A New Crisis Section 3 A Crisis Over

A New Crisis Section 3

A Crisis Over Tariffs A. In 1828, Congress passed the highest tariff in the nation’s history. 1. Southerners called it the “Tariff of Abominations” because they hated it so much. 2. The tariff helped to protect Northern manufacturers from competition, but it also hurt the South by making trade with Europe more expensive. a. Southerners sold their cotton in Europe while buying European goods in return.

Calhoun vs. Webster B. John C. Calhoun believed that states had the right to cancel Federal law that was considered to be unconstitutional, which is called Nullification. 1. Northern abolitionists practiced Nullification by ignoring the Fugitive Slave Acts. 2. Daniel Webster argued before Congress in 1830 that Nullification was not legal. He reasoned that the Constitution brought the people together as well as the states. 3. In a sense, they are both right. The Constitution does bind the nation together through the states and the people, but these same people have the right to Nullify unconstitutional or unjust laws, which the abolitionists did.

The Nullification Crisis C. Southern anger against the tariff was increasing, and even a Tariff Act in 1832 that lowered the tariff could not undo the damage that occurred. 1. South Carolina passed the Nullification Act, declaring the new tariff illegal. 2. Publically, President Jackson supported a lowered tariff. a. Jackson, at the same time, asked Congress to pass the Force Bill. b. The Force Bill would allow him to use the force of the Army to enforce the tariff. 3. With the threat of force behind him, many of the states backed off of their hard-line stand against the tariff. a. Calhoun supported the compromise tariff proposed by Clay, and South Carolina repealed the Nullification Act. b. For now, the crisis passed. Later on, the bitter feelings of these battles over the tariff would contribute to the rising tensions between the North and the South in the coming years.

Tragedy for Native Americans D. Indian Nations in the Southeast. 1. Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole Native Americans lived in the Southeast of the United States. 2. At Jackson’s urging, the United States’ government set aside land west of the Mississippi River for these Native Nations. a. According to the book, Jackson believed that this policy would give white settlers more land prevent the destruction of the native peoples. 3. Few wanted to move, and some nations, like the Cherokee, adapted their customs in order to better assimilate with the European settlers. a. In 1821 Sequoyah created a written alphabet so that the Cherokee would have a way to preserve their culture and history in the same way the Europeans did. They also published a newspaper. b. The Cherokee also blended the European and Native justice system. c. The Choctaw believed that they could remain because they sided with the United States during the War of 1812.

A Legal Battle E. In 1828, Georgia claimed the right to make laws on behalf of the Cherokee that lived there. 1. Supreme Court Justice John C. Marshall in Worcester vs. Georgia, found that the Native Americans were protected under the Constitution, and that the state of Georgia was acting in an unconstitutional manner. a. President Jackson refused to enforce the ruling in this case. b. During the Nullification Crisis, Jackson ruled on the side of the Federal Government. In this case he ruled on behalf of the states by allowing Georgia to extend their authority over Cherokee lands.

Forced to Leave F. Jackson and his supporters pushed through the Indian Removal Act of 1830. 1. This forced many Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi. 2. In 1838, over 15, 000 Cherokees were driven westward by the United States Army. 3. Thousands died during the forced migration, and it became known as the Trail of Tears

Seminoles Resist G. In Florida, Seminole Indians resisted removal. 1. Chief Osceola led an offensive against the U. S. Army in 1817. 2. This conflict was known as the first Seminole War. 3. The second Seminole War lasted from 1835 through 1842. This was the costliest war waged by the government to gain Native lands. a. After a third war ending in 1858, the Seminoles were finally defeated and forced off of their lands.

Martin Van Buren and Hard Times H. The Panic of 1837. 1. Two months after taking office, Van Buren faced the worst economic crisis the nation had known up to this point. 2. Banks were printing more and more paper money without the backing of gold or silver. 3. The widespread land speculation alarmed President Jackson, and before he left office he ordered anyone who wanted to buy public land to do so with gold or silver. a. Currency speculators (mostly British) stepped in and demanded specie or physical gold or silver, which the banks did not have. Whig Cartoon

Economic Depression I. The nation fell into an economic depression which was sparked by the land speculation. 1. A Depression is a period when business declines and many people lose their jobs. 2. During the worst times of this depression, 90% of the factories were closed. 3. Many blamed Van Buren for this depression, but it was largely the doing of President Jackson. a. The economy was going to proceed through a correction because of the loss of the National Bank no matter what anyone tried to do. b. If the Treasury did a better job of overseeing the up and coming banks who were making loans beyond their gold and silver reserves, this could have been avoided, or lessened.

Campaigns of 1840 I. Van Buren lost much of his support, but the Democrats ran him as a Presidential candidate anyway. 1. His opponent was William Henry Harrison who we read about during the War of 1812 when he invaded Canada and defeated Tecumseh. 2. Harrison was portrayed as the war hero from Tippecanoe, in much the same way that Jackson used his military success to gain office. a. The slogan for the Harrison campaign was “Tippecanoe and Tyler too. ” John Tyler was the Vice-Presidential candidate.

A New Sort of Politics J. The election of 1840 brought a new sort of politics to the national stage. 1. Harrison campaigned across the country in order to drum up support for his candidacy. 2. Both parties competed for votes through rallies, entertainment, and banquets. 3. Both the Whigs and the Democrats used Mudslinging, or the use of insults to attack an opponents reputation. K. A Whig in the White House 1. Harrison won the election of 1840. a. Shortly after taking office, President Harrison died of pneumonia because he made himself sick by delivering a long-winded speech at his inauguration in wet weather. b. John Tyler became the President and failed to live up to the party’s expectations. c. Congress wrote up a bill to re-charter the Bank of the United States, but Tyler vetoed it. Most of his cabinet resigned and he lost much of his support, and he was thrown out of the Whig Party.