Chapter 11 The Growth of Democracy 1824 1840

Chapter 11 The Growth of Democracy, 1824— 1840

Focus Questions What was the role of Andrew Jackson’s presidency in affirming and solidifying the new democratic politics? What part did the transportation revolution play in unifying the nation? How was the basic two-party pattern of American political democracy established? How did writers and artists and their audiences create a distinctive American cultural identity?

Martin Van Buren Forges a New Kind of Political Community The son of a tavern keeper, Martin Van Buren lacked the aristocratic connections necessary for political advancement in New York. Van Buren built a democratically controlled, well-disciplined party organization that brought him political power.

Continental Struggles over Popular Rights In 1821, Mexico won independence from Spain. Santa Anna was the strongest early president assuming dictatorial powers, but was in office when Texas and northern provinces were lost to the United States. In Haiti, independence destroyed the sugar industry. The British Caribbean islands experienced numerous revolts leading to the abolition of slavery and the subsequent decline of the sugar industry. A revolt in 1837 by Upper and Lower Canada led to the union of the two regions to make the Frenchspeaking population a minority.

The Expansion and Limits of Suffrage Map: Population Trends: Westward Expansion, 1830 While the population of the United States more than doubled between 1800 and 1830, the trans-Appalachian population grew tenfold.

MAP 11. 1 Population Trends: Westward Expansion, 1830 Westward population movement, a trickle in 1800, had become a flood by 1830. Between 1800 and 1830, the U. S. white and African American population more than doubled (from 5. 3 million to 12. 9 million), but the trans-Appalachian population grew tenfold (from 370, 000 to 3. 7 million). By 1830, more than a third of the nation’s inhabitants lived west of the original thirteen states.

The Expansion and Limits of Suffrage Map: The Growth of Universal White Suffrage In 1800, only white, male, property owners could vote in most states. As new western states came into the Union, suffrage expanded. By 1820 most of the older states had dropped property qualifications. By 1840, 90 percent of adult white males could vote. Women and African Americans were barred from voting.

MAP 11. 2 a The Growth of Universal White Male Suffrage Kentucky was the first western state to enact white male suffrage without tax or property qualifications. Other western states followed, and by 1820, most of the older states had dropped their suffrage restrictions as well. By 1840, more than 90 percent of the nation’s white males could vote. But although voting was democratized for white men, restrictions on free African American male voters grew tighter, and women were excluded completely.

MAP 11. 2 b The Growth of Universal White Male Suffrage

The Election of 1824 Map: The Election of 1824 The 1824 election marked an end to the political truce of the Era of Good Feelings. Four candidates ran for the presidency. Though Andrew Jackson had the most popular votes, John Quincy Adams won as a result of the so-called “corrupt bargain. ” Hostile relations with Congress block many of Adams’s initiatives.

MAP 11. 3 The Election of 1824 The presidential vote of 1824 was clearly sectional. John Quincy Adams carried his native New England little else, Henry Clay carried only his own state of Kentucky and two adjoining states, and Crawford’s appeal was limited to Virginia and Georgia. Only Andrew Jackson moved beyond the regional support of the Old Southwest to wider appeal and the greatest number of electoral votes. Because no candidate had a majority, however, the election was thrown into the House of Representatives, which chose Adams.

The New Popular Democratic Culture A more popular form of politics was emerging. New state organizations increased political participation and helped elect Andrew Jackson president. New techniques of mass campaigning encouraged increases in participation.

The New Popular Democratic Culture: The Print Revolution Table: The Burgeoning of Newspapers The print revolution was most evident in the growth of newspapers. It also helped democratize politics by publicizing the new political pageantry. Tightly-organized, broad-based political groups emerged. Party loyalty among politicians and the public was stressed as politics became a feature of everyday life.

FIGURE 11. 2 The Burgeoning of Newspapers have a long history in the United States. Even before the American Revolution, the colonies boasted 37 newspapers (see Chapter 6), and within little more than a decade, that number had nearly tripled. Toward the end of the century, however, the number of newspapers expanded rapidly, by 1835 numbering more than 30 times that of 1775.

Politics, abetted by the publication of inexpensive party newspapers, was a great topic of conversation among men in early nineteenth-century America, as Richard Caton Woodville’s 1845 painting Politics in an Oyster House suggests. SOURCE: Richard Caton Woodville, Politics in an Oyster House, 1848. The Walters Art Museum.

The Election of 1828 Map: The Election of 1828 In the 1828 election, Jackson triumphed as his supporters portrayed the contest as a struggle between democracy and aristocracy. His victory showed the strength of the new popular democratic culture and system of national parties made up of a coalition of the North, South, and West.

MAP 11. 4 The Election of 1828 Andrew Jackson’s victory in 1828 was the first success of the new national party system. The coalition of state parties that elected him was national, not regional. Although his support was strongest in the South and West, his ability to carry Pennsylvania and parts of New York demonstrated his national appeal.

A Popular Figure Jackson symbolized the personal advancement that the frontier offered. His inauguration brought out a mob of wellwishers whose unruly behavior led critics to fear that this was the beginning of the reign of “King Mob. ”

Andrew Jackson was only sixty-one when he was elected president in 1828, but his lined face and white hair, captured in this early daguerreotype by Matthew Brady, perhaps explain why Margaret Bayard and others referred to him as “the old man. ” SOURCE: Matthew Brady. CORBIS/Bettman.

A Strong Executive Jackson’s Democrats created a national coalition that transcended sectional identity. Jackson was a strong executive who consulted with the “Kitchen Cabinet, ” largely ignoring his cabinet. Jackson strengthened the presidency by using the veto more frequently than had all of his predecessors combined. His most famous veto of the Maysville Road Bill of 1830 was a defeat for western rival Henry Clay.

The Nation’s Leader versus Sectional Spokesmen Regional spokespeople included: Daniel Webster for the East; John C. Calhoun for the South; and Henry Clay for the West. Jackson overrode sectional interests and had national appeal.

Two Great Sectional Leaders. The years of Jackson’s presidency were also notable for the prominence of regional spokesmen, among them John C. Calhoun, who spoke for the South and slavery, and Henry Clay who spoke for the West but whose national ambitions were thwarted by Jackson’s greater appeal. Clay’s great personal charm is captured in this 1824 portrait, contrasting with Calhoun’s dour expression in the later photograph

The Nullification Crisis Constitutional ambiguity, sectional interests, and the states’ rights issue caused political controversies. The 1828 “Tariff of Abominations” elicited a strong reaction from South Carolina. Southerners argued that the tariff was an unconstitutional effort to enrich the North at southern expense. John C. Calhoun wrote a defense of the doctrine of nullification claiming states could refuse to enforce laws they deemed unconstitutional. South Carolina nullified the 1833 tariff and threatened to secede. Jackson considered South Carolina’s action treason and passed the Force Bill. Henry Clay engineered a compromise tariff that ended the threat of civil war.

Indian Removal Map: Southern Indian Cessions Jackson embraced the policy of Indian cession of their lands and removal west of the Mississippi River. The five civilized tribes of the South were most affected. Even though the Cherokee had adopted white ways and accepted white culture, Jackson pressed for their removal. Jackson defied the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Cherokee. The Cherokee removal was called the“Trail of Tears. ” The Removal Act of 1830 was strongly opposed by northerners.

MAP 11. 5 Southern Indian Cessions and Removals, 1830 s Pressure on the five major southern Indian peoples—the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles—that began during the War of 1812, culminated with their removal in the 1830 s. Some groups from every tribe ceded their southern homelands peacefully and moved to the newly established Indian Territory west of Arkansas and Missouri. Some, like the Seminoles, resisted by force. Others, like the Cherokees, resisted in the courts, but finally lost when President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce a Supreme Court decision in their favor. The Cherokees, the last to move, were forcibly removed by the U. S. Army along the “Trail of Tears” in 1838.

Internal Improvements By 1850, rivers, canals, road, and railroads tied the nation together. The transportation revolution dramatically reduced travel times and connected people to the outside world. States provided more funding for roads, canals and railroads than the federal government.

Legal Support for Private Enterprise The Supreme Court fostered economic growth by: asserting federal power over interstate commerce; and encouraging economic competition by denying monopolies. State laws enabled businesses to protect themselves by granting charters of incorporation.

The Bank War Chartered in 1816, the Second Bank of the United States was a quasi-private institution. The Second Bank acted as a currency stabilizer by: encouraging the growth of strong and stable financial interest; and curbing less stable and irresponsible ones. Eastern merchants found the bank a useful institution. Western farmers and speculators feared the Bank represented a moneyed elite. Jackson vetoed the bill when Clay and Webster pushed for early re-chartering.

Jackson's Reelection in 1832 In the election of 1832 Jackson soundly defeated Henry Clay. After his victory, Jackson withdrew federal deposits and placed them in “pet” banks. Jackson claimed that he was the direct representative of the people and could act regardless of Congressional opinion.

In this political cartoon, Jackson destroys the Second Bank of the United States by withdrawing government deposits. As the Bank crashes, it crushes the director Nicholas Biddle (depicted as the Devil), wealthy investors (with moneybags) and the newspaper editors (surrounded by paper) who opposed Jackson on this issue. SOURCE: Library of Congress.

Whigs, Van Buren, and the Election of 1836 The Bank called in commercial loans, causing a recession. Jackson’s opponents founded an opposition party —the Whigs. The new party lost the 1836 election to Martin Van Buren.

The Panic of 1837 The death of the Bank led to feverish speculation and the Panic of 1837. The depression that resulted led to great hardship giving the newly formed Whig Party its opportunity.

This contemporary cartoon bitterly depicts the terrible effects of the Panic of 1837 on ordinary people—bank failures, unemployment, drunkenness, and destitution—which the artist links to the insistence of the rich on payment in specie (as Jackson had required in the Species Circular of 1836). Over the scene waves the American flag, accompanied by the ironic message, “ 61 st Anniversary of our Independence. ” SOURCE: Panic of 1837 cartoon, The Times. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Whigs and Democrats: Organized to elect Jackson to presidency in 1828 Party spoke for Jeffersonian democracy, expansion, and the freedom of the “common man” from interference of the government of financial monopolies It’s power base lay in the rural South and West and among northern urban workers

Whigs and Democrats Whigs: Organized in opposition to Jackson in early 1830 s Heirs to Federalism, they favored strong role for national government in economy and supported active social reform It’s power base lay in the North and Old Northwest among voters who benefited from increased commercialization and among southern planters and urban merchants

The Campaign of 1840 Map: The Election of 1840 In the election of 1840 Whigs portrayed their candidate, William Henry Harrison, as a humble man happy to live in a log cabin. The Whigs won a sweeping electoral victory in a campaign with 80 percent voter turnout.

MAP 11. 6 The Election of 1840 The Whigs triumphed in the election of 1840 by beating the Democrats at their own game. Whigs could expect to do well in the commercializing areas of New England the Old Northwest, but their adopted strategy of popular campaigning worked well in the largely rural South and West as well, contributing to Harrison’s victory. The Whigs’ choice of John. Tyler as vice presidential candidate, another strategy designed to appeal to southern voters, backfired when Harrison died and Tyler, who did not share Whig principles, became America’s first vice president to succeed to the presidency.

The Whig Victory Turns to Loss: The Tyler Presidency The Whig triumph was short-lived as Harrison died a month after his inauguration. Vice. President John Tyler assumed office. A former Democrat, Tyler vetoed a series of bills calling for a new Bank of the United States, tariffs, and internal improvements. The Whigs were unable to bridge the gap between North and South.

Popular Cultures and the Spread of the Written Word Steam-powered presses, the transportation revolution, and the telegraph helped facilitate a communications revolution. Newspapers and almanacs fostered popular culture.

Creating a National American Culture An intellectual movement was stimulated by eastern societies and journals. Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, and especially Ralph Waldo Emerson created a distinctly American culture.

Artists and Builders Artists such as Albert Bierstedt and George Caleb Bingham drew upon dramatic themes from the American landscape and lifestyles. Neoclassical remained the architectural style for public buildings. Balloon frame construction enabled Americans to build homes at a rapid clip.

Asher Durand, a member of the Hudson River School of landscape painting, produced this work, Kindred Spirits, in 1849, as a tribute to Thomas Cole, the school’s leader. Cole is one of the figures depicted standing in a romantic wilderness. SOURCE: Courtesy of The New York Public Library.