Unit Ten: The Jacksonian Era

Jacksonian Democracy

Election of 1824 • At the end of Monroe’s second term he chose

not to run again and retired to his Mansion at Oak Hill.

• Since the Democratic-Republicans were the only major political party the choice of who was to be the next President went to a list of candidates representing specific regions or interests known as “Favorite Sons”.

• These “Sons” chose to run: William Crawford (South), John Quincy Adams (North), Henry Clay “Great Compromiser (West), Andrew Jackson “Hero of New Orleans” (West), and John C. Calhoun (South).

Favorite “Sons” of 1824

William Crawford Andrew Jackson

Henry Clay John C. Calhoun

John Q. Adams

Election of 1824• The election was a bitter race between all the

candidates, but when the results came in Jackson carried the popular vote and the electoral votes with 99 to Adams’s 84, Crawford’s 41, and Clay’s 37. (Calhoun had dropped out to be Vice President for Adams or Jackson).

• Since no candidate had a majority of electoral votes the election according to the twelfth Amendment went to the House of Representatives to be decided.

• Only the highest three went to the House, so Clay was out of the race, but he was Speaker of the House.

Corrupt Bargain • Crawford was also out, due to the fact he had a

stroke that paralyzed him, leaving the election between Adams and Jackson.

• When the votes were cast Adams won the Presidency, due to the fact Clay swung his votes Adams’s way.

• The Jackson people called the election of Adams the Corrupt Bargain because Adams got the Presidency and Clay got to be Secretary of State. (the Jackson people worked four years to destroy Adams and Clay’s political careers)

J. Q. Adams Administration • Adams wanted to keep the nationalist agenda

going with aid to internal improvements, a national university, legislation aiding agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing, and for the advancement of the arts, sciences, and literature.

• The growing sectional divide and the Jacksonians kept any of his programs from developing.

• Adams also hurt himself by believing that people in government positions should get them on merit not favor, so many of his officials constantly disagreed with him.

J. Q. Adams Administration• Another blow to the Adams administration was

his sympathy for the Native Americans, which led to an unsuccessful standoff with the state of Georgia.

• In foreign affairs, relations with Latin America went sour when the two diplomats Adams sent to a convention for Latin American countries called the Panama Congress failed to show up.

• The biggest issue of Adams’s Administration though was the introduction of the Tariff of 1828 called the “Tariff of Abominations”, which passed into law as a high protective Tariff. (favored Northern industry, but disfavored Southerner agriculture)

Election of 1828 • In the Election of 1828 the

Democratic/Republicans split into two separate parties: the National Republicans running John Q. Adams and the Jacksonian Democrats running Andrew Jackson.

• The election was bitterly fought with much mudslinging (political technique of only talking about the negative aspects of an opponent ) coming from both sides. (Jackson was accused of being a drunk, gambler, killer, and an adulterer; while Adams was accused of being an elitist, Aristocrat, and a hater of the common man).

Election of 1828

Click on Above Political Cartoon to hear the song that won him the election:

The Hunters of Kentucky

Rachael Jackson

Mudslinging

The “Donkey”

Jacksonian Democracy • Andrew Jackson “Old Hickory” won the

election because he was seen as the “People’s President” and the “Common Man’s Candidate”.

• Jackson’s election was a symbol of a new movement in America known as Jacksonian Democracy where any ordinary citizen could be an official and common sense was all that was required to handle public office or a government job.

• Jackson himself believed in expanded suffrage, Manifest Destiny, Patronage, Strict Constructionism, Laissez-fare economics, and a strong President (use of veto power).

Jacksonian Democracy• One reason for Jackson’s win was an expansion

of the franchise/suffrage (civil right to vote), as new states and old did not require property qualifications.

• Another reason was the end of “King Caucus” in favor of nominating conventions where Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates were chosen directly by the people for the party ticket using ballots to be voted on by the electoral college. (This gave more power to the popular vote)

• Party candidate’s were fighting over the spoils of office, which were government positions given to friends, political allies, or supporters by a candidate through the spoils system/patronage.

Jacksonian Democracy• Jackson also believed in rotation in office,

limiting government bureaucrats to a certain time in office (like elected officials) to allow for more people to take part in government.

• As soon as Jackson was elected President he replaced many government jobholders with people friendly to his own policies.

• The beliefs of Jackson scared the Washington establishment, and made many believe “King Mob” now ruled America.

To The Victors Go the Spoils

Trouble in Washington • Jackson’s election was a bitter sweet victory,

due to the death of his wife, Rachel, which he blamed his political opponents for during the election.

• When Jackson setup his administration, he setup two cabinets, one official and the other called the Kitchen Cabinet. (Only Martin Van Buren and John Eaton were part of both).

• The Kitchen Cabinet was were Jackson got most of his advice and information on national issues.

Trouble in Washington• Some trouble developed in Jackson’s

administration due to issues surrounding the Secretary of War John Eaton’s wife, Margaret, known as the Petticoat or Eaton Affair.

• The wives of the cabinet members and key congressmen wives did not have anything to do with her, reminding Jackson of the treatment of his own wife.

• The outcome of the scandal was the resignation of almost the whole official cabinet, and led to a close relationship between Jackson and Van Buren.

The Tariff!!! • One of the big issues of Jackson’s first term was

the Tariff of 1828/Tariff of Abominations and the push by the state of South Carolina to nullify (to cancel) the Law known as the Nullification Crisis.

• In 1828 John C. Calhoun wrote The South Carolina Exposition and Protest establishing the doctrine of Nullification ( the idea that the union was a compact of the states and were created first, hence the states could nullify any Federal law that they thought went against the U.S. Constitution.

• The nullification question was part of a larger issue of state’s rights vs. Federal power, and if a state did not agree it could leave the union.

The Tariff!!!• The question of union led to the Hayne-

Webster Debate (1830) in the Senate, where Robert Y. Hayne (SC) supporting nullification went against Daniel Webster (MA) supporting union; Webster won the debate with his speech, “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!”

• The issue of nullification also led to an exchange of words at the annual Jefferson Day Dinner, where Jackson and his Vice President Calhoun split ways.

• Congress then passed the Tariff of 1832 to lower the tariff, but this still did not satisfy SC or most of the South.

The Tariff !!!• South Carolina met in convention and signed

an Ordinance of Nullification on the two Tariffs.

• Enraged by the nullifiers and the thought of civil war, Jackson asked Congress to enact legislation called the Force Bill to allow him the power to use the military to enforce the Tariff.

• As a middle road Henry Clay introduced the Compromise Tariff of 1833 which lowered tariff collections over a ten year period; Congress passed both it and the Force Bill.

• After this South Carolina withdrew nullification, but it did not completely end the debate of state’s rights.