Unit III Part 5

1. Unit IIIPart 5 1800-1836 Andrew Jackson

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Jackson Believed his opponents to be the nation’s enemies Will veto more bills than anyone before him

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 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!)

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

18. Jacksonian Democracy Electoral Reform The Nullification Crisis Indian Removal The Second BUS

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Congress: 1830Indian Removal Act Appropriated funds for Indian removal Money to be used either to buy Indian land or to send troops to force them out

23. 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)

24. 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?)

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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)

33. 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!”

34. 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…

35. 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

36. 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!

37. 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.

38. SC accepted the Compromise Tariff • SC cancelled its Ordinance of Nullification • BUT (as a gesture) nullified the Force Bill!

39. 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.