America’s HistorySeventh Edition

CHAPTER 10A Democratic Revolution

1820-1844

Copyright © 2011 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

James A. HenrettaRebecca Edwards

Robert O. Self

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828A. The Decline of the Notables and the Rise of Parties

1. The Rise of Democracy• only Pennsylvania and Vermont allowed all male taxpayers to vote (“franchise”)• in all states the wealthy dominated politics• in the 1810s Maryland men argued that property requirements for voting were “tyranny”• the state offered wider franchise and in time these men would vote “simple” men into

office (no more of the finery that symbolized politics in England and early America)• new states allowed more men to vote• Indiana, Illinois, Alabama all elected middle-class men to office• politics attracted entrepreneurs, speculators who wanted land grants.

2. Parties Take CommandB. The Election of 1824

1. The Republican Party2. Andrew Jackson

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828A. The Decline of the Notables and the Rise of Parties

2. Parties Take Command• during the Revolution politicians had discouraged the formation of parties believing them to be “factions”• parties began to emerge in the early 19th century – “machines” that had specific interests they desired to

turn into legislation• Martin Van Buren (NY) wanted to create a system based on party identity instead of family connection• 1817-1821 Van Buren created the first statewide “political machine” in New York• had a newspaper to promote their ideas• “patronage” – ability to appoint friends to positions in the state (judges, justices of the peace, sheriffs,

commissioners, coroners)• created a “spoils system” that Van Buren argued would favor each party alternatively• a “party caucus” would help discipline the voters of the party to the same ideology.

B. The Election of 18241. The Republican Party2. Andrew Jackson

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828B. The Election of 1824

1. The Republican Party•broke into competing factors after the War of 1812•five candidates came forward for the 1824 election: John Quincy Adams (Sec. of State), John C. Calhoun (Sec. of War), William H. Crawford (Treasury Sec.), Rep. Henry Clay (KY), Sen. A. Jackson (TN)•in caucus Republicans supported Crawford, other four appealed directly to voters•each man found support in different parts of the country and among varying constituents.

2. Andrew Jackson•celebrated war hero (1812)•married into an influential Tennessee family•a lawyer and slaveowner•“plain solid republican”• though he received the most Electoral votes there was no majority•vote went to Congress•J.Q. Adams chosen.

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828B. The Election of 1824

2. Andrew Jackson•celebrated war hero (1812)•married into an influential Tennessee family•a lawyer and slaveowner•“plain solid republican”• though he received the most Electoral votes there was no majority•vote went to Congress•J.Q. Adams chosen.

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828C. The Last Notable President: John Quincy Adams

1. The Fate of Adams’s Policies• had endorsed the “American System” (Henry Clay): 1) protective tariffs2) federally subsidized roads and canals3) national bank to control credit and uniform currency• Northeasterners and Midwesterners supported Adams, little support in

the South• some politicians opposed these ideas on constitutional grounds• Jeffersonian Republicans opposed the majority of Adams’s policies.

2. The Tariff BattleD. “The Democracy” and the Election of 1828

1. “Democrats”2. Equal Rights and Popular Rule

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828C. The Last Notable President: John Quincy Adams

2. The Tariff Battle• Adams advocated high import tariffs on English cotton cloth so that New Englanders could

dominate the market• tariffs appealed to Van Buren and others who wanted high tariffs on wool, hemp, and other

raw materials so that New York, Ohio, Kentucky manufacturers would support them in the 1828 election

• Tariff of 1828 raised duties on raw materials, textiles, iron goods• angered southerners who saw increases in the prices of manufactures despite their

monopoly on cotton• southerners blamed Adams for the tariffs (despite support by Van Buren, Jackson, and

others) and criticized his overly sympathetic policy towards Native Americans• Americans saw Adams as aloof, overly moral, and paternalistic• Adams did not “run” for reelection but “stood” for it.

D. “The Democracy” and the Election of 18281. “Democrats”2. Equal Rights and Popular Rule

I. The Rise of Popular Politics, 1820-1828D. “The Democracy” and the Election of 1828

1. “Democrats”• Van Buren ran Jackson’s campaign• sought appeal to northern farmers and artisans as well as southern

slaveholders and small farmers• massive publicity campaign with newspapers and public meetings• called themselves “Democrats” or “the Democracy.”

2. Equal Rights and Popular Rule• Democrats argued that they were fighting for equality for the people• achieved mass national appeal• increased participation at the polls with more than half of eligible

voters participating in the election• some wealthy Americans feared Jackson’s popularity and decried

the crowds in the White House on Inauguration Day.

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837A. Jackson’s Agenda: Rotation and Decentralization

1. “Kitchen Cabinet”• small group of advisors called by Jackson to help him make policy• Francis Preston Blair (editor of Washington Globe) and Amos Kendall (speechwriter)• Roger Taney held positions of attorney general, treasury secretary, and Supreme

Court justice• Van Buren as Sec. of State.

2. Patronage• used to instill party loyalty and discipline• insisted that his administration’s officers rotate positions• rewarded friends at home with government jobs believing this to be his right as

victor• opposed government intervention in economic development• vetoed or rejected plans for national subsidies of transportation initiatives and the

extension of the National Road.

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837B. The Tariff and Nullification

1. The Tariff of 1828• opposition to tariffs continued in the South• South Carolina only state with a black majority (56%

population), feared rebellion by slaves• slaveholders in South Carolina criticized the tariff, arguing for

lower rates• wanted to keep public discussion away from British decision

to end slavery in the West Indies in 1833.

2. South Carolina and “Nullification”

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837B. The Tariff and Nullification

2. South Carolina and “Nullification”• tariff reenacted in 1832• South Carolina adopted an “Ordinance of Nullification” in Nov. 1832• declared 1828 and 1832 tariffs null and void in the state• threatened to secede if the government tried to force collection• argued that protective tariffs were illegitimate because each

state/geographic region had distinct interests• Vice President John C. Calhoun supported South Carolina• Jackson wanted a middle ground but believed the Constitution gave

the federal government the power to establish tariffs• declared SC’s Ordinance a violation of the Constitution• Jackson granted power by Congress to use military means to end the

standoff with SC if needed• SC gave up.

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837C. The Bank War

1. Jackson’s Bank Veto• politicians who supported the Second Bank of the U.S. (est. 1816) wanted to maintain the bank’s role

in stabilizing the money supply• bank maintained a cautious monetary policy supported by creditors in Boston, New York, and

Philadelphia• opponents wanted to found state banks and not be supervised by the Second Bank• bank’s president (Biddle) sought to have its charter renewed early• Jackson vetoed the re-chartering, condemned the bank as “subversive” and “dangerous to the

liberties of the people”• 1832 Jackson reelected• Van Buren elected as VP• people believed Jackson correct in his criticism of the bank.

2. The Bank DestroyedD. Indian Removal

1. Cherokee Resistance2. The Removal Act and Its Aftermath

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837C. The Bank War

2. The Bank Destroyed• 1833 Taney appointed head of Treasury• Taney withdrew government’s gold and silver from the Second Bank and deposited it in

various banks in the states• tense political debate ensued• 1836 Jackson did not renew the bank’s charter.

D. Indian Removal1. Cherokee Resistance2. The Removal Act and Its Aftermath

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837D. Indian Removal

1. Cherokee Resistance•white peoples’ demand for land continued to push native peoples westward•Cherokees were one of many groups adopting white culture•many were mixed blood and some were slaveowners•mixed-bloods wanted to fully integrate into American society to protect their property•full-blood Cherokees wanted to maintain their culture and their ancestral lands•Jackson stopped using federal troops to protect Cherokee people/land in the western part of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi.

2. The Removal Act and Its Aftermath

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837D. Indian Removal

2. The Removal Act and Its Aftermath•Indian Removal Act of 1830 was challenged by Evangelical Protestants but passed the House narrowly•created “Indian Territory” outside the western boundaries of the states•promised money and land to those who would give up their lands east of the Mississippi River•violence erupted in some areas•Cherokees challenged their removal to the Supreme Court; Worcester v. Georgia (1832), Court sided with Cherokees against the state•1835 government signed Treaty of New Echota with a minority faction of Cherokee and forced removal began in 1838•“Trail of Tears”: approx. 3,000 Cherokee died of starvation and exposure on the 1,200-mile hike to Indian Territory.

II. The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837E. The Jacksonian Impact

1. The Taney Court• (1835-1864) Taney chief justice• an advocate of states’ rights and free enterprise• enhanced the regulatory role of state governments• Mayor of New York v. Miln (1837) ruled the state could use “police

power” to inspect the health of arriving immigrants.2. States Revise Their Constitutions

• throughout the country Democrats called for new conventions (in 20 states) to write new state constitutions

• mandated election of public officials, justices of the peace, judges, sheriffs

• laissez-faire constitutions limited the government’s role in the economy.

1. Describe The Consummation of Empire.

2. In your opinion, what message is Cole seeking to convey with this painting?

3. The painting has been described as a critique of Andrew Jackson's presidency. What details lend credibility to this interpretation?

III. Class, Culture, and the Second Party SystemA. The Whig Worldview

1. Calhoun’s Dissent• Whig Party (est. 1834) initially opposed Jackson’s “kinglike” conduct• identified themselves with pre-Revolution party that opposed arbitrary actions by the king• supported political candidates of wealth and ability (talent)• Whigs were not as strong in the South because they disagreed with party’s support of high

tariffs and social mobility• Calhoun argued that the wage-labor system in the North was a contradiction of Whig

ideology• believed northern industrialists and southern slaveowners should unite against the

enslaved and the propertyless.

2. Anti-Masons Become WhigsB. Labor Politics and the Depression of 1837-1843

1. Workers Form a Political Party2. Financial Panic and Economic Depression

III. Class, Culture, and the Second Party SystemA. The Whig Worldview

2. Anti-Masons Become Whigs• recruited Anti-Masons by advocating Mason’s causes: temperance, equal

opportunity, evangelical morality• 1836 Van Buren ran against four Whig candidates• Van Buren contended less government was better• though the four candidates received a lot of support, Van Buren won.

B. Labor Politics and the Depression of 1837-18431. Workers Form a Political Party2. Financial Panic and Economic Depression

III. Class, Culture, and the Second Party SystemB. Labor Politics and the Depression of 1837-1843

1. Workers Form a Political Party•1828 Philadelphia artisans and workers organized Working Men’s Party, spread to 15 states by 1833•shared common ideology with local foci•convinced Pennsylvania legislature to authorize tax-supported schools•much division within the parties in statewide elections• members began joining the Democratic Party.

2. Financial Panic and Economic Depression

III. Class, Culture, and the Second Party SystemB. Labor Politics and the Depression of 1837-18432.Financial Panic and Economic Depression•Panic of 1837 resulted from a drop in money coming from Britain to the U.S.•cotton (and other) prices dropped significantly•more economic problems in 1839 when bond prices fell in Europe•nine states could not pay interest on their bonds and defaulted on foreign loans•by 1843 U.S. was in a depression: canal construction down 90%, prices fell nearly 50%, unemployment reached almost 20% in some sectors•unions virtually disappeared.

C. “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!”1. The Log Cabin Campaign

• public blamed Democrats for economic problems, especially Van Buren who did nothing to stimulate the economy

• Whigs held first national convention in 1840• William Henry Harrison (OH) nominated for president, John Tyler (VA) for VP• Harrison a hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe and War of 1812• 68 years old and little political experience; “log cabin campaign” – both parties

competing for votes through songs, parades, mass meetings, and lots of negative campaigning

• Harrison won 53% of popular vote.

2. Tyler Subverts the Whig Agenda

III. Class, Culture, and the Second Party System

C. “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!”2. Tyler Subverts the Whig Agenda

• Harrison dead of pneumonia after one month in office• Tyler’s politics supported the Democrats more than Whigs• similar economic policy to Jackson, committed to slavery,

states’ rights• Democrats benefited from crisis among Whigs, increasing

immigration, and “ethnocultural politics” (voting along ethnic/religious lines).

III. Class, Culture, and the Second Party System