Andrew Jackson the Common Man's President

Andrew Jackson: The Common Man’s President

Andrew Jackson: Man of the Common Man

• Andrew Jackson was a SELF-MADE man

– He grew up poor with his two brothers and

single mother (His father died)

– Loved sports, hot-tempered, liked to have

fun

• He went to work for a law firm to learn how to

be a lawyer, he didn’t go to college

• Bought land and slaves, became plantation

owner

• He was a military general and became a

national hero at the Battle of New Orleans

• He entered politics when he was about 30 yrs

old as a Representative and a Senator

Battle of New Orleans

Where Jackson grew up

Jackson’s Style of President: The Spoil’s System

• Jackson believed that changing the people in

government jobs would be more democratic and fair

• Jackson replaced many of the Republicans in the

government with his loyal Democratic supporters

– People who had given money to his campaign

– Loyal friends

– Democratic Party members that worked hard during

his campaign.

• His opponents said Jackson was abusing his power and

playing favorites by picking his friends and supporters.

– Jackson was not picking the best person for the job

Jackson’s Style of President:

The Kitchen Cabinet

• Jackson would go to his trusted friends and

political supporters for advise on how to run

the government, instead of his official

cabinet

– They met in the White House kitchen so

they were known as the “kitchen cabinet”

• The Republicans felt that Jackson was

getting poor advise and would made bad

decisions for the country because of it.

The Nullification Crisis

• In 1828 Congress passed a law

increasing TARIFFS to help the

growth of American manufacturing

• Southern states felt the tariff was

unfair

– It played favorites with Northern

states and hurt the South which was

unconstitutional

• John C. Calhoun wanted to NULLIFY

the law

• Andrew Jackson tried to work with

the South and signed a law that

lowered the tariff in 1832

The Nullification Crisis

• It was not enough for John C.

Calhoun, so he and South

Carolina threatened to SECEDE if

the national government tried to

enforce the tariff laws

• Jackson was furious at the threat

and asked Congress to pass the

Force Bill which would give him

the right to use the Army to

enforce the tariff

• John C. Calhoun and South

Carolina backed down and

accepted the lower tariffs

Stop! You have gone too far. Or by the

Eternal, I’ll hang you all!

A little farther Cal!! And we are safe.

One step more and it will be within my grasp!

A glorious prize, how bright it looks. Keep

steady my friend you shall be exalted!

We must bear the burden, brother.

I tell you what neighbor, I won’t stand it, they are putting

too much on us.

Jackson and the United States Bank

• The bank was needing to be renewed in 1836

• As the President of the Common man, Andrew

Jackson distrusted the Bank of the United States

and set out to “slay the monster”

– He vetoed a bill from Congress to renew the

bank in 1832

– He took out all the money the government had

deposited in the bank and put it into state banks

• The banks charter expired in 1836 and it closed

down

Indian Removal Act

• Land-Hungry Whites go west

(southern cotton plantation

owners).

• Gold is found in Georgia. Georgia

tries to force the Cherokee out of

land.

• In 1830 Jackson signed the

Indian Removal Act which forced

the tribes to move from the

South to Indian territory in

Oklahoma

Supreme Court Worcester v. Georgia

• Cherokee take their case to Supreme Court in 1831

• Worcester v. Georgia Chief Justice John Marshal rules in favor of Cherokee. Georgia can’t force them to move out.

Samuel Worcester John Ross

Trail of Tears• Jackson ignores the Supreme

Court ruling and sends the army

to Georgia.

• The Creek and the Cherokee

resisted until they were

removed by force

• In 1838, the U.S. Army was used

to remove 17,000 Cherokee

from their lands in Georgia

– They were not given time to

get their things together

– They were forced by the

troops into holding pens to

be held like animals

Trail of Tears• They were then

forced to walk

about 1,000

miles to Indian

Territory.

• 4,000 of them

died from

starvation,

disease, injuries,

and exhaustion.