AP U.S. History Name: ______
Mr. Briscoe/Mr. Walsh Second Quarter

SOCRATIC SEMINAR: THE AGE OF JACKSON

The first formal Socratic seminar of the quarter will focus on the presidency of Andrew Jackson, known to his opponents as “King Andrew,” among other epithets. Please read the instructions below and have your seminar preparation ready at the start of class on Tuesday, November 15 (A day) and Wednesday, November 16 (B day).

For this assignment, core questions have already been provided for you based on the assigned documents from The American Spirit, pp. 266-283:

Seminar Texts: The American Spirit, Ch. 13: “The Rise of a Mass Democracy, 1824-1840”

C. Jackson Vetoes the Maysville Road Bill (1830), Clay Protests (1830)

D. Senator Robert Hayne Advocates Nullification (1830), Daniel Webster Pleads for the

Union (1830), South Carolina Threatens Secession (1832), Andrew Jackson

Denounces Nullification (1832), Jackson Fumes in Private (1832)

E. Jackson Vetoes the Bank Recharter (1832), A Boston Journal Attacks Jackson (1832)

F. Jackson Endorses the Indian Removal (1829), Theodore Frelinghuysen Champions

Justice (1830)

G. James Fenimore Cooper Castigates Parties (1838), Alexis de Tocqueville Defends

Parties (1830s)

Directions

Type responses for each of the five sets of core questions below. You are not limited to the questions as written. These are suggestions to help get you started and to make sure that you know what the topics for discussion will be during the seminar itself. You may write your own questions or use only one of the questions in each set but make sure that there is one well-developed core question for each of the five document sets (C-G) noted above. Your finished product should consist of at least five fully developed paragraphs that effectively answer a question in each set. For each response, remember to write out the question and aim for three goals in your response: (a) fully answer the question in your own words, (b) provide direct textual support for your answer (with document and page citation), and (c) provide analysis of how the text excerpt that you have selected supports your answer. You may, in each case, wish to add background from Ch. 10 of The Enduring Vision to provide context for your responses. You do not, however, need to cite the textbook unless you directly quote a passage from it.

C. Why did Jackson veto the Maysville Road Bill? What principles were at stake and how did

politics play a role in the decision?

D. How did South Carolina justify nullification as a political doctrine? What was the response

of Daniel Webster and Jackson to South Carolina’s nullification/secession threats?

E. Why did Jackson veto the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States? How and

why was Jackson criticized for this decision?

F. How did Jackson justify the Indian Removal Act of 1830? What were some of the criticisms

of this action?

G. Was the rise of political parties in the Age of Jackson a good or bad development for America?

You need to have the written assignment completed at the start of class on the day of the seminar in order to receive any credit for written preparation. The only exceptions are for students with an excused absence on the day of the seminar itself, in which case they must submit the written preparation on the day they return to class.