Transcript Andrew Jackson Notes

Andrew Jackson
Early Life
 Andrew Jackson was born into a
poor family in South Carolina.
 He fought in the American
Revolution
 Became famous as the
commander during the Battle of
New Orleans during the War of
1812.
 This battle did not need to get
fought as the Treaty of Ghent
had already been signed ending
the war.
Running for president
 Jackson ran for
president against
John Quincy Adams in
1824. He lost.
 He ran against Adams
again in 1828 and
won.
 Jackson said he
represented the
common man.
Jackson as president
 Jackson hired the people who helped him
get elected.
 This became known as the “spoils
system.”
Jacksonian Democracy
 Jackson promised to take care of the
common people. This became known as
Jacksonian Democracy.
 The idea of spreading political power to
the people and ensuring majority rule.
Issues Jackson faced as president
Tariffs
 Tariffs are taxes on imported goods.
 Northerners liked the tariffs. The north
had factories which benefited.
 The South hated the tariffs. The tariffs
raised the prices they paid for factory
goods.
How a tariff works
Crisis over Nullification
 Southern states, especially South Carolina
fought against the tariffs.
 They said a state had the right to nullify, or
reject, a federal law that it considers
unconstitutional.
States’ Rights
 South Carolina threatened to secede, or leave the
United States if the tariff laws were enforced.
 Jackson was furious. He said, “I will hang the first
man of them I can get my hands on from the first
tree I can find.”
 South Carolina backed down and the crisis ended,
but the tensions between the North and the South
would remain.
The Bank of the United States
 The Bank of the United States was the most powerful bank
in the country.
 It held government funds and issued money.
 President Jackson disliked the bank.
 He didn’t trust banks and thought the Bank of the United
States had too much power.
 Jackson set out to destroy the bank.
 The people who opposed Jackson called him a tyrant saying
that he wanted too much power.
Indian Issues
 Indians had been forced off their lands since the white man
had come to America. They tried to adopt white man’s
ways.
 Sequoya – wrote a Cherokee alphabet
 Cherokee had their own newspaper
 Wore white man’s clothes
 Wrote a constitution
 None of this mattered
Indian Removal
 Gold was found on Cherokee land making it
even more valuable to white settlers
 Jackson called for the removal of the Cherokee
off their lands.
 This became known as the Indian Removal Act.
 The Cherokee went to the Supreme Court over
their removal and won, but Jackson ignored the
ruling.
Trail of Tears
 About 15,000
Cherokee were
forced from their
homes.
 Thousands died on
the way to
Oklahoma.
 This became known
as the Trail of Tears.
Andrew Jackson political cartoons
 Study the following four political cartoons of
Andrew Jackson.
 1. Identify any people or objects seen in the
cartoon.
 2. Identify the title of the cartoon as well as any
words/dates listed.
 3. Describe any actions taking place in the
cartoon.
 4. Explain the message of the cartoon