The Jacksonian Age & Social Differences

1. The Era of the Common Man The Jacksonian Age & Social Differences

2. Election of 1828 • Andrew Jackson vs. John Quincy Adams • Jackson was billed as the “common man” while Adams was portrayed as an “aristocratic elitist” • Jackson won both the popular and electoral vote in a majority

3. Andrew Jackson • 1767 – 1845 • Democrat • 7th president • Nicknamed “Old Hickory,” a tribute to his background as a frontiersman • War hero from both War of 1812 and Seminole Indian War • First president to survive an assassination attempt

4. Jacksonian Democracy • Suffrage extended to any adult white male • Jackson was 1st president to come from background of poverty, so he was the hero of the common man • Still, Jackson hated Native Americans and supported slavery • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYh7pato4uE&feature=related

5. “The Spoils System” • Jackson began new tradition of dismissing what had been career government officials and replacing them with his party’s loyal followers • This still happens today – Presidents reward their supporters with important government jobs

6. Nat Turner • 1800 – 1831 • Virginia slave who had religious “visions” • Practiced as a Baptist preacher (nicknamed “The Prophet” by other slaves) • Believed that God called on him to lead a slave rebellion

7. Nat Turner’s Rebellion • August 21, 1831 • Slave uprising that resulted in the deaths of 56 whites in VA • Quickly suppressed by the militia, dozens of slaves (including Turner) were executed for their roles in the rebellion • Led to harsher slave codes- bans throughout the South on educating slaves and allowing slaves to freely assemble without white supervision

8. South Carolina Nullification Crisis • 1832: South Carolina declared new tariffs unconstitutional and thereby nullified • John C. Calhoun resigned as Vice-President to support SC position as a senator • Jackson considered this treasonous and prepared to use military force on SC to enforce the tariffs • SC threatened to secede (leave the US) if high tariffs weren’t repealed

9. Compromise of 1833 • Henry Clay delayed passage of the Force Bill which would give Jackson permission to take military action against SC until he could force through a bill that would gradually reduce tariffs over the next 10 years • Once this compromise tariff was passed, SC repealed its nullification and crisis was averted

10. Jackson and the National Bank • Jackson disliked the Bank • Congress passed a bill extending the Bank’s charter in 1832, but Jackson vetoed; instead, Jackson withdrew all of the federal governments deposits from the Bank and moved them to state banks or “pet banks” • National Bank no longer had money to lend and closed

11. King Andrew • Turn to page 257 • Look at “Analyzing Political Cartoons” • Answer 1 & 2

12. The Whig Party • 1834: National Republican Party changed its name to the Whig Party • “Whigs” in England were people who opposed the power of the king; American Whigs felt that Andrew Jackson had been abusive of his power as president

13. Election of 1836 • Jackson supported his VP Martin Van Buren as his successor • Van Buren easily won the Democratic nomination at convention (1st time national party convention used) • Whigs could not settle on one candidate to run and so their votes were split; Van Buren won

14. Martin Van Buren • 1782 – 1862 • Democrat • 8th President (1837-41) • Former Vice-President and Secretary of State under Jackson • Lost presidential elections of 1840 and 1848

15. Panic of 1837 • State banks loaned money freely without the National Bank to oversee them • Loaned more money than they had, leading to failure of many of the banks • Inflation soared, unemployment rose, businesses closed, many people lost everything • Ruined Van Buren’s presidency

16. Election of 1840 • Whigs nominated war hero William Henry Harrison after Henry Clay and Daniel Webster each proved too divisive to win majority support within the party • Harrison easily defeated Van Buren

17. William Henry Harrison • 1773 – 1841 • Whig • 9th President (1841) • Nicknamed “Old Tippecanoe” from his fame as hero of Northwest Indian War • Shortest tenure in US history – president for only 32 days before dying of pneumonia

18. Social differences fuel sectionalism

19. Slavery • 1808: Congress banned the importation of new slaves • 1820: 1.5 million slaves in US • 1850: 4 million slaves in US • Demand for slaves grew as demand for cotton grew

20. Slave ownership • 1850: South’s white pop = 6 million • 1850: South’s slave pop = 3.6 million • 350,000 slave owners • 37,000 owned 20+ slaves • 8,000 owned 50+ slaves • 11 owned 500+ slaves

21. Immigration • 1825 – 1855: 5 million European immigrants arrived • Arrived poor, concentrated in ethnic neighborhoods • Created a cheap labor force for Northern factories • NYC Immigrant Central

22. Nativism • Many Americans began to oppose immigration and promote the rights of “Native” Americans • Resented immigrants taking jobs from American citizens

23. The “Know-Nothings” • 1840s – 1850s • Anti-Catholic nativist group • To be a member, had to be a male Protestant of English descent over the age of 21 • If questioned about the group, members would reply, “I know nothing” • Briefly became a political party, with some success in Massachusetts and Illinois • Broke apart due to divisions over slavery issue

24. Oddly, immigrants were pro-slavery • Didn’t want to compete with freed slaves for jobs, so supported Southern slave owners! • Many Irish, in fact, would fight for the South in the Civil War

25. Growth of Northern cities • Causes of growth: • Urbanization: people move from country to cities • Immigration: European immigrants arrived at northern ports, tended to stay in north or go west

26. North’s population growth worried the South • Number of seats in the House of Representatives is based purely on population, so North was gaining control of one house of Congress • Slaves only counted as 3/5ths of a person in the 3/ 5ths compromise • naturalized immigrants counted as a whole person for population counts

27. North vs. South: SectionalismKey Differences • North • Economy based on the “factory system”: manufacturing and commerce • Relied on plentiful immigrant labor • Favored high tariffs that protected US industries • Wanted a strong federal government to build transportation networks, protect trade, and regulate the economy • South • Economy based on the “plantation system”: large-scale farming of cash crops • Relied on slave labor • Opposed to high tariffs – imported many European goods, feared Europeans would retaliate by putting tariffs on Southern agricultural exports • Favored strong state government, feared a strong federal government would restrict slavery

28. Exit Ticket 3.2.1 • 3 events/people that promoted nationalism. • 2 events/people that promoted sectionalism. • 1 example of how nativism brought division to the country