Jacksonian Democracy

Jacksonian Democracy

By Cedric Gillette

New Parties Emerge

From 1816 to 1824, the United States had only one major political party. This was the Democratic-Republican Party. The party was far from united. In 1824, four Democratic-Republican candidates competed for the presidency. Party leaders chose William H. Crawford, a former senator from Georgia, to be their candidate. Three other candidates were favorite sons—that is, they received backing from their home states rather than the national party. Their views reflected the interests of their regions.

​ Jackson, of Tennessee, was a hero of the War of 1812. Raised in poverty, he claimed to speak for Americans who had been left out of politics.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

In the election of 1824, the four candidates were all ____.

• Whigs

• Republicans

• Nationalists

• Democratic Republicans

The House Chooses the President

In the election, Jackson received a plurality (pluh • RA • luh • tee) of the popular vote—the largest share. No candidate received a majority, or more than half, of the electoral votes.

​

The Constitution requires that the House of Representatives select the president when no candidate has won a majority of the electoral vote.

​

​As the House prepared to vote, Clay met with Adams. Clay agreed to use his influence as Speaker to defeat Jackson. With Clay's help, the House chose Adams for president. Adams quickly named Clay to be secretary of state. In the past this office had been the stepping-stone to the presidency. Jackson's followers accused the two men of making a "corrupt bargain" and stealing the election.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Who decided the election of 1824?

• the Supreme Court

• the Electoral College

• the House of Representatives

• the voters

​The Election of 1828

By 1828, the Democratic-Republican Party had split. Jackson's supporters called themselves Democrats. The National Republicans supported Adams. Most Democrats favored states' rights and distrusted strong central government. The National Republicans wanted a strong central government. They supported measures such as building roads and a national bank to facilitate economic growth.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

In the election of 1828, the National Republicans supported ____.

• John Quincy Adams

• Henry Clay

• William Crawford

• Andrew Jackson

Multiple Choice

President John Quincy Adams believed in a strong federal government.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Adams as President

In his first message to Congress, Adams announced his plans. In addition to improving roads and waterways, he wanted to build a national university and support scientific research.

Adams's proposals upset his opponents. They wanted a more limited role for the federal government. It would be wrong, they believed, for government to spend money on such projects. Congress finally approved funds for improving rivers, harbors, and roads, but this was far less than Adams wanted.

Subject | Subject

Making Government More Democratic

Soon after taking office in 1829, Jackson fired many federal workers and replaced them with his supporters. The fired employees protested. They charged that the president was acting like a tyrant.

​

One Jackson supporter said: "To the victors belong the spoils." In other words, because Jackson had won the election, his supporters had the right to the spoils, or benefits, of victory. This practice of replacing current government employees with supporters of the winner is called the spoils system.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Why did President Jackson devise the spoils system?

• to give jobs to his supporters

• to create a new Cabinet position

• to choose his Cabinet members

• to choose a justice for the Supreme Court

The Tariff Debate

In 1828 Congress had passed a very high tariff (tax) law. Vice President Calhoun claimed that a state had the right to nullify, or refuse to accept, a federal law if it was not in that state's best interests. President Jackson disagreed with this reasoning. He feared that nullification would destroy the Union.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Vice President John C. Calhoun opposed President Jackson over nullification.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Our Union

In 1828 Congress had passed a very high tariff law. Vice President Calhoun claimed that a state had the right to nullify, or refuse to accept, a federal law if it was not in that state's best interests. President Jackson disagreed with this reasoning. He feared that nullification would destroy the Union.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Although President Jackson believed in states' rights, he supported ____.

• the Supreme Court

• nullification

• secession

• a strong nation

South Carolina

In 1832 Congress passed a lower tariff. It was not enough to cool the protest. South Carolina passed the Nullification Act, declaring it would not pay "illegal" tariffs. The state threatened to secede, or break away, from the Union if the federal government interfered.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

South Carolina's Nullification Acts were a response to the spoils system.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Veto

Not long after Jackson and Calhoun faced off at the dinner, Congress passed the Maysville Road bill. The bill provided federal funds for the building of a road in Kentucky. Jackson vetoed the bill. Jackson argued that because the road would be entirely within Kentucky, it should be a state project. In other words, the federal government should support only projects that benefited the entire nation.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

President Jackson vetoed a bill about ____.

• secession

• nullification

• roads in Kentucky

• tariffs

Expanded Voting Rights

In the nation's early years, only men who owned property or paid taxes could vote. By the 1820s, many states had loosened these requirements. White male sharecroppers, factory workers, and others could now participate in the political process. By 1828, nearly all states let voters, rather than state legislatures, choose presidential electors. Women still could not vote. African Americans and Native Americans had few rights of any kind.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

____ showed that the United States was becoming more democratic during the Jackson era.

• Use of the spoils system

• Changes in state requirements to vote

• An increase in political parties

• Use of tariffs to protect American goods