The Age of Jackson Test

On Thursday, March 11, 2010

Format

  • 15 Multiple Choice
  • Short Answer - Chose 4 out 10
  • Essay – Outline Allowed

Essay – Evaluate the Presidency of Andrew Jackson.

She would like us to concentrate on 3 specific topics/things (from the presidency)

(What made the people love him? – Can say in intro that people loved him, but what three things made him popular)

  • Allowed to bring in an outline (4 words, 24 lines) – you should be very concise, as few words as possible – Essay should not make more than 3 points
  • Don’t write thesis until you set up your body paragraphs – thesis should reflect body paragraphs
  • She won’t take off if you talk about economy and don’t talk about the Native Americans – Again, 3 specific topics to hone in on
  • Was a great man of his time/very popular
  • Common Man/ Jacksonian Democracy – he believed every single person should vote
  • Representative of the People
  • People’s Inaguaration
  • Spoils system – the common man could get a job in the government
  • Economy
  • Nullification Crisis - Was for the union before he was for the states
  • Native Americans – Indian Removal Act - extremely popular. Everybody in the nation supported it and wanted it, and called him a hero for doing it.
  • Sectionalism
  • He is a man who every hip person is his best friend
  • (Texas – is fighting independence from Mexico, the only thing Jackson does is that he doesn’t want to get involved = only foreign policy
  • He was the first president who was looking towards expansion – doesn’t do much of foreign policy, doesn’t add a lot of territory)

Thesis/Side

Can say he was successful/ can say he was successful in his time/ was a failure from our point of view, but at the time ----- you must interpret (1:42)

You could have a complex thesis ---> was successful in these areas, he failed here

(Is surrounded by slaves at his death and says that he will see blacks and whites together in heaven. One slave asks another if Jackson will be heaven, and the other slave says, “If he wants to, he’ll be there.” )

What you talk about

  • Economy and Species Circular
  • If talk about Economy bring up Species Circular and Bank
  • Can do about how he played chicken with the economy – the whole take the bank issue, forcing the nation into a recession just to destroy Biddle
  • (11:20) Or politics – He is trying to ______.
  • If you chose economy, and say how he was quick in expanding the nation and claiming land, however the economy suffered a bit / as president people loved him because things were going well (like Ronald Reagan), but what he did was set up the next president for failure, and put the country in a horrible depression beginning in early 1837 – nobody thinks to blame Jackson.
  • Side too Can say that during his presidency he was incredibly successful, but he set up the nation up for a complete depression later on – was a great man of his times: the Indian Removal Act was extremely popular. Everybody in the nation supported it and wanted it, and called him a hero for doing it. (Us looking back and criticized is a little bit like rewriting history/hypocritical).
  • The idea of hindsight – Are we putting our values on the 1830’s.
  • What he did as a leader –
  • to the bank
  • with the nullification crisis – have to give him credit for keeping the union together through sheer force of will and scaring the pants off of South Carolina. Was for the union before he was for the states.

The Age of Jackson Test

On Thursday, March 11, 2010

Short Answers – Chose 4/10

On the Review Sheet she gave us the Short Answers that are going to be appearing on the test.

  1. What was unusual about the Presidential Election of 1824? How was the winner of this election decided? [Answer this question thoroughly]
  • Jackson had the most popular votes, but he didn’t win. Since the vote was split 4 ways (JQA, Clay, Crawford, and Jackson), he did not get required number of electoral votes. So, the House of Representatives decided the president. Henry Clay used his power to make sure JQA had enough votes to win the election. JQA was elected president. Corrupt bargain – Henry Clay was given Secretary of State because he helped JQA win. Position usually meant he would be the next president (was stepping stone). Was quid pro quo/ logrolling.
  1. What political party that opposed Jackson was created during this era? What did they stand for?
  2. The political party that opposed Jackson was the Whigs. They opposed Andrew Jackson, and called him “King Andrew”. Their name came from the Whig Party in England, who opposed the king. They favored Clay’s American system ( a national bank, federal funding of internal improvements, a protective tariff). It was mainly New Englanders and residents of mid-Atlantic and upper-Middle-Western states.
  3. What was the Trail of Tears, and why was it both politically and morally wrong?
  4. What did Jackson’s Vice-President [John C. Calhoun] say in response to Jackson’s famous toast on the tariff issue in 1830, and what exactly does this toast mean? With whom would you have toasted, the President or Vice-President? Why?
  5. “The Union, next to our liberty, most dear.” Union and liberty go hand in hand. They are part of the foundation of our country. I would toast with Calhoun. It is very important to preserve the union of the country in order for us to fully experience liberty, other self-interests come into play.
  6. Explain why, and how, Andrew Jackson destroyed the 2nd Bank of the United States, and evaluate Jackson’s decision to destroy the Bank.
  7. The Bank of the United States was led by Nicholas Biddle. Biddle’s arrogance led people, including Jackson, to be suspicious of the bank abusing its powers. Jackson thought that the Bank was unconstitutional. Jackson’s enemy, Henry Clay sided with the bank. Clay tried to use the bank issue to affect the outcome of his 1832 presidential run against Jackson. Clay got a majority in Congress to pass a bill to re-charter the bank. Jackson quickly vetoed the bill, since it favored wealthy people at the expense of the common people. This destroyed the bank. This issue came back to bite Clay in the election, as the majority of the country supported Jackson’s decision. Jackson was reelected. The Specie Circular was created by Jackson as a way to keep the inflation of land and goods in check. It stated that all future purchases of federal lands must be made in gold and silver rather than paper money. This led to a depression known as the Panic of 1837, as the value of paper money dropped and the sale of land nosedived.
  1. Completely explain the meaning, point-of-view, and details of the political cartoon below.
  • The meaning of the political cartoon is that the bank was used by Henry Clay to crush Jackson. Clay made it an issue. The bank is tripping Jackson (stone trip democratic donkey). It is pro-Biddle/Clay (BUS). The man riding the mule on the left is Jackson, with Van Buren as a troll on the back. Clay is on the right riding a horse with a box that says American System. The capital building is in the corner – they are racing to the capital. Jackson is trying to trip clay with the veto stick. Jackson’s general hat is flying off – who cares if he’s a general. The feather in the hat says New Orleans (forget about that).
  1. The Era of Jackson was also a time of great American invention and industry. Explain how the government helped foster that idea and how it helped the American Economy.
  2. Explain the effect of the cotton gin on the US economy, politics and slavery.
  3. Explain how industry developed in the North. Include a description of how the New England mills developed, who worked there and the working conditions.
  4. There was a transportation revolution in the US during Jackson’s administration. Explain how it changed the US.

Quotes – Be able to identify the purpose

  • “John Marshall has made his decision: now let him enforce it.” - Jackson. Worcester v. Georgia – In this case, John Marshall sides with the Native Americans, and they still lose --- we win!
  • It is, Sir, the people’s Constitution, the people’s government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people.” – Daniel Webster: Hayne vs. Webster debate over the issue of the ability to declare federal laws null and void.
  • “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!” – Daniel Webster: ends a two day long debate in the Senate
  • “Our Union: it must be preserved!” – Jackson at a dinner: nullification crisis
  • “The Union, next to our liberty, most dear.” – Calhoun: nullification crisis
  • “The Bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to kill me, but I will kill it.”– Jackson: said it b/c bank was used by Henry Clay to crush Jackson
  • See cartoon on bottom – is pro-Biddle/Clay: bank is tripping Jackson
  • “Tippecanoe and Tyler too!” - Mrs. Walter heard in HS
  • Tariff of Abominations was related to regional differences- states’ argument is that states made the Constitution, and therefore they have the right to interpret the Constitution.
  • Part of plan – sell land and get people to move west = more states and more people to support his opinion (18:50)
  • Jackson’s presidency starts over a debate over power of the cabinet and the ladies –the Petticoat Wars and Peggy Eaton, when Jackson tried to get people to accept Eaton and invite her to parties, which caused the cabinet members to resign. Only Van Buren is nice to her. – It helped create Jackson
  • What is the brew-ha-ha over Jackson’s Inauguration?
  • Some people love it, some people say it is an embarrassment
  • People storm the White House, because people want to touch Jackson. People are drinking, breaking things, and destroying the White House.
  • Some people love it because it represents the people‘s president and the celebration of pure American democracy.
  • Know the definition of Jacksonian Democracy – every person is represented, people will have pure democracy, no land requirements, free white males get to vote – 1st time majority/70% of pop gets to vote (25:10)
  • Vetoed bank = crash
  • Spoils System – very negative thing b/c corruption, but the positive thing is that it brought in new ideas.
  • Supreme Court Cases – are pro business, will respect all contracts and they cannot be broken
  • Ogden vs. Gibbons – U.S. could regulate interstate trade w/ steamboats
  • McCulloch vs. Maryland
  • Dartmouth College vs. Woodward
  • Know bank used by Henry Clay in election of 1832