Jackson and the Trail of Tears

Jackson and the Trail of Tears

The Election of 1824

In 1824 there was heated race for president. There were four men hoping to replace James Monroe as president. These four men were John Quincy Adams (the son of John Adams), William Crawford, Henry Clay (“the great compromiser”) and Andrew Jackson.

John Quincy Adams

Jackson won the popular vote but did not receive the electoral vote. According to the Constitution, if one person wins a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives must choose the president. The House of Representatives choose John Quincy Adams to be the 6th president

Jackson is Upset!!

Jackson felt that Adams had stolen the presidency from him. He was so upset he was determined to run again in the next election and win as president in 1828.

Democratic-Republican Party Splits

For the next four years, the gap in the Democratic-Republican Party grew wider and the party was about to split in two. Some in the party supported Jackson and others supported Adams.

“Common Man”

Andrew Jackson claimed that he represented the “common man.” He said that Adams represented people who were privileged and wealthy. The division eventually created two parties. The Democrats came from the supports of Jackson and the National-Republicans supported Adams.

President for the “Common Man”

During his campaign for president, Andrew Jackson claimed that he represented the “common man”.

He promised to look out for the interests of average people, not just the rich and well-educated. Jackson was determined to have the majority rule, regardless of one’s education or wealth. This idea of the majority rule has become known as “Jacksonian Democracy”.

Andrew Jackson Wins Election!

Large numbers of Western farmers and workers in the nation's cities turned out to vote for Andrew Jackson. With an overwhelming number of votes, Andrew Jackson won the 1828 race for president making him the 7th president of the United States.

The People’s President

So who was Andrew Jackson? Well, Andrew Jackson had a hard life growing up on a frontier farm. At the age of 13, he and his brother were taken prisoner by the British during the Revolutionary War. While being held captive, he apparently refused to shine the boots of a British officer. The officer then hit Jackson with a sword cutting both his hands and face and leaving ugly scars.

Revenge!!

After his experience being held prisoner by the British when he was 13, he developed a strong hatred for anything British. At the age of 35, Andrew Jackson was given the chance to fight the British during the War of 1812.

“Old Hickory”

Jackson was appointed to be a general in the American Army. At the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, Jackson crushed the British army even though his troops were greatly outnumbered. He became a national war hero. He earned the nickname “Old Hickory,” after a solider said he was as “tough as a hickory tree.”

Jackson Becomes President

Shortly after Jackson won the election of 1828 his wife Rachel died of a heart attack. Andrew Jackson looked thin, pale, and sad during his inauguration on March 4, 1829.

Jackson’s Inauguration

Thousands of people were there to celebrate Jackson becoming president. One person wrote, “all sorts of people, from the highest and most polished, down to the most vulgar and gross in the nation were there.” The crowd got so rowdy people broke glasses and grabbed for food and drink. The pushing and shoving of the crowd forced the new president to flee from the White House.

Spoils System

When Andrew Jackson became president he fired many of the government officials and replaced them with his friends and supporters. This practice of giving government jobs to his political backers became known as the “spoils system.” In many ways, Andrew Jackson was spoiling his friends by giving them jobs in government.

Native Americans in the Southeast

Since the 1600s, white settlers pushed Native Americans westward as they took more and more land. However, by 1820 there were still about 100,000 Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River.

Native Americans

Some whites hoped that these Native Americans could adapt to the white people’s way of life. Others believed the Native Americans were “uncivilized” and refused to live near them.

Cherokee Nation

More than any other Southeastern tribe, the Cherokee Indians had adopted white culture. The Cherokee had their own Constitution, they spoke English, they sent their kids to missionary school, and some even owned slaves!!!

Jackson’s Removal Policy

However, gold was discovered on Cherokee land in 1828. The discovery of gold made the Cherokee land very desirable and whites wanted it!!! In 1830, Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act that required Native Americans to give up their land and relocate west. Andrew Jackson gave them one year to leave.

The Trail of Tears

In 1838, federal troops rounded up over 16,000 Cherokee men, women and children and forced them into camps. Soldiers then gave the people a hour to pack up everything from their homes and get ready to leave. Most people ended up with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

Over the fall and winter of 1838-1839, these Cherokees set out on the long journey west. Forced to march in the cold, rain and snow without proper clothing or food many grew weak and died. It is estimated that ¼ of the 16,000 Cherokee people who were forced to march west died (that’s 1 out of every 4). This harsh journey of the Cherokee from their homeland to Indian Territory in Oklahoma has become known as the Trail of Tears.

Rising Sectional Differences

When Andrew Jackson took office the nation was divided into 3 main sections. The Northeast, South and West. Legislators from these regions were arguing over 3 major economic issues: the sale of land, national improvement such as canals and railroads, and tariffs (taxes).

North Vs. South

People in the north supported the idea of high tariffs (taxes on imported goods) because the tariffs meant that people would want to buy the cheaper American made goods rather than imported products with the higher taxes.

The South however didn’t like the high tariffs. The South made their money by growing cotton and other crops and selling them to foreign countries for credit rather than money. The tariffs would make the foreign goods cost more.

Tariff of Abomination

In 1828 Congress passed a bill that greatly raised tariffs (taxes) on raw materials and manufactured goods. People in the South were outraged!!! Southerners felt that the economic interests of the Northeast were determining national policy and the South was being ignored by the national government. They hated the tariff and called it the Tariff of Abominations.

(An abomination= a hated/horrible thing)

Nullification Crisis

John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson’s vice-president understood the frustration of the Southern farmers over the tariffs. Calhoun developed a plan called the Doctrine of Nullification. The Doctrine of Nullification said that a state had the right to nullify (reject) a federal law that it considers unconstitutional.

South Carolina Threatens to Secede

President Jackson was against the Doctrine of Nullification but didn’t want the South to remain upset. He asked Congress to lower the taxes and Congress agreed however South Carolina was still not happy.

South Carolina Threats to Secede

South Carolina threatened that if the tariffs weren’t lowered even more they would secede (break away) from the United States and start their own country. Jackson was furious and said he would hang the first person he got his hands on!

Andrew Jackson and the Bank

In 1832 when Andrew Jackson was elected for this 2nd term as president he vowed to destroy the Second Bank of the United States run by Nicholas Biddle. Jackson believed that the Second Bank was evil and only helped the rich, not the average man. Jackson vetoed (rejected) bill after bill that would renew the bank’s charter. (The charter would that allowed the bank to stay open.)

King Andrew

Opponents (people who were against) Andrew Jackson called him a “King Andrew”. They said he wanted too much power as a president and was more like a tyrant.