Jackson as President
Spoils System
• Jackson believed the common man should
hold office without experience, so he
supported
1) Rotation in office
2) Spoils system – rewarding supporters with
public office
1832 – Bank War
• Jackson believed the national bank favored
only the rich.
• He vetoed the bank renewal bill, killing the
Bank.
• Henry Clay opposed the veto.
1828-1832 Tariff Problems
• Tariff – a tax on foreign goods
• North supported tariffs b/c it forced
southerners to buy northern goods.
• South opposed tariffs b/c it prevented them
from buying cheap, foreign goods.
1830 – Webster-Hayne Debate
• Daniel Webster – senator from Massachusetts
• Like Jackson, he believed the national
government was more powerful than the
states.
1830 – A Clash of Toasts
• Jackson gave a toast honoring national
sovereignty – a warning to John C. Calhoun
• Calhoun, from South Carolina, believed in
states’ rights – states had power over the
national government.
1832-1833 – Nullification Crisis
• Nullify – declare invalid, or reject a national
law
• South Carolina nullified the Tariff of
Abominations and threatened to secede, or
withdraw, from the nation.
• SC backed down when Jackson threatened to
use the army to enforce the tariff.
Andrew Jackson and the
national government
John C. Calhoun and
South Carolina