The Jacksonian Presidency

The Jacksonian Presidency

What was the impact of Andrew Jackson's election to the presidency?

Andrew Jackson was the first president born in poverty and the first to come from a state west of the Appalachian Mountains. His time in office, known as the Age of Jackson, marked the United States' transition to a more democratic nation.

Elections of 1824 and 1828 In 1824, Andrew Jackson ran for president as a Democratic-Republican. A lawyer from Tennessee, Jackson had served a few years in Congress but had resigned and did not seem likely to enter politics again. However, the Democratic-Republican Party was splitting into factions, and Jackson led one based in the South and West. Regarded as a hero for winning the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, Jackson proved to be a popular candidate.

In the election of 1824, Jackson won more Electoral College votes and more popular votes than the other three candidates. He did not, however, receive a majority of votes in the Electoral College. as required by the Constitution. Therefore, the outcome was determined by the House of Representatives, which elected John Quincy Adams as president.

Jackson benefitted from the nation's expanding suffrage. By the 1820s, most states had eliminated property requirements for voting. As a result, more white men could vote in presidential elections. In the election of 1828, Jackson was again a candidate and easily defeated John Quincy Adams. The broader participation in the election, as well as Jackson's own humble background, resulted in the election being seen as a shift in power to the "common man."

One of Jackson's first actions was to remove federal office holders and replace them with those loyal to him, a tactic now known as the spoils system. Jackson claimed this move was meant to root out corruption and allow more people to serve in public office. However, his opponents harshly criticized him for it.

​Andrew Jackson seventh president of the US who served from 1829-1837

suffrage the right to vote in elections

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was a key feature of Andrew Jackson's presidency?

• He was the first president to be elected without any popular votes.

• He introduced the spoils system, replacing federal office holders with his loyal supporters.

• He was the first president born in a wealthy family.

• He lost the election of 1828 due to voter apathy.

What was the impact of Andrew Jackson's election to the presidency?

The Bank Crisis Throughout his presidency, Jackson continued to fight for the interests of the common man. Claiming that he was the people's champion, Jackson used the issue of the national bank to solidify that role.

The Second Bank of the United States, chartered in 1816, was a central bank that held federal funds and paid the federal debt. Run essentially as a private institution. It was not responsible to the electorate. Instead, the bank was headed by private stockholders who tended to be wealthy businessmen.

Many farmers and southerners disliked the bank, seeing it as a tool of the rich. Jackson agreed, believing that the bank harmed local banks and too often foreclosed on farmers' mortgages. He strongly opposed the bank, making its defeat one of the top priorities of his first term. His success in defeating it solidified his own popularity with the public and contributed to his reelection in 1832.

Rise of the Democratic Party During Jackson's first term, disagreement within the Democratic-Republican Party intensified/ Factions turned into distinct political parties. Jackson became the head of what is now the Democratic Party, while his opponents joined together to create the Whig Party. Sneeringly referring to Jackson as "King Andrew," the Whigs took their name from the British party of the same name that formed to challenge the power of the British monarchy.

Second Bank of the US the second federal bank, chartered from 1816 to 1836

Democratic Party party that split off from the Democratic-Republican Party and followed the ideas of Andrew Jackson

Whig Party party that broke off from the Democratic-Republicans in opposition to President Jackson

Multiple Choice

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Question:

Why did Andrew Jackson oppose the Second Bank of the United States?

• He believed it was a tool used by wealthy businessmen that harmed local banks and farmers.

• He thought the bank was inefficient and could not handle federal funds properly.

• He felt the bank was too democratic and gave too much power to the people.

• He wanted to create a new federal bank that was more accountable to the electorate.

What was the Nullification Crisis?

During Jackson's first term, disagreements with southern states over tariffs led to crisis, uneasy compromise, and the stirrings of southern discomfort with remaining in the Union.

The Tariff of Abominations In 1828, President Adams had signed a bill raising tariffs considerably. Tariffs raised prices on imported goods, making American manufactured goods cheaper than imported goods (which were taxed about fifty percent of their value). It helped northern industry, where those goods were made. Since the South had little industry, the region did not benefit from high tariffs. Tariffs raised the cost of living by making manufactured goods more expensive.

John Calhoun of South Carolina, Jackson's vice president, responded to what southerners called the Tariff of Abominations by anonymously writing the South Carolina Exposition and Protest. In that document, he argued that a state had the right to reject any law it deemed unconstitutional. This idea, called nullification, gained popularity in the South.

In 1832, Congress passed another tariff to replace the Tariff of Abominations. Meant to appease the South, it had the opposite effect. It failed to reduce the tariffs in a meaningful way. Again the tariff seemed to support northern industry at the expense of the South.

Tariff of Abominations tariff passed in 1828 that placed high tariffs on imported goods

nullification the theory that a state has the right to nullify, or declare invalid, a federal law within the state

Multiple Choice

What was the primary reason southern states, particularly South Carolina, opposed the Tariff of Abominations?

• It favored northern industry, making imported goods more expensive and hurting the South's economy.

• It lowered tariffs on imported goods, making them cheaper than American-made goods.

• It provided federal subsidies to southern farmers, which they saw as unfair.

• It granted the federal government the power to regulate state economies directly.

What was the Nullification Crisis?

Declaring Nullification A few months later, South Carolina's legislature passed a resolution nullifying the tariffs of 1828 and 1832, claiming them to be unconstitutional. Its arguments hinged on states' rights, the idea that state have powers that cannot be taken away by the federal government. For South Carolina, states' rights meant that it could declare a federal law void if the law conflicted with its own interest.

states' rights the theory that states have all te powers that the Constitution does not specifically give to the federal government nor forbid the states

Drag and Drop

Attitudes toward Tariffs: how did the South feel about tariffs?

North: Tariffs help northern industry

South: ​

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Tariffs raise the cost of living

Tariffs benefit southern farmers

Tariffs encourage immigration

Tariffs hurt southern manufacturers

What was the Nullification Crisis?

Jackson's Response Jackson responded with a document asserting that the federal government took precedence over the individual states. He appealed to nationalism and love of country. He also appealed to individuals. According to Jackson, the people, not the states, had formed the Union. He believed in a limited federal government that allowed states to participating fully in government in ways that protected their interests. But he also believed that nullification was "incompatible with the existence of the Union."

The proclamation fueled southern anger. As the Nullification crisis deepened, other southern states began looking at nullification. Some southern states were deeply divided, causing local conflict. The idea that actual warfare could result from the crisis became more and more likely.

Compromise Tariff of 1833 While the president and South Carolina made war preparations, Congress furiously debated what to do. Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky led the effort to work out a compromise. The compromise was a pair of bills. One, called the Force Act, authorized the president to send military force against any state not cooperating with federal laws. The other was the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which stated that tariff rates would be lowered gradually over the next decade.

The compromise averted the crisis. It allowed South Carolina to save face, but it also showed that Jackson would not bend on his principles and his devotion to the Union.

Henry Clay Kentucky congressman and senator who became known as the Great Compromiser for his negotiation skills

Multiple Choice

How did President Andrew Jackson respond to the Nullification Crisis?

• He supported the southern states' right to nullify federal laws and advocated for more state power.

• He appealed to nationalism and argued that the federal government took precedence over individual states, rejecting the idea of nullification.

• He immediately resigned from office in protest against the conflict with southern states.

• He proposed a new tariff to directly benefit southern farmers and calm tensions.

What was the Nullification Crisis?

Jacksonian Democracy The kind of democracy that grew under Jackson is now known as Jacksonian Democracy. One of its hallmarks was the expansion of suffrage and rise of the common man. Another was an opposition to wealthy elites. Finally, Jacksonian Democracy was marked by a movement to open up more lands, mainly in the West but also in parts of the South, for white settlement. Jackson's championship of this idea would bring more crisis and conflict to his presidency.

Jacksonian Democracy the democracy that grew during Jackson's presidency, marked by the rise of the common man