The Jackson Era Jackson

1
The Jackson EraJacksons Administration

• Chapter 10, Section 2
• Pages 326 - 331

2
Building Background

• Even though Americans had a new feeling of
  national unity, different sections of the country
  still had very different interests.
• The industrial North competed with the
  agricultural South and the western frontier.
• As Congress favored one section over another,
  political differences grew.

3
Sectional Differences Increase

• Regional differences had a major effect on Andrew
  Jacksons presidency.
• There were three main U.S. regions in the early
  1800s.
• North economy based on manufacturing and trade
• South economy based on agriculture (cotton and
  tobacco)
• West frontier region, just beginning to emerge
  free land encouraged people to move west

4
Tariff of Abominations

• Tariffs (taxes) became one of the major issues
  that President Jackson had to deal with.
• Northern manufacturers insisted on a tariff on
  imported woolen goods. This would protect their
  industries from foreign competition.
• Tariff of Abominations a high tariff on
  imported goods outraged Southern voters.
• This tariff added fuel to the growing sectional
  differences that plagued the young nation.

5
States Rights Debate

• In 1829 President Jackson was forced to respond
  to the conflict over tariffs.
• At the core of the dispute was the question of an
  individual states right to disregard a law that
  had been passed by the U.S. Congress.

6
Nullification Crisis

• Vice President John C. Calhoun (SC) strongly
  opposed the Tariff of Abominations.
• He voiced his disagreement in the South Carolina
  Exposition and Protest, stating that Congress
  should not favor one state or region over
  another.
• Calhouns states rights doctrine basically
  stated that since the states had formed the
  national government, state power should be
  greater than the power of the federal government.

7
Nullification Crisis

• Conflict between the supporters and the opponents
  of nullification deepened.
• As a result of the conflict, Calhoun resigned as
  Vice President and was then elected to the U.S.
  Senate.
• Martin Van Buren replaced Calhoun as Vice
  President when Jackson was re-elected as
  President.

8
Debates States Rights

• There has always been debate about the rights of
  states
• Thomas Jefferson and James Madison supported
  states power to disagree with the federal
  government in the Virginia and Kentucky
  Resolutions (1798-99).
• Hartford Convention supporters backed the right
  of states to challenge the constitutionality of
  laws.
• Senator Robert Hayne (SC) argued that
  nullification gave states a way to lawfully
  protest federal legislation.
• Daniel Webster (MA) argued that the U.S. was one
  nation.

9
South Carolinas Actions

• Although deeply opposed to nullification, Jackson
  was concerned about economic problems in Southern
  states.
• In 1832 he urged Congress to pass another tariff
  that lowered the previous rate.
• South Carolina thought that the slight change was
  in adequate.
• South Carolina decided to pass the Nullification
  Act, which declared the 1828 and 1832 tariffs to
  be null, void, and not binding.
• South Carolina even threatened to withdraw from
  the Union.

10
Jackson Responds

• Jackson was enraged by South Carolinas actions.
• Jackson strongly condemned nullification.
• He also declared that he would enforce the law in
  South Carolina.
• Congress passed the Force Bill, which gave
  Jackson the right to use the army if necessary.
• As a result of Jacksons actions, no other state
  supported South Carolina.
• This conflict would continue for years, ending in
  a huge conflict.

11
Jackson Attacks the Bank

• Jackson didnt always support greater federal
  power. He opposed the Second Bank of the United
  States.
• The Second Bank of the U.S. had a 20 year
  charter.
• Acted exclusively as the federal governments
  financial agent.
• 80 of the bank was privately own, but it was
  supervised by Congress.
• Southern states opposed the bank.
• Many believed that the bank only helped the
  wealthy.

12
McCulloch v. Maryland

• Jackson questioned the legality of the Bank.
• He believed that the Bank was an unconstitutional
  extension of the power of Congress.
• Maryland passed a tax that would limit the Banks
  operations.
• This action resulted in a case going all the way
  to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Court ruled that
  the national bank was constitutional.

13
I will kill it.

• In 1832, Nicholas Biddle, the Banks director,
  decided to push for a bill to renew the Banks
  charter.
• Jackson campaigned for the bills defeat.
• Having said that I will kill it, Jackson vetoed
  the legislation when Congress sent it to him to
  sign.
• Congress could not get the two-thirds majority
  needed to override Jacksons veto.
• Jackson also weakened the Banks power by moving
  most of its funds to state banks.

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15
Financial Crisis

• After Jackson moved government funds to state
  banks, the banks began to use the money to offer
  easy credit terms to people buying land.
• While this helped the expansion of the West, it
  led to inflation.
• In the summer of 1836 Jackson order Americans to
  use only gold or silver instead of paper notes
  to buy government owned land.
• This policy did not help the national economy as
  Jackson hoped.

16
Election of 1836

• Jackson decided that he was not going to run for
  re-election.
• The Democrats nominated Vice President Martin Van
  Buren as their candidate.
• A new political party was formed in 1834 to
  oppose Jackson the Whig Party.
• The Whig Party favored the idea of a weak
  president and a strong Congress.

17
Election of 1836

• The Whig Party chose four men to run against Van
  Buren.
• Because of this indecision, and with the backing
  of Jackson, Van Buren won the election.

18
Panic 0f 1837

• Shortly after Van Buren took office, the country
  experienced the Panic of 1837 a severe economic
  depression.
• Jacksons financial policies had contributed to
  the panic, but people blamed Van Buren.
• In 1840 the Whigs united against a weakened Van
  Buren and selected one candidate William Henry
  Harrison.
• Harrison won in an electoral landslide.