Chapter 11: A Democratic Revolution, 1820-1844
I. The Rise of Popular Politics: 1820-1829
A. The Decline of the Notables and the Rise of Parties—Who is a “notable”? What position had notables traditionally
held in society? How had they run for office?
1. The Rise of Democracy—Where did the “rise of democracy” begin in America? How did notables react to
more democratic politics? What were the effects of increasing democracy on politics?
2. Parties Take Command—What role did parties play? What was Martin Van Buren’s role with parties?
How did “patronage” empower parties?
B. The Election of 1824—Who ran for president in 1824? How did democracy make its first real showing in this
presidential election? What was the “American System” and how did it make Henry Clay popular? Why was
Andrew Jackson popular? Who won the most votes in the Electoral College? How did Henry Clay help make J.Q.
Adams the next president?
C. The Last Notable President: John Quincy Adams—What were the 3 parts of the “American System” that Adams
embraced?
1. Internal Improvements Rejected—Who did Adams’ policies favor? How successful was Adams in getting
his projects passed?
2. The Tariff Battle—What was the “Tariff of Abominations”? What was tariff on, and what was it intended
to do?
D. “The Democracy” and the Election of 1828—Why was J.Q. Adams unpopular? How did his approach towards the
election of 1828 differ from Jackson/Van Buren? What was Andrew Jackson’s basic message? With what groups
was Jackson popular, and why? How successful was Jackson’s election strategy? How did people of wealth view
Jackson?
II.
The Jacksonian Presidency, 1829-1837
A. Jackson’s Agenda: Patronage and Policy—What was the “Kitchen Cabinet”? What is the “spoils system” and how
did Jackson use it? What was Jackson’s main priority?
B. The Tariff and Nullification—What tariff was objected to? What state in particular objected? What was
“nullification”? On what grounds did these arguments for nullification rest? How did Jackson react to the
threatened nullification?
C. The Bank War—What role did the National Bank play in the American economy? Who liked it? Who disliked it?
1. Jackson Vetoes the Rechartering Bill—What arguments did Jackson use to veto the bank bill? How did the
veto affect his election campaign in 1832 (how was he viewed by voters)?
2. The Bank Destroyed—How did Jackson instruct Roger Taney to destroy the bank?
D. Indian Removal—What “solution” did most whites see for Native Americans east of the Mississippi? How did
Jackson’s administration deal with Native Americans? What did the ruling in Worcester v. Georgia mean? How
did Jackson react to the ruling? What was the “Trail of Tears”?
E. The Jacksonian Impact
1. The Taney Court—Who was Roger Taney? What did Taney’s ruling in the Charles River Bridge case
mean for competitive enterprise?
2. State Government Reform—How did states during this era become more democratic?
III.
Class, Culture, and the Second Party System—Andrew Jackson sparked the formation of what party?
A. The Whig Worldview—Why did the party call themselves “Whigs”?
1. Whig Ideology—What was the goal of the Whigs?
2. Anti-Masonry Influence—Who were the Freemasons? What Anti-Masonic influences did the Whigs pick
up?
3. The Election of 1836—Who ran for the Democrats and the Whigs? Who won?
B. Labor Politics and the Depression of 1837-1843
1. Working Men’s Parties and the Rise of Unions—How did employers respond to the power of unions?
What are blacklists? What are “closed shop agreements”? Who did the courts favor—workers or
businesses?
2. The Panic and the Depression—What started the Panic? What events led to the depression? During this
time, why was Commonwealth v. Hunt important (what were two important rulings)?
C. “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!”—How did Van Buren make the financial crisis worse?
1. The Election of 1840—Who did the Whigs run against Van Buren in 1840? How was the election waged
(what were the highlights)? What role did women play?
2. The Tyler Administration—What happened to William Henry Harrison? Whose policies were Tyler’s
preferences similar to?