The Jackson Era Chapter 11 Off and

The Jackson Era Chapter 11

Off and Running • The Election of 1824 – Monroe declines to run for 2 nd term – 4 candidates for presidency James Monroe

William H. Crawford former congressman from GA limited federal government strong state powers defended slavery poor health weakened his chances

Andrew Jackson -Tennessee not a Washington politician war hero of 1812 raised in poverty spoke for the little people

Henry Clay – -Kentucky Speaker of the House Fought for internal improvements, high tariffs wanted a strong national bank

John Quincy Adams – -Massachusetts Son of former President John Adams wanted to shift economy from farming to manufacturing

• Jackson, Clay and Adams were “Favorite Son” candidates. • Their states backed them, not the national party.

Playing with Numbers • Jackson received largest number of popular votes. • No candidate received a majority (>1/2) of the electoral votes • Jackson won 99 electoral votes, a plurality (largest, single share)

• Clay and Adams plan a scheme • Clay will use his influence as Speaker of House to sway votes towards Adams. • In return, Clay to be named Sec. of State

• Jackson accuses men of making a “corrupt bargain” • Adams appoints Clay secretary of state

ELECTION NUMBERS Candidate Jackson Adams Crawford Clay Electoral Vote 99 84 41 37 Popular House Vote 153, 544 7 108, 740 13 41, 618 4 47, 136 0

Adams Presidency • Corrupt bargain cast a shadow over the presidency • He wanted policies that ran against popular opinion • Wanted a stronger navy • Wanted federal government to direct economic growth • Congress turned down many of his proposals

Election of 1828 Republican Party Divides Democratic-Republicans -supported Jackson -favored states’ rights -mistrusted strong central government -immigrants, laborers, frontiersmen were democrats

National-Republicans -supported Adams -wanted a strong central government -supported federal measures like road building, and Bank of the US (helps to shape the economy) -merchants, successful farmers were Republicans

New Kind of Campaign • Both parties resorted to mudslinging – Ruining the others’ reputation with insults Jackson’s camp: -accuses Adams of betraying interests of the people. -released handbills calling him “unholy and having selfish ambition” – Slogans, rallies, buttons, B-B Q’s became a new element to campaigns

Adams’ camp: -created a vicious song against Jackson telling about embarrassing incidents in his life. -told of Jackson’s involvement in an execution of soldiers who deserted in War of 1812. -Adam’s called him a “barbarian and a savage”

Jackson Wins! • He receives most of the votes in the frontier • Receives many votes from the South – His policy of states rights helped John C. Calhoun – South Carolina (Adams VP) switched parties and ran as Jackson’s VP They won by a landslide (overwhelming victory) – 56% of the popular vote – 178 electoral votes

Jacksonian Democracy Background on Jackson – Born in a log cabin – parents were poor farmers – they died before he was 15 – He fought with the Patriots as a teenager during the American Revolution – Elected to congress from Tennessee

– became famous in War of 1812 defeated Creek Nation in Battle of Horseshoe Bend victory at Battle of New Orleans – Called “Old Hickory” because he was as tough as a hickory stick – Popular with the “common man” because of his success story

• Between 1824 – 1828: 57% of white males were voting from 37% earlier • White male sharecroppers, factory workers etc. allowed to vote • By 1840 80% of white males could vote, no women, African Americans or Native Americans

• Jackson fired many government workers and replaced them with his supporters • He said that a new set of government employees would be good for democracy

• Supporter of Jackson said “To the victors belong the “spoils” • The practice of replacing government employees with the candidate’s supporters became known as the “spoils system”

Electoral Changes • Caucus system abandoned - where major political candidates were chosen by committees made up of members of congress • Replaced by nominating conventions - where delegates from the states select the parties candidate Allowed more voter input

• 1 st democratic national party convention held in 1832 in Baltimore, Maryland. – Drew delegates from each state – Nominate candidate who could gather 2/3 rds of vote – Jackson won the nomination

T is for Tariff • Tariff: a fee paid by merchants who imported goods • Jackson faced a tariff crisis -1828 congress passed high tariff on manufactured goods from Europe

Manufacturers in NE liked it -made US goods more desirable -Southerners opposed. They traded cotton for European manufactured goods. $$

S is for South or Secede • Southerners were outraged over tariffs • VP Calhoun argued that a state or group of states had a right to nullify (cancel) a federal law it felt was unconstitutional • Some southerners wanted to secede (break away) from the US and form their own government

Where does everybody stand? • Webster/Hayne debate Daniel Websterdefends the constitution; says that nullification could only mean the end of the union

Robert Haynedefends the idea that states had a right to nullify acts of the federal government and even to secede

• Andrew Jackson. Southerners hoped he would side with them; however at a dinner party he said “Our federal government must be preserved”

John Calhoundefender of states rights. After the President’s comments, he wins election to the senate to defend state’s rights and resigns as VP.

Sticks and Stones… • Southerners anger builds • A new, lower tariff is passed by congress • It did not appease the south

• South Carolina state legislature passed the “nullification act” declaring it would not pay the illegal tariffs. • They threatened to secede if the feds interfered with them

• Jackson thinks they have gone mad • Henry Clay proposes a bill to greatly lower the tariff. • Jackson supports it. • Jackson persuaded Congress to pass the “force bill” which allows the President to use military force to enforce the law.

• South Carolina accepted the compromise tariff • Jackson sent a strong message that the federal government would not allow a state to go its own way without a fight

Whose land is it anyway? • A few background facts -large #’s of Native Americans still lived in eastern part of US - GA, MS, FL, AL had valuable land that was held by the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole’s -

-areas west of the MS river were dry and unsuitable for farming. -settlers wanted Native Americans to be “relocated” west of the MS river so valuable land would be available for them -President Jackson supported this idea.

Indian Removal Act of 1830 • Act allowed government to pay Native Americans to move west • Federal officials were sent to negotiate treaties with them • Most accepted payment and agreed to move • 1834 congress created the “Indian Territory” (present day Oklahoma) for them

Indian Removal Act • Indian Territory— area of land containing most of present-day Oklahoma Map of Indian Territory

• Cherokee nation in GA refused. – 1790’s GA had recognized them as a separate nation with its own laws – They sued the state government; eventually went to Supreme Court (Worcester v. Georgia) – Chief Justice John Marshall ruled GA had no right to interfere with Cherokee nation

“…[the Cherokee nation] is a distinct community, occupying its own territory, …in which the laws of Georgia have no force. ” --Chief Justice John Marshall

“John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it. ” --Andrew Jackson

The Trail of Tears • 1835 a few Cherokee signed a treaty giving up their land • 17000 refused to honor the treaty • They wrote a protest letter to the government and people of the US

• 1838 General Winfield Scott and 7000 troops came to remove them from their homes • They were told if they did not go peacefully they would have to go by force

• Cherokee leaders knew fighting would only lead to their end and gave in • Brutal weather, sickness claimed thousands of Cherokee lives on the way. Their sadness and death gave it the name“trail of tears”

Some fought back • 1832 the Sauk Chieftain Black Hawk led the Sauk and Fox people back to Illinois, their homeland • Met by militia • Killing hundreds of the Native Americans the militia chased the remaining ones over the border into Iowa. • US troops pursued the retreating Indians and slaughtered them

Seminole Wars – Pressured to sign treaties in the early 1830’s to sell land – Chief Osceola and his people refused to leave – Decided to go to war against US instead – Joined with group of runaway African Americans

– Used guerilla tactics (surprise attacks) – By 1842 more than 1500 of 10000 American soldiers had died – Government gave up and let them remain in FL – Though many Seminole had died or been captured and sent west – Only a few scattered groups lived east of the MS

Money, … • Jackson thought the Bank of the US was an organization of wealthy Easterners where ordinary people had no control • The bank held ALL of the governments money • It controlled much of the country’s money supply

• Bank was originally chartered by Congress • Now run by private bankers, not elected officials • President of bank, Nicholas Biddle, opposite of Jackson

– Jackson said the bank favored the rich and hurt the poor. – Jackson withdrew all of the government money from the bank. By 1836, the bank closed its doors.