Download Unit 2 - Chapter 13

Unit 2: Building the Nation
1776-1860
• Chapter 9: The Confederation and the Constitution, 1776-1790
• Chapter 10: Launching the New Ship of State, 1789-1800
• Chapter 11: The Triumphs and Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic, 18001812
• Chapter 12: The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of
Nationalism, 1812-1824
• Chapter 13: The Rise of a Mass Democracy, 1824-1840
• Chapter 14: Forging a National Economy, 1790-1860
• Chapter 15: The Ferment of Reform and Culture, 1790-1860
• Unit Exam: Politics & Power
Chapter 13
The Rise of Mass Democracy,
1824-1840
“In the full enjoyment of the gifts of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry,
economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the
laws undertake to add to those natural and just advantages artificial distinctions . . .
and exclusive privileges . . . the humble members of society – the farmers, mechanics,
and laborers . . . have a right to complain of the injustice of their government.”
Andrew Jackson, 1832
I. The “Corrupt Bargain” of 1824
• Corrupt bargain (1824) last old-style election
• John Quincy Adams-Mass., Henry Clay-Kentucky, William H. Crawford-Georgia, Andrew
Jackson-Tenn. – ALL “REPUBLICANS”
• Results of the campaign: Jackson won the popular vote, but no candidate won
a majority of the electoral college votes
• Deadlock must be broken by the House of Representatives (12th Amendment)
• How did this play out?
• Why was it so controversial?
Clockwise from top left
Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay,
William Crawford, and John Quincy
Adams
They were all best friends, except that
they weren’t.
Jackson and JQA strongly disliked each
other. The intellectual vs. the soldier.
Clay and Jackson, rivals in the west,
detested each other.
Crawford didn’t live long enough to be a
major factor in the House of
Representatives.
II. A Yankee Misfit in the White House
• He ranks as one of the most successful secretaries
of state, yet one of the least successful presidents
• First “minority president”—had difficulty winning
popular support
• Honor! – He was so “old school”.
• While most people were moving away from
nationalism towards sectionalism, JQA remained a
nationalist: roads, canals, etc.
• Public reaction to these proposals was negative.
John Quincy Adams
6th President of the United States
“One-termer” just like his dear old dad
III. Going “Whole Hog” for
Jackson in 1828
• Election of 1828 started immediately after the
election of 1824
• Jeffersonian Republicans split:
• The National Republicans with Adams
• The Democratic-Republicans with Jackson
• Election Day: Americans split along sectional
lines
• Jackson supporters came from the West and South
• The middle states/Old Northwest were divided
• Adams won New England and the Northeast
• Electoral College: Jackson 178, Adams 83
IV. “Old Hickory” as President
• President Andrew Jackson:
• The first president from the West
• The first nominated at a formal party
convention (1832)
• Only the second without a college education
(Washington was the first)
• Jackson rose from the masses to become a
“frontier aristocrat”.
• Jackson’s inauguration:
• Symbolized the ascendancy of the masses.
• The White House, for the first time, was
thrown open.
The “Inaugural Brawl”, 1829
V. The Spoils System
• Spoils System—rewarding political supporters with public office
• Was introduced into the federal government on a large scale.
• Jackson defined it on democratic grounds:
• “Every man is as good as his neighbor, perhaps equally better.”
• Washington was due for a housecleaning.
• The spoils system was mostly about rewarding long-time supporters.
• Scandal accompanied the new system.
• Those who openly bought their posts by campaign contributions were
appointed to high office – were they qualified??
VI. The Tricky “Tariff of Abominations”
• Tariffs—problem for Adams and Jackson:
• Tariffs protected American industry – good for NE &
supported by middle colonies
• Tariffs also drove up prices for all Americans – especially
southerners who didn’t make any of their own
manufactured goods
• Tariffs invited retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural
exports abroad
• “Tariff of Abominations” - 1829
• In 1824 Congress had increased the general tariff
significantly – Jacksonites said “NOOOO!!”
• Congressional Jacksonites supported a high-tariff bill in
1828 as a jab at Adams – never expected it to pass, but it
did  problem for Jackson when he took over in 1829
VI. The Tricky “Tariff of Abominations” (cont.)
• Much deeper issues behind southern hatred of
tariffs: a growing anxiety about possible federal
interference with the institution of slavery
• The South Carolina Exposition:
• It was secretly written by John C. Calhoun
(Jackson’s VP!)
• It denounced the recent tariff as unjust and
unconstitutional.
• It bluntly and explicitly proposed that the states
should nullify the tariff.
John C. Calhoun
South Carolinian
States’ Rights Advocate
VII. “Nullies” in South Carolina
• The Nullification Crisis
• SC Delegates, meeting in Columbia, declared the existing
tariff null and void in South Carolina.
• The convention threatened to take South Carolina out of
the union if Washington attempted to collect the
customs duties by force.
• Jackson did not support the tariff, but believed in
preserving the union above all else.
• He threatened to invade the state and have the nullifiers
hanged & issued an anti-nullification proclamation
• Henry Clay stepped forward: Compromise Tariff of
1833 gradually reduced the tariff
• Congress passed the Force Bill—which authorized
the president to use the army and navy if necessary
to collect federal tariff duties.
Henry Clay
“The Great Compromiser”
“Harry of the West”
“Stealer of Jackson’s Thunder”
Jackson: “Our
federal Union: It
must be
preserved.”
Calhoun: “To the
Union, next to
our liberty, most
dear.”
Jackson (left) and
Calhoun (right)
pictured later in
life. If you stare
into Calhoun’s
eyes long
enough, all the
secrets of the
universe will be
revealed to you.
p255
VIII. The Trail of Tears
• 125,000 Native Americans lived east of Mississippi
• Many whites wanted to civilize/Christianize the
natives.
• “Five Civilized Tribes”—Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws,
Chickasaws, and Seminoles
• Jackson wanted to open native lands to white settlement
• Indian Removal Act (1830)
• Forced removal of all native tribes (100,000) then living east
of the Mississippi
• Many died of forced migration, most notably the Cherokees
along the Trail of Tears (1838-1839)
• The Bureau of Indian Affairs was established in 1836.
• Some natives did resist:
• Black Hawk War of 1832 ended brutally.
• In Florida the Seminole Natives, led by Osceola, joined
runaway black slaves in the Everglades (fought 1835-1842).
Jackson the “Great Father”
Indian Removals, 1830–1846
p257
IX. The Bank War
• Jackson did not hate all banks and all business, but he
distrusted monopolist banking and big businesses.
• The Second Bank of the United States had been a
source of credit and stability for a growing economy.
• But the Bank was a private institution:
• Bank President Nicholas Biddle had immense power
(constitutional?)
• To some, the bank seemed to sin against American
democracy – Jackson was of this belief.
• 1832: Daniel Webster and Henry Clay presented the
Congress with an early bill to renew the Bank of the
United States’ charter
• WHY recharter the bank early? – political attack on Jackson
• Jackson vetoed the bill anyway – established real power of
the veto over Congress
Nicholas Biddle
President of the Second National
Bank of the United States & Lex
Luthor to Jackson’s Superman
X. “Old Hickory” Wallops Clay in 1832
• Clay and Jackson were the main candidates.
• For the first time a third party entered the
field—the newborn Anti-Masonic Party.
• First time: calling of national nominating
conventions (three of them) to name candidates
• The Anti-Masons and the National Republicans
added the formal platform, publicizing their
positions on the issues
• Clay and National Republicans had support
of National Bank’s funds and the
newspapers.
• Yet Jackson, hero of the masses, easily
defeated Clay (219-49).
XI. Burying Biddle’s Bank
• The Bank of the United States was due to expire
in 1836 – Jackson didn’t wait, removed all
government funds as his second term began.
• The death of the Bank of the United States left a
financial vacuum.
• More funds were deposited in state banks –
“wildcat” pet banks – no central control led to
booms and busts.
• Jackson tried to control the ups and downs.
• He authorized the Treasury to issue a Specie
Circular—a decree that required all public land to be
purchased with “hard,” or metallic, money.
• This brought the speculative boom to an end, thus
contributing to the financial panic and crash in 1837.
“The bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to
kill me. But I will kill it.”
-President Andrew Jackson
XII. The Birth of the Whigs
• 1828: the Democratic-Republicans adopted the name
“Democrats”
• The Whigs were created by Jackson’s opponents –
Clay, Webster, Calhoun
• Others who joined the Whigs: supporters of Clay’s
American System, southern states’ righters, larger northern
industrialists and merchants, and many evangelical
Protestants
• Whigs supported active government in a market economy.
• Called for internal improvements like canals, railroads,
telegraph lines, and support for institutions-prisons,
asylums, and public schools.
• By absorbing the Anti-Masonic party, they appealed to the
common man.
XIII. The Election of 1836
• Martin Van Buren (D-NY) was Jackson’s
chosen successor.
• The Whigs were unable to nominate one
candidate.
• The Whigs’ strategy was to run several
“favorite sons”:
• Each “son” had a different regional appeal,
hoping to scatter the vote so no one candidate
would win a majority  to the House!
• The Whigs’ scheme failed – Van Buren
won 170-124
XIV. Big Woes for the “Little Magician”
• Martin Van Buren: first president to be born after
Revolution
• MVB’s Problems:
• Was seen as a politician who was created by the
“political machine” – Jackson had been a man of the
people.
• He inherited his mentor’s enemies.
• MVB in the White House:
• Rebellions in Canada caused trouble along border in
1837.
• Abolitionists were condemning the the possible
annexation of Texas.
• Jackson left the economic beginnings of the Panic of
1837.
Martin Van Buren
8th President of the United States &
early proponent of “big hair”
XV. Depression Doldrums and the
Independent Treasury
• The Panic of 1837: basic cause was rampant speculation
prompted by a mania of “get-rich-quickism”.
• Over-speculation spread through “wildcat banks” to canals, roads,
railroads, and slaves.
• Jackson’s financial policies, including the Bank War and the
Species Circular, gave an additional jolt.
• Failures of wheat crops deepened the distress.
• RESULT: American banks collapsed, prices dropped, sale of public
lands dropped, revenue dried up, factories closed
• Whigs had proposals for active government remedies:
called for the expansion of bank credit, higher tariffs, and
for internal improvements.
• Van Buren’s “Divorce Bill” ignored Whig ideas.
• “Divorce” the government from banking altogether using an
independent treasury – not popular, but it passed in 1840.
The Long Bill Americans who bought on
credit, confident that they could make their
payments later, were caught off guard by the
panic of 1837. Customers like the one shown
here found themselves confronted with a
“long bill” that they could not pay,
particularly when the banks holding their
savings collapsed.
XVI. Gone to Texas
• In 1821 Mexicans won their independence.
• 1823: Mexico concluded agreements for granting
part of Texas to Stephen Austin.
• He would bring 300 Roman Catholic American families
to Texas to become “Mexicanized”
• By, 1835, there were 30,000 Americans in Texas: Davy
Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston
• Friction increased between Mexicans and Texans.
• The Texans refused to honor Mexican decrees on
slavery, immigration.
• War: Mexican Dictator Santa Anna wiped out all
rights of Texans in 1835 & raised an army to use
against Texans – he messed with Texas.
Sam Houston
The “Texan GW”
XVII. The Lone Star Rebellion
• In 1836 Texas declared its independence: Lone Star
Republic w/Sam Houston as president
• Santa Anna & 6000 men invaded Texas.
• He trapped 200 Texans at the Alamo in San Antonio.
• Later 400 Texans was surrounded and killed at Goliad.
• Results: Alamo & Goliad delayed the Mexican advance and
galvanized American opposition – “Remember the Alamo!”
• General Sam Houston’s small army retreated to the east:
San Jacinto
• Mexicans were 13,000 men, and the Texans 900
• On April 21, 1836, Houston, taking advantage of the Mexican
siesta, wiped out the pursuing forces and captured Santa Anna
• Terms of the treaty: Mexican troops withdrew, Rio Grande
became border
• Texas petitioned for annexation in 1837 – disrupted by the
slavery question
“Come and Take It”
This mosaic, done in
1959 by Bert Rees of
Austin, Texas, shows
one of the defenders’
cannon, as well as
their legendary
battle flag of defiance.
p266
XVIII. Log Cabins and Hard Cider of 1840
• Martin Van Buren was re-nominated
in 1840 by the Democrats.
• The Whigs nominated one candidate:
Ohio’s William Henry Harrison & John
Tyler
• Whigs published no official platform –
WHY?
• Whigs adopted hard cider and log cabin
as symbols
• Electoral Vote: Harrison won the
popular vote by a small margin, but
destroyed MVB in the electoral college
234-60.
Harrison and Tyler Campaign Kerchief, 1840 As the
two-party system came into its own by 1840,
presidential elections became more public contests.
Lively campaigns used banners, posters, flags, and
other paraphernalia like this kerchief to whip up
voters’ support. Log Cabin Whigs took particular
interest in attracting female supporters. They
gathered up women at campaign stops, supplied
them with Harrison kerchiefs for waving at key
moments, and included them conspicuously in
events. Although women could not vote, they had
moral influence on their menfolk that the Whigs
hoped to tap.
p270
Martin Van Buren Gags on Hard Cider This 1840 “pull-card” shows Van
Buren on the left as an aristocratic fop sipping champagne. When the
right-hand card was pulled out, Van Buren’s face soured as he discovered
that his “champagne” was actually hard cider.
The cartoonist clearly sympathized with Van Buren’s opponent in the
1840 presidential
election, William Henry Harrison, who waged the famous “log cabin and
hard cider”
campaign.
Martin Van Buren Gags on Hard Cider This 1840 “pull-card” shows Van
Buren on the left as an aristocratic fop sipping champagne. When the
right-hand card was pulled out, Van Buren’s face soured as he discovered
that his “champagne” was actually hard cider.
The cartoonist clearly sympathized with Van Buren’s opponent in the
1840 presidential
election, William Henry Harrison, who waged the famous “log cabin and
hard cider”
campaign.
Poor Marty . . .
XIX. Politics for the People
• The election of 1840 conclusively
demonstrated two major changes in
American politics since the Era of Good
Feelings:
• The triumph of a populist democratic style
• Aristocracy is out, democracy is respected
• Politicians were now forced to go to the
masses
• The common man was at last moving to
the center of the national political stage.
The County Election, by George Caleb Bingham,
1851–1852
The artist here gently satirizes the drinking and
wheeling and dealing that sometimes marred the
electoral process in the boisterous age of Jacksonian
politics.
XX. The Two-Party System
• The second dramatic change resulting from the 1840
election was the formation of a vigorous and durable
two-party system.
• Both national parties were parties of the people who
claimed Jefferson as their greatest influence.
• But they had some real differences:
• Democrats:
• Glorified the liberty of the individual & states
• Guarded against the overbearing federal government
• Whigs:
• Glorified the natural harmony of society and the value of
community
• Were willing to use government to realize their objectives
• Tended to favor a renewed national bank, protective tariffs, internal
improvements, public schools, and moral reforms—prohibition and
slavery
While the Whigs would not last,
and the Democratic Party would
undergo incredible changes after
the age of Jackson, these two
parties helped create the political
system that exists today.