The Jacksonian Era 1 Andrew Jackson was the

The Jacksonian Era 1) Andrew Jackson was the perfect candidate for the emerging changes in the American political system. Jackson’s rough frontier reputation would have been a political liability a generation before, but the new era of the common-man demanded a President that represented the masses.

The Jacksonian Era 2) Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was the first President that was elected from a western state. He was also the first President since Washington not to have a formal college education.

The Jacksonian Era 3) Political enemies considered Jackson to be crude and unrefined, symbolic of the vulgarity that characterized the uneducated masses. This led some to even mockingly refer to him as “Jackass. ” In an effort to diffuse this insult, Jackson decided to make the donkey the symbol of his common-man campaign.

John Quincy Adams on Jackson “A Barbarian who could not write a sentence of grammar & who could hardly spell his own name. ”

The Jacksonian Era 7) In 1787, Jackson moved to Tennessee and got involved in state politics. After a brief career as a Congressman, Senator, and State Judge, Jackson directed his talents toward the state militia. During his military career, he developed a reputation as a fierce Indian fighter when he led American forces into the Florida territory to defeat the Seminole tribe. His victory in the battle of New Orleans made him a national hero during the War of 1812.

The Jacksonian Era 8) Jackson’s strict nature as a commander and his rough frontier character earned him the nickname “Old Hickory” among his men. Jackson had a violent temper that he constantly fought to control. Several personal disputes resulted in deadly duels with his enemies. Jackson survived two gunshot wounds from duels, but the musket balls remained in his body, causing severe physical ailments later in life.

The Jacksonian Era 9) Similar to the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800, Andrew Jackson symbolized a dramatic transformation in American politics. The Jacksonian Era represented a shift away from the privileges of aristocracy toward the interests of the common-man.

The Spoils System $$$ 3) In an effort to reward the loyalty of political supporters, Jackson fired many federal employees from previous administrations and appointed members of the Democratic Party to high-paying government positions. (patronage jobs)

The Spoils System 4) This practice became known as the “Spoils System” and became a central function of political parties. Jackson made it a common practice of rewarding major political supporters with influential government jobs.

The Spoils System 5) Scandal inevitably accompanied this shady new system. Some officeholders had blatantly bought their posts through political campaign contributions. Many were incompetent and some were even illiterate.

The Spoils System EX- Samuel Swartwout was awarded the post of collector of customs for New York City and he stole more than a million dollars over the course of nine years in office.

The Spoils System 6) Despite inefficiency, incompetency, and outright corruption, the Spoils System would largely remain a staple of American politics until the early 20 th century.

The Tariff of Abominations 1) However adept and skilled Andrew Jackson was at politics, he could do little to solve the plague of sectionalism that had infected the Union.

The Tariff of Abominations 6) In 1828, Democrats tried to exploit the tariff as a political issue in order to hurt John Quincy Adams’ bid for re-election as President. The Jacksonites proposed a much higher tariff bill with the expectation that it wouldn’t pass but the plan radically backfired and the Tariff of 1828 actually passed. Jackson won the election of 1828 only to inherit the troubling tariff crisis.

The Tariff of Abominations 4) With very little industry of their own, the South depended upon Europe for manufactured goods. The tariff increased the prices of these goods and Southerners felt that they were being forced to foot the bill for the benefit of the Northeast.

The Tariff of Abominations 8) Southerners strongly protested what they referred to as the “Tariff of Abominations. ” Several southern state legislatures responded by adopting formal protests.

The Tariff of Abominations 9) The South Carolina legislature moved to publish a pamphlet known as the South Carolina Exposition. The pamphlet declared that the tariff was unconstitutional and strongly advocated southern state legislatures to nullify the hated federal law. This inflammatory pamphlet had been secretly written by John C. Calhoun, the sitting Vice President.

Jackson and Nullification 2) The issue greatly impacted the state election for the South Carolina Legislature in 1832 and led to the election of several open supporters of nullification. The new state legislature nullified the tariff and even threatened to secede from the Union if the federal government attempted to force the state to comply with the law.

Jackson and Nullification VS. 3) Andrew Jackson may have been a Southerner and slave owner, but he was also a firm unionist that strongly believed in the supremacy of the federal government. As his nation’s sitting chief executive, he was by no means going to allow such a flagrant act of defiance.

Jackson and Nullification 4) Jackson openly condemned the state’s act of nullification. It’s rumored that he suggested that the nullifiers should be hanged for treason and he even considered using military force to invade South Carolina.

Jackson and Nullification 5) Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky intervened in the crisis by using his influence to support a compromise that would reduce the Tariff of 1832 by about 10% over the next eight years. New England was strongly divided over the compromise tariff, but overwhelming support from the South led to the bill’s passage.

Jackson and Nullification 7) Seeing the true prospect of Civil War, the nullifiers of South Carolina quickly seized the compromise as an opportunity to save themselves from a very dangerous predicament. The crisis further proved that the concept of “Union” was weakening under the increasing pressure of sectionalism

The Bank War 1) Similar to Jefferson, Andrew Jackson felt that the National Bank was unconstitutional and simply served as an undemocratic tool that fattened the wealth of the Northeastern elite.

The Bank War 2) Fellow westerners hated the bank because it favored the industries of the east over the farms of the south and west. The unstable economic atmosphere of the growing west made many small farms susceptible to bust cycles that left many farmers unable to pay their mounting debts. The bank was often the hated enemy that brought foreclosure on many western farms.

The Bank War Biddle 4) The Bank of the United States was an institution that was run by private businessmen and was not directly controlled by the federal government. Bank President Nicolas Biddle was more concerned with pleasing his investors that he was with satisfying the interests of the American people.

The Bank War Biddle 6) The instability in the value of bank notes and the availability of credit made banks a very unpredictable aspect of the national economy. However, the National Bank of the United States represented stability and the value of its notes were backed by the reserves deposited by the federal government. This relationship gave Nicolas Biddle considerable control of the nation’s economy.

The Bank War 7) Jackson’s enemy, Henry Clay of Kentucky was greatly in favor of the National Bank and sought to oppose Jackson in his bid for re-election in 1832. Henry Clay attempted exploit the divide over the National Bank in order to win the Presidential election.

The Bank War 8) The charter of the National Bank was not set to expire until 1836, but Clay sought to make the bank an election issue and presented a bill to Congress that would re-charter the bank four years early. Clay’s plan was to force Jackson to take a stand on the controversial bank issue.

The Bank War 9) Jackson decisively vetoed the Bank’s re-charter and declared its creation as unconstitutional (*even though John Marshall declared it constitutional in Mc. Culloch vs. Maryland, Jackson believed the President was superior to the Judicial Branch and he often disregarded the Supreme Court. )

The Bank War 10) Clay greatly miscalculated his bank maneuver and lost the election. The growing number of western and southern votes counterbalanced the votes Jackson lost from eastern elitists.

The Bank Panic (1837) 1) In his second term, Jackson took decisive moves to permanently destroy the National Bank by purposely withdrawing the substantial amount of federal revenue that represented the bank’s deposits.

The Bank Panic (1837) 2) Jackson spitefully moved federal deposits to several state banks that had pro-Jackson sympathies (“pet banks”). However, the sudden increase in deposits led these banks to loan out more money, which caused an incredible increase in paper bank notes (soft money), causing a speculative boom.

The Bank Panic (1837) 3) The increase in bank credit and the distribution of paper money was an unintended consequence of Jackson’s actions. In order to halt the wild loaning practices of banks, Jackson issued the “Specie Circular” in 1836, requiring that all public land had to be purchased with hard money. (specie)

The Bank Panic (1837) 4) This action brought speculation to a standstill and caused paper bank notes to dramatically decrease in value. Many banks were forced to close because they didn’t have enough hard currency (specie) to support the value of their bank notes (soft money).

The Bank Panic (1837) 5) Jackson’s course of action inadvertently caused the Banking Panic of 1837. The foreclosures of numerous banks and the deflation of bank notes caused a considerable economic depression with mass unemployment.

The Bank Panic (1837) 6) Bank veto (1833) Jackson moved government funds to “pet banks” this causes an expansion of credit (paper money) causes an speculative economic boom Jackson issues “Specie Circular” lack of hard money to support bank notes (soft money) = economic depression and bank failures (1837)

Exit Ticket� ������ • 1. Explain why Jackson was forced to deal with the Bank issue. • 2. Explain the effects of Jackson’s destruction of the National Bank.