Unit IIIPart 51800-1836

Andrew Jackson

Campaign “Issues” Pure mud slinging National Republicans claimed:

Jackson was illiterate Murderous Married to an adulteress

Democratic Republicans claimed: Adams encouraged American youth to

gamble and frequent pool halls And that Adams procured an American

“lady of the night” for the Russian Czar, Alexander I

Jackson “Old Hickory” First President from the West (b.

S.C) Elected by westerners and eastern

factory workers Was the Common Man (remember

Jefferson) Social trends: cultural life was

adjusted to the needs of the masses Aristocratic institutions and

entertainment decayed

Brief Biography Born SC in 1767 Father died before he was born He and brother fought in the

Revolutionary War Brother got smallpox Jackson took brother home and both

mother and brother died Jackson inherited some $ from

grandfather and gambled it all away

Jackson Could read at age 5 but had little

formal schooling 1787 was admitted to the bar Went west to Tenn. Tried cases on the way First duel with legal opponent In Nashville, he rented a room and

met Rachel

The Love Story Rachel Robards was his landlady’s

married daughter She had run away from her abusive

husband Husband followed her and brought her

home to Kentucky Jackson followed them and convinced

Rachel to run away with him Rachel and Jackson THOUGHT Rachel’s

husband had divorced her so they married

Jackson Two years later discovered that they

had been living as man and wife while Rachel was still married to first husband.

They remarried but too late… Word was out that Rachel was an

adulteress (and worse)

Jackson tried to protect her

But Rachel read a scathing editorial about her past, went to bed and died.

She died after Jackson’s election but before his inauguration

Jackson will blame her death on his political enemies

Duels 100+ duels were fought on Rachel’s

behalf by Jackson

First president to be the victim of an assassination attempt

When younger lost all his $ in a bank failure in Philly.

Will not trust banks after that…or even paper $

Jackson was a slave owner

Democracy There was a world-wide trend

toward Democracy Revolts of the masses in Belgium,

France, German States, expansion of the franchise in England

Democratic trends in America as well

Kitchen Cabinet VP : Calhoun (later Van Buren)

Sec. of State :Van Buren (Old Kinderhook)

OK?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buwunI_4DZg&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Jackson Economy in government: by the end

of his term there will be a surplus in the Treasury

Convention of 1831: Jackson made the French compensate us for ships and cargo confiscated

Prior to War of 1812

Laissez-Faire Limitation of Federal power

Jackson Believed his opponents to be the

nation’s enemies

Will veto more bills than anyone before him

The Maysville Road Veto Congress voted to allow the Federal

government to pay ½ of the cost of a road running from Maysville to Lexington in Kentucky.

Vetoed by Jackson: Since the whole road was in Kentucky, Kentucky should pick up the cost (this was not based on strict or broad constructionism)

The Peggy Eaton Affair Margaret O’Neil was the daughter of

an innkeeper. She married a sailor in the Merchant

Marine and had 2 small children Her husband died at sea Then she met John Eaton and

married him He was Jackson’s Sec. of War

At White House Functions

The wives of other cabinet members snubbed her and were rude.

Only Van Buren was nice to her (he was not married)

Jackson told his cabinet to make their wives be nice

Calhoun will resign soon (HIS wife was awful!)

Jacksonian DemocracyJackson’s mission: to provide more opportunities (in government and economically) for American Citizens (NOT women, Blacks, Native Americans)

Jacksonian DemocracyElectoral ReformThe Nullification CrisisIndian RemovalThe Second BUS

Electoral Reform By 1832 electors were chosen by popular

vote rather than by state legislatures

By 1843 the last state (RI) had dropped it’s property qualifications needed to vote…After Dorr’s Rebellion

The National Party Convention replaced “King Caucus”…The Anti-Masonic Party (1832) was the first to do this and other parties followed later

Electoral Reform The Spoils System: Jackson

replaced many in government jobs who he saw as “smug aristocratic types”

Actually replaced fewer than Jefferson had

BUT introduced a “Rotation System” making the Spoils System more democratic

Jackson and the Indians The Cherokee Indians of Georgia Had tried to assimilate: settled

dwellings, farmed the land, invented a written language and wrote a constitution

BUT Georgia passed laws to remove them from their land

Congress: 1830Indian Removal Act

Appropriated funds for Indian removal

Money to be usedeither to buy Indian land or to send

troops to force them out

In the meantime 1831 Cherokee Indians v Georgia:

Marshall ruled that Indians had a “special relationship” with the Federal government.

Not citizens but not a “foreign” country

The Indians COULD sue a state in federal courts (Amendment 11 applied to citizens)

1832 Worchester v Georgia

Marshall ruled that Indians not subject to state law…only federal law

Andrew Jackson sent federal troops under the command of Winfield Scott to move them out of Georgia anyway

Trail of Tears: 20,000 Indians were forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. About ¼ died along the way. (More Democratic?)

How was the Indian Removal more democratic?

Remember…Jackson’s job as President was to create more opportunities for American citizens

By removing the Cherokee Indians from their land he made the land available for American citizens to use to make money…economic opportunities

The Nullification Crisis Background: The tariff went up and up

since 1816

Tariff of 1828 was called The Tariff of Abominations by Southerners

South Carolina was particularly hard-hit: land all used up and exhausted by cotton so less and less cotton produced but manufactured items cost more and more

John C. Calhoun (VP) Tried to help his home state with

The South Carolina Exposition and Protest: his nullification theory

He was really trying to help Jackson believed Calhoun was

interfering and threatened to hang him

Calhoun will soon resign as VP

SC Ordinance of Nullification

SC was told to wait Tariff of 1832 was to be lower It was…by the smallest bit on luxury

goods (not on items used on a daily basis)

SC state legislature passed: The Ordinance of Nullification: said SC would nullify the federal tariff on Jan. 1, 1833

The Webster-Hayne Debate

In the meantime a big debate in the Senate right in the middle of the Nullification Crisis

Senator Foote (Conn) suggested that the surplus from the federal treasury be divided up amongst the states

Popular idea with ALL the senators: poor economy, many states near bankruptcy

BUT Then When the cheering died down, Foote

suggested:

that the Tariff be raised to make certain that there would be SOME money in the treasury just in case of an emergence AND

that the price of land be raised for the same reason

The West Senator Benton (Missouri) took the

floor Was furious about the land

suggestion

NOTE: Calhoun was VP so he chaired the senate and he had a plan:

Calhoun instructed Senator Hayne (from SC) to take the floor…not to whine about the tariff…but to support Benton on the land issue

Why support the West? Calhoun hoped that if the South

helped the West on the land issue then the West would help the South on the tariff issue (remember that the Nullification Crisis was still going on…)

The Daniel Webster (NH) took the floor and baited Senator Hayne (who was not one to hold his temper in spite of Calhoun’s advice)

Hayne lost it Hayne took Webster’s bait and

forgot Calhoun’s plan and threatened that SC would nullify the Federal tariff if it was not lowered

Then Webster made a speech: Nullification is disunion and disunion is treason…

Also, “liberty and union, now and forever!”

Webster’s Speech Made Hayne and South Carolina

look like traitors

The West was not likely to form a partnership with the South because of it…..

Back to South Carolina…

Calhoun resigned as VP Senator Hayne (former Senator from

SC) was elected governor of SC

Calhoun ran and won the SC senate seat vacated by Hayne

Remember SC was waiting until 1-1-1833 to nullify the federal tariff

Jackson Proclamation to the People of SC:

“Nullification is disunion and disunion is treason!”

Asked Congress for a Force Bill to force SC to follow federal law

Jackson was willing to march federal troops into SC to MAKE them follow the tariff!

SC began to drill its troops!

Calhoun was upset and frightened! Went to Henry Clay (the Great

Compromiser) and said, “Help!”

Calhoun and Clay came up with the Compromise Tariff of 1833: Would reduce the tariff gradually until 1842 when it would reach standards of 1816 tariff.

SC accepted the Compromise Tariff

SC cancelled its Ordinance of Nullification

BUT (as a gesture) nullified the Force Bill!

Question: In what way were Jackson’s actions

an attempt at democracy?

He was going to force SC to follow federal law just like all of the other states (He was trying to eliminate special privilege)

When were are all treated equally under the law it IS more democratic…SC tried to put itself above the law.