Jackson & Growth of US Democracy
The Inauguration of Andrew Jackson
During the election of 1828, the United States experienced a growth in democracy. In this election, the common people could vote for the first time. Before this, only white property owners could vote. Most states begin to get rid of requirements of owning property in order for men to vote. Even with an increase in voter turnouts, the opportunity was still not open to African Americans, Native Americans, or women. Many people wildly celebrated Jackson’s inauguration at the White House. They believed he was the champion of the common people. They also believed that Jackson would reduce the power of monied interests. His election reflected a shift in power to the Western states and to the farmers, shopkeepers, and small business owners. The rich and well-born were not so sure Jackson was the best person to be president. Jackson’s views on government left a legacy to the modern Democratic Party.
From the Frontier to the White House
Andrew Jackson grew up in poverty. He was truly a self-made man. He became a lawyer, then a planter, then a military hero, and finally, the president of the United States. Jackson was well known for his victory in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Jackson lost the election in 1824 in the so-called “corrupt bargain” when Henry Clay was accused of trading his support for Adams for a job as secretary of state. Jackson’s supporters founded a new Democratic Party to represent the farmers, workers, and poor. In 1828, Jackson was elected president. It was a victory in that the idea that the common people should control their government.
Jackson’s Approach to Governing
Jackson’s approach to governing was controversial. He relied more on his friends in the “kitchen cabinet” that he did on the regular cabinet. He also tried to reform the government. He believed that government workers should “go back to making a living as other people do.” He replaced about 10 percent of civil servants. Jackson felt that rotating people in office was more democratic than lifetime service because it gave more people a chance to serve their government. Jackson rewarded his followers in the Democratic Party with government jobs. His opponents called this the “spoils system”, from the saying “to the victor belong the spoils of war.”
The Nullification Crisis
Tariffs, or taxes on imported goods, were a source of unhappiness and hardship in some states and a source of joy in others. Raising tariffs was to encourage the growth of manufacturing. Higher tariffs meant higher prices for imported factory goods. American manufacturers could then outsell their foreign competitors. Southern states suffered because of the tariffs. The Southern economy was based on agriculture and a dependence on slavery and large plantations had discouraged manufacturing. The southern states would have to pay higher taxes on factory goods and they worried the higher taxes would hurt trade of cotton to foreign countries. The northern states that had new factories and an economy of manufacturing favored the new tariffs. Jackson opposed a strong central government and unreasonable taxation. He believed that taxation could quickly lead to an abuse of power and control over the American people.
When a high tariff was passed in 1828, citizens in South Carolina were outraged. They believed the federal government had gone too far, and they threatened to secede. John C. Calhoun, the vice president, was a champion of South Carolina’s states’ rights position since it was his home state. Daniel Webster, a senator from Massachusetts, was against the southern position instead fighting for unity among all the states. Vice President Calhoun tried to have the tariffs repealed, and argued in favor of nullification. States’ rights supporters argued that states had the right to overturn, or nullify, federal laws they felt were unconstitutional. Jackson threatened to send in federal troops, and the crisis ended.
Jackson Battles the Bank of the United States
The Bank of the United States was a controversial institution during Jackson’s time. It was extremely powerful and it controlled the nation’s money supply. Jackson believed that the Bank separated the social classes. The bank would serve only the rich, gave too much power to the government, and ignored the needs of the common man. The Bank’s director, Nicholas Biddle, represented everything that Jackson hated. He was not only rich, but well-born. The government had large deposits in the Bank. Henry Clay, one of Jackson’s chief political opponents, tried to use the Bank controversy to defeat Jackson in 1832. With the support of poor farmers, Jackson defeated Clay and killed the Bank. He ordered all government money to be withdrawn and put in state banks. Jackson’s enemies called these “pet banks” because they were run by the president’s supporters.
Jackson’s Indian Policy
Early in the 19th century, while the rapidly-growing United States expanded into the lower South, white settlers faced what they considered an obstacle. This area was home to the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations. These Indian nations, in the view of the settlers and many other white Americans, were standing in the way of progress. Eager for land to raise cotton, the settlers pressured the federal government to acquire Indian territory.
Jackson believed that the Indians should move west to make room for white settlers. He urged Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This gave the president power to negotiate removal treaties with tribes living east of Mississippi. Under these treaties, the Indians were to give up lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands to the west. Those wishing to remain would become citizens of their home state. The removal was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful, and it was for tribes that agreed to the conditions.
The Cherokee used legal means in attempt to safeguard their rights. The Cherokee adopted a written constitution declaring to be a sovereign nation. They based this on US policy; in former treaties, Indian nations had been declared sovereign so they would be legally capable of ceding their lands. The state of Georgia, however, did not recognize their sovereign status, but saw them as tenants living on state land. The Cherokee took their case to the Supreme Court, named Worcester vs. Georgia, and the Supreme Court ruled against the state of Georgia protecting the Indian claims. Jackson and the federal government ignored the ruling forcing the Indians into a move west.
In 1836, the Cherokee were given two years to migrate voluntarily to the Indian Territory, which is present day Oklahoma, at the end of which they would be forcibly removed. By 1838, only 2,000 had migrated and 16,000 remained on their lands. The US government sent in 7,000 troops who forced the Cherokee into stockades (cattle pens) at bayonet point. They were not allowed time to gather their belongings, and as they left, whites looted their homes. Then began the march known as the Trail of Tears, in which 4,000 people died of cold, hunger, and disease on the way to the western lands.