Andrew Jackson Outline

Andrew Jackson 

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
Old Hickory
Champion of the “common man”

-Gained fame following victory at New Orleans, two weeks after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812.
-Also, victorious at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (AL), ending the power of an important British ally, the Creeks.
-Led a military force into Florida in 1818 to stop groups of Seminoles, runaway slaves, and white outlaws.
-This led to the Spanish selling Florida to the US in 1819
-Ran for president in 1824 but was defeated following the “corrupt bargain” where Henry Clay used his influence in the House to provide John Quincy Adams the presidency in exchange for the Speaker of the House. (The House of Representatives choose the presidency because no presidential candidate received a majority in the Electoral College).
-Defeated Quincy Adams in 1828, carrying southern and western votes and led to Jacksonian Democracy.

Politics of the “common man” (not including blacks, Indians, nor women)
1. Universal manhood suffrage- more people could now vote and hold political office
2. Nominating Conventions- closed the door on “King Caucus” where the “common man” had no opportunity to participate. With nominating conventions, more people could now participate in choosing presidential candidates.
3. Popular election of the president- voters could now choose a state’s slate of presidential electors. This basically allowed the popular vote in states to choose the state’s electors.
4. Two-party system- presidential candidates had to be more national and had to organize these campaigns. Larger parties and more members were needed for effectiveness.
5. More elected offices- a much larger number of state and local officials were now elected to office by the people instead of being appointed, giving the “common man” more voice and interest in government.
6. Popular campaigning- candidates directed their campaigns to the interests of the people, becoming a form of popular entertainment. In trying the appeal to the masses, candidates with aristocratic airs might be attacked as an opponent and seen as unfriendly to the “common man”.
7. Spoils system- appointment of people and party members who helped win elections If a Democrat won the presidency from a Republican, then they would replace the Republicans with Democrats who helped them win the election.
8. Rotation of Office- to maximize the number of Democrats holding office, officeholders from the spoils system would be removed after one term, affirming one man was as good as another in holding public office



Jackson’s Presidency
-President of the dirt farmer
-Role of Presidency (King Andrew)- strong executive power
-Advised by his Kitchen Cabinet
-Presented himself as a representative of the people and the protector of the “common man” against the abuses of the rich
-Opposed increased federal spending and the national debt (like Jefferson)
-Jackson often, but not always, interpreted the Constitution narrowly (like the Jeffersonian ideal) by vetoing the use of federal money to construct the Maysville Road because it was wholly within Clay’s state of Kentucky, his archrival

Peggy Eaton Affair
-Jackson tried to force his cabinet member’s wives to accept Peggy Eaton socially. When this failed to happen, most cabinet members resigned, later including his Vice President, John C. Calhoun

Indian Removal Act (1830)
-Jackson sympathized with land-hungry westerners forcing the Five Civilized Tribes (not part of the “common man” west to the Indian Territory (later to become Oklahoma in 1890, leading to the Trail of Tears
-Despite Marshall’s decision (not let him enforce it) favoring the Cherokees, Jackson simply ignored it.

Nullification Crisis
-Jackson favored states’ rights (like Jefferson) but not if it would led to disunion.
-In 1828, Calhoun led a theory of nullification movement to counter the 1828 Tariff of Abomination.
In 1832, SC nullified a new 1832 tariff (remember tariffs hurt the South and helped the North), causing Congress to pass the Force Bill. This gave the president authority to send troops to SC.
-While Jackson did not send in troops due to a compromise tariff of 1833 led by the Great Compromiser Henry Clay, he did win support of southerners with his resentment against the growing abolitionist movement as blacks were not seen as the “common man”.

Bank Veto
-Believing the Bank of the US unconstitutional due to his strict interpretation of the Constitution and his hatred toward this abusive “hydra of corruption”, Jackson vetoed a bank-recharter bill allowing federal bank deposits to be placed in state or “pet banks”.
-With inflation and overspeculation in western lands, Jackson ordered the Specie Circular, requiring federal purchase to land to be made in gold and silver rather than paper money.
His actions led to the Panic of 1837, severely hurting his hand-picked successor, Martin Van Buren (Ruin).
Rise of the Whigs- see chart on page 191 on the Amsco

A Very OLD Hickory