The Jackson Era Flashcards
favorite son
a candidate for national office who has support mostly from his home state
plurality
the largest number of something, but less than a majority
majority
greater than half of a total number of something
mudslinging
a method in election campaigns that uses gossip and lies to make a candidate look bad
bueracracy
a system of government in which specialized tasks are carried out by appointed officials rather than by elected ones
spoils system
practice of handing out government jobs to supporters; replacing government employees with the winning candidate’s supporters
nominating convention
a meeting in which representative members of a political party choose candidates to run for important political offices
Presidential Candidates of 1824
William Crawford, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson
Democrats platform
favored states rights, opposed national bank, supporters were workers, farmers, immigrants, Andrew Jackson
Republican platform
strong federal government, supported national bank, wealthy voters, merchants, John Quincy Adams
relocate
to move to another place
Five Civilized Tribes
Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw peoples lived in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida
Indian Removal Act of 1830
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 allowed the federal government to pay eastern Native Americans to give up their land and move west. Most Native American groups signed treaties and agreed to do so.
Worcester v Georgia
The case, called Worcester v. Georgia, went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee owned the land. He said that the state of Georgia could not take control of it. President Jackson disagreed with the Court’s ruling. He refused to prevent Georgia from making the Cherokee move
Treaty of Echota
In 1835 the federal government signed a new treaty with a small group of Cherokee. In the Treaty of New Echota, this small group promised that all the Cherokee would move by 1838. However, Cherokee chief John Ross and most of the Cherokee leaders had not signed this treaty. For this reason, Ross did not think the treaty could be enforced. Some members of Congress agreed. But most agreed with President Jackson and the treaty became law
Trail of Tears
The Cherokee had to travel from their homes in Georgia to the Indian Territory. Losing their homes and taking this long and difficult journey greatly saddened the Native Americans. Many died waiting for the journey to begin. Many more died along the way. Their journey was later called the Trail of Tears.
Seminole Wars
Osceola, a leader of the Seminoles in Florida, refused to move. Instead, he and his followers decided to stay and fight.
From 1832-1858
Neither side won
Black Seminoles
Escaped enslaved people who relocated to Florida
veto
to reject a bill and prevent it from becoming a law
Suffrage
The right to vote
Democrats
Most Democrats favored states’ rights and distrusted strong central government.
Whigs
Political party in the 1830s-1850s
Secede
to break away
Reservations
Osceola
A leader of the Seminoles in Florida who refused to move and began the Seminole Wars
Nullification
Refuse to accept a federal law
Explain how Henry Clay helped to get John Quincy Adams elected in 1824.
Clay agreed to use his influence as Speaker to defeat Jackson. With Clay’s help, the House chose Adams for president. Adams quickly named Clay to be secretary of state.
Explain the spoils system as it was used in early Jacksonian politics
Soon after taking office in 1829, Jackson fired many federal workers and replaced them with his supporters. The fired employees protested. They charged that the president was acting like a tyrant.
One Jackson supporter said: “To the victors belong the spoils.” In other words, because Jackson had won the election, his supporters had the right to the spoils, or benefits, of victory. This practice of replacing current government employees with supporters of the winner is called the spoils system.
Explain the effects of the tariff system in the U.S.
Tariffs made European goods more expensive. This encouraged Americans to buy American-made goods. Southerners disliked the tariff. They had a profitable trade selling their cotton to Europe. They feared that taxing European goods might hurt this trade.
Explain the outcome of Worcester v. Georgia and Chief Justice John Marshall’s ruling.
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Georgia had no right to interfere with the Cherokee. President Jackson, who supported Georgia’s efforts to remove the Cherokee, declared that he would ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Identify who supported nullification and why.
Vice President Calhoun claimed that a state had the right to nullify, or refuse to accept, a federal law if it was not in that state’s best interests.
Explain how state banks (pet banks) contributed to the Panic of 1837
There was no national bank to support the state banks. Federal government did not accept the bank notes. This set off the panic. People lost their jobs and land.
Explain Van Buren’s belief in Laissez faire economics and its role on the panic of 1837
VanBuren believed the government should not do anything to help during the depression.
How did the Whigs try to portray William Henry Harrison in the election of 1840 to gain more votes.
painted him as a simple fronteirsman even though he was wealthy
Explain why Pres. John Tyler was such a disappointment to his political party
He was not loyal to the Whig party. They threw him out of the party.
Explain why Andrew Jackson did not support the Bank of the U.S.
He did not like the wealthy bankowners. He also didn’t like that a national bank made it hard for settlers to get loans for land.
Identify the sectional leaders during the Jacksonian Era
Explain why Americans wanted to move Native Americans out of the country
They wanted the land for themselves
Identify the causes of the Panic of 1837
State banks printed many bank notes that lost their value. the federal government decided to require gold and silver as payment for public land. It would not accept the banknotes. People who had banknotes feared their notes might become worthless. This fear set off an economic panic, called the Panic of 1837.
Identify the Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The treaty ended the disagreement over the border between Maine and Canada. It also settled the location of the long U.S.-Canadian border from Maine to Minnesota.
