Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman © 2008 CHAPTER 9 JACKSONIAN DEMOCRACY The American Nation: A History of the United States, 13th edition

Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman © 2008

CHAPTER 9 JACKSONIAN DEMOCRACY

The American Nation: A History of the United States, 13th edition

Carnes/Garraty


“DEMOCRATIZING” POLITICS Jacksonian inauguration and the reign of the

“common man” Jefferson: believed ordinary man could be educated to

believe what was right Jackson: insisted ordinary man knew what was right by

instinct “Servant” replaced by “help” Increasingly democratic elections

Most states removed property qualifications By Jackson’s time only Delaware and South Carolina

had electors chosen by state legislature rather than by popular vote

Soon after 1828 presidential candidates were nominated by party conventions


“DEMOCRATIZING” POLITICS Emphasis on idea that every citizen equally

important and all should participate in government Final disestablishment of churches Beginnings of free-school movement, early

interest in adult education and slow spread of secondary education

Increase in number of newspapers and the decline in their prices

Eight times as many people voted in 1840 as in 1824


“DEMOCRATIZING” POLITICS With increase in importance of voting came increase

in competition among candidates Running campaigns and getting vote out required

money, people and organized effort Parties became powerful institutions that instilled

loyalty among adherents 1828 election stimulated party formation

Created bureaucracies Devoted party workers were rewarded with political

offices Candidates decided best way to attract voters was by

flattery


1828:The New Party System in Embryo Party system developed as

result of battle to succeed John Quincy Adams

1828 election full of character assassination Denigrating remarks

about Jackson’s wife and marriage

Accusations about Adams conduct in office

Unfortunately resulted in high voter turnout Mrs. Andrew Jackson / engd. by J.C. Buttre Library of Congress Prints

and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 U.S.A LC-U.S.Z62-25773 (b&w film copy neg.)


THE JACKSONIAN APPEAL

Jackson similar to Washington Soldier first Inveterate speculator in western lands Owner of plantation and slaves Man with few intellectual interests and only sketchily

educated More like a southern planter than a frontiersman Stood as a symbol for a new democratically

oriented generation Drew support from every section and social class Believed in equality of opportunity and distrusted

entrenched status


THE SPOILS SYSTEM

Jackson decided to punish those who wronged him during campaign Political office seen as reward for victory

Removed some officials for incompetence or corruption Some because Jackson believed in concept of rotation which

meant more citizens could participate in tasks of governing Would prevent entrenched bureaucracy Yet also inhibited governmental efficiency

Jacksonian democracy characterized by contempt for knowledge and belief that ordinary Americans can do anything they set their minds to Jackson actually appointed people from social and intellectual

elite Did not rotate a lot of positions especially in War and Navy

departments


PRESIDENT OF ALL THE PEOPLE

Jackson relied not on formal cabinet (where only secretary of state, Martin Van Buren, had any talent) but on informal “Kitchen Cabinet”

Vetoed over a dozen bills, some that he deemed inexpedient rather than unconstitutional

Did not seek to expand federal authority at expense of states because favored a “frugal,” constitutionally limited government

Poor administrator, given to penny-pinching and lacking in imagination

Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, [1830]. Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction number: LC-U.S.ZC4-4563 (color film copy transparency).


SECTIONAL TENSIONS REVIVEDModerate course Slight reduction in tariff “constitutional” internal improvements Once federal debt paid off, distribute rest

among states If done, could not reduce price of public land

which upset westerners Created proposal for South-West alliance

based on cheap land and low tariff Alliance cut down by Daniel Webster


JACKSON: “The Bank…I Will Kill It!” Jackson was re-elected in 1832 over Henry

Clay One of the main issues was Second Bank of

U.S. Bank was run by Nicholas Biddle who realized

it could act as rudimentary central bank State banks often issued more paper money

than hard currency reserves By collecting bank notes and submitting them for

redemption, Biddle could compel local banks to maintain reserves of gold and silver


JACKSON: “The Bank…I Will Kill It!” Biddle’s policies were good for Bank

Earned substantial profits But state banks pressured to print money which caused

farmers to overextend themselves Led to decline in prices and agricultural depression Reckless lending caused inflation and greatly exaggerated ups

and downs of business cycle Biddle had supporters but they were outnumbered by

detractors who did not understand what he was doing Those who disliked all paper money Bankers who disliked Biddle’s restraints on their ability to lend

freely New York bankers Some objected because bank was a monopoly


JACKSON’S BANK VETO

After Jackson admitted his dislike and fear of Bank, Biddle gravitated to the opposition (National Republicans)

In 1832 Biddle asked for renewal of Bank charter due to expire in 1836

Congress passed but Jackson vetoed saying Bank was Unconstitutional Inexpedient Stock owned by foreigners


JACKSON’S BANK VETO

Jackson withdrew government funds from the Bank of the United States and deposited them in state banks Had to replace two Secretaries of the Treasury before

he found Roger Taney, who made transfer By 1836 funds distributed to 90 institutions

In response to withdrawals, Biddle Presented all state bank notes and checks for specie Contracted own lending

Paper money became scarce and specie unattainable In 1834, Biddle caved to pressure and returned to

lending freely


JACKSON VERSU.S. CALHOUN

Jackson: “Our Federal Union: It must be preserved” Calhoun: “The Union, next to our liberty, most dear” Strained relations

Peggy Eaton Calhoun’s 1818 response to Jackson’s invasion of Florida

Jackson’s views: Did not believe that the area of national power was large or

should be expanded Interested in government economy, distribution of federal

surpluses to the states, and interpreting powers of Congress narrowly

Favored internal improvements but preferred local projects be left to states


INDIAN REMOVALS

Jackson’s Views: Indians were “savage” because they roamed wild in

trackless wilderness and therefore were incapable of self-government

Ignored reality of Cherokee life Jackson insisted that Indians must be removed from

path of white settlement but must be paid fairly for land and government must bear expense of relocating them

Saw relocation as protecting Indians from “degradation and destruction”



INDIAN REMOVALS

Between 1831 and 1833 some 15,000 Choctaw migrated from Mississippi to region west of Arkansas Territory

Resistance: Black Hawk’s Sac and Fox in Illinois Osceola’s Seminole in Florida

Accommodation: Cherokee Took up farming and cattle raising Developed a written language Drafted a constitution

1828 Georgia declared all Cherokee laws void and claimed their land as part of Georgia


INDIAN REMOVALS

Cherokees sued in Supreme Court Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee were not a foreign nation and thus could not sue in U.S. court

Worcester v. Georgia (1832) Involved two missionaries to Cherokee who had not

obtained license required by Georgia Marshall ruled state could not control Cherokee or their

territory Supported this decision in follow up case when Cherokee

convicted in Georgia court sued and Marshall overturned conviction since incident had occurred on Cherokee territory thereby making Georgia’s actions unconstitutional


INDIAN REMOVALS

Jackson supported Georgia Trail of Tears (1838)

15,000 Cherokees were forced to leave Georgia for Oklahoma

At least 4,000 died on the way Jackson’s actions regarding Georgia

convinced many southern states’ righters that he would not oppose doctrine of nullification


THE NULLIFICATION CRISIS

1832 Tariff failed to lower prices enough to satisfy southerners, especially South Carolina Upcountry cotton planters suffering

competition from more fertile Alabama Planter aristocrats of rice-growing Tidewater

were troubled by northern criticisms of slavery Blacks outnumbered whites two to one in

region Many were African born 1822 planned revolt of Denmark Vesey

exposed 1831 Nat Turner revolt terrified even more



Radical South Carolinians saw protective tariffs and anti-slavery agitation as tyranny of the majority to which nullification was the logical defense

Calhoun’s Exposition and Protest based on false assumptions: That the Constitution was subject to definitive

interpretation That one party could be permitted to interpret a compact

unilaterally without destroying it That a minority of the nation could reassume its sovereign

independence but that a minority of the state could not Jackson realized if a state could nullify a law of

Congress, the Union could not exist



October 1832: South Carolina state legislature provided for the election of a special convention which wound up containing a majority of nullifiers

November 24, 1832: convention passed an ordinance of nullification prohibiting collection of tariff duties after February 1, 1833, and authorized raising of army

Jackson threatened to use force while also pressuring Congress to further lower tariff and warning South Carolina of the consequences



Calhoun resigned as Vice President and replaced Senator Hayne Sought solution aided by Henry Clay

Administration allies introduced new tariff bill and a Force Bill (granting president additional authority to execute revenue laws)

No other southern states joined South Carolina March 1833 Calhoun and Clay got compromise tariff

through Congress that lowered tariff over 10 year period

South Carolina repealed nullification law and nullified force law


BOOM AND BU.S.T

1833 and 1834 Secretary of the Treasury Taney insisted “pet” state banks maintain large reserves

Other state banks began to offer credit on easy terms because had increase in their reserves of gold and silver Decline in Chinese demand for Mexican silver led to

increased exports of metal to U.S. Rise of American interest rates attracted English

capital Heavy English purchases of American cotton of high

price increased flow of specie to banks


BOOM AND BU.S.T

Bank notes in circulation jumped from $82 million in January 1835 to $120 million in December 1836 Bank deposits rose even more rapidly

New money flowed into land speculation where prices rose 15 percent in 6 months By 1836 U.S. government had eliminated debt and had a $20

million surplus Alarmed by speculation, Jackson issued Specie Circular in

1836 Purchasers must pay for public land in gold or silver Demand slackened and prices fell Speculators turned over land to banks who could not make

enough money to recover loans Spring 1837 every bank in the country was forced to suspend

specie payments as depositors tried to withdraw their money


JACKSONIANISM ABROAD

Reciprocal trade agreements negotiated One with Great Britain opened British West

Indian ports to American ships Pressed American claims dating from

Napoleonic Wars 1831: France agreed to pay $5 million Initially the French Chamber of Deputies

refused to pay and only after Jackson had severed relations and threatened war did Chamber finally give in


THE JACKSONIANS

Jacksonians of Democratic Party believed in certain underlying principles: Suspicion of special privilege and large

business corporations Freedom of economic opportunity, unfettered

by private or governmental restrictions Absolute political freedom, at least for white

males Conviction that any ordinary man is capable of

performing the duties of most public offices Supported public education


RISE OF THE WHIGS

Opposition to Jackson less cohesive though clearly anti-Jackson

Whigs: Bankers Those who found “pushiness and coarseness” of

Jacksonians offensive Lawyers, ministers, doctors and other well educated

people joined due to anti-intellectual and anti-scientific bias of administration

Problems Too many generals, not enough troops Could agree on little besides dislike of Jackson


MARTIN VAN BUREN: Jacksonianism without Jackson Took office as Panic of 1837 hit By 1838: banks resumed specie payment 1839: bumper crop caused a sharp decline in

price of cotton States that had overextended themselves in

internal improvements were forced to default on debts

Discouraged foreign investments Result was economic depression that lasted

until 1843


MARTIN VAN BUREN: Jacksonianism without Jackson Van Buren ignored economy Did pass Independent

Treasury Act 1840 Called for the construction of

government owned vaults where federal revenues could be stored until needed

All payments to the government were to be made in hard cash

Despite criticism system actually worked for a number of years Martin Van Buren LC-U.S.Z62-13008 (b&w film copy neg. of detail)

LC-BH82401-5239 (b&w film copy neg.) Library of Congress Prints

and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 U.S.A


THE LOG CABIN CAMPAIGN

In 1840 Whigs decided to follow Jacksonian strategy and nominated General William Henry Harrison, “Hero of Tippecanoe,” as their candidate for president Chose John Tyler of Virginia as vice president

Ignoring the realities of Harrison’s financial situation and upbringing, Whigs used log cabin and cider barrel as their symbols

Democrats were as organized as the Whigs but did not have much heart for the fight

Four-fifths of the eligible voters turned out and gave the election to Harrison with 234 electoral votes to 60

Less than a month after his inauguration, Harrison fell ill and died on April 4 John Tyler became president


MILESTONES


WEBSITES

Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler (1904)

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler Indian Removal Act: Primary Documents in American Historyhttp://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html The Second Bank of the United States, 1816-1836http://odur.let.rut.nl/~usa/E/usbank/bank04.htm Daniel Websterhttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~dwebster The American Whig Party, 1834-1856http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/E/uswhig/whigsxx.htm National Museum of the American Indianhttp://www.si.edu/nmai