The right to vote was finally given to all white men, regardless of property holdings or status. In 1840, more than 90% of white males could vote

The right to vote was finally given to all white men, regardless of property holdings or status. In 1840, more than 90% of white males could vote Universal Principle of Universal Suffrage (aka white manhood suffrage) (as defined by United States Magazine and Democratic Review in 1851) meant white males of age constituted the political nation Argument: how does universal exclude blacks and women? During the Jackson administration, states gave all white men the right to vote and took away voting privileges from blacks. (Blacks could vote under property requirements) Voting was essential to American freedom. By giving property-less white men the right to vote, it made the women s lack of political freedom more evident. The right to vote (held only by white men) came to represent freedom. 3

There was an increase in the printing, availability, and circulation of newspapers. During this time, more people had access to newspapers. Political parties spread their ideas using newspaper. Each political party had their own newspaper that they used to publicize their ideas. Blacks, abolitionists (1830 s), and Native Americans created new alternative newspapers. One such black newspapers was called the Freedom Journal. This explosion of the written word results in an expanded public sphere. 4

Whites started to make fun of blacks through theatrical performances, cartoons, and other artwork. (Such as the Minstrel Shows and political cartoons.) Race started to replace class as the boundary between those who enjoy rights and those who don t. (This is when poor whites begin to look at their whiteness as currency poor but not black.) Blacks could not served in militia or army and were not equal before the law. There was also a solidification of the union between those of European origins. This is the beginning of race. 5

Note: a caucus of Repub. congressmen traditionally chose the party s nominee for president. The caucus selected Crawford, but this did not deter the other candidates, a sign that at a time of expanding democracy a small group of officials could no longer determine who ran for office. 31

-Clay gave his support to Adams since it seemed most beneficial for his beliefs Clay became secretary of state in Adams cabinet The alliance of Clay and Adams became the basis for the Whig Party (same as Republican Party) of the 1830s 33

- The spirit of improvement is abroad in the land, and the federal government should be its patron -Plans included estab. of a national university, astronomical observatory, naval academy 36

Andrew Jackson was a contradictory man He had little formal education that John Adams even called him "a barbarian who could not write a sentence of grammar." Although, it should be noted that Jackson was capable of genuine eloquence in public statements He believed that Indians should be pushed west of the Mississippi and Africans should either be kept as slaved or sent out of the country He was suspicious of the banks and paper money and feared the market revolution was a source of moral decay He was a strong nationalist. This means he believed the states should be the focal point of governmental activity 40

Before this there was the 1 st Party system, with Hamilton and Jefferson. By Jackson s time, politics was a form of mass entertainment, so much that thousands of Americans willingly attended political debates and speeches. Party machines reached into every neighborhood in the cities. They provided benefits like jobs to constituents and ensured that voters went to the polls on election day Jackson declared government posts should be open to the people, not reserved for a privileged and permanent class of bureaucrats So, he introduced the principle of rotation in office into national government. This made loyalty to the party the main qualification for jobs like postmaster and customs official. This is the Spoils System. 41

There were two parties that emerged in this time, the Democrats and Whigs aka the Republicans The central elements of political debate, the main things that were talked about, were the government s stance towards banks tariffs, currency and internal improvements, and the balance of power between national and local authority. Around this time the 2 nd Party System was created. 42

After the war of 1812, there was only one party (Federalists from the 1 st Party System were against the war or 1812 and the war was very popular with the people). John Quincy Adams ran against Andrew Jackson for presidency. Both were in the same party. While Jackson won most popular votes, Adams won most electoral votes. The House was then mandated to choose who would be President. When Adams was chosen, Jackson accused him of having a corrupt bargain (with Henry Clay who was the Speaker of the House that was chosen to be Secretary of State by Adams) that helped him win. After this, the one party split into two, the Democrats and Republicans, or Whigs 43

The Democrats were alarmed by the widening gap between social classes They warned that nonproducers, which are bankers, merchants, and speculators were looking to use government connections to enhance their wealth This was to the disadvantage of the producing classes, which are farmers, artisans, and laborers. They believed the government should adopt a hands-off attitude toward the economy The Democratic Party attracted aspiring entrepreneurs who resented government aid to established businessmen. It also attracted large numbers of farmers and city workers that were suspicious of new corporate enterprises 45

The Whigs, or Republicans, united behind the American System, which Liz will explain They were against Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party They believed the federal government could guide economic development The Whigs were the strongest in the Northeast. The counties of upstate New York became a Whig stronghold Most established businessmen and bankers and the largest southern planters supported them. Farmers in regions near rivers, canals, and the Great Lakes who would benefit from economic changes also supported them. 46

For Democrats (Remember Jackson s party), liberty was a private entitlement best secured by local governments and endangered by powerful national authority A Democratic newspaper wrote in 1842, The limitation of power, in every branch of our government, is the only safeguard of liberty. Under Jackson, the national government s power waned In Democratic views, a weak national authority was essential to both private freedom and state s rights. Under Jackson, Democrats reduced expenditures, lowered the tariff, killed the national bank (Matt will explain this later), and refused pleas for federal aid to internal improvements (in other words, he turned down government spending to balance the budget). By 1835, Jackson paid off the national debt 47

The Tariff of 1828 raised taxes on imported manufactured goods made of wool and raw materials like iron This aroused a good amount of opposition in the South, mostly in South Carolina. It was called the tariff of abominations The Southern states leaders no longer believed it was possible or desirable to compete with the North in industrial development Insisting that the tariff raised the prices paid by southern consumers to benefit the North, the legislature threatened to nullify it Nullify means to declare it null and void within their state. They ignored it and didn t follow it. 48

South Carolina had the largest proportion of slaves in its population. (Their slave population was 55% in 1830) It was controlled by a tight knit group of large planters, who maintained their grip by state constitution that gave them far greater representation in legislature than their population warranted, and through high property qualifications for officeholders. South Carolina citizens were thoroughly surprised by the Missouri crisis and by the steady strengthening of national authority by John Marshall s Supreme Court. Behind their economic complaints against the tariff lay the conviction that the federal government must be weakened lest it one day take action against slavery. 49

Calhoun s Political Theory John C. C Peggy Eaton affair Calhoun s wife, Floride, snubbed Peggy, because she was seen as a women with loose morals, Jackson s wife This started a national scandal Andrew refused to fire Jackson, John resigned Calhoun soon became leading theorist of nullification We must remember -- South falling behind in population While being VP in 1828 secretly drafted Exposition and Protest This document drew on the arguments in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 Compact theory- since the states granted a central government power then can also take it away, by leaving it Debate over nullification raged in Washington Nullification Calhoun s political theory The south felt that the tariff on foreign goods was unfair Webster thought the states should ne able to break away from the country if needed, unlike senator Robert Y. Hayne He ca ed u ificatio i ega, u co stitutio a, a d treaso ous i ert a d io, o a d 51

fore er, o e a d i se ara e Calhoun publicly emerged as the leading theorist of states rights, became the face of the states 51

Nullification Crisis Political cartoon 1833 at the height of the nullification controversy shows John Calhoun climbing steps, showing all the things he has caused South Carolina stood alone during this crisis And did not win, the compact theory gave the south something to rally around Calhoun denied that nullification was a step towards disunion, and the states should be the check on the national government not the supreme court The only way to ensure the stability of a large, diverse nation was for each state to be assured that national actions would never trample on its rights or vital interests According to Jackson nullification amounted to nothing less then disunion "Can anyone of common sense believe the absurdity, that a faction of any state, or a state, has a right to secede and destroy this union, and the liberty of the country with it?" 1832- new tariff on imported goods South Carolina declared the tax null and void Jackson persuaded congress to enact a force bill, authorizing use of force to collect tax 1833-Henry Clay, with Calhoun's assistance, attempt to try and avoid confrontation engineered a new lower tariff South Carolina eliminated the nullification order on the tariff (agreed to collect it) but not on the Force Act Calhoun left Democratic party for the Whigs, where he became a part of a 52

powerful trio of political leaders 52

Indian Removal Jackson s exclusion of the Indians led to the final act in the long conflict between white Americans and Indians east of the Mississippi river 1820 Missouri forced its Indian population to leave the state Indian Removal Act of 1830 One of the early laws of Jackson s administration Provided funds for uprooting the five tribes, about 60,000 North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi Indians efforts to become civilized in the American society, Jefferson agreed could happen Establishing schools Adopting written laws and a constitution modeled from the United states Became successful farmers, many who owned slaves Despite this, Jackson continued to repeatedly refer to Indians as savage Cherokee leaders go to supreme court to try to protect their rights 53

The Supreme Court and the Indians 1823- the court had proclaimed that Indians were not in fact owners of the land but merely had a right of occupancy 1831- Cherokee Nation v. Georgia Marshall, chief justice, described Indians as wards of the federal government They deserved paternal regard and protection But lacked the standing as citizens that allowed the supreme court to enforce their rights Justices could not block Georgia s effort to extend its jurisdiction over the tribe Cherokee did not yet win in this case the supreme court punted 1832- Worcester v. Georgia The court changed its mind The Indian nations were a distinct people with the right to maintain a separate political identity Jackson refuses to recognize the validity of the Worcester ruling John Marshall has mad his decision, now let him enforce it. Jackson acting as if he was the king One small faction signed for the removal despite the fact that John Ross, president of Indians, and almost all Cherokee did not agree to this The Trial of Tears 54

18,000 men, women, and children forced to move west 1/4 th perished during winter of 1838-1839 During the 1830 s most of the southern tribes departed peacefully Seminoles settled in Florida Florida had been a refuge for fugitive slaves also Georgia sent a militia into Florida to recapture them but it was driven out by Seminole and African American fighters The second Seminole War, 1835-1842, about 1,500 American soldiers and 1,500 Seminoles killed, about 3,000 Indians and 500 blacks were forced to move west Jackson reinforced the idea of race by pushing the Indians west and also saying they will not be able to coexist with white 54

Monster bank Not a formal part of government, but acted like it Background Bank as controversial symbol of market revolution (beginning of corporations) Nicholas Biddle Main driving force for national bank (president) Main opposition to Jackson Wanted national bank to be supreme authority over state banks Monster Bank (what people like Jackson argued) Illegitimate union of political authority, entrenching economic privilege Too much power 56

charter wasn t even close to running out Biddle wanted to ensure the banks power National banks have great influence Jackson vs. Bank 1832 bill extending Bank charter Extending banks charter 20 years Like blackmail o Jackson s reelection in jeopardy Veto by Jackson Refusal to be intimidated Attempting to kill bank The rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes 57

paper money was favored by middle class middle class all voted for him Significance Populist themes of veto message Won the people over o Especially middle class Affirmation of presidential power 58

Aftermath Sweeping reelection of Jackson Gradual death of Bank Bill vetoed (renewal of bank charter) Charter expired Shift of government funds to local banks Victory of "soft-money" over "hard-money" Jacksonians "Pet banks" o Local banks holdings federal funds Expansion of paper currency Speculative boom Speculators buying up public land/reselling Use of paper money Decline in real wages 59

The Panic of 1837 Causes Specie Circular o Executive order o Payments to government must be in gold Bank of England demand for repayment in gold or silver Economic downturn in Britain Resulting depression Business failures Farmers' loss of land Urban unemployment 60

o Van Buren in office Ascendancy of hard-money Democrats Shift of government funds from pet banks to Independent Treasury Split within Democratic party 61