Transcript Chapter Ten - Bakersfield College

10: The Growth of
Democracy, 1824—1840
“The utmost good faith shall always be
observed towards the Indians; their land
and property shall never be taken from
them without their consent; and, in their
property, rights, and liberty, they shall
never be invaded or disturbed, unless in
just and lawful wars authorized by
Congress. . .” Indian Treaties
Chapter Review Questions
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4.
5.
6.
Why would a person oppose universal white manhood suffrage?
suffrage for free African American men? for women of all races?
Opponents believed that Andrew Jackson was unsuited in
both political experience and temperament to be president of
the United States, yet his presidency is considered one of the
most influential in American history. Explain the changes in
political organization and attitude that made his election
possible.
Both the Nullification Crisis and Indian Removal raised the
constitutional issue of the rights of a minority in a nation governed
by majority rule. What rights, in your opinion, does a minority
have, and what kinds of laws are necessary to defend them?
Why was the issue of government support for internal
improvements so controversial? Who benefited from the
transportation revolution? Who lost ground?
What were the key differences between Whigs & Democrats?
What did each party stand for? Who were their supporters? What
is the link between the party's programs and party supporters?
What distinctive American themes did the writers, artists, and
builders of the 1820s and 1830s express in their works? Are they
still considered American themes today?
Recommended
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Albert Fishlow, American Railroads and the
Transformation of the Ante-Bellum Economy
(1965)
Robert Fogel, Railroads and American Economic
Growth: Essays in Econometric History (1964)
Oscar and Mary Handlin, Commonwealth: A
Study of the Role of Government in the
American Economy (1947)
Robert Remini, Andrew Jackson and the Source
of American Freedom (1981)
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., The Age of Jackson
(1945)
Chronology
1817
1818
1819
1821
1824
1825
1826
1828
1830
Erie Canal construction begins
National Road completed to Wheeling
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
McCullough v. Maryland
Martin Van Buren’s Bucktails oust DeWitt Clinton in New York
Gibbons v. Ogden
John Quincy Adams elected president by the House of
Representatives
Erie Canal opens
First American use of the steam-powered printing press
Congress passes Tariff of Abominations
Andrew Jackson elected president
John C. Calhoun publishes Exposition and Protest
Jackson vetoes Maysville Road Bill
Congress passes Indian Removal Act
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opens
1831-32 Alexis de Tocqueville in US [May to February]
1832 Nullification Crisis begins
Jackson vetoes renewal of Bank of the United States charter
Jackson reelected president
1833 National Road completed to Columbus, Ohio
1834 Cyrus McCormick patents the McCormick reaper
Whig party organized
1836 Jackson issues Specie Circular
Martin Van Buren elected president
1837 Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge
John Deere invents steel plow
Ralph Waldo Emerson first presents " The American Scholar"
Panic of 1837
1838 Cherokee removal along "Trail of Tears"
1840 Whig William Henry Harrison elected president
1841 John Tyler assumes presidency at the death of President
Harrison
1844 Samuel F. B. Morse operates first telegraph
A: Martin Van Buren Forges a
New Kind of Political
Community
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The son of a tavern keeper, Martin Van Buren
lacked the aristocratic connections necessary for
political advancement in New York.
Van Buren built a democratically controlled, welldisciplined party organization that brought him
political power.
B: The New Democratic
Politics in North America
Continental Struggles over
Political Rights
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In 1821, Mexico won independence from Spain.
Santa Anna was the strongest early president assuming
dictatorial powers but was in office when Texas and
northern provinces were lost to the United States.
In Haiti, independence destroyed the sugar industry.
The British Caribbean islands experienced numerous
revolts leading to the abolition of slavery and the
subsequent decline of the sugar industry.
A revolt in 1837 by Upper and Lower Canada led to the
union of the two regions to make the French-speaking
population a minority.
Westward Expansion
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While the population of the United States
more than doubled between 1800 and
1830, the trans-Appalachian population
grew tenfold.
The Expansion and Limits of
Suffrage
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1800, only white, male, property owners could
vote in most states.
As new western states came into the Union
suffrage expanded.
By 1820 most of the older states had dropped
property qualifications.
By 1840, 90 percent of adult white males could
vote.
Women and African Americans were barred from
voting.
The Election of 1824
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The 1824 election marked an end to the political
truce of the Era of Good Feelings. Four
candidates ran for the presidency.
Though Andrew Jackson had the most popular
votes, John Quincy Adams won as a result of the
so-called “corrupt bargain.”
Hostile relations with Congress block many of
Adams' initiatives.
The New Popular Democratic
Culture
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A more popular form of politics was
emerging.
New state organizations on the increased
political participation helped elect Andrew
Jackson president. New techniques of
mass campaigning encouraged increases
in participation.
The Print Revolution
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The print revolution was most evident in the
growth of newspapers.
It also helped democratize politics by publicizing
the new political pageantry.
Tightly-organized, broad-based political groups
emerged.
Party loyalty among politicians and the public
was stressed as politics became a feature of
everyday life.
The Election of 1828
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In the 1828 election, Jackson triumphed
as his supporters portrayed the contest as
a struggle between democracy and
aristocracy.
His victory showed the strength of the
new popular democratic culture and
system of national parties made up of a
coalition of the North, South, and West.
C: The Jackson
Presidency
A Popular Figure
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Jackson symbolized the personal
advancement that the frontier offered.
His inauguration brought out a mob of
well-wishers whose unruly behavior led
critics to fear that this was the beginning
of the reign of “King Mob.”
A Strong Executive
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Jackson’s Democrats created a national coalition
that transcended sectional identity.
Jackson was a strong executive who consulted
with the "Kitchen Cabinet, largely ignoring his
cabinet.
Jackson strengthened the presidency by using
the veto more frequently than had all of his
predecessors combined.
His most famous veto of the Maysville Road Bill
of 1830 was a defeat for western rival Henry
Clay.
The Nation's Leader
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Regional spokespeople included:
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Daniel Webster for the East;
John C. Calhoun for the South; and
Henry Clay for the West.
Jackson overrode sectional interests and
had national appeal.
Whigs = national bank, tariffs, and
internal/infrastructure improvements
D: Internal Improvements,
Building an Infrastructure
The Transportation Revolution
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By 1850, rivers, canals, road, and railroads
tied the nation together.
Travel Times
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The transportation revolution dramatically
reduced travel times and connected
people to the outside world.
The Transportation Revolution
in Perspective
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States provided more funding for roads, canals
and railroads than the federal government.
Between 1800 and 1840, the building of roads
and canals, and the steamboat stimulated the
transportation revolution that:
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encouraged growth;
promoted the mobility of people and goods; and
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fostered the growing commercial spirit.
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Canals
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Water transport was quicker and less expensive than
travel by land.
The Erie Canal stimulated east-west travel and was built
with New York State funds. The canal connected Buffalo
on Lake Erie with Albany along the Hudson River.
Constructing the canal was a vast engineering challenge
and required a massive labor force, many of whom were
contract laborers from Ireland.
The canal helped farmers in the west became part of a
national market.
Towns along the canal grew rapidly.
A canal boom followed.
Steamboats and Railroads
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Steamboats:
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made upstream travel viable;
helped to stimulate trade along western rivers; and
turned frontier outposts like Cincinnati into
commercial centers.
The most remarkable innovation was the
railroad.
Technical problems included the absence of a
standard gauge.
By the 1850s consolidation of rail lines facilitated
standardization.
The Legal Infrastructure
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The Supreme Court fostered economic
growth by:
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asserting federal power over interstate
commerce; and
encouraging economic competition by denying
monopolies.
State laws enabled businesses to protect
themselves by granting charters of
incorporation.
Commercial Agriculture in the
Old Northwest
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The transportation revolution helped
farmers sell in previously unreachable
markets. Government policy encouraged
commercial agriculture by keeping land
cheap. Regional specialization enabled
farmers to concentrate on growing a
single crop, but made them dependent on
distant markets and credit.
Innovations in farm tools greatly increased
productivity.
Effects of the Transportation
Revolution
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The transportation revolution:
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provided Americans much greater mobility;
allowed farmers to produce for a national
market; and
fostered a risk-taking mentality that promoted
invention and innovation.
Americans increasingly looked away from
the East toward the heartland, fostering
national pride and identity.
E: Jackson and his
Opponents: The Rise of
the Whigs
The Nullification Crisis
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Constitutional ambiguity, sectional interests, and the
states’ rights issue caused political controversies.
The 1828 “Tariff of Abominations” elicited a strong
reaction from South Carolina. Southerners argued that
the tariff was an unconstitutional effort to enrich the
North at Southern expense.
John C. Calhoun wrote a defense of the doctrine
of nullification claiming states could refuse to
enforce laws they deemed unconstitutional.
South Carolina nullified 1833 tariff threatened to secede.
Jackson considered South Carolina's action treason and
passed the Force Bill.
Henry Clay engineered a compromise tariff that ended
the threat of civil war.
Indian Removal
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Jackson embraced the policy of Indian cession of their
lands and removal west of the Mississippi River.
The five civilized tribes of the South were most affected.
Even though the Cherokee had adopted white ways and
accepted white culture, Jackson pressed for their
removal.
Jackson defied the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the
Cherokee.
The Cherokee removal was called the“Trail of Tears.”
The Removal Act of 1830 was strongly opposed by
Northerners.
The Bank War
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Chartered in 1816, the Second Bank of the United States
was a quasi-private institution.
The Second Bank acted as a currency stabilizer by:
 encouraging the growth of strong and stable financial
interest; and
 curbing less stable and irresponsible ones.
Eastern merchants found the bank a useful institution.
Western farmers and speculators feared the Bank
represented a moneyed elite.
Jackson vetoed the bill when Clay and Webster pushed
for early re-chartering.
Jackson's Second Term
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In the election of 1832 Jackson soundly
defeated Henry Clay.
After his victory, Jackson withdrew federal
deposits and placed them in “pet” banks.
Jackson claimed that he was the direct
representative of the people and could act
regardless of Congressional opinion.
The Whigs, Van Buren, and the
Panic of 1837
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The Bank called in commercial loans, causing a
recession.
Jackson’s opponents founded an opposition
party—the Whigs.
The new party lost the 1836 election to Martin
Van Buren.
The death of the Bank led to feverish
speculation and the Panic of 1837.
The depression that resulted led to great
hardship giving the newly formed Whig Party its
opportunity.
F: The Second American
Party System
The Campaign of 1840
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In the election of 1840 Whigs portrayed
their candidate, William Henry Harrison, as
a humble man happy to live in a log cabin.
Voter Turnout
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The Whigs won a sweeping electoral
victory in a campaign with 80
percent voter turnout in 1840.
The Tyler Presidency
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The Whig triumph was short-lived as
Harrison died a month after his
inauguration. Vice-President John Tyler
assumed office.
A former Democrat, Tyler vetoed a series
of bills calling for a new Bank of the US,
tariffs, and internal improvements.
The Whigs were unable to bridge the gap
between North and South.
G: American Arts and
Letters
Creating a Popular Culture
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Steam-powered presses, the
transportation revolution, and the
telegraph helped facilitate a
communications revolution.
Newspapers and almanacs fostered
popular culture.
Creating a National American
Culture
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An intellectual movement was stimulated
by eastern societies and journals.
Washington Irving, James Fenimore
Cooper, and especially Ralph Waldo
Emerson created a distinctly American
culture.
Artists and Builders
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Artists such as Albert Bierstedt and George
Caleb Bingham drew upon dramatic
themes from the American landscape and
lifestyles.
Neoclassical remained the architectural
style for public buildings.
Balloon frame construction enabled
Americans to build homes at a rapid clip.