Osher Life Long Learning Institute at CSU East Bay
4700 Ygnacio Valley Road
Concord, CA 94521
Phone: (925) 602-6776
Leaving the Founders Behind: Jacksonian
Democracy
Kevin P. Dincher
Jan. 24, 31, & Feb 7, 14, 21
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Andrew Jacks was the first American president who was not a
member of the nation’s founding generation. His election in 1828
marked a break with Jeffersonian republicanism which dominated
the previous political era, and the. Jacksonian Era—lasting roughly
from 1828 until slavery became the dominant issue and the Civil
War—reshaped the American political world.
Andrew Jackson (1767 – 1845)
Leaving the Founders Behind
Although contemporary Americans take much of Jacksonian
democracy for granted as the way things have always been, Jacksonian ideas were a departure from the
system created by the American founders. Leaving the Founder Behind will look at some of the
Jacksonian philosophy and policies that changed the direction of the American political system and still
influence us today – such as:
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Political Parties
Expanded Suffrage
Manifest Destiny
Patronage
Strict Constructionist
Laissez-faire Economics
In addition, we won’t forget the Indian Removal Act and the Trail
of Tears!
Kevin P. Dincher (www.kevindincher.com)
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M.S., Organizational Development (University of San Francisco)
M.A., Counseling Psychology (Santa Clara University)
M. Div., (Weston Jesuit School of Theology)
M.A., Philosophy (Fordham University)
Kevin Dincher has more than 25 years of experience in counseling, education and non-profit
management. Kevin’s wide range of work in clinical and community settings is complemented by an
extensive portfolio of published articles and lectures on topics including philosophy, psychology,
theology, history and historical anthropology.
Leaving the Founders Behind 2
Recommended Reading
AMERICAN LION: ANDREW JACKSON IN THE WHITE HOUSE

John Meacham
“Andrew Jackson created the modern American presidency as we
know it today. . . . Jackson ushered in a new era in which the
people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American
politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he
gave voice to the hopes and fears of a restless, changing nation
facing challenges at home and threats abroad. ”
ANDREW JACKSON
THE RISE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: JEFFERSON TO LINCOLN

Sean Wilentz
“Important elements of democracy existed in the infant American
republic of the 1780s, but the republic was not democratic. Nor, in
the minds of those who governed it, was it supposed to be. A
republic—the res publica, or “public thing”—was meant to secure
the common good through the ministrations of the most worthy,
enlightened men. A democracy—derived from demos krateo,
“rule of the people”—dangerously handed power to the
impassioned, unenlightened masses. Democracy, the eminent
Federalist political leader George Cabot wrote as late as 1804, was
“the government of the worst.”
UNRULY AMERICANS AND THE ORIGINS OF THE CONSTITUTION
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1767 – 1845
Woody Holton
“Woody Holton upends what we think we know of the
Constitution’s origins by telling the history of the average
Americans who challenged the framers of the Constitutions and
forced on them the revisions that produced the document we
now venerate. The framers who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787
were determined to reverse America’s post-Revolutionary War
slide into democracy.”
Member of the House of
Representatives
Dec. 1796 – Sep. 1797
United States Senator
Sep. 1797 – Apr. 1798
Tennessee State Supreme Court
1798 – 1804
Colonel, Tennessee State Militia
1801 - 1821
1st Territorial Governor of Florida
Mar. 1821 – Nov. 1821
United States Senator
Mar. 1823 – Oct. 1825
7th President of the United States
Mar. 4, 1829 – Mar. 4, 1837
Vice President
John C. Calhoun (1829 – 1832)
None (1932 – 1833)
Martin Van Buren (1833 – 1837)
Kevin P. Dincher
Leaving the Founders Behind 3
LEAVING THE FOUNDERS BEHIND: JACKSONIAN DEMOCRACY
GENERAL OUTLINE
I.
Introduction: Andrew Jackson and
the Jacksonian Era
II.
The Framer of the Constitution
III.
The Rise of Political Parties: “If I
could go to heaven, except with a
political party, I would rather not go
there at all” (Thomas Jefferson).
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
The Right to Vote
Patronage (Spoils System): “to the
victor belong the spoils of the enemy"
(NY Senator William L. Macy)
Strict Constructionist: States’
Rights and Slavery
Laissez-faire Economics: Federal
Debt and the National Bank
Manifest Destiny: American
Exceptionalism
The End of the Jacksonian Era
In memoriam-our civil service as it was
A political cartoon by Thomas Nast showing a
statue of Andrew Jackson on a pig, which is over
"fraud," "bribery," and "spoils," eating "plunder.”
Appeared in Harper’s Weekly, April 28, 1877.
Class Notes: During the course, additional resources and class slides will be available in both
PowerPoint and PDF formats at www.kevindincher.com/Jackson. [If you choose to print the slides, your
printer settings will give you options for printing multiple slides per page – so you can save paper and
ink.)
On FaceBook? Like “Kevin P. Dincher” on FaceBook to keep up what is happening
with my courses and to keep the conversation going! (Note that “Kevin Dincher”
(without the middle initial will get you to my personal FaceBook page—but this is
only for those who are interested in what I am having for lunch and pictures of
my cat!)
Kevin P. Dincher
Leaving the Founders Behind 4
US Presidents: 1798 – 1869
President
Took Office
Left Office
Party
Mar 4, 1797
Independent
Mar 4, 1801
Federalist
DemocraticRepublican
1
George Washington
2
John Adams
Apr 30,
1789
Mar 4, 1797
3
Thomas Jefferson
Mar 4, 1801
Mar 4, 1809
4
James Madison
Mar 4, 1809
Mar 4, 1817
5
James Monroe
Mar 4, 1817
Mar 4, 1825
6
John Quincy Adams
Mar 4, 1825
Mar 4, 1829
DemocraticRepublican
DemocraticRepublican
DemocraticRepublican
National Republican
Term Vice President
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Andrew Jackson
Mar 4, 1829
Mar 4, 1837
Daniel Tompkins
10
John Calhoun
Democratic
JACKSONIAN ERA
12
8
Mar 4, 1837
Mar 4, 1841
Democratic
Mar 4, 1841
Apr 4, 1841
Whig
Apr 4, 1841
Mar 4, 1845
Mar 4, 1849
Jul 9, 1850
Mar 4, 1845
Mar 4, 1849
Jul 9, 1850
Mar 4, 1853
Whig/Independent
Democratic
Whig
Whig
14 Franklin Pierce
Mar 4, 1853
Mar 4, 1857
Democratic
17
15 James Buchanan
Mar 4, 1857
16 Abraham Lincoln
Mar 4, 1861
Mar 4, 1861
Apr 15,
1865
Democratic
Republican
National Union
18
19
20
9
10
11
12
13
Martin Van Buren
William Henry
Harrison
John Tyler
James K. Polk
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Kevin P. Dincher
Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr
George Clinton
George Clinton: Mar 4, 1809 – Apr 20, 1812
Vacant: Apr 20, 1812 – Mar 4, 1813
Elbridge Gerry: Mar 4, 1813 – Nov 23, 1814
Vacant: Nov 23, 1814 – Mar 4, 1817
8
9
11
7
John Adams
13
14
15
16
John Calhoun: Mar 4, 1829 – Dec 28, 1832
Vacant: Dec 28, 1832 – Mar 4, 1833
Martin Van Buren: Mar 4, 1833 – Mar 4,
1837
Richard Mentor Johnson
John Tyler
Vacant
George M. Dallas
Millard Fillmore
Vacant
William King: Mar 4, 1853 – Apr 18, 1853
Vacant: Apr 18, 1853 – Mar 4, 1857
John C. Breckinridge
Hannibal Hamlin
Andrew Johnson: Mar 4, 1865 – Apr 15, 1865
Leaving the Founders Behind 5
POLITICAL PARTIES
ProAdministration
“Party”
1st Party System
1792 – 1824
Not an actual political party; a catch-all used for the supporters of the policies of George Washington's administration —
especially Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's financial policies — prior to the formation of the Federalist and
Democratic-Republican Parties. Most members of Washington’s administration would become identified as Federalists.
 Federalist Party: an American political “party” in the period 1792 to 1816 with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The
Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801. During George Washington’s first time, Alexander Hamilton
built a network of supporters (largely urban bankers and businessmen) to support his fiscal policies. These supporters
grew into the Federalist Party, which wanted a fiscally sound and strong nationalistic government. John Adams was the
only Federalist president; although George Washington was broadly sympathetic to the Federalist program, he
remained an independent his entire presidency.
 Democratic Republican Party (Jeffersonian Democrats): supporters of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; usually
identified themselves as Republicans, but sometimes as Democrats. The term "Democratic Republican" was also used
by contemporaries, but mostly by the party's opponents. It was the dominant political “party” in the United States from
1800 to 1824, when it split into competing factions. The party opposed the economic and foreign policies of the
Federalists, particularly the Jay Treaty of 1794 with Britain (then at war with France) and supported good relations with
France before 1801. The party insisted on a strict construction of the Constitution, and denounced many of Hamilton's
proposals (especially the national bank) as unconstitutional. The party favored states' rights and the primacy of the
yeoman farmer over bankers, industrialists, merchants, and other monied interests.
Era of Good Feeling 1824 – 1828
2nd Party System
 Democratic Party: The Democratic Party evolved from Anti-Federalist factions that opposed the fiscal policies of
1828 – 1854
Alexander Hamilton in the early 1790s. The party favored states' rights and strict adherence to the Constitution; it
opposed a national bank and wealthy, moneyed interests.
 National Republican Party (Anti-Jacksonian Party): existed from approximately 1825–1833, as an anti-Jacksonian
party. After the Election of 1824, factions developed in support of Adams and in support of Andrew Jackson. Adams
politicians, including most ex-Federalists (such as Daniel Webster and even Adams himself), would gradually evolve into
the National Republican party, and those politicians that supported Jackson would later help form the modern
Democratic Party.
 Whigs: Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, formed in opposition to the
policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. In particular, the Whigs supported the supremacy of
Congress over the executive branch and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism. This name
was chosen to echo the American Whigs of 1776, who fought for independence, and because "Whig" was then a widely
recognized label of choice for people who saw themselves as opposing autocratic rule. The Whig Party included Daniel
Kevin P. Dincher
Leaving the Founders Behind 6
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3rd Party System
1854 – 1896
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Webster, William Henry Harrison, and their preeminent leader, Henry Clay of Kentucky. In addition to Harrison, the
Whig Party also counted four war heroes among its ranks, including Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.
Abraham Lincoln was a Whig leader in frontier Illinois.
Anti-Masonic Party: formed in upstate New York in 1828. It strongly opposed Freemasonry and was founded as a
single-issue party aspiring to become a major party. It introduced important innovations to American politics, such as
nominating conventions and the adoption of party platforms. The party conducted the first U.S. presidential nominating
convention in the U.S. at Baltimore, in the 1832 elections.
Liberty Party: in the 1840s, the party was an early advocate of the abolitionist cause. It broke away from the American
Anti-Slavery Society due to grievances over leadership. The party included abolitionists who were willing to work within
electoral politics to try to influence people to support their goals (as opposed to American Anti-Slavery Society
insistence that the U.S. constitution was a corrupt "covenant with death"). The Free Soil Party merged with the
Republican Party in 1854.
Free Soil Party: active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party that
largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership consisted of former antislavery members of the Whig Party and the Democratic Party. Its main purpose was opposing the expansion of slavery
into the western territories, arguing that free men on free soil comprised a morally and economically superior system
to slavery. They opposed slavery in the new territories and worked to remove existing laws that discriminated against
freed blacks in states such as Ohio. The party membership was largely absorbed by the Republican Party in 1854.
Republican Party: Founded in northern states in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, modernizers, ex-Whigs and
ex-Free Soilers, the Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to the dominant Democratic
Party. It first came to power in 1860 with the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency; it presided over
the American Civil War and Reconstruction.
The National Union Party was the name used by the Republican Party for the national ticket in the 1864
presidential election, held in the northern states during the Civil War. The temporary name was used to
attract War Democrats who would not vote for the Republican Party. It nominated incumbent President
Abraham Lincoln and former Democrat Andrew Johnson, who were elected in a landslide.
Period featured profound developments in issues of nationalism, modernization, and race. It was dominated
by the Republican Party, which claimed success in saving the Union, abolishing slavery and enfranchising the
freedmen, while adopting many Whiggish modernization programs such as national banks, railroads, high
tariffs, homesteads and aid to land grant colleges. While most elections from 1874 through 1892 were
extremely close, the opposition Democrats won only the 1856, 1884 and 1892 presidential elections, though
Kevin P. Dincher
Leaving the Founders Behind 7
4th Party System
1896 – 1932
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from 1874 to 1892 the party often controlled the United States House of Representatives. The northern and
western states were largely Republican, save for closely balanced New York and Indiana. After 1874, the
Democrats took control of the "Solid South."
Also dominated by the Republicans, the period featured a shift in issues rather than party dominance. While
the Third Party System focused on the American Civil War, Reconstruction, race and monetary issues, this era
began in the severe depression of 1893 and the extraordinarily intense election of 1896. It included the
Progressive Era, World War I, and the start of the Great Depression. The Great Depression caused a
realignment that produced the Fifth Party System, dominated by the Democratic New Deal Coalition until the
1960s.
The central domestic issues concerned government regulation of railroads and large corporations ("trusts"),
the protective tariff, the role of labor unions, child labor, the need for a new banking system, corruption in
party politics, primary elections, direct election of senators, racial segregation, efficiency in government,
women's suffrage, and control of immigration. Foreign policy centered on the 1898 Spanish-American War,
imperialism (and Banana Wars), Dollar Diplomacy, the Mexican Revolution, World War I, and the creation of
the League of Nations. Dominant personalities included presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt
and Woodrow Wilson, and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.
5th Party System
1933 – 1960s
(1980s?)
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This era emerged from the realignment of the voting blocs and interest groups supporting the Democratic Party into
the New Deal Coalition following the Great Depression. For this reason, it is sometimes called the New Deal Party
System. Experts debate whether it ended in the mid-1960s (as the New Deal coalition did), the early 1980s (when the
Moral Majority was formed), the mid-1990s, or continues to the present.
The System was heavily Democratic through 1964 and mostly Republican at the presidential level since 1968, with the
Senate switching back and forth after 1980. The Democrats usually controlled the House except that the Republicans
won in 1946, 1952, and 1994 through 2004 elections. Both chambers went Democratic in 2006. Of the twenty
presidential elections since 1932, the Democrats won 7 of the first 9 (through 1964), with Democratic control of
Congress as the norm; while the Republicans won 7 of the 11 since 1968, with divided government as the norm.
Kevin P. Dincher