AP Chapter 11The Growth of Democracy

Expansion and Limits of Suffrage

Voting rights were often limited to property owning males

Most new western states extended voting rights to all white males over 21 and by 1820 most older states did as well

Many refused to give blacks the right to vote b/c it would lead to migration north and westward

Women were also denied the right to vote mainly for patriarchal reasons

Wealthy women did engage in politics through charity and church groups

Despite these restrictions the right to vote was the most widespread in the U.S.

Election of 1824

Crawford (GA), Adams (MA), Clay (KY), Calhoun (SC) and Jackson (TN) all Republicans ran for president

Jackson won the most popular and electoral votes with Adams 2nd but neither had a majority

H of R had to decide and Henry Clay threw his support to Adams and the House declared him president

Election of 1824

Adams named Clay his Sec. of State and people called it a “corrupt bargain”

Adam’s faced a rough presidency and the early stages of a 2 party system emerged

New politics preached loyalty amongst its party members

Party Politics were exciting, entertaining and created a sense of belonging

Election of 1828

Andrew Jackson (Democrat) vs. John Q. Adams (National Republican) battled for the presidency

John C. Calhoun became Jackson’s running mate despite the fact that he was Adam’s current VP

Jackson won with 56% of the vote and called it a victory for the “common man”

Jackson Presidency

Jackson was referred to as “Old Hickory” b/c he was tough and unbending

Jackson often ignored his cabinet members in favor of the “Kitchen Cabinet” made up of Martin Van Buren and his western friends

VP Calhoun, Clay and Daniel Webster were excluded from the “Kitchen Cabinet”

Jackson created the “Spoil System” for govt. jobs

Jackson used the veto power more than his predecessors and believed the president should dominate the government

Jackson soon was at odds with his VP Calhoun (defended southern interests), Webster (Represented N. interest) and Clay (defended the west)

Clay pushed for the American System to create more roads

Nullification Crisis

Became a major issue when Congress passed a series of tariffs in 1824 and 1828 that protected northern interests and hurt the South

Tariff of Abominations 1828- benefited some sections and hurt others, really angered the South

Calhoun and South Carolina were extremely angry and feared the govt.’s power

The issue of nullification became widespread in South Carolina

Jackson saw nullification as a threat to national security and opposed it

Calhoun soon lost any influence on Jackson and resigned from the VP

Tariff of 1832 continued the high rates and S.C. responded with the Ordinance of Nullification which rejected the tariff

S.C. threatened to secede from the Union so Jackson obtained from Congress a Force Bill to collect the taxes

S.C. with the help of Clay accepted the Tariff Act of 1833 and repealed nullification

Serious threat to national security and further divided the sections

Indian Removal

Passed by Congress in 1830 and forced the removal of Indians to the Oklahoma Territory

Cherokees sued and won in Worcester v. Georgia and Cherokee Nation v. Georgia when Marshall said a domestic dependent nation and could not be forced to move

Jackson ignored the courts decision and forced the removal

Some mounted resistance while others moved west

Trail of Tears- 16,000 (25% died) were driven by federal troops to Oklahoma

Black Hawk War- US troops defeated Sauk and Fox Indians in Illinois

Internal Improvements

Jackson refused to use federal funds for internal improvements

States and towns spent most of the money for roads and canals

States were linked by a crude set of roads that were nearly impassable when bad weather arrived

Support for Private Enterprise

Const. prevented the states from interfering in interstate trade

Dartmouth v. Woodward (1819) said states could not interfere in contracts

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) said NY could not grant a monopoly over interstate trade

C.J. Marshall presided over both cases

The Bank War

National Bank controlled the state banks and many resented the bank and felt that it favored certain regions and people

Jackson vetoed the rechartering of the bank but Congress could still renew it

Jackson transferred $10 million to “Pet Banks” despite his cabinets objection

Election of 1832

Jackson easily defeated Clay and marked the end of the American System

Jackson angered his opponents so much that it led to the formation of another party

Jackson greatly exceeded his power as president and was often referred to as “King Andrew”

King Andrew

Election of 1836

Economic problems of 1833-34 led to the creation of the Whig Party

Martin Van Buren (D) easily defeated the 4 Whig candidates in the 1836 election

B/c of land speculation Jackson ordered Specie Circular which said only gold and silver could be used to buy public land

Panic of 1837 was a result of the Bank War and wide spread land speculation, and a sharp contraction of credit

Van Buren had a dismal term as president and faced tough economic times

Panic of 1837

2nd Two Party System

Democrats

Favored expansion

Indian removal

Freedom on the frontier

Whigs

Strong Central Govt.

National Bank

Protective Tariffs

Internal Improvements

Government Intervention

Election of 1840Tippecanoe and Tyler

TooWilliam H. Harrison (W) and VP was John Tyler easily defeated Van Buren

Greatest voter turnout with 80%

Harrison died one month after inauguration

Tyler was originally chosen for sectional reasons but soon proved to be anti-Whig

Tyler was forced out of the Whig Party and his cabinet resigned so he appointed Democrats

Led to a political stalemate between Congress and the president

American Literature

Newspapers and pamphlets led to popular culture and wrote about Davey Crockett

Walt Whitman became widely read

Samuel Morse invented the Morse Code

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “The American Scholar” and wrote about the ordinary inspirations of daily life

Whitman and Emerson

Conclusion

Party politics emerged after 1824

Jackson greatly exceeded the power of the presidency

Indian Removal, Bank Wars and Nullification were major issues in the country