson to make an unpopular choice. If Jackson signed the bill he would lose the support of the South and West, while if he vetoed the bill he would lose votes in the North.

E. Jackson Triumphant (pp. 427-428) Lying ill in his bed, Jackson declared “The Bank is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!” He vetoed the Bank Recharter Bill, charging that the Bank was corrupt and anti-American. The trap set by Biddle and Clay to unseat Jackson misfired. In the Election of 1832, the common people handed Jackson a sweeping victory.

F. Shutting Down the Bank (p. 428) Jackson promptly ordered Secretary of Treasury Roger Taney to put federal funds into certain state banks that became known as pet banks. Biddle retaliated by restricting the amount of paper money in circulation. But when its charter ran out in 1836, the Bank of the U.S. went out of business.

Review: 10. Define spoils system— 11. Identify the kitchen cabinet— 12. What were Jackson’s feelings with regard to the Bank of the United States? 13. Who was the Bank’s president? 14. Which Presidential candidate hoped to use the Bank Recharter Bill as a way to defeat Jackson in the Election of 1832? 15. What did Jackson do to the Bank Recharter Bill? 16. Who won both the Bank War and the Election of 1832? 17. Who was Jackson’s Secretary of Treasury? 18. Define pet banks—