Age of Jackson Flashcards
Election of 1824
Since no candidate received a majority of the vote, it was up to the House of Representatives to select the president. Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House withdrew from the race and convinced others in the House to vote for John Q. Adams. Adams ended up winning and made Henry Clay the Secretary of State. Jackson and his followers thought this was unfair and called this the “corrupt bargain”.
Election of 1828
After the last election, the Democratic-Republican party split, and Andrew Jackson ran for president as a Democrat. He ended up winning because he was seen as a “common man”. After his inauguration, Jackson invited the public to a celebration at the White House, which ended up being trashed.
Democratic Changes
- Many states did away with making white males own property in order to vote, increasing voter participation.
- Nominating conventions began to select who would run for president.
- Candidates held rallies, dinners, and public meetings while running for president.
Jacksonian Democracy
Jackson believed that government officials were corrupt, so he fired old government officials and put people who supported him in their place. Jackson called this the “spoil system” where the victor gets the spoils.
Tariff of Abominations
In 1882, Congress passed a new high tariff that angered the South. The South could no longer easily trade crops with other countries. John C. Calhoun published “The Exposition and Protest” and argued that southern states had the right to nullify an unfair federal law.
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Nullification which officially ignored the tariff and threatened to secede from the Union if they tried to enforce the tariff. Jackson got help from Congress which passed the Force Bill and South Carolina gave in after the threat from Jackson, and Henry Clay developed a compromise to reduce the tariff over the next 10 years.
Indian Removal Act
Jackson and the common man wanted the land that Native Americans lived on for farming purposes and to prospect for gold. He passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. In the court case, Worcester vs. Georgia, John Marshall ruled that Georgia did not have the right to remove the Cherokee, but Jackson let Georgia remove the Natives anyway.
Trail of Tears
Native Americans were forced to move to Indian Territory during the fall and winter. As a result of the conditions, one-fourth of the 16,000 Cherokees died on the journey. The migration ended up becoming called the “Trail of Tears.”
Jackson and the Bank
Jackson wanted to destroy the National Bank because he felt it favored the wealthy class. He ordered all the money in the National Bank to be placed in state banks that were more likely to lend money to farmers. Jackson refused to renew the National Bank when its charter expired.
American Literature
Americans wrote literature that became well-respected:
- Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is the greatest American novel
- Washington Irving wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
- Edgar Allen Poe wrote eerie short stories
