09IDs

= = =Ch 09: Jacksonian America=

**Main Ideas**

 * 1) The expansion of the electorate during the Age of Jackson, and the limits of that expansion.
 * 2) The growing tension between nationalism and states' rights, as particularly reflected in the nullification crisis and the Webster-Hayne debate.
 * 3) The brutal treatment of Native Americans by the Jackson administration, culminating in Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears.
 * 4) The competing views of American economic development held by both sides in the Bank War, and their regional implications.
 * 5) The rise of the Whig Party as an alternative to Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, and the Jacksonian political strategies used by both Whigs and Democrats in the Second Party System.

**Text Resources:**
This is the link Microsoft Word for my Brinkley chapter 9 notes - Shannon

**Handouts/Homework:**
Daniel Walker Howe, //What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848//, New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Book Review of Howe's //What Hath God Wrought//, Journal of American History, Vol. 95 No. 4, March 2009, p 1125-6.

To what degree did the American political system and public opinion accept broad construction of the Constitution in antebellum Ameica? (AP Achiever practice p452, advice p459)
 * DBQ:**

The Jacksonian Period (1824-1848) has been celebrated as the era of the "common man." To what extent did the period live up to its characterization? Consider TWO of the following in your response: 1) economic development, 2) politics, 3) reform movements (2001 FRQ5)
 * FRQ:**

Madaras & SoRelle, Taking Sides; Clashing Views in United States History, Vol. 1, McGraw-Hill, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-07-352723-9 - Issue 11: Did the Election of 1828 Represent a Democratic Revolt of the People? Bancroft Prize winner Sean Wilentz argues that in spite of its vulgarities and slanders, the 1828 election campaign “produced a valediction on the faction-ridden jumble of the Era of Bad Feelings and announced the rough arrival of two distinct national coalitions.” Professor Richard P. McCormick believes that voting statistics demonstrate that a genuine political revolution did not take place until the presidential election of 1840, when fairly well-balanced political parties had been organized in virtually every state.
 * Further Reading:**

Kyle Ward, History in the Making - An absorbing look at how American History Has Changed in the Telling Over the Last 200 Years, The New Press, 2006. ISBN: 987-1-59558-044-3 - Chapter 18: The Trail of Tears

Courvares, Saxton, Grob, Billias, //Interpretations of American History; Volume One//, Eighth Edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Chapter 7 – Jacksonian Democracy: How Democratic? - Sean Wilentz, //Slavery, Antislavery, and Jacksonian Democracy//, 1996. - Lacy K. Ford Jr., //Making the “White Man’s Country” White: Race, Slavery, and State-Building in the Jacksonian South//, 1999.

Jacksonian America (brown page intro)

 * De Tocqueville**
 * Equality of** **Opportunity**

The Rise of Mass Politics
//The Expanding Electorate// //The Legitimization of Party// //“President of the Common Man”//
 * Jackson****’s Inauguration**
 * Broadening the Franchise**
 * The Dorr Rebellion**
 * Democratic Reforms**
 * The Second Party System**
 * WHERE HISTORIANS DISAGREE: THE “AGE OF** **JACKSON****”**
 * The Spoils System**
 * Limited Nature of Democratic Reform**

“Our Federal Union”
//Calhoun and Nullification// //The Rise of Van Buren// The Webster-Hayne Debate** //Trail of Tears// 1,000 Cherokee fled to North Carolina where federal government eventually provided a small reservation for them in the Smoky Mountains (still exists) Others are not so lucky. Forced into "Indian Territory"-now known as Oklahoma. - winter of 1838.even old barefooted women trek across. Jackson claims- "remnant of ill-fated race " was now "beyond the reach of injury or oppression" Justification for action is that he is helping the Indians through their removal from the states.(protecting them). "Five civilized tribes" expelled from Southern states and are forced to relocate themselves on Indian territory. - Congress created by Indian Intercourse Act of 1834. Choctaws of Mississippi & Alabama=1st to trek in 1830. Chikasaw= year later. Then Cherokees Land was distant from white settlement and certain parts were considered uninhabitable which the government believed would keep the Indians from being surrounded by white settlement. "Great American Desert" Minority under chieftain Osceola rebel. 1835- up-rising begins in Florida to protect their lands. Runaway black slaves joined tribe war. Seminole War drags on for years. Jackson sends troops but African Americans and Natives= guerilla war. Follower of Osceola remain in Florida after= federal government spends $20 mil, 1,500 white soldiers die, Osceola is captured by whites while under a flag of truce (dies in prison). 1842- Government abandons war. Seminoles= killed or forced westward. Relocation never complete. //The Meaning of Removal// 1830s- Important Indian societies except occasional Seminole or Cherokee removed to the West. Tribes ceded over 100 million acres of eastern land to the federal government. Received about 68 mil and 32 mil acres in less hospitable lands west of Mississippi (between Missouri and Red Rivers). Divided by tribe into a series of reservations. – U.S. forts to keep them in & most whites out. Examples in west of whites and Indians living side by side. Shared world. New Mexico, fur trading posts of Pacific Northwest, places in Texas & California, Canada and settlers in Mexico= Indians and whites in intimate contact with one another. Sometimes beneficial to both sides, other times not. Cultural melting. Westward expansion= change in opinions for some. British Settlers along Atlantic coast= Plantations Natives are excluded. territories= virgin land to westward explorers. Uninhabited. Dismiss Indian cultures= justification for actions. //Jackson and the Bank War// Jackson= willing to use federal power against rebellious states and tribes. Economic issues = consistently opposed to concentrating power in Federal government or in powerful associated institutes. 1830 veto of congressional measure providing a subsidy to the proposed Maysville Road in Kentucky. //Biddle’s Institution//
 * Calhoun’s Theory of Nullification**
 * Martin Van Buren**
 * Dan Vaccaro wrote this amazing section
 * January of 1830 saw the nullification debate intensify
 * During a routine debate over western lands, a senator from Connecticut suggested that all land sales and surveys be discontinued temporarily
 * Robert Hayne, a senator from SC responded, charging that slowing down the growth of the West was just a way to keep the power in the east
 * Hayne didn’t care about the West, he was hoping to raise support from western Senators for South Carolinas plan to lower the tariff
 * Haynes claimed that both the South and the West were victims of a “tyrannical northeast”
 * Haynes hinted that the South and West should band together to defend themselves against that tyranny
 * Daniel Webster, a senator from Mass answered in a fiery speech
 * He attacked Hayne for what he considered a challenge to the integrity of the Union
 * He basically challenged Hayne to a debate on the issue of states rights vs. national power
 * Hayne defended the theory of nullification
 * Webster spent two full days delivering his “second reply to Hayne” – one of his most famous speeches
 * He concluded with the ringing appeal, “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!”
 * At a banquet, President Jackson made a toast where he said, “Our Federal Union – it must be preserved” – he was aiming his words at Calhoun
 * Calhoun responded by saying, “The Union, next to our liberty most dear.”
 * This drew a line between the most important figures in government
 * The Nullification Crisis**
 * In 1832 the nullification debate hit crisis mode when South Carolinians responded angrily to a congressional tariff bill that offered them no relief from the 1828 “tariff of abominations”
 * The state legislature summoned a state convention and voted to nullify these two tariffs and forbid the collection of duties within the state
 * South Carolina elected Hayne to serve as governor and replaced Hayne with Calhoun as senator
 * Jackson said that nullification was treason
 * He strengthened federal forts in SC and brought warships to Charleston
 * When congress reconvened in 1833 Jackson proposed a force bill authorizing the president to use the military to see that acts of Congress were obeyed
 * Calhoun faced a predicament-he had no support from any other states
 * The election of Henry Clay to congress averted the crisis
 * Clay devised a compromise where the tariff would be lowered gradually so that it would be back to normal by 1842
 * White Attitudes toward the tribes**
 * In the eighteenth century many people thought of Indians as noble savages – people without real civilization but with the possibility to have one
 * By the 1800s, this view had changed
 * Now, many people thought of them as just savages with no redeeming qualities
 * The commitment to Indian removal lied in the belief that whites should not be expected to live in close proximity to the “savage” Indians
 * White westerners favored removal because they feared that contact with the Indians would just end in violence
 * Whites also just were greedy and wanted the land
 * The federal government was the only entity with the power to negotiate with the tribes
 * The Marshall court had acknowledged the tribes as not only sovereign nations but also dependent ones for whom the federal government was responsible for
 * The federal government usually interpreted this to mean that they needed to find places to move the Indians
 * The Black Hawk War**
 * In the old Northwest, the process of expelling the Indians culminated in a last battle in 1831-32 between white settlers and Fox Indians under the fabled warrior Black Hawk
 * An earlier treaty gave the tribal lands in Illinois to the US but Black Hawk and his followers refused to obey it
 * A thousand of them crossed the river and occupied the territory
 * Federal troops and militias assembled to repel the invaders
 * White military leaders were extremely vicious and vowed to exterminate the bandit collection of Indians and attacked them even when they tried to surrender
 * Most of the Indians were slaughtered
 * The “Five Civilized Tribes”**
 * The five civilized tribes were the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw
 * They were in Western Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida
 * The Cherokees had a particularly stable culture with a written language and constitution
 * Even some whites argued that the Cherokees, unlike others, should be allowed to retain their lands since they were so civilized
 * The federal government did not move fast enough for many whites
 * The State of Georgia’s independent effort to dislodge the Creeks is one example
 * In 1830 Congress passed the removal Act which appropriated money to finance federal negotiations with the southern tribes
 * In Georgia, the Cherokees tried to stop this by appealing to the Supreme Court
 * The courts decisions seemed to vindicate the tribe
 * Jackson had no sympathy to the Indians, indeed he had a history of hostility towards them
 * Jackson is reported to have said, “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.”
 * In 1835 the federal government made a treaty with a minority of the Cherokees
 * This treaty ceded the tribes land to Georgia for 5 mil and land across the Mississippi
 * Indian Removal**
 * The Seminole War**
 * Alternatives to Removal**
 * Jackson****’s Opposition to Concentrated Power**
 * Nicholas Biddle**
 * Hard and Soft Money**
 * Jackson****’s Veto**

//The “Monster” Destroyed// //The// //Taney Court//
 * Removal of Government Deposits**
 * Jackson** **Victorious**
 * Charles River** **Bridge** **vs.** **Warren** **Bridge**

The Changing Face of American Politics
//Democrats and Whigs// 
 * Birth of the Whig Party**
 * Democrats’ Emphasis on** **Opportunity**
 * Whig’s Call for Economic** **Union**
 * Anti-Masons**

__Cultural Issues__ __Clay’s American System__ __Election of 1836__ __Van Buren and the Panic of 1837__ __Distribution Act__ __Panic of 1937__ __Independent Treasury__ __Log Cabin Campaign__ __New Techniques of Political Campaigning__ __Frustration of the Whigs__ __Whigs Break with Tyler__
 * Religious views played important role in political parties
 * Democrats included many Irish and German Catholics- against industrial progress and respected family values
 * Whigs- Evangelical Protestants- very progressive
 * People more likely to choose party based on cultural, religious, or ethnic ties rather than on the issues proposed by each candidate
 * Whig’s defined what they stood for well, yet could not find a single leader as Jackson was the clear leader of the Democrats
 * The Great Triumvirate: 3 Whig Candidates- Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and Jon Calhoun
 * Clay- supported because of his program which was concentrated on internal improvements, economic development à the American System
 * Negatives- devious operator, too much influence in the west
 * Webster- good speechwriter, defended the Constitution, supporter of the Union
 * Negatives- support of the bank, protective tariff, association with the wealthy, and love of brandy
 * Calhoun- support in the south, national bank, strongly against Jackson
 * Negatives- not a true Whig, nullification controversy
 * Democrats- Martin Van Buren
 * Whig: Webster (NE), Hugh Lawson White (South), William Henry Harrison (Mid-West & West)
 * Whig’s tried to get maximum votes by having a different candidate support different sections of the country by taking away votes from Van Buren
 * If election went to the House, Whig’s would be able to elect president
 * Van Buren won 170 to 124 between the 3 Whig’s
 * Van Buren not as popular as the Jackson
 * Had success in 1836 because of economic boom (canal and railroad builders were at a peak of activity, prices rose, banks increased loans, lots of money in economy)
 * 40 million acres of public land sold between 1835-1837
 * only time in history that the US was out of debt (with a surplus)
 * Congress determined surplus would go to the states in the form of interest free loans in four installments
 * The loans were not expected to be repaid (?- not clear whether this was between the states, the federal government, or both)
 * Money spent on highways, railroads, and canals à another economic boom
 * In order for the funds to be deposited, state loans needed to be called in
 * Amount of land bought by states was not checked by congress, so the loans grew
 * 1836- Jackson issues Presidential order that states that the government would no longer except any currency except silver or gold, or securely backed by silver or gold to purchase public land (specie circular)
 * As a result, banks failed and unemployment rose
 * Prices fell, and riots broke out, states stopped paying interest on loans
 * Worst depression in US History from 1776-1837, lasted 5 years
 * Whigs responsible for the distribution act (weakened state banks)
 * Democrats responsible for specie circular
 * Europe was also in a state of depressionà European investors in America withdrew their support
 * Crop failures à need for imports, more money sent away
 * Van Buren opposed intervention
 * Borrowed money to pay government debts and only accepted silver and gold for tax money, made things worse
 * Preemption Bill gave settlers rights to buy government land near them before it opened for public sale à lowered the price of land
 * Van Buren succeeded in establishing a 10 hour workday on federal projects through presidential order
 * One legislative achievement was the formation of a new financial system instead of the Bank of the US
 * Independent Treasury/Sub-treasury system: place funds in Washington and in sub-treasuries in other cities
 * No private banks with government money
 * Passed in 1840
 * Whigs held a nominating convention in Harrisburg, PA Dec 1839
 * Clay too controversial
 * William Henry Harrison with John Tyler (VP)
 * Democrats nominated Van Buren, with no running mate
 * “Penny Press” carried election news to workers
 * Whigs against Jackson and the common man, supported business and trickle down economics, presented as common people in 1840
 * Portrayed Van Buren as an aristocrat
 * Harrison won the election 234 to 60, popular vote of 53%
 * Harrison died 1 month after taking office
 * Tyler far apart from Whigs
 * Harrison more trustful of Webster and Clay (Webster- Secretary of State)
 * Tyler left Democrat party earlier in his career
 * Against raising taxes and the independent treasury
 * But vetoes Bank of America
 * Disagreed with Whig legislation
 * All cabinet members except for Webster resigned, and 5 democrats took their places, later Calhoun (returned to Democratic Party) replaced Webster
 * Tyler and southern conservatives joined Democratsà stood for states rights and slavery

PATTERNS OF POPULAR CULTURE: THE PENNY PRESS //v// //A newspaper called the// //New York Sun// //emerged in New York City on September 3, 1833. First newspaper ever. Published by Benjamin Day.// //v// //Only four pages long, focusing on local news. Only cost one cent.// //v// //Before this newspapers only went to upper classes.// //v// //Steam-powered cylinder printing press and new machines for making paper, railroads and canals made distributing possible and less expensive.// //v// //The growing population in cities was comprised of artisans and clerks and other industrial working class people. Penny press targeted cities.// //v// //Growing appetite for journalism emerged from increase in people wanting representation// //v// //Embarrassed rich and powerful// //v// //New York Herald// //began publishing in 1835 ended up surpassing// //New York Sun////. Combined sensationalism and gossip.// //v// //Penny press turned journalism into profession by paying reporters// //v// //Aggressive and opinionated// //Whig Diplomacy// //v// //Series of incidents in late 1830s brought Great Britain and USA closer to war.// //v// //Residents of eastern provinces of Canada launched a rebellion against British in 1837// //v// //Rebels chartered American steamship, the Caroline, to ship supplies to them from NY// //v// //One American killed when// //Caroline// //seized by British.// The Caroline Affair //v// //This became known as the// //Caroline// //Affair// //v// //NY authorities arrested a Canadian named Alexander McLeod and charged him with murder of deceased man. Brits outraged.// //v// //McLeod was under NY jurisdiction and had to be tried in state courts. Brits did not understand this.// //v// //Lord Palmerston demanded McLeod’s release although Webster could not under law// Aroostook War v Tensions flared over boundary between Canada and Maine. Disputing since Treaty of 1783. v Groups of Americans and Canadians in 1838 moved to Aroostook River v Two groups began fighting. v In 1841 the //Creole// sailed from Virginia to New Orleans comprised of 100 slaves. v The slaves mutinied and took the ship to the Bahamas. v Brit declared slaves free. Southerners furious. Webster-Ashburn Treaty v Lord Ashburton went to America to negotiate an agreement in Maine in 1842 v His negotiations with Secretary of State Webster resulted in Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. v Terms established firm northern boundary between U.S. and Canada along Maine-New Brunswick border that survives today. v This gave U.S. more than half of what territory was disputed. v Ashburton eased memory of Creole and Caroline affairs by expressing regret and promising no interference with American ships. v Relationship improved and treaty well liked. Treaty of Wang Hya v During Tyler administration U.S. created first ties with China. v 1842 Britain forced China to open certain ports to foreign trade. v American mercantiles persuaded Tyler to send Caleb Cushing, a commissioner, to negotiate a treaty giving the U.S. part of China trade v Treaty concluded in 1844. Cushing secured most-favored nation provisions giving America more privileges than British. v Won right of “extraterritoriality”- Americans accused of crimes tried by Americans rather than Chinese v Trade steadily increased //v// Whig secured successes, but lost election of 1844. //Conclusion// v Election of 1828 marked triumph of vision of government. v A new political world emerged. v Number of people permitted to vote increased and laws loosened. v Parties were seen as contributing to democracy rather than contribute to factions. //Jackson’s Legacy// v Party man; entrenched his party, the Democrats. v Fiercely defended his region, the west v Limited role of federal government in economic affairs v Sought to destroy national bank v Nationalist who confronted challenges to American unity. v Anti-Jackson party emerged who called themselves the Whigs v Whigs won first presidential election in 1840
 * v //British refused to provide compensation for it.//**
 * v //NY jury acquitted McLeod//**