The Jacksonian Era &

the Rise of

Sectionalism

(c. 1820s – c. 1840s)

Election of 1824

• The disputed election of 1824 would bring an end to the “Era of Good Feelings”.

• Democrat Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but not a majority (51%) of the electoral vote.

• The election was then sent to the House of Representatives where each state was given one vote.

• In the end, John Quincy Adams became President despite not winning the popular or electoral vote.

ELECTION OF 1824

John Q. Adams

Andrew Jackson

William Crawford

Henry Clay

The Election of 1824

• The Federalist Party had largely disappeared during the

Era of Good Feelings

• The Democratic Republican Party splintered into two

distinct factions

• National Republicans – led by J.Q. Adams and Henry Clay

• Democrats – led by Andrew Jackson

• No single candidate won an absolute majority so the

election went to a run-off vote in Congress

• Clay and several Congressmen from New England

formed a coalition to get Adams elected by “any means

necessary” (at least this was the accusation) – this deal

became known as the “Corrupt Bargain”

RUN-OFF ELECTION IN CONGRESS (1825)

Election of 1824

• Adams’ victory in Congress was known as the “Corrupt

Bargain” because of the methods he used to rally support

for him.

• As a result of this scheming, the two-party system re-

emerged.

• When Jackson ran for President again in 1828, the

campaign was full of “mud-slinging” and false

accusations from both sides.

• Voter turn out increased dramatically after Jackson was

“robbed” of the Presidency in 1824.

Andrew Jackson

• Military hero from War of 1812 (this background gained him much support, the hero of the Battle of New Orleans) –known as “Old Hickory”

• Member of the New Democratic Party

• Wealthy slave owner from Tennessee

PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON - #7

Election of 1828

• Jackson’s message of equal rights, and popular

rule appealed to many social groups.

• His open hostility to business corporations and

Henry Clay’s American System also won support

among northeastern artisans and workers who felt

threatened by industrialization.

• In the Midwest, he was popular for his open

hostility toward Native Americans.

• 56% of Americans voted for “OLD HICKORY”

ELECTION OF 1828

Democrat: Andrew Jackson

National Republican: John Q. Adams

Jacksonian Democracy

• In “Jacksonian

Democracy”, the right

to vote was granted to

more people.

• Now, regardless of

whether or not one

owned land, ALL

white males were

allowed to vote.

Jacksonian Democracy

• Enhanced the authority of the presidency over that of the Congress

• Destroyed the nationalistic American System.

• Relied on an informal group of advisors know as the Kitchen Cabinet.

• Use the patronage system to create loyal and disciplined national party.

Jacksonian Democracy

• Jackson began using a system of rewarding his friends and political supporters with government jobs.

• This practice was known as the “spoils system”.• “To the victor go the spoils”

• Jackson wanted to get as many of his supporters in positions of authority in order to increase his own power and authority

Jacksonian Democracy

• The 2nd Bank of the United States (1816) was a privately managed institution that held a 20 year charter from the federal gov.

• Americans worried about the US Bank’s ability to force bank closures, which left people’s money worthless (NO MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS…VERY BIG DEAL)

• Jackson, being a supporter of states’ rights, distrusted the power of the National Bank.

• He felt that the National Bank’s first priority was profit not public service.

Jacksonian Democracy

• Jackson used the power of Presidential veto to strike down the Bank’s recharter in 1832 declaring the Bank unconstitutional.

• Even though the Supreme Court declared the Bank of the United States constitutional in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• Jackson regarded the Executive Branch as superior to Judicial Branch

• This veto drastically increased the power of the President.

• Jackson also ordered all silver and gold reserves (“specie”) removed and deposited into “pet banks” (this denial of federal funds destroyed the bank)• This mandate would consequently lead to the

Panic of 1837 (which would lead to the first major recession in US history that would last until the mid-1840s)

Jacksonian Democracy

• As a firm believer in “Manifest Destiny” Jackson used his power as President to secure more land for American settlers.• Manifest Destiny – the idea that the U.S.

was destined to occupy all the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (from “sea to shining sea”)

• The Indian Removal Act (1830) forced many Native American tribes in the South and Midwest off their land and onto reservations in the Great Plains.• Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw,

Seminole (collectively known as the “5 Civilized Tribes”)

• The path they were forced to walk was known as the “Trail of Tears” and has become a dark moment in US History.

THE TRAIL OF TEARS ROUTE

Jacksonian Democracy

• Chief Justice John Marshall

ruled the Indian Removal Act

unconstitutional.

• In response, Jackson is said to

have replied: “You’ve made

your decision Mr. Marshall,

now ENFORCE IT!”

• What did this comment show

about Jackson’s feelings of

Presidential power?

Jacksonian Democracy

• Maysville Road Veto (1830)• Henry Clay proposed a bill to build a

federally funded road through Kentucky

• Jackson, due to his dislike of Clay, vetoed the bill claiming it unconstitutional

• Webster-Hayne Debate (1830)• States’ Rights debate erupts in Senate

• Robert Hayne (SC) argued that the Constitution only acted as a loose union between states and therefore could be annulled

• Daniel Webster (MA) argued that the Constitution was an iron contract that could not be broken

• Debate centered on the growing controversy of the Nullification Crisis

• The tariffs of 1816 and 1824 taxed imports of cheap English cotton cloth and imports of iron goods/more expensive woolen and cotton textiles respectively.

• Tariff of 1828, raised taxes on raw materials, textiles, and iron goods.

• This tariff enraged the South. Many did not see the need for a tariff to protect its main industry as the world’s cheapest producer of cotton. Tariffs caused prices for manufacturing to increase, southern planters lost about $100 million a year. – “Tariff of Abominations”

Nullification Crisis

Nullification Crisis

NORTHERN PERSPECTIVE SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE

• Tariff of 1828 was renewed in 1832 further infuriating the South.

• SC government adopted an Ordinance of Nullification which declared the tariff of 1828 and 1832 null and void, prohibited the collection of taxes on SC and threated secession if federal officials tried to collect them (foreshadowing?…think Civil War)

• South Carolina Exposition and Protest (John C. Calhoun –Jackson’s VP) argued that tariffs were unconstitutional and that states had the right to interpret the constitution and decide if congressional laws were unconstitutional or not.

• Jackson, in return, declared that nullification violated the Constitution.

• In 1833, Congress passed the Force Bill which authorized the President to use military force to compel SC to obey national laws. In compromise engineered by Henry Clay, the tariff was lowered.

The Nullification Crisis

• The Nullification Crisis only served to strengthen the

divide between North and South.

• Calhoun (Jackson’s Vice-President) and other states’

rights supporters continued to advocate (support) the

power of individual states.

• The crisis also left many Southerners wondering what

else the federal government might decide to enforce by

federal law?

The Nullification Crisis

Jackson’s Legacy

• Dramatically expanded the authority of the presidency.

• Enforced national authority by threatening the use of military force.

• Curbed the reach of the legislative and judicial branches of government.

• Claimed to reinvigorate the Jeffersonian tradition of a limited and frugal central government.

• Increased sectionalist tensions between the North & South

Sectionalism

NORTH ISSUE SOUTH

Industrial ECONOMY Agricultural

More formal education EDUCATION More private education

Greater push toward

Humanistic views

RELIGION Maintained strong

Christian views

Large urban areas GEOGRAPHY Mostly rural

Larger POPULATION Small

COPY THE CHART!!!!

2 Party System Reemerges

• The 1830s caused a new political party to emerge in the

US to combat the Democratic Party – the Whigs

• Whigs:

• Mostly evangelical Protestants

• Supported Clay’s “American System”

• Supported higher tariffs (except for Southern Whigs)

• Supported temperance, equality of opportunity, and

evangelical moralism

Ticket Out Door:

.

In one WELL WRITTEN paragraph (4-5 sentences)

explain the significance of the Nullification Crisis.

Focus on the roles of Jackson and Calhoun and the

impact that the Crisis had on relations between North

and South and the power of the US Presidency.