Chapter 11 The Jackson Era (1824-1845)
Section 1 Jacksonian Democracy
James Monroe Leaves Office
• From 1816 and 1824, the US had only one political party
• The Republicans
• James Monroe refused to run for a third term
• Four candidates from the party ran for president
• The candidates views different and they represented different regions
Candidates of 1824
• The Party nominated William H. Crawford, a former congressmen from Georgia
• The other three were favorite sons (Backed by their home states instead of a party)
• Andrew Jackson came from Tennessee (West) and war hero
• Henry Clay from Kentucky (West) and Speaker of the House of Representatives
• John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts (Northeast) and son of former son John Adams
The Election of 1824
• Jackson received the largest number of popular votes
• But, no one received a majority of the electoral vote
• Jackson won a plurality
• According to the 12th Amendment, when no candidate receives a majority of electoral voted, the House of Reps selects the president
The House Decides
• Henry Clay met with John Quincy Adams
• Clay agreed to use his influence as Speaker of the House to defeat Jackson
• In return, Clay hoped to gain popularity as secretary of state
• With Clay’s help, Adams was elected president
• Adams quickly named Clay secretary of state (traditionally a stepping stone to the presidency)
• Jackson’s followers accused the two men of making a “corrupt bargain” and stealing the election
The Adams Presidency
• Adams and Clay denied any wrongdoings
• The charge of “corrupt wrongdoing” cast a shadow over Adams presidency
• Adams had an ambitious program of legislation
• Also improving roads and waterways
• Adams wanted to have a national university
• Adams proposals horrified his opponents who wanted a more limited role for the federal government
• In the end, Congress granted money for improving rivers, harbors, and roads
The Republican Party
• By 1824, the Republican Party split
• Democratic-Republicans supported Jackson
• National Republicans supported Adams
• Jackson’s “Democrats” favored states’ rights and mistrusted strong central government
• Many Democrats were people from the frontier, immigrants, or workers in the big cities
The National Republicans
• Wanted a strong central government
• Supported federal measures like road building and the Bank of the United States
• They believed this would help the economy
• Many were merchants or farmers
Campaign of 1828
• Both partied resorted to mudslinging (insults)
• Adams was accused of betraying the people
• The Democrats said the election was a contest “between an honest patriotism, and an unholy, selfish ambition, on the other.”
• The National Republicans fought back with a song embarrassing incidents of Jackson’s life
• John C. Calhoun, Adams’ Vice President, switched parties to run with Jackson
• Jackson won an overwhelming victory
“Old Hickory”
• Like many of his supporters, Jackson was born in a log cabin
• He was a war hero
• His troops called him “Old Hickory” because he was as tough as a hickory stick
• Many felt that Jackson’s rise from a log cabin to the White House demonstrated the American success story
New Voters
• President Jackson promised “equal protection and equal benefits” for all Americans
• At least for all white American men
• During his first term, a spirit of equality spread throughout American politics
• Many states loosened the restrictions for voting (Owning property)
• Democracy expanded as people who had not been allowed to vote became new voters
• More men participated in the political process
• Women could not vote. African Americans and Native Americans had few rights of any kind
• 22 of the 24 states changed their constitutions to allow the people to choose presidential electors
The Spoils System
• Democrats wanted more ordinary people in government jobs
• They felt that the federal government had become a bureaucracy (a system in which nonelected officials carry out laws)
• Jackson replaced workers with his supporters
• The fired employees protesting, saying Jackson was acting like a tyrant
• One Jackson supporter said: “To the victors belong the spoils”
• The practice of replacing government employees with the winner’s supporters is called the spoils system
Electoral Changes
• Jackson’s supporters abandoned the unpopular caucus (Candidates chosen by Congress)
• Nominating conventions replaced them
• Delegates from the states chose the party’s presidential candidate
• This allowed many people to participate in selecting candidates
The Tariff Debate
• A high tariff on European manufactured goods pleased Northeastern factory owners
• By making European goods more expensive, more American made goods would be sold
• Southerners hated it because tariffs meant higher prices
• John C. Calhoun argued that a state had the right to nullify (cancel) a federal law if it was considered to be against state interests
• Daniel Webster (North) disagreed, claiming that nullification would destroy the Union
Nullification
• Jackson spoke to Calhoun- “Our federal Union… must be preserved”
• Calhoun responded- “The Union- next to our liberty, most dear”
• Calhoun meant that the Union must take second place to a state’s liberty to overrule the Constitution if its interests were threatened
• 1832- Congress lowered the tariff, but the protests from the South continued
South Carolina’s Response
• South Carolina passed the Nullification Act, declaring it would not pay the “illegal” tariffs of 1828 and 1832
• South Carolina threatened to secede if the government interfered
• To ease the crisis, Jackson backed a bill that would gradually lower the tariff
• Jackson also had Congress pass the Force Bill, allowing him to use the military to enforce acts of Congress
• South Carolina accepted the new tariff, but nullified the Force Bill
Essential Question
• How did political beliefs and events shape Andrew Jackson’s presidency?
– Limiting the strength of the federal government
– States’ rights
– Broadening democracy
– Spoils system
– Nullification challenged his ideas