U.S. History Outline: V. Jackson and the Age of the Common Man
Jackson and the common man
First president to hold mass meetings
Gave speeches to crowds (in the style of the Second Great Awakening)
Voting restrictions finally abolished with Jackson's election
Earlier elections had required property or money to vote
Thomas Door
Formed People's Party (Doorites) in Rhode Island
1840 - Drafted a new egalitarian constitution, proclaimed themselves new federal government
Presidential primaries
1832 - Anti-Masons party held the first formal primary election
Before this, caucuses of party elite selected the candidates
President Jackson
Believed in states' rights and strong executive
John C. Calhoun - Jackson's VP and his main opponent
Calhoun's nullification doctrine - compromise to prevent secession
Martin Van Buren - Encouraged the Jackson/Calhoun split, became Jackson's right-hand man
Peggy Eaton Affair
Peggy had supposedly had affairs with Eaton and Jackson
She married Eaton (Secretary of War), but other cabinet wives didn't accept her
Jackson ordered federal staff to accept her, all complied but Calhoun
Jackson/Calhoun split - Jackson turned support to Van Buren
Nullification crisis
North was trying to slow western development
South and West joined forces against North
Nullification debates, South Carolina stopped collecting tariff
Force Bill - Jackson forced Carolina to pay tariff
Clay's Compromise
South Carolina would repeal tariff nullification
Congress would lower tariff
South Carolina nullified Force Act (Just to have the final word)
Indian Removal
Jackson vs. Indian tribes
1831-2 - Black Hawk War
Sauks fought over the treaty ceding land to the U.S.
Sauks were defeated, last major Indian war
1830 - Indian Removal Act - transport southern tribes to Oklahoma
Five Civilized Tribes
Cherokee, Creek, Chocktaw, Chicksaw, Seminole
Farming tribes in the South that adopted White customs
1834 - Indian Removal Act enacted with removal of Chocktaws
1838 - Trail of Tears
Some Cherokees fled to North Carolina reservation, but otherwise removal was complete
1835 - Seminole War
Osceola (Seminole chief) stabbed removal treaty with a knife
Most Seminoles captured and transfered by 1842
Indian removal opened up land for Southern planting
War on the National Bank
Jackson had vendetta against Nicholas Biddle, head of National Bank
Daniel Webster and Henry Clay supported bank
1832 - National Bank's charter expired
Congress renewed the charter
Jackson vetoed the renewal
Pet Banks
National Bank still operated for a few years after 1832, but Jackson removed federal funds
Jackson transfered federal funds to state banks run by Jackson and supporters
Jackson fired a few Secretaries of Treasury over the removal
Finally, Sec. of Treasury Roger Taney agreed to remove federal funds to pet banks
Jackson later made Taney Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
National Bank collapsed from loss of federal funds
Election of 1832
Clay ran against Jackson on the National Bank issue, but lost
Clay's loss was partly because third party candidates stole votes
Political parties of the Jacksonian period
Two main parties
Democratic-Republicans
Jacksonians - favored common man
Mainly Westerners and rural Southerners
Whigs
Favored businesses
Mainly New Englanders and wealthy Southerners
Major Whig leaders - Clay, Webster, Calhoun
Represented middle, New England, and rich South, respectively
No clear presidental candidate
Webster was an alcoholic, Clay and Calhoun lacked broad appeal
Clay ran and lost three times
Both parties favored economic expansion
Third parties
Anti-Masonic
Right-wing Whigs, conspiracy theorists
Anti-immigrant (German and Irish main immigrants at this time)
Election of 1836
Martin Van Buren (Dem.) vs. Henry Clay, Hugh Lawson White, William Henry Harrison (all Whigs)
Martin Van Buren won
Whig vote split between three candidates
Van Buren not a great speaker, but a great manipulator, also had Jackson's support
Panic of 1837
Partly caused by destruction of National Bank
Briefly held off by surplus from sale of western lands
Specie circular
Issued by Jackson
Said that government land could only be bought with specie
Stopped land sales
Brought economy to a standstill
1840 - U.S. Treasury Department created to hold federal money
Near-war with Canada (late 1830s)
Part of Canada rebelled against Commonwealth government
Rebels used U.S. ships to run guns
British attacked one such ship, Caroline
An American was killed
U.S. tried British soldier for murder
New York jury acquitted him
Aroostook War
Prompted by Caroline incident and lumberjack fight
Election of 1840
Martin Van Buren (Dem.) vs. William Henry Harrison (Whig)
Van Buren was hated by this time, Harrison won
Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign
Van Buren portrayed as an aristocrat, Harrison as a simple rural man
Actually, Harrison was from a rich plantation family
Vp John Tyler
Southerner, former Jacksonian
Took over when William Henry Harrison died months after the election
Raised tariffs
Did not recharter U.S. Bank
Whole cabinet resigned over bank issue
Tyler replaced them with Jacksonians
Pro-states' rights, appointed Calhoun to cabinet
1842 - opened U.S.-China trade, which helped economy
Immigration
U.S. population quadrupled between 1800 and 1840
Immigration increased in 1830s, mostlty Irish and German
Irish settled mainly in cities, Germans in West
Transportation
Before 1820, turnpikes were main transport routes
After 1820, canals and steamboats were main transport routes
Erie Canal (1825)
Connected Albany, NY to Lake Ontario
Transport from New York to Ohio Valley and Chicago
Railroads became major in 1840s, linked with canals
All of North and Northwestern states linked by 1850
Created strong North-Northwest ties
British and French built and owned early American railroads
Technology
1839 - vulcanized rubber (Goodyear)
1844 - telegraph (Samuel Morse), more widely used in North than South
1846 - rotary printing press (Richard Hoe)
1846 - sewing machine (Elias Howe)
Industry
1830s - more companies - stock companies
1830s - factory system
Interchangeable parts, steam-engine-powered machines
Lowell, Massachusetts textile mills
U.S. became a manufacturing center - textiles, shoes, guns, iron, tools
Unions
First formed among textile women
1842 - Commonwealth v. Hunt declared unions legal
Unions formed for cattle ranchers, textile workers, stonecutters
Society
More urban population, individualism
Fewer extended families - nuclear family became more important
"Cult of domesticity" stressed nuclear family, defined male/female roles
1837 - Mt. Holyoke, first women's college founded
American upper class developed, led to concern for lower class, reform movements
Frontier - "Safety valve", less social unrest
Southern Life
Economy organized around cash crop agriculture
1840s - mechanical reaper invented (Cyrus McCormic)
Mechanized farming
Cotton was primary crop - more profitable than industry
Cotton production and slave ownership increased from 1820s to 1860s
Society
Aristocratic plantation society, very little middle class
Few cities, mostly widespread farms
Little contact between neighbors
Little need for railroads, river transport was available to main ports
Slavery
Slavery less oppressive before 1800, became increasingly dehumanizing 1800-1860s
Slaves couldn't own property, be educated, or testify in court
Slave owners not legally responsible for killing or injuring slaves
In cities, slaves worked menial/factory jobs
Better hours and lifestyle than that of plantation slaves
As number of free blacks increased, white Southerners feared rebellion
Passed laws to oppress blacks in general
Slave revolts
1800 - Richmond, VA, led by Gabriel Prosser
1822 - Charlestown, SC, led by Denmark Vessey
1831 - Southern VA, let by Nat Turner
Nat Turner's insurrection was the only slave revolt that wasn't put down before it started
Reform movements
Abolitionism, women's movements, aid for poor, better treatment for insane
Socialist communities
Fourier Experiment, Owen's city of "New Harmony"
Complete failures
Mormons - Joseph Smith
Started in New York, moved west
1844 - Smith arrested for treason and killed by a mob
Brigham Young - moved Mormon community to Utah
Abolitionists
1817 - American Colonization Society
Back-to-Africa movement, bought African land and formed Liberia
Not a very feasible plan
William Lloyd Garrison
Wrote for abolitionist paper and founded "The Liberator"
Wrote about slavery from Blacks' point of view
Believed in abolition and not gradual emancipation
Lost support when he started calling for overthrow of the government
Frederick Douglass
Escaped slavery 1838
Joined abolitionists and started "North Star"
Henry Beecher - preacher, Harriet Beacher Stowe's father
Elija Lovejoy - martyr
Prigg v. Pennsylvania
Ruled states were not required to assist each other in return of slaves
Northern states began passing laws that made escaped slaves free
Liberty/Free-Soil Party - run by James Birney
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851) by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Protections for slavery
States' rights
With states' rights, federal government could not outlaw slavery
Westward expansion
Expansion of slavery into western states gave slave states more power
Westward expansion
John L. O'Sullivan - "Manifest Destiny"
Henry Clay opposed manifest destiny, felt it would bring out North-South conflicts
Election of 1844
Henry Clay (Whig) vs. James Polk (Democratic-Republican) vs. James Birney (Liberty)
Polk believed in manifest destiny, wanted to annex Texas and Oregon
James Birney ran on anti-slavery platform, stole votes from Clay
Texas
Mexican government invited Americans to settle Texas
Mexico wanted a buffer between their land and the U.S.
Americans clashed with Mexican government, tried to become independent
Mexico banned further immigration (unsuccessfully)
Santa Ana
Dictator of Mexico, established control over Texas
Planned to intimidate the Texans into submission
Stephen Austin
Leader of the Texas immigrants
His arrest led to guerilla fighting
1863 - Texas declared independence, Santa Ana invaded
Battle of the Alamo - Texans wiped out
Goldiad - Texans surrendered, Santa Ana had them executed
Battle of San Jacinto
Texas army led by Sam Houston wiped out Mexican army
Santa Ana recognized Texan independence, Mexican government did not
Texas applied for annexation to the U.S.
At first, U.S. worried about angering Mexico
Then U.S. worried whether to make Texas slave state or free
1845 - Tyler annexed Texas just before leaving office
Oregon
1818 - Joint occupancy (Britain/U.S.) of Oregon
1820s and 30s - American settlers moved into Oregon
1840s - American settlers formed the majority in Oregon
Polk wanted to annex Oregon
Wanted to show Britain that U.S. was serious about expansion
(Mexican-American war cause)
54-40 or Fight!
Debate over where to draw line between Canada and Oregon
1846 - British offered to compromise at 49 degrees latitude, Congress agreed
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