Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Seventh President of the

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson • Seventh President of the United States • 1829 – 1837 • Four things to know about Jackson - National Bank Veto - Indian Removal Act - Tariff Enforcement - Spoils System

Andrew Jackson • • • Born in the backwoods of North Carolina Received a sporadic (irregular) education But read law Became an outstanding lawyer Prospered (succeeded in material terms)

A War Hero • The first man elected from Tennessee to the House of Representatives and served in the Senate • A major general in the War of 1812 • Became a national hero when he defeated the British at New Orleans

“Old Hickory” • Andrew Jackson’s nickname • He was as tough as wood • And willing to suffer alongside his men

“Let the People Rule” • Voting requirements had changed • States had removed property requirements for voting • All men aged 21 or older could vote

The Spoils System • When Jackson became President, he gave government jobs to his supporters • “To the victor go the spoils” • Government jobs could now go to ordinary men • To the common man

The Spoils System • Believed Government duties could be "so plain and simple" that offices should rotate among deserving applicants

• “It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes. ”

Not a Friend to the National Bank • Did not renew the National Bank’s charter • Felt the National Bank favored the wealthy and the elite • Stated that the National Bank did not loan to the Western farmers • NO to the National Bank

• “There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. ”

The Tariff • A tariff is a tax on an imported good • A tariff raises the prices of foreign goods • A tariff encourages the consumption of the nation’s goods

The South and the Tariff • The South did not produce many industrial goods • The South generally did not like tariffs • A tariff just meant that they might have to buy more expensive goods • A tariff also meant that maybe their crops would be taxed in other countries

The Tariff of Abominations • This was the South’s name for the 1828 tariff • The word abominations means hated

Nullification • The South threatened to nullify the act • Or not obey the federal law in their states • Jackson made it clear that all states had better obey • The tariff was changed and reduced

A Friend to the Farmer and the Common Man • But not the American Indian • The Indian Removal Act of 1830 removed all Native American Indians east of the Mississippi River

The Trail of Tears • Native American Indians were forced to move west of the Mississippi River

Worcester v. Georgia (1832) • The Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee had a right to their land in Georgia • But Jackson moved them anyway

A Trail of Tears • In the winter of 1837 -38, approximately 15, 000 Cherokee Indians were forced to move from Georgia • On the western voyage, thousands died from starvation and cold temperatures • Jackson was no longer President but his Indian Removal Act led to this tragedy

• “There were ten million Native Americans on this continent when the first non-Indians arrived. Over the next 300 years, 90% of all Native American original population was either wiped out by disease, famine, or warfare imported by the whites. ” ~ Grace Steele Woodward