The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Born in March 1767 on NC/SC Border  He was orphaned at 13  Self-educated with no formal education  Emotional, Arrogant and Passionate man  Involved in countless Duels ▪ Killed Charles Dickenson in a duel over a horse racing bet and an insult to his wife  Could drink, smoke and fight with the best of them

 Defeated the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend in 1814  Defeated the British at New Orleans in 1815  Took Florida and Claimed it for the US in 1819  Loved by his soldiers who called him “Old Hickory”

 Regional and personality differences led to a multi- candidate race  The Participants  John Quincy Adams  Andrew Jackson  Henry Clay  William Crawford Sought to continue conservative course set by Monroe, supported strong national gov’t Competed with Calhoun for the regional vote of the South; Supported Jefferson’s strict construction Sought support from both North and West for his “American System” of tariffs and support for internal improvements Emerged as rival of Clay for West vote; appealed to the “common man” due to his upbringing and war record Let the Battle Begin!

 Even though Jackson won the popular vote, he didn’t receive a majority of electoral votes.  Sent to the House of Representatives to choose the President

Jackson -v- Quincy Adams  Jackson appeals to West and South voters  Henry Clay gives his support to Adams and the House chooses Adams as President  Two weeks later, Adams appoints Henry Clay as his Secretary of State….  Jackson cries foul and calls it the Corrupt Bargain…or as Mr. Ewald calls it…Shennanigans

 One of the ablest, hardest working Presidents.  Not popular failed to relate to the common man  Often irritated those around him  Supported protective tariffs and National Bank  Passed the tariff of 1828 (tariff of abominations)tariff of abominations  Tariff upset those in the South  Minority president, last of the Federalists, and last connection to Founding Fathers…..

Jackson -v- Quincy Adams II  Rise in the Common Man  Property qualifications and education dropped as voting requirement  Population shifts to West and South  One of the worst elections for mudslinging  Accusations of improper use of funds and prostitution from Anti-Adams people  Accusations of murder and bigamy from Anti-Jackson People

Election of 1824, 355,817 voted. Election 1828, 1,155,350 voted.

 Whatever governing needed to be done, it should be done by the common man. “Government by the majority of people; instead of a gov’tgoverned by the upper class”

 Spoils System – Providing jobs and appointments to friends and supporters  Eaton Affair –  Wife of Jackson’s sec of defense, target of gossip by other cabinet wives  Tried to force cabinet wives to accept her  Led to resignation of most of his Cabinet  Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet  Group of unofficial advisors  Often consulted instead of actual cabinet

 Jackson vetoed more bills than the previous six presidents combined  Maysville Road Veto (1830)  Vetoed the use of federal money to construct the Maysville Road because it fell within one state (KY)  Most of Jackson’s policy sought to balance sectional interests, but were clearly entrenched in Southern and Western motives

 Jackson supported states’ rights, especially in the South, but when pressed would defend the rights of the National Government  “Tariff of Abominations” and Tariff of 1832 led to the South Carolina challenging federal law through interposition and nullificationTariff of Abominations  Conflict with John C. Calhoun (former Jackson VP)  Appealed to South Carolina to obey federal law and obtained authority from Congress (Force Act) to enforce the laws any way necessary  Clay negotiated a compromise (Tariff of 1833)

 Jackson vetoed Congress’s attempt to re- charter the national bank  Jackson distrusted Northern commercial interests ▪ Nicholas Biddle represented these interests  South and West blamed the national bank for Panic of 1819 – preferred “soft money” & “easy credit” of state banks  Pet Banks – Jackson removed government deposits and placed them in local (pet) banks loyal to the Democratic party

 Easy lending of the Pet Banks led to speculative boom in the early 1830’s  Jackson became concerned that the banks were issuing too much paper money  Issued Specie Circular (1836) requiring gold and silver for land purchases  These policies (combined with other issues) led to a rapid “bursting of the bubble”, that caused a nationwide depression  Plagued Martin Van Buren’s time in office

 Jackson’s Native American Policy  Indian Removal Act of 1830 – Forced resettlement of Native Americans west of the Mississippi  Bureau of Indian Affairs created to oversee resettlement  Worcester -v- Georgia – Cherokee claimed the relocation was wrong and it went to the supreme court. Marshall ruled in favor of the Cherokee Tribe.  Jackson’s response  “Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it”

 Forced relocation of the Cherokee tribe. Before the journey was over ¼ of the tribe perished.  Reflected Jackson’s personal apathy toward Native Americans

 The Good  The Common Man involvement in Government  Strong Executive Power  Massive Voter Turnout  Sparked Re-Creation of 2 Party System  The Bad  The Spoils System  Banking Instability  Excessive Check of the Supreme Court  Greater Sectionalism –Result of Split with Calhoun  The Ugly  Native American Policy  Trail of Tears