U.S. History
Chapter 10: A New National Identity
Section 1-2: The Age of Jackson
Choose a Candidate
• War hero
• Harvard educated
• Born poor
• Born to a
prominent wealthy
family
• Determined
• Common man
Candidate 1
• Out of touch with
people
Candidate 2
Jacksonian Democracy
• Early 1800s: lawmakers extending
the right to vote to more white men
• Nominating Conventions—meetings
in which a political party selects its
presidential & vice presidential
candidates
• Allowed more voter input
Each state holds conventions to choose
delegates to send to the national meeting
Jacksonian Democracy
• “Jacksonian Democracy”
• Expanded voting rights
• Jackson: seen as man who
would defend the rights of
common people & slave states
Jacksonian Democracy
John Quincy Adams
National Republcians
vs.
Andrew Jackson
Democratic Party
Election of 1828
Jackson’s Victory
• Andrew
Jackson:
– War hero
– Born poor
– Rose to success
through hard
work
Jackson’s Victory
• John Quincy
Adams:
– Harvard educated
– Father had been
president
– Out of touch
– “Cold as a lump of
ice”
Jackson’s Victory
• Victory for the common man
• Spoils system—practice of
rewarding supporters with jobs
• Kitchen cabinet—an informal
group of advisers President
Andrew Jackson relied on
Conflict over Tariffs
• Regional conflicts over tariffs
• North—wanted high tariffs to
protect industries
• South—imported most
manufactured goods
Conflict over Tariffs
• 1828: Northern manufacturers
pressure Congress to pass high
tariffs
• “Tariff of Abominations”
• Abuse of federal power over
the states
Nullification Crisis
• States’ Rights—
belief that state
power should be
greater than
federal power
• VP John C.
Calhoun led the
opposition
John C. Calhoun
Nullification Crisis
• Nullification—states had the
right to not obey any federal
law with which they disagreed
• 1832: Congress passes a new
tariff
• SC: declares law null and void
Nullification Crisis
• Calhoun resigns
• SC threatens to secede if troops
are sent
• Jackson threatens to send troops
• Compromise reached: tariffs
lowered
Second Bank of the United States
• Jackson against Bank of the United
States
• States opposed the bank
• Maryland passes law taxing branches of
the national bank
• James McCulloch refuses to pay taxes
Second Bank of the United States
• McCulloch v.
Maryland:
– Elastic clause
permitted for
the Bank
– Federal law
superior to
state law
Old Supreme Court Chamber
Second Bank of the United States
• Bank charter due
to expire in 1836
• Nicholas Biddle
pushes for
renewal of
charter in 1832
Nicholas Biddle
• Jackson vetoes
Second Bank of the United States
• Not enough votes
to override veto
• Transferred
money to state
banks
• Inflation
increased
• Debt paid down
Van Buren’s Presidency
• Jackson angered members of
Congress
• 1834: Jackson opponents form the
Whig Party
• Whig Party—political party that
supported the idea of a weak
president and a strong legislature
Van Buren’s Presidency
• 1836: Whigs
nominate four
candidates to run
against VP Martin
Van Buren
• Democrat Martin
Van Buren wins
Martin Van Buren
Van Buren’s Presidency
• Panic of 1837
leads to economic
depression
• Result of
Jackson’s policies
• Van Buren blamed
and defeated in
election of 1840
Van Buren’s Presidency
• William Henry
Harrison and
John Tyler win
election of 1840
• “Tippecanoe and
Tyler too”
William Henry Harrison
• War record and
log cabin roots