DEMOCRATS AND WHIGS Unit 9 ISSUES FACING JACKSONS

DEMOCRATS AND WHIGS Unit 9

ISSUES FACING JACKSON’S PRESIDENCY New Federal Government Andrew Jackson: first president not from Massachusetts or Virginia; from a western state. Spoils System: established the precedent for bureaucrats (appointed, not elected, officials). Bank War Jackson opposed the Bank of the US; vetoed its charter 1832; defunded it in 1833: 1. Not set forth in constitution. 2. Bank did not provide a uniform currency. 3. Bank was political. Controversy between South Carolina and laws passed by the federal government. 4. Hesitant about all paper money. SC Ordinance of Nullification: declared the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 void in SC. Pet Banks: state banks chosen by Jackson to house federal funds. Nullification Proclamation: declared Ordinance of Nullification to be an act of treason by Pres. Jackson. Panic of 1837: financial crisis during the presidency of Martin Van Buren due to the political decision of the Jackson administration. Nullification Controversy Force Bill: expands presidential powers to collect tariffs (by force if necessary).

ISSUES FACING JACKSON’S PRESIDENCY Indian Removal Johnson v. M’Intosh (1823): Supreme Court ruled that Native Americans could occupy lands within the US, but could not hold title to those lands. Indian Removal Act: authorized the president to negotiate southern Natives removal to reservations west of the Mississippi River. Trail of Tears: series of forced removals of Native Americans from their homelands in the southeast; Natives suffered exposure, disease, and starvation during relocation; over 4, 000 Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw people died. Politics Anti-Masons: country’s first “third party; ” held first national convention in Baltimore, MD, in 1831. National Republicans: held convention in 1831; nominated Henry Clay as presidential candidate. Democrats: held convention in 1832; nominated Andrew Jackson as presidential candidate. Whig Party: formed after the election of 1832 by remnants of the National Republican party and other opponents of Andrew Jackson; opposed excessive federal authority.

VAN BUREN & THE WHIGS Martin Van Buren Served as Secretary of State and Vice President to Andrew Jackson. Won presidential race as a Democrat in 1836. Panic of 1837: lasted until 1843; blamed Van Buren, though resulted due to policies enacted during the Jackson administration; Van Buren’s policies did little to impact the financial crisis. Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too William Henry Harrison: nicknamed “Tippecanoe” for his military victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe during the War of 1812; chosen as Whig Party presidential nominee in 1840. John Tyler: former Democrat; chosen as Whig Party vice presidential nominee in 1840. Slogans used by the Whig Party included: 1. “Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too” 2. “Martin Van Ruin” 3. Van, is a used-up man”

MOVING WESTWARD Expansion Majority of nation lived west of the Appalachian Mountains. Louisiana Purchase provided new opportunities for Americans moving west. California Gold Rush (1840 s-1850 s). Manifest Destiny Belief in the US that its settlers were destined to expand across North America, from ocean (Atlantic) to ocean (Pacific). Three themes dominated this belief: 1. Special virtues of American people and institutions. 2. Mission to redeem and remake the west in the image of agrarian America. 3. Viewed as a duty as well as a destiny. Oregon & California Oregon Territory: jointly administered by US and Britain. Oregon Trail: 2, 170 -mile east-west route from Missouri to Oregon. California: owned by Mexico; offered purchase by Andrew Jackson (declined); many nations sought control over California due to ports and trade opportunities with China and other Pacific Island nations.

TEXAS (THE LONE STAR REPUBLIC) • Mexico: gained independence from Spain in 1821; owned Texas. • Stephen Austin: established colony with Mexican permission in Texas. • David Crockett: led several settlers from Tennessee to Mexico. • Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna: Mexican dictator; refused American takeover of Texas. • Texians: American settlers in Texas; declared Texas an independent republic in 1836 (known as the Lone Star Republic). • The Alamo: Catholic mission held by the Texians; attacked by Santa Anna in retaliation for the declaration of independence; unsuccessfully defended by William Travis, David Crockett, and Jim Bowie; “Remember the Alamo” became a rallying cry of Texians to battle. • David Burnet: first president of the Lone Star Republic. • Sam Houston: commander of the Texian army; defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 (took 14 minutes); forced Santa Anna to sign over all rights to Texas and recognize the Lone Star Republic as an independent nation; served as the second president of Texas.

MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR • John Tyler: president of the US; annexed Texas in 1845. • James Polk: won presidential election of 1844 as a democrat; ran on a platform that sought to annex both Texas and Oregon. • 49 th parallel: extended by the US and Britain in 1846 (during Polk’s administration) all the way to the Pacific Ocean as boundary between the two nations. Key Battles of the Mexican-American War: • Thornton Affair (April 25, 1846): Mexican forces defeated US soldiers north of the Rio Grande; used by Polk as justification for Congress to declare war. • Battle of Santa Fe (Aug. 8 -14, 1846): Stephen Kearny defeated Mexican forces at Santa Fe without firing a single shot. • Battle of Mexico City (Sept. 13 -15, 1847): Winfield Scott defeated Santa Anna in the Mexican capital city. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): • Mexican-American War: referred to as “Mr. Polk’s War; ” Mexico disputed the annexation of Texas as well as the boarder at the Rio Grande rather than the Nueces River. • US gains Texas, California, and New Mexico territories in between ($15 million). • California: American settlers attempted to create an independent republic (Bear Flag Republic); California declared a territory of the US and annexed in 1846. • Gadsden Purchase (1853): treaty between Mexico and the US that established present-day borders; extended slightly south of previous borders. • Rio Grande established as border. • US assumes all American war debts ($3 million).