Jacksonian Democracy

Jacksonian Democracy 1828-1840

Democratizing Politics • The difference between Jeffersonian democracy and Jacksonian democracy was one of attitude. • Jefferson believed that the average citizen could be educated to determine right • Jackson believed that the ordinary man instinctively knew what was right. • America was becoming more democratic, the new western states eliminated property qualifications for voting. • In general most states started to drop property qualifications. Rhode Island was the last to change its constitution after the abortive Dorr Rebellion that protested the state’s requirement that voters (men) posses at least $134 worth of real property More offices were elective rather than appointed. • Free public schools gained wide-spread support, adult education and secondary education indicate interest in improving knowledge. • Office holders begin to call themselves Representatives.

1828: The New Party System in Embryo • During the campaign of 1828, Jackson avoided taking a stand on the issues of the day and relied on his military reputation and Adams talent for making enemies • The Campaign 1828 was characterized by character assassination, mud slinging, and lies of the worst sort • The great questions of the day were largely ignored • The public responded, each candidate received far more votes than all four candidates had received in the preceding presidential election. • Adams refused to attend the inauguration ceremonies because Jackson had failed to pay the traditional pre-inaugural courtesy call.

The Jacksonian Appeal • Jackson portrayed himself as a simple, common man from the backcountry of America. • Jackson was the first man elected from the West. • He was not from the eastern aristocracy. • He was the first man elected who had been born in a log cabin. • He was the founder of the Democratic Party • For all that, Jackson was not a common man. • He was a wealthy land speculator and owned a fine plantation • He had opposed cheap money schemes

The Jacksonian Appeal • But he did epitomize many American ideals • He was intensely patriotic • He was generous to a fault • He was natural and democratic in manner • He was a fighter, a relentless foe, and a gentleman in the best American tradition • He had a reputation as a man of honor and had fought numerous duels for honor. • He had fought in the Revolutionary War, several Indian Wars, and won the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. • For these reasons Jackson drew support from every section and every social class . • During his inaugural party he opened the White House to all his supporters, many from the backcountry. In the following near riot, Jackson nearly got killed and the White House was trashed. • He spent the next several months across the street in the Blair House

The Spoils System • To the Victor go the Spoils • Jackson was determined to punish those office holders who had attacked him and his wife during the campaign • Many of the men he removed from office were incompetent or corrupt. Even Adams had to admit many of the disposed men deserved their fate • He also felt that office holders should be rotated periodically. In his words, no one was entitled to hold an office • By rotating jobholders he felt that more citizens could participate in the government • It also removed the danger of an entrenched bureaucracy

A contemporary cartoon depicting the Spoils System under President Jackson

President of All the People • President Andrew Jackson believed in exercising authority directly. • Jackson did not rely on his cabinet for advise • Instead he formed an informal “kitchen cabinet” that consisted of friends and Martin Van Buren, secretary of state • Even his kitchen cabinet could only advise him, Jackson in many cases did what he wanted. • Jackson favored Jefferson’s frugal approach to government, he was penny pinching and had little imagination. • Jackson’s popularity was mainly his personality

A contemporary cartoon depicting Jackson’s cabinet in flight over the Peggy Eaton Affair

Sectional Tensions Revived • Jackson tried to address problems that had sectional significance • He tried to slightly reduce the tariff, which southerners supported • He tried find a way to reduce the price of government lands without forcing the government into the red • During a debate in the Senate on the public land issue, the debate had been shifted to the issue of tariffs, Senator Robert Hayne, of South Carolina, argued that nullification actually strengthened the union.

Sectional Tensions Revived • Later, when confronted by Daniel Webster, the South Carolina, Robert Hayne, at right, congressman launched into a lengthy speech applauding state’s rights. • Webster replied in a speech that made the state’s rights position appear close to treason. It was the finest speech of Webster’s career. It resolved nothing, but it did define the political battleground for the next twenty years. • Hayne’s position was supported by Vice-President John C. Calhoun, also of South Carolina.

Jackson Versus Calhoun • Jackson stood firmly for the Union and would not even tolerate talk of disunion. • Calhoun was a strong advocate of state’s rights, eventually Calhoun would champion the cause of nullification • On most issues other than state’s rights both Calhoun and Jackson were very much in agreement • Calhoun also wanted to be president and had only accepted the post as Jackson’s vice-president because he believed Jackson was in poor health. • There were several minor issues during Jackson’s presidency that lead to a split of the two men • The Peggy Eaton affair • Jackson’s invasion of Florida in 1818 • Though of little substance, these slights convinced Jackson that Calhoun was not a man of honor.

The Nullification Crisis • The tariff law of 1832 lowered tariffs far less than the planters of South Carolina wanted. • As a result, South Carolinians began to talk of nullifying the law. Many South Carolinians cited John Calhoun’s Exposition and Protest as the basis for the argument on nullification • President Jackson took the exact opposite position. • In July 1832 he warned South Carolinians that if one drop of blood was spilt over this issue he would go down there (South Carolina) and hang the first nullifier he found from the first tree he found.

The Nullification Crisis • On November 24, 1832 the South Carolina convention passed the Ordinance of Nullification and prohibited the collection of taxes • The legislature then passed a bill to raise and equip an army • Jackson addressed the people of South Carolina on December 10, 1832 telling them that he would use armed force if need be to enforce the law of the United States • He further stated that disunion by armed force was treason. • South Carolina’s radicals had counted on other states for support, but this support did not materialize and they found themselves facing Jackson’s wrath alone • The Radicals sobered at the thought of government troops and backed off. Calhoun who had played a part in the episode was some what embarrassed. • In the future South Carolina would ensure the support of other states before it attempted nullification again.

The Bank . . . I Will Kill It • The main issue in the election of 1832 was the destruction of the Bank of the United States • Jackson distrusted banks because they often issued more banknotes than they had specie (gold and silver) to back up their banknotes. • He distrusted the Bank of the United States because it was a monopoly. • After McCulloch v. Maryland Langdon Cheves had put the Bank of the United States on a sound financial footing. Cheves had been replaced by Nicolas Biddle, at right, who had managed the bank brilliantly. • Biddle managed the Bank of the United States as if it were a central bank, regulating credit throughout the country

The Bank . . . I Will Kill It • Small banks often over extended themselves by making large commercial loans, and issuing more paper currency than they had specie to back up their paper. • Biddle was able to force smaller banks to make more conservative loans by buying up large amounts of banknotes and presenting them to the banks for conversion back to specie. • In every field of economic activity, reckless lending had caused inflation and greatly exaggerated the ups and downs of the business cycle. • Biddle’s policies acted to stabilize the economy

Jackson’s Bank Veto • Prominent National Republicans wanted to use the Bank as a tool against Jackson. • They reasoned that the Bank was too important to the country and Jackson’s opposition would undermine his popularity. • Knowing that Jackson would veto the bank, the National Republicans urged Biddle to petition Congress for a renew the Bank’s charter in 1832 instead of its official renewal date in 1836. • If Jackson vetoed the Bank charter it would provide Henry Clay a lively campaign issue to beat Jackson with.

Jackson’s Bank Veto • Biddle sensed this strategy would backfire and only reluctantly agreed to early renewal • As expected, Congress approved the Bank’s charter in July 1832. • Jackson promptly vetoed it. • Jackson’s arguments against the bank were mostly absurd the utterings of an ignorant man, but it struck a chord with many of his followers and he was reelected • Tragically, Jackson could have reformed the bank instead of destroying it. • Jackson then decided to withdraw Federal deposits (gold and silver money) from the Bank and redeposit the money in state banks.

Jackson’s Bank Veto • Before Jackson could execute his plan he had to get the Secretary of the Treasury to actually withdraw the money, under the law only the secretary of the treasure could do this. • Secretary Louis McLane refused to do so • Jackson promoted him and replaced him with William J. Duane. • William J. Duane refused to do what Jackson wanted • Jackson replace him with Attorney General Roger B. Taney, who did what Jackson wanted. • Taney began to withdraw funds from the Bank and depositing them into state banks, one of which was the Union Bank of Baltimore, a bank which Taney had invested in. • To stop the withdrawals on the Bank, Biddle created an artificial crisis by demanding payment on all bank notes held by the Bank and refusing to loan money. • This action force the state banks to refuse to loan money

Jackson’s Bank Veto • Biddle hoped that people would blame Jackson for the resulting shortage of credit and force him to rethink his banking tactics • For a short time it worked, but Jackson refused to cave, instead he sent the businessmen to Biddle. • As the pressure on Biddle mounted, he found that he had bitten off more than he could chew. • In July of 1834, Biddle caved and he began to lend money freely, the bank crisis was over. • Jackson had won.

Indian Removals • Jackson believed that the Indians were savages and incapable of governing themselves. • In 1831 and 1832 the United States fought the Black Hawk War. It was the last major resistance to the advancing white men in the old North West. It was not much of a war and ended when Chief Black Hawk was captured and brought to Washington D.C. • The capture of Chief Black Hawk not only ended the Black Hawk War, but the remaining Indians in the North West fled, most to Canada, opening the area to white settlement. • The Fate of the Five Great Southern Tribes • Between 1831 and 1833 he forced 15,000 Choctaws to migrate to Oklahoma • The Cherokees on the other hand made major efforts to conform to the white man’s standard, and formed their own state called The Cherokee Nation • It did not matter, planters wanted their land

Indian Removals • Several treaties seemed to recognize the legality of their government, but Georgia would not recognize the Cherokee Nation • Court cases: • Cherokee Nation v. Georgia – Tribe was not a foreign nation and had a right to sue in federal court • Worcester v. Georgia – Law of Georgia had no force within the boundaries of Cherokee Territory • Jackson backed Georgia’s position and ruled that the Indians must be removed • In 1838, the United States forced 15,000 Cherokee to leave Georgia for Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.

Removal of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Chicksaw Indians in the 1830s

Boom and Bust • A mania to invest in property swept the country during the 1830’s • Every lot in New York and Chicago was sold to speculators • Jackson became alarmed at the rate of speculation and in the summer of 1836 he issued the Specie Circular, which required that federal land had to paid for in silver or gold • This circular effectively ended the rush to buy land • As demand dropped off, so did prices • Speculators were unable to sell land at the prices which they had paid, and had to default. • Banks foreclosed, but could not sell the land, so the banks defaulted.

Jacksonianism Abroad • Jackson’s emotional and dogmatic style also effected foreign affairs • By pushing relentlessly he was able to win some victories • Opening British West Indies to American trade • But also lead to some failures • Pressing the French to pay damages incurred during the Napoleonic wars

The Jacksonians • Jackson’s personality had a large impact on the shape of American politics, his followers tried to emulate him. • They were: • suspicious of special privilege and large business corporation • They believed in freedom of opportunity unfettered by government restrictions • They also believed in absolute political freedom • They also believed that any ordinary man could perform the duties of most public offices • They championed public education and their motto was “that government governs best which governs least

Rise of The Whigs • There was opposition to Jackson, but it was disorganized • Henry Clay organized the National Republican party, but it formed only a nucleus for those who opposed Jackson, no specific ideology • Jackson’s nickname amongst his enemies was King Andrew I. • When his opponents organized they took the name Whigs for their party name. • This was because the opposition party in England had been called the Whigs. • Once Jackson was out of office, an effective second party began to form • They became known as the Whigs • At Right “King Andrew the First” Whig Cartoon.

Rise of The Whigs • Jackson’s anti-intellectual, and anti-science approach had driven many intellectuals out of the Democratic party, they went to the Whigs • One of the problems which faced the Whigs was that there were to many leaders and not enough workers • The Whigs never were particularly well organized. • In the Election of 1836, William Henry Harrison was supposed to win based only on his military record, but he lost to the far better organized campaign of Martin Van Buren.

The contenders in the election of 1836, Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison.

Martin Van Buren: Jacksonianism Without Jackson • Martin Van Buren was a great political manipulator as well as an accomplished statesman • However his manner of dealing with economic issue left much to be desired • Van Buren took office just as the American credit system collapsed • During the panic of 1837, beginning in May, banks in New York stopped redeeming paper money for gold, soon all banks suspended specie payments. • The panic deepened into the depression of 1839-1843 • Van Buren aggravated the situation by following Jackson’s hard money policies. He curtailed federal spending, and opposed a national bank.

Martin Van Buren: Jacksonianism Without Jackson • He did not see the government as cure to economic woes, he felt that the people should shift for themselves • Instead of helping to strengthen the economy, Van Buren sought an alternative to storing federal funds in state banks • He devised the Independent Treasury Act which kept the government’s money in several regional treasury offices rather than banks. Essentially, he created several government owned vaults to store gold and silver. • Opponents pointed out that this would effectively take huge quantities of specie out of circulation • Van Buren went forward with the scheme • Fortunately banks tended to be more careful about loans and in 1849 gold was discovered in California, greatly adding to the U.S. reserve of specie.

The Log Cabin Campaign • In the 1840 campaign, the Democrats nominated President Martin Van Buren, though the financial crises was a major factor against his re-election. • The Whigs were far better prepared for the 1840 election. • They ran William Henry Harrison for President and John Tyler for Vice President • Whigs did not bother with a platform, just made the most of Harrison and a plain man and a military hero. • The platform, if such it could be called was “log cabin and hard cider.” Alluding to the common man and temperance. • It worked, Harrison won 234 votes to 60.

William Henry Harrison and his log cabin campaign for president in 1840

Jacksonian Democracy