Presentation Transcript

1. BELLWORK How did Andrew Jackson contribute to an American victory in the War of 1812? Describe Native American involvement in the War of 1812. (How did it start? Why did they help? How did it end?) Why did American-English relations improve after the War of 1812? Make a connection  How did the Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny change American policy during the “nation building” period? THINKER: In political elections, how important is image and experience? What makes a good presidential candidate?

2. Jacksonian America

   Nation-building in the United States
3. Post-1812 politics Madison (1809-1817) – foreign policy focus Monroe (1817-1825) – improve relations with Latin America & expand American territory Monroe Doctrine (1823): further efforts by European countries to colonize the Americas would be viewed as an act of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention
4. Election of 1824 After 23 years in control, the Democratic-Republican party was split. The party had four candidates: John Q. Adams (son of 2nd president, supported by President Monroe) Henry Clay (speaker of the House, popular among the “new West”) William Crawford (former Secretary of War & current Secretary of the Treasury) Andrew Jackson (supported in the West and South) Jackson was the least experienced, but worked his way up society and appealed to the “common folk”
5. Election of 1824 Jackson won the most popular votes, but no candidate had a majority of electoral votes. The election was turned over to the House of Representatives. (12th Amendment) ***After the election was turned over to the House, only the top three candidates under electoral votes were considered
6. Henry Clay (Speaker of the House) turned his support to Adams. After the votes, Adams won, and immediately named Clay Secretary of State. Jackson believed this was a “corrupt bargain” and this election divided the party forever. Republicans: supporters of Adams and Clay Democrats: supporters of Jackson Election of 1824
7. There’s Something About Little Johnny… Nickname: Accidental President Had no personal skills Loved to skinny dip in the Potomac River
8. Jackson and Clay remained political enemies and feuded throughout Jackson’s entire presidency During the 1824 election, Clay said: “I cannot believe that killing 2,500 Englishmen at New Orleans qualifies for the various, difficult, an complicated duties of President.” The Jackson/Clay Feud
9. Election of 1828 Four years later, the election was once again between Adams and Jackson. Americans were asked to choose between “John Adams who can write, and Andrew Jackson who can fight!” Three times as many people voted in 1828, and Jackson claimed the title of President. Jackson enacted the spoils system: replacing Adams’ government workers with his own supporters.
10. There’s Something About Andy… Nickname: Old Hickory Fought over 100 duels, getting shot in the chest once, and then calmly killed his opponent
11. The Bank Crisis The U.S. Bank had a lot of influence over Congress and the nation’s economy. To Jackson, the bank was unconstitutional, corrupt, and only represented the rich. Henry Clay planned to strengthen the bank and embarrass the President by drafting a new plan for the bank. Clay predicted Jackson would not veto the bill in an election year.
12. The Bank Crisis Jackson saw this as an attack: “The Bank is trying to kill me ……..but I will kill the Bank!” Jackson vetoed the bill and made it a central fight in his reelection campaign. “When the laws make the rich richer, the humble members of society – farmers, mechanics, and laborers – have a right to complain.” Many citizens agreed, and Jackson beat Henry Clay in the election of 1832.
13. “Jackson Slays the Monster Bank:” 1832
14. Jackson’s Presidency Overview 1832 – vetoed the bill to strengthen power of U.S. Bank In 1830, he passed the Indian Removal Act, which forcibly relocated 45,000 Native Americans In 1835, Jackson paid off the entire U.S. debt (only time in history!!!) Throughout his second term, he unsuccessfully tried to abolish the Electoral College Strengthened the spoils system, leading to corruption (by the end of his term, he had dismissed 20% of Federal employees) Panic of 1837 – many blamed Jackson for failure of local banks, led to inflation and unemployment.
15. Jackson pays the U.S. debt On Jan. 8, 1835, all the big political names in Washington gathered to celebrate Jackson’s accomplishment when a U.S. Senator rose to make the big announcement: "Gentlemen ... the national debt ... is PAID!“ The one and only time in U.S. history when the country was debt free. (1837 - economic recession) Before he was president, Jackson was a land speculator in TN. Involved in a land deal went bad and left him with massive debt and some worthless paper notes. This is why he had so much hatred of debt & banks! How he paid the debt….. U.S. agreed early on to consolidate the debts of all the states — $75 million; During Jackson’s presidency - $56M To do that, he took advantage of a huge real-estate bubble that was raging in the Western U.S. The federal government owned a lot of Western land — and Jackson started selling it off. He was also ruthless on the budget. He blocked every spending bill he could (programs to build national highways) It took six years to pay off the debt, and then the U.S. government had a surplus which they divided amongst the states. Jackson mandated that all land sales had to be purchased with gold and silver (where?). Land sales plummeted and state banks printed money = inflation!
16. The Whig Party While Jackson remained popular, he also made many political enemies. Whig Party: new political party joined together by people who opposed Jackson; such as, Henry Clay, the U.S. Bank, and wealthy businessmen. The Whig candidate, William Harrison, became President in 1840, ending Jacksonian ideas.
17. CLOSURE IN YOUR OWN WORDS, describe the election of 1824. What is the spoils system? What was the bank crisis? What did this do to Jackson’s popularity? What was the Whig party?
18. Debate – Was Jackson a good President? Andrew Jackson’s presidency has been a constant debate throughout history. As a class, we are going to debate whether Jackson was a good or bad President? Why or Why Not? The class will be split up into 6/8 groups. 1/2 are PRO Jackson and 1/2 are ANTI Jackson. Choose a spokesperson In your groups, write a speech that includes the following:
19. Speech Outline Intro Hook (Grab the audience’s attention) Thesis Body (three arguments) Middle Weakest Strongest Closing Summarize Lasting Impression
20. Andrew Jackson Debate Everyone in the group is helping to write the speech. The rest of the group needs to have questions ready to ask the other side. In order to be a good debater, you need to understand both sides (Why he is good and why he is bad) Some of your questions might be answered during the speech, but it might spark other questions too – write down any questions you have. Each person will turn in 3-5 questions they want to ask the other side. This will be turned in for credit! Both sides are going to present their arguments before the floor is open for questioning. Everyone is getting participation points for the day – you must speak, ask a question, or respond to a comment to receive those points.
21. Andrew Jackson Debate GOOD: Ended power of the U.S. bank, gave more power to lower classes in society, stopped corruption in government. BAD: Went against Congress to authorize the largest removal of Native Americans in history, put his supporters in power