Chapter 10: The Age of Jackson 1824-1844 Flashcards
Rise of Democratic Society
- When Europeans visited they noticed American society was very informal
- Men and women ate together
- There was only one class of passenger on steamboats and railroad cars
- hard to distinguish between classes of people;all wore similar clothing
- equality became a governing principle of American society among the white men
Equality of Opportunity
Wide-held belief of the people in America (just for white males)
- Black slaves coexisted with blacks
- allowed a young man of humble origins to rise as far as his native talent would bring him, “self-made man”
- No equivalent belief for women
Politics of the Common Man
- politics moved out of fine homes of rich planters and merchants
- white males of lower and middle classes began to vote in large numbers
factors for the spreading of democracy:
- white males of lower and middle classes began to vote in large numbers
- new state suffrage laws enabled more citizens to vote
- changes in political parties and campaign methods
- improved education
- increases in newspaper circulation helped
Universal Male Suffrage
- western states recently admitted: Indiana (1816), Illinois (1818), Missouri (1821) wrote their constitutions so all white males could vote and hold office
- didn’t include any religious or property qualifications, trend continued east
- voting numbers rose
Party Nominating Conventions
- Caucuses were replaced by nominating conventions in the 1830s
- Party politicians and voters would gather in a large meeting hall to nominate the party’s candidate
- More open to popular participation, hence more democratic
Popular Election of President
Every state except South Carolina adopted a new method (more democratic) of allowing voters to choose a state’s slate of presidential electors
Two-Party System
popular election of presidential electors had important consequences for two-party system, campaigns had to be conducted on a national scale, large political parties needed
Rise of Third Parties
While only two major parties could win (Democrats and Whigs) other parties emerged, Anti-Masonic and Workingmen’s party
More Elected Offices
much larger number of state and local officials were elected to office, instead of being appointed as in the past, gave the voters more voice
Popular Campaigning
- candidates directed their campaigns to the interests of the common people
- politics became popular entertainment activity:
- parades, people given free food and drink
- there was a negative side to new techniques: - -
- candidates would result to personal attacks and downplay the issues
Spoils System
Candidates (specifically Jackson) would give away government jobs in return for party loyalty (Democratic)
- Promoted government corruption
- Andrew Jackson believed in appointing people to federal jobs strictly according to whether they had actively campaigned for the Democratic Party
- Any previous holder of the office who was not a Democrat was fired and replaced by a loyal Democrat
Election of 1824
- Era of Good Feelings had ended with this election
- There were four candidates John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, Andrew Jackson
- Jackson ended up winning the popular vote and electoral vote but didn’t win majority and could not win the electoral
- House had to chose the winner
- Henry Clay used influence to push Adams to win and
when Adams won he appointed Clay Secretary of State - Jackson believed that the voters were being political convinced on changing their votes for Adams and called it a “corrupt bargain”
President John Quincy Adams
- in his presidency, alienated followers of Jackson when he asked Congress for money for internal improvements, aid to manufacturing, and even a national university and observatory
- Jacksonian’s viewed it as a waste of money and a violation of the Constitution
- in 1828 Congress created a new tariff law which made northern manufactures very happy but alienated southerners
- this tariff caused a lot of problems for Adams
Revolution of 1828
- Jacksonians used discontent of southerners and westerners to sweep “Old Hickory” (Jackson) into office
- resorted to smearing president and his wife Adams’ and claiming Adams wife was born out of wedlock
- Adams supporters retaliated and accused Jackson’s wife of adultery
- three times number of votes as result of mudslinging
- Jackson won carrying every state west of the Appalachians
- his reputation as a war hero and a man of the western frontier helped him win the election
Presidency of Andrew Jackson
Jackson was a different kind of president:
- Jackson was strong leader
- Became symbol of working and middle class
- Gained fame in Battle of New Orleans
- Became a wealthy planter and slave owner
- But never lost rough manners of frontier and had a violent temper
- He was the first since Washington without college education
- Basically can be described as a “extraordinary ordinary man”
Presidential Power
- Jackson was representative of all people, protector of the common man, frugal Jeffersonian, opposed increasing federal spending and national debt, interpreted Congressional powers narrowly, vetoed more bills than all vetoes of previous presidents
- He vetoed Maysville Road because it was wholly within one state, Kentucky
- Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet was a group of politicians who did not officially belong to his official cabinet
- members had little influence on policy