Jackson as President

The Spoils System  The Democrats transformed party structure. Everyone in the party, no matter their political level, had to obey democratic principles or else be cast out.  Emergence of professional politicians.  Those loyal to the party were rewarded with government jobs.  When Jackson became president, Martin Van Buren became Secretary of State. (Sound familiar?)  The practice of rewarding followers with government jobs became known as the spoils system.

Native Americans  Much of Jackson’s support came from the South.  When Southerners asked that 60,000 Native Americans be removed from land viable for cotton, Jackson obliged.  Jackson had already petitioned Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act.  This would negotiate a land tradeoff– give up southern lands for land in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma)

Native Americans  In Worchester v Georgia (1832), the Native Americans took their case to the Supreme Court.  John Marshall ruled in favor of the Native Americans keeping their land.  Jackson’s response “John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.”  Jackson required Native Americans to walk from Georgia to Oklahoma on what would become known as the Trail of Tears.

The Nullification Crisis  Protective tariffs (designed to protect northern industry) had angered the South for years. The Tariff of 1828 was no different.  The South nicknamed the Tariff of Abominations because it was especially high.  In 1832, South Carolina nullified the tariff.  They even threatened to secede from the Union if the tariff was not reduced.

The Crisis Resolved  Jackson generally supported states’ rights, but he did not support secession.  Jackson threatened to use federal troops against South Carolina. He had passed the Force Bill to give him whatever power necessary to collect taxes.  Ultimately, the tariff was lowered and SC ended the nullification process. This was the end to the Nullification Crisis of 1833.

The Bank War  When it came time for the re- chartering of the B.U.S. in 1832, Congress passed it, but Jackson used his power of veto.  Jackson saw it as dangerous and corrupt  ‘many headed hydra’  Many Democrats thought the ‘new’ type of economy brought about corruption and greed.  Jackson’s use of the veto shocked many of its supporters, because it had been used so infrequently.

The Whig Party Forms  Henry Clay and Daniel Webster (two Bank supporters) formed a new political party in 1832 known as the Whigs.  They wanted a strong federal government;  Favored protective tariffs, internal improvements and a national bank. (Sound familiar?)  Jackson was re-elected in 1836 and weakened the Bank by withdrawing all federal funds and placing them in state banks.  These were known as his ‘pet banks’.

Politics After Jackson  Without federal regulation, the state banks began producing more paper money than needed, causing inflation.  This led to the Panic of  When Martin Van Buren took over in 1837, there was a sharp drop in land prices.  This affected both planters/farmers as well as urban workers.  It was the worst depression the U.S. had experienced to date.

Whigs Rise to Power  The Panic led to the revival of the Whig Party.  They nominated William Henry Harrison (Old Tip), who won the electoral vote in a landslide.  It was a short-lived victory for the Whigs, though, when Harrison died from pneumonia. His vice president, John Tyler, rejected the Whig policies.

Closing Question  How was Jackson’s presidency a ‘return to Jeffersonian principles’? (Think about what groups/people he was advocating for during his presidency).