Name: ______Pd._____ Early Presidents vs. Andrew Jackson
Objective:
ü Compare and contrast the first three Presidents with Andrew Jackson
Directions: Using the readings below, fill in the chart for ANDREW JACKSON and JOHN ADAMS.
Andrew Jackson
Inauguration
Thursday morning, thousands and thousands of people, without distinction of rank, collected in a large mass round the Capitol, silent, orderly and tranquil, with their eyes fixed on the front of that edifice, waiting the appearance of the President. After reading his speech, the oath was administered to him by the Chief Justice. The Marshal presented the Bible. The President took it from his hands, pressed his lips to it, laid it humbly down, then bowed again to the people. Jackson was America's first "Frontier President" – the first president who did not come from the nation’s east-coast elite. His victory was seen as a triumph for the common man and for democracy. The celebration of his inauguration was an opportunity for America’s ordinary citizen to rejoice.
Domestic Policy
Jackson entered the White House with an uncertain policy agenda beyond a vague craving for "reform" (or revenge) and a determination to settle relationships between the states and the Indian tribes within their borders. On these two matters he moved quickly and decisively. As President, he initiated sweeping removals among high-ranking government officials—Washington bureau chiefs, land and customs officers, and federal marshals and attorneys. Under the guise of reform, many offices were doled out as rewards for political services.Jackson denied that political criteria motivated his appointments, claiming honesty and efficiency as his only goals.
Jackson did believe that Indian civilization was lower than that of whites, and that for their own survival, tribes who were pressed by white settlement must assimilate as individuals or remove to the west out of harm's way. Confident that he could judge the Indians' true welfare better than they, Jackson, when employed as an Indian negotiator in his army years, had often used threats and bribery to procure cessions of land.
Foreign Affairs
Generally, foreign affairs were not a prominent concern of Jackson's administration. The President's agents negotiated a number of treaties to secure foreign trade openings and settle outstanding damage claims. Of these, only an agreement with Britain over the West Indies trade, which Jackson reached by repudiating the demands of the previous Adams administration, was in any way controversial.
Vetoed Bills
President Jackson passionately rejects a bill that rechartered the Bank of the United States. He argues that the Bank givesprivilege and unfair advantageto a wealthy few at the expense of the public, and he opposes foreign ownership of Bank stock. The President claims the same right to interpret the Constitution as Congress and the Supreme Court when he questions the constitutionality of the Bank. Jackson vetoed 12 bills total while President.
Farewell Address
We behold systematic efforts publicly made to sow the seeds of discord between different parts of the United States, and to place party divisions directly upon geographical distinctions; to excite the South against the North, and the North against the South, and to force into the controversy the most delicate and exciting topics upon which it is impossible that a large portion of the Union can ever speak without strong emotions. Appeals, too, are constantly made to sectional interests, in order to influence the election of the chief magistrate, as if it were desired that he should favor a particular quarter of the country instead of fulfilling the duties of his station with impartial justice to all; and the possible dissolution of the Union has at length become an ordinary and familiar subject of discussion.
John Adams
Inauguration
Theinauguration of John Adamsas thesecondPresident of the United Statestook place on Saturday, March 4, 1797. The inaugurationmarked the commencement of the four-year term ofJohn Adamsas President andThomas JeffersonasVice President.Chief Justiceof the Supreme Court,Oliver Ellsworthswore him in. Theoath of officewas administered in Congress HallinPhiladelphia. This was the 1st inaugural oath administered by a Chief Justice of the United States. Adam’s speech that followed focused heavily on upholding the Constitution.
Domestic Policy
President Adams's style was largely to leave domestic matters to Congress and to control foreign policy himself. Not only did the Constitution vest the President with responsibility for foreign policy but perhaps no other American had as much diplomatic experience as Adams. As a result of his outlook, much of his domestic policy was intertwined with his foreign policy, for diplomatic issues often sparked a domestic reaction that consumed the President and the nation. Adams goes on to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts which would be the most controversial of Adams’s policies.
Foreign Policy
Adams's presidency was consumed with problems that arose from the French Revolution, which had also been true for his predecessor. Initially popular with virtually all Americans, the French Revolution began to arouse concerns among the most conservative in the United States after the excesses that commenced in 1792. Early on in his presidency, Adams would deal with the XYZ Affair by rejecting French bribes and keeping the United States from war.
Vetoes
John Adams did not veto any bills as President of the United States.
Farewell Address
Adams was well known for his speaking abilities, but after losing to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams did not see it fitting to give a farewell address.
Andrew Jackson / George Washington / John Adams / Thomas JeffersonInauguration
Domestic Policies
Foreign Affairs
Vetoed Bills
Farewell Address