Jacksonian Democracy
The Spoils System
o Jackson introduced the spoils system – giving of many government jobs to political supporters
o He argued that it was better than having a permanent class of office-holding bureaucrats
o The federal government hadn’t experienced a turnover since the 1800 election
o Corruption and Scandal
 Many basically bought government positions
 Some were unqualified, illiterate, or known criminals
 The customs collector ate the Port of New York stole over $1 million from the government
o The spoils system became an important part of the two-party system, encouraging people to stick to one party
The Tariff of Abominations
o The United States was operating under a general tariff
o Manufacturing states called for even higher tariffs to protect their industries
o In 1828, the Congress raised the general tariff
o Southerners, lacking industry, called this the “Black Tariff” or “Tariff of Abominations”
o The other regions were profiting from manufacturing, land speculation, and new soil
o The south was selling cotton at low global prices, but paying higher prices for manufactured goods, due to the
Tariff
o Their anger may also have been a pre-emptive strike at the overextension of federal power, which may have been
used to strike at slavery, eventually
 In 1822 a freedman named Denmark Vesey had led a near rebellion
o The South Carolina Exposition
 Written by influential politician John C. Calhoun
 Denounced the tariff as unfair and unconstitutional and proposed that the states should nullify it
The Nullification Crisis
o For four years, South Carolina worked toward a 2/3 nullification vote in the SC legislature
 They were blocked by a minority known as “Unionists”
o The Tariff of 1832 made minor retractions to the general tariff, but left the essence the same
o The state election of 1832 pitted Unionists vs. Nullies
o The Nullies won the elections, claiming more than 2/3 of the state legislature
 In 1832, the South Carolina legislature declared the general tariff to be null and void in South Carolina
 They also threatened secession if the federal government attempted to collect the due by force
o Despite not being a large fan of the tariff, Jackson was not amused
 He dispatched naval and army forces to South Carolina
 Issued a proclamation against nullification
o The compromise Tariff of 1833
 Negotiated by Henry Clay
 The tariff would reduce by 10% every year, until 1842, when it would be reduced to the original 1816 rate
 The manufacturers of new England were not pleased with the new compromise
As a concession, the Force Bill (or Bloody Bill) allowed the president to use force to collect tariffs
 Without other states rallying against the General Tariff, South Carolina accepted the deal
The Trail of Tears
o Attitudes toward American Indians varied widely
o The federal government negotiated many treaties since its inception, but had broken many
o Many Americans respected American Indians and believed they could be assimilated into American society
 1787 – The Society for Propagating the Gospel Among Indians
 1793- Congress approved $20,000 for promoting literacy and vocational/agricultural training
o The Cherokees adopted many American habits
 They developed a Cherokee nation constitution and a written legal code
 They adopted the notion of private property, and many became cotton planters, and even slaveholders
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 They were one of the “Five Civilized Tribes”
In 1828, the Georgia state government declared the Cherokee tribal council illegal, and claimed jurisdiction over
the Cherokees
Cherokee nation vs. Georgia
 Marshall Court ruled that the state of Georgia had no control of the Cherokee nation
Worcester vs. Georgia
 Missionaries living in Cherokee Territory were told to move, convicted, and sentenced to 4 years of hard
labor
 When they refused the sentence, they were told to leave the state
 Worcester sued ,and the case went to the Supreme Court
 The Marshall court ruled in favor of Worcester (and the Indians), ruling that Georgia had no authority over
the Indians nation
 Andrew Jackson “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it”
Jackson proposed the “voluntary”(!) relocation of Indians to “Indian Territory” west of the Mississippi
The Indian Removal Act of 1830
 More than 100,000 Indians were relocated, mostly forcibly
The Trail of Tears
 1830-1838 The “five Civilized Tribes” (Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw) were all forcibly
removed
 Most walked the 1,000+ mile trek to present day Oklahoma
 As many as 20,000 Indians from the Five Civilized Tribes died on their respective marches
Resistance
 The Black Hawk War
The Sauk and Fox Indians launched a war in Illinois to reclaim previously ceded land
They were defeated by the American military
 The Seminole Indians resisted removal
A large faction led by Osceola led a guerilla war from 1835-1842
They were eventually defeated, though small factions remained in Florida