Download SS08030201

Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Primary Source #1
Source: Tally of Electoral Votes. National Archives and Records Administration. 1
December 2006 <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/tally.html>.
December 1, 2006
SCoPE SS080302 Page 1 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Analyzing a Primary Source
1. How many candidates ran for the office of President in 1824?
2. What were their names?
3. How many candidates ran for the office of Vice President in 1824?
4. For whom did most of the states in the Northeast vote?
5. For whom did most of the states in the South vote?
6. Which candidate received the most electoral votes?
7. Who do you think became President? Why?
8. Who do you think became Vice President?
9. According to this primary source, what is one important difference between
how we elect the President and Vice President now and how we elected them in
1824?
.
December 1, 2006
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Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Analyzing a Primary Source – Answer Sheet
1. How many candidates ran for the office of President in 1824?
4
2. What were their names?
Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, Henry Clay
3. How many candidates ran for the office of Vice President in 1824?
6
4. For whom did most of the states in the Northeast vote?
John Quincy Adams
5. For whom did most of the states in the South vote?
Andrew Jackson
6. Which candidate received the most electoral votes?
Andrew Jackson
7. Who do you think became President? Why?
Answers may vary but the majority of students will probably answer Andrew
Jackson because he had the most electoral votes. Note: The point of this question is
not to find out who actually became President, but to have students explore the process
for determining the President.
8. Who do you think became Vice President?
John C. Calhoun because he had the most votes.
9. According to this primary source what is one important difference between how we
elect the President and Vice President now and how we elected them in 1824?
Now the President and Vice President are from the same party and run as a team.
People ran separately for the two offices in 1824.
December 1, 2006
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Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Primary Source #2
Overhead #1
Source: King Andrew the First. National Archives and Records Administration. 1
December 2006
<http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/treasures_of_congress/Images/page_9/30a.html>.
December 1, 2006
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Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Analyzing a Quotation
Overhead #2
"Andrew Jackson, I am given to
understand, was a patriot and a
traitor. He was one of the greatest of
generals, and wholly ignorant of the art
of war. A writer brilliant, elegant,
eloquent, and without being able to
compose a correct sentence, or spell
words of four syllables. The first of
statesmen, he never devised, he never
framed a measure. He was the most
candid of men, and was capable of the
profoundest dissimulation. A most lawdefying, law-obeying citizen. A stickler
for discipline, he never hesitated to
disobey his superior. A democratic
aristocrat. An urbane savage. An
atrocious saint. The very facts make one
wonder whether he was pragmatic or
dogmatic, a great statesman or a bull in
the china shop.
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Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
- James Parton, the “father of
American biography’, writing a few
years after Jackson’s presidency.
Glossary:
devise: invent, come up with
measure: law, bill, regulation, procedure
dissimulation: deception
aristocrat: someone who is a member of the nobility
urbane: refined and sophisticated
pragmatic: practical
dogmatic: authoritative
December 1, 2006
SCoPE SS080302 Page 6 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Extension of Democracy
Voting
Rights
The Spoils
System
The Caucus
System
December 1, 2006
SCoPE SS080302 Page 7 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Extension of Democracy – Sample Answers
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Voting
Rights
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The Spoils
System
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The Caucus
System
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Many new states joining the Union did not have
property requirements for voting. They allowed all
white males of a certain age to vote.
States in the East began to drop their property
requirements also. So, a growing number of people
got the right to vote.
More eligible voters participated in elections. In the
1828 election, 58% of eligible voters voted. Before
this election it had been around 28%.
Jackson began the “spoils system,” which allowed
politicians to appoint their supporters to administrative
offices once they won an election.
The spoils system gave more people a chance to
work in government.
More democratic ways to choose candidates for
President began.
Before, a caucus in Congress made up of a small
number of political leaders chose the candidate.
By 1824 this system was breaking down.
Nominating conventions were held to choose
presidential candidates.
SCoPE SS080302 Page 8 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Two Important Issues
The Bank War
Native American Removal
Describe the
issue
Describe
President
Jackson’s point
of view
regarding the
issue
What
experiences
shaped his
point of view?
What actions
did he take
regarding the
issue?
What were the
consequences
of those
actions?
December 1, 2006
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Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Two Important Issues
Expansion and Reform
– Sample Answers
The Bank War
Native American Removal
Describe the
issue
Congress passed a bill to
renew the charter of the
National Bank.
White settlers wanted the land
owned by Native Americans in
the Southeast.
Describe
President
Jackson’s point
of view
regarding the
issue
Jackson felt the Bank was too
powerful and undemocratic.
He felt the Bank was
unconstitutional and only
states had the right to charter
banks. He also felt the Bank
helped the rich at the expense
of common people.
He sided with the settlers and
believed they had a right to
the land. He felt it was
necessary for the Native
Americans to move west.
What
experiences
and beliefs
shaped his
point of view?
He believed it was important
for him to look out for the
common people. He believed
in states’ rights as far as the
Bank was concerned. He lived
in the West where people
were suspicious of the Bank.
He had fought against Native
Americans many times. He
believed the country had the
right to expand.
What actions
did he take
regarding the
issue?
He vetoed the Bank Bill. Later
he ordered the Secretary of
the Treasury to stop putting
federal funds in the Bank and
put the funds in state banks
instead.
He refused to enforce the
Supreme Court decision that
supported Native Americans
in Georgia. He and his
supporters pushed the Indian
Removal Act of 1830 through
Congress, which he began to
enforce.
What were the
consequences
of those
actions?
The Bank issue became a
major issue in the 1832
election. The Bank closed in
1836.
Native Americans were forced
off their lands and removed to
what is now Oklahoma.
December 1, 2006
SCoPE SS080302 Page 10 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Jackson: A Symbol of Injustice
Awarded the prestigious honor to remain forever engraved on the twenty-dollar bill,
Andrew Jackson became a figure in American history never forgotten. Future
generations of younger students will not need to know Andrew for them to assume he
was a great man. Unfortunately, the ignorance of idolizing Jackson because he appears
on American currency serves to blanket the realities of his administration. Jackson
should be removed from the twenty-dollar bill.
Recognizing the injustices president Andrew Jackson performed, Americans have
considered the dispute over the removal of Jackson’s face from the twenty-dollar bill.
The real question remains why place America’s figures in iconic positions based on
fame? Benedict Arnold is famous, yet he was a traitor to America. Why not place figures
that contributed to the well being of the country and upheld humane morals?
Andrew Jackson, revered as the first common man to become President, symbolized the
average citizen having the opportunity to climb the ranks within America’s democratic
system. However, the profits of Jackson’s administration succeed in concealing his
immoral procedures and behavior. Jackson’s methods worked accordingly to the
reasoning of the father of political science, Machiavelli, who said, “The end justifies the
means”. He achieved lucrative results at the cost of abandoning ethics and destroying
the lives of human beings. Replacing Jackson would be logical to those who support
integrity, and understand the values and intentions of a man America’s chosen to
immortalize.
During his presidency, Jackson’s Indian policies transformed the concept of Manifest
Destiny into a reality. Jackson, along with many Americans, possessed a Eurocentric
view and failed to recognize Native tribes as civilized sovereign nations. …The refusal to
accept tribes as separate nations justified the stealing of their land. Still, Jackson’s
invasion of Native soil was no different than if he had invaded France or Spain.
President Jackson acted like a bully on the playground, using America’s strength to take
land. Jackson also participated in the treacherous scheme of using treaties to legally
gain land. Signing the Indian Removal Act in 1830, Jackson granted the president the
power to negotiate treaties with tribes. Jackson authorized government officials to
deceive Natives into signing treaties by either getting Natives drunk or misinterpreting
the documents. By 1838, Jackson forced 17,000 Cherokees to move west of the
Mississippi river and in the process 4,000 to 8,000 died. Jackson stands as a symbolic
remembrance of the injustices that occurred during the age of white expansion.
Andrew Jackson not only represents his own unethical actions, but also symbolizes the
racism of an American people in history. Americans strongly advocated Jackson’s
policies to quench their lust for land, and decimate a race they had developed hatred
toward for so many years. The face of Andrew Jackson personifies racism, hatred, and a
time when the U.S. enforced hypocritical policies that morally opposed the constitution.
Replacing Jackson on the twenty-dollar bill could only benefit America’s image problem.
Acknowledging the injustices of history, America would reflect intolerance for hypocrisy,
and a progress from the past. The replacement would show that America promotes
power in both morality and justice.
Adapted From: Should Andrew Jackson be Removed from the Twenty Dollar Bill? American Indian
Studies Program. University of California, Riverside. 12 November 2006
<http://www.americanindian.ucr.edu/discussions/jackson/index.shtml>.
December 1, 2006
SCoPE SS080302 Page 11 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Jackson: A President, Not a Saint
No one can argue that as a president, Jackson made no mistakes; however, they in no
way disqualify him from having a place on the U.S. twenty dollar bill. Jackson made
every decision according to the will of the American people, even the more unsavory
ones. Even his now unquestionably negative actions, such as the Indian Removal Act,
were done at the time not only in the interest of the citizens of the United States, but in
regard (however misguided) to the survival of the Indian nations.
The duty of a president, or any elected official for that matter, is to enact policies
concurrent with the views of the voting population that elected him or her to office.
Supporters of Jackson included urban workers, western frontiersmen, southern planters,
small farmers, bankers and would-be entrepreneurs. It is this unusually diverse voting
basis, as well as his humble beginnings, that sometimes earned Jackson the label of
"the People's President".
Jackson had a war record that makes him, even today, and example of the strength and
tenacity of the United States. Jackson served in many campaigns, both on behalf of the
militia of his home state, Tennessee, and the U.S. military. It is with the U.S. military in
the War of 1812 that Jackson received his most famous victory -- the Battle of New
Orleans. There, on January 8, 1815 Jackson defended a British charge that resulted in
only 6 American deaths, but over 2,000 British deaths and injuries. Jackson, and this
battle in particular, became a symbol of the "distinctive American strength" that we still
prize today.
Jackson made every decision, not for personal gain, but in what he felt was the best
interest of the United States. Jackson did much to expand the power of the United
States, at home and overseas. He settled disputes with Spain that lead to the acquisition
of what is now Florida. He opened the British West Indian ports to American trade, which
greatly helped the American export business.
It has been argued that the Indian Removal Act was an attempt at genocide made by
Jackson, with malicious intent towards Native Americans. But Jackson himself argued
that the Indian Removal Act was (as he saw it, anyway) in the best interest of the longterm survival of the Indian Nations. To leave the Indians surrounded by hostile white
civilization would, he argued, "doom [them] to weakness and decay", and that
"emigration...alone [could] preserve from destruction the remnants of the tribes still
among us.” In the case of Jackson, although he made many misguided decisions
regarding the Native population, he did so according to the will of the citizens of the U.S.,
the interests of that great nation, and without malicious intent.
Jackson, in many ways, is representative of the history of the United States. His strength
and tenacity were well documented, but like our great country, his character and actions
are not without stain. To deny Jackson his place on the twenty dollar bill would call into
question the right of all other figures on our currency: For example, George Washington
not only owned slaves but actively and openly participated in violence upon the Native
Americans with the intent of eliminating them. Although Jackson's policies concerning
Native Americans were questionable at best, and should in no way be exalted, he
remains and important, and in many ways, a positive figure in American history.
Adapted From: Should Andrew Jackson be Removed from the Twenty Dollar Bill? American Indian
Studies Program. University of California, Riverside. 12 November 2006
<http://www.americanindian.ucr.edu/discussions/jackson/index.shtml>.
December 1, 2006
SCoPE SS080302 Page 12 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Comparing Viewpoints
The Issue: Should Andrew Jackson be removed from the Twenty Dollar Bill?
For
December 1, 2006
Against
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Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Comparing Viewpoints – Sample Answers
The Issue: Should Andrew Jackson be removed from the Twenty Dollar Bill?
For
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Future generations will assume that
Jackson was a great man because he
is on the twenty-dollar bill, but in
reality he was not.
He was guilty of many injustices.
It would be better to put people who
contributed to the well being of the
country and upheld humane morals
on our currency.
Jackson was guilty of immoral
procedures and behavior.
He destroyed the lives of human
beings.
He abandoned ethics.
He failed to recognize Native tribes
as civilized sovereign nations.
He acted like a bully on the
playground.
He used America’s strength to take
land.
He forced Native Americans off
their land.
He represents not only his own
unethical actions, but also
represents the racism of American
people in history.
Many of his policies were against
the Constitution.
His face on a twenty-dollar bill
symbolizes racism and hatred.
By replacing him on the twentydollar bill, America would
acknowledge the injustices of
history.
December 1, 2006
Against
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He made all his decisions according
to the will of the American people.
Even his negative actions like the
Indian Removal Act were done in
the interest of the citizens of the
United States.
He believed the Indian Removal
Act was necessary for the survival
of the Indian nations.
He was the “People’s President”
and his supporters came from many
different walks of life.
He was a war hero.
He was an example of the strength
of the United States.
He did not make decisions for
personal gain. He made decisions
according to what he thought was
best for the United States.
He believed the only way for
Native Americans to survive was to
move west.
He was not perfect. Like our
country, he made mistakes. This
makes him a good symbol of the
United States.
If we deny him his place on the
twenty-dollar bill, we would have
to question everyone else on our
currency since none of them were
saints either.
He is a positive figure in American
history.
SCoPE SS080302 Page 14 of 15
Middle School Social Studies
Nineteenth Century American History
Expansion and Reform
Fishbowl Discussion
1. Place four or six seats in the center of the room – the fishbowl.
The remaining seats should comprise the outer circle.
2. The students in the fishbowl are the only ones allowed to speak
in the room. There is to be no conversation outside of the circle.
The teacher chooses the first students in the circle.
3. The students engage in debate on an issue presented, as an
open-ended question, by the teacher.
4. The participants must also operate under the standards of
common courtesy. (No yelling, no interrupting, no name-calling,
etc.)
5. Once a student in the circle has spoken, a student from outside
the circle may come and tap that student. The student in the
circle must then give the one who tapped them their seat and
return to the outside observation seats. The new entrant may
not be tapped until he or she has spoken at least once.
6. Students, once removed from the circle, may return at any time.
(They may not be tapped until they have spoken again.) The
teacher may grant preferential seating to students who have not
yet participated in the debate.
Teacher Note: The teacher does not participate in the discussion
except to provide a new question or to terminate an irrelevant, or
inappropriate, line of discussion.
December 1, 2006
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