Chapters 13 and 14 Flashcards
John Q. Adams
PRESIDENT JOHN Q. ADAMS
Supported internal improvements, national university, astronomical observatory
Tired to curb speculation of Western lands and treated tribes fairly
Son of John Adams
vision not accepted due to increased sectionalism. Many people wanted states rights over national
Ineffective administration. Adams later served in House of Reps and succeeded
he’s a national republican
Andrew Jackson
Jackson a democratic-republican
Jackson’s supporters called him a supporter of the common man. This was untrue, he had a massive mansion, lots of lands, and many slaves.
With states reducing or abolishing property requirements, more people could vote than ever before. More than 1.1 million voted in 1828 (versus 357,000 in 1824). Jackson won by using a populist style, appealing to the people.
PRESIDENT JACKSON
-Old Hickory inauguration, Symbolised rise of masses
Common people invited to party and the White house got trashed
JACKSON’S INDIAN POLICY
Federal Policy from the 1790’s recognized tribes as sovereign nations, land gained from formal treaties
Five Civilized Tribes followed path of accommodation: CHerokee, Creek, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles
Jackson doesn’t agree with them being sovereign people, wants to move the tribes west to save them from annihilation
Jackson genuinely felt the need to protect Indians’ welfare if it did not interfere with rights of U.S. citizens. He had taken an Indian orphan into his home and was regarded by many chiefs as a friend.]
Jackson hated the bank, calling it a monster and vetoed against it, removing federal deposits from the vaults.
Henry Clay
Henry Clay ran five times, but only on the ballot three times
Clay seems to have thrown election to John Q. Adams in return for nomination as Sec of State. He hoped this would propel him to the position of President
Henry Clay threw his influence behind a compromise bill that reduced the tariff of 1832 by 10% over a period of 8 years.
Daniel Webster and Henry Clay (national Republicans, later called Whigs) made the bank a campaign issue in 1832 by proposing an early renewal of the banks charter
Prominent Whig!
Nicholas Biddle
Nicholas Biddle was the president of the bank, dubbed “Czar Nicholas I” by his enemies
Biddle called in loans (letting people to pay their loans back quickly despite initially they were supposed to have a long time to do so) to create a financial panic after Jackson removed federal deposits from the vaults, but Jackson remained firm
Martin Van Buren
Because of the Kitchen Cabinet scandal, 5 out of 8 of J.’s cabinet members resigned (including Eaton), and Van Buren replaced Calhoun as Jackson.’s running mate in 1831.
Van buren was a political machine-made candidate would could not fill Jackson’s shoes once President and had inherited J’s enemies
He advocated lower tariffs and free trade
Martin Van Buren and William H. Harrison ran against each other twice: Buren wins in 1836, and Harrison wins in 1840.
William H. Harrison
Martin Van Buren and William H. Harrison ran against each other twice: Buren wins in 1836, and Harrison wins in 1840.
Prominent Whig
The Whigs focused on the “Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign” (The idea that Harrison lived in a log cabin and drank cider to stay warm, (but he truly lived in a mansion))
Harrison won with a slim popular margin, but with a overwhelming electoral margin
Stephen Austin
Stephen Austin led the “Old Three Hundred” (297 families) to Texas in the mid-1820s.
Austin banished “undesirables” like drunks and gamblers. There were about 30,000 Texans by 1835
Stephen Austin was jailed for 8 months while trying to negotiate with Santa Anna
Sam Houston
Commander of the Texas army at the battle of San Jacinto; later elected president of the Republic of Texas
General Houston lured Santa Anna to the area and attacked Santa Anna during siesta (the middle of the day during people napped due to the heat)
Santa Anna
Santa Anna, the Mexican Dictator and general of the Mexican Army moved against the Texans in 1835. He wiped out all local rights and raised an army to suppress them.
Stephen Austin was jailed for 8 months while trying to negotiate with Santa Anna
General Houston lured Santa Anna to the area and attacked Santa Anna during siesta (the middle of the day during people napped due to the heat)
Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign two treaties. (1. Withdraw from Texas and 2. Recognize the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico) Santa Anna later repudiated both
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney’s invention made separation the seeds from the cotton fiber 50x more effective than handpicking
Eli Whitney also invented a process for mass producing rifles
Interestingly, the cotton gin perpetrated slavery, which led to the Civil War, while the mass-production of the rifle gave the North an advantage during the war
Samuel Slater
In 1791, Slater opened the first mill for spinning cotton thread in Pawtucket, RI
Children aged 7-12 were the first employees
Parliament had prohibited the export of cotton machines and the emigration of mechanics who worked on the machines
The British called him “Slater the Traitor” as he wasn’t allowed to take the blueprints out the country bc the British wanted to keep the ideas for themselves, so he memorizes it and builds one in the US
Slater came to the US with the plans for the water frame in his head and recreated the machine from scratch
John Deere
Invented the steel plow.
Samuel Morse
The telegraph (code by Samuel Morse) led to a web of communication by the time of the Civil War “what hath God wrought?” was the first thing sent
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton’s steamboat (The Clermont) made its first journey up the Hudson River in 1807
All of America’s rivers could now be two-way arteries. The West and South especially benefited
Steamboats could travel 10 mph against the Mississippi’s current versus the previous 1 mph rate of keelboats. Steamboats were dangerous, however, and prone to boiler explosions
John Calhoun
Jackson’s VP. He revived the states’ rights theory of nullification in the South Carolina Exposition (1828). He argued against the tariff and advocated for state’s rights, limited government, and nullification.
“The Corrupt Bargain”
Four candidates and no clear winner: John Q. Adams, Andrew Jackson (won popular vote), William Crawford (had two strokes but was still in running), Henry Clay (in 4th place). The election was decided by the House; as Speaker, Clay presided over the decision. Clay probably threw the election to Adams in return for nomination as Secretary of State.
spoils system/patronage
Patronage Rewarding loyal supporters with jobs
Illiterates, incompetents, crooks, etc given administrative jobs
Not good for the gov
National Republicans (Whigs)
Valued community.
More liberal than democrats in their support of government programs and reforms such as public schools, prohibition and abolition (supported by some).
Favored the “American System”: a national bank, protective tariffs, internal improvements. Claimed to be the true defenders of the “common man.”
Democratic Republicans
Valued individual liberty.
Federal restraint in social and economic affairs.
Favored states’ rights.
On guard against “privilege” in government.
kitchen cabinet
The Peggy Eaton (Petticoat) Affair of 1831 led to the creation of the kitchen cabinet.
Peggy and John Eaton (Jackson’s Sec. of War) had married 2 years after Peggy’s first husband died. It became a Washington scandal. [J. was sensitive to this, as he and his wife had gone through a similar scandal.]
Because of the scandal, 5 out of 8 of J.’s cabinet members resigned (including Eaton), and Van Buren replaced Calhoun as J.’s running mate in 1831.
Jackson surrounded himself with loyal supporters who were dubbed the “kitchen cabinet.”
Tariff of Abominations
The 1828 tariff raised the already high 1824 tariff to 50-60 percent level
Benefit: protected American industry from British competition
Detriment: drove up prices for Americans. Hurt South + West agriculture with retaliatory tariffs abroad
SC took lead in fight against tariffs
John Calhoun (Jackson’s V.P.), revived the states’ rights theory of nullification in the South Carolina Exposition (1828). He argued against the tariff.
Nullification = ignoring federal law if it compromised states’ rights.
South Carolina Exposition
John Calhoun wrote this in order to speak against the “Tariff of Abominations,” and proposed nullification of the tariff.
nullification crisis
“Nullies” in SC not placated by the 1832 tariff decrease to 35 percent. Threatened to secede.
Jackson threatened to invade SC and have Nullies hanged, not supporting disunion
Force Bill authorized the president to use the army and navy to collect tariff duties if needed
Clay influenced another reduction. SC hung around
Henry Clay threw his influence behind a compromise bill that reduced the tariff of 1832 by 10% over a period of 8 years.
SC, finding no other allies, repealed its ordinance of nullification (after it nullified the Force Bill).