Chapters 11-14: Madison, the Second War for Independence, Nationalism, and Jacksonian Democracy Flashcards
(115 cards)
1
Q
When was Macon’s Bill No. 2?
A
1810
2
Q
What did Macon’s Bill No. 2 replace?
A
The Non-Intercourse Act
3
Q
What did Macon’s Bill No 2. allow?
A
It allowed trade with all nations including
Britain and France. But it promised to reimpose a trade embargo against either of the warring nations if the other lifted its trade restrictions and promised to respect America’s neutral rights.
4
Q
What was Napoleon’s and Britain’s response to Macon’s Bill No. 2?
A
Later that year, Napoleon said the French commercial restrictions would be lifted. But he
attached the contingency that the British Orders in Council must also be lifted, a contingency that essentially made his offer meaningless. Nevertheless, in February of 1811, Madison reestablished non-intercourse against Britain (even though the French continued to seize American ships). Britain refused to repeal its Orders in Council, and Madison recalled the American ambassador to England.
5
Q
What was was a key factor in the US decision to declare war against Britain in June of 1812?
A
The continued tension over trade between the US and Britain following Macon’s Bill No. 2.
6
Q
Who were the War Hawks?
Who were they led by?
A
These were a group of young, pro-war members of Congress first elected in 1810 and led by
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun.
7
Q
What were some of the beliefs of the War Hawks?
A
The war hawks favored war as a means of dealing with the threat posed by Native Americans
(thought to be supported by the British), of responding to British insults to America’s neutral rights, and of expanding American territory by conquering Canada and Florida (held by Britain’s ally, Spain).
8
Q
Who was Tecumseh and the Prophet and what did he want?
A
Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief, and his brother Tenskwatawa, known as the Prophet, sought to halt the flood of whites into the Ohio and Indiana territories. They urged Indians to return to traditional ways and renounce alcohol. They pledged not to cede any land to whites unless all Indians agreed.
9
Q
Who was William Henry Harrison and what did he do?
A
In 1811, Harrison, the governor of Indiana Territory, led an army against Tecumseh and the Prophet. He was victorious at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
10
Q
What was the result of Harrison’s victory at the Battle of Tippeanoe?
A
Harrison became a national hero (and later president). The defeat forced Tecumseh
into an alliance with the British.
11
Q
What was the significance of USS Constitution (Old Ironsides)?
A
The Constitution won more battles than any other early American naval vessel, most notably against the British warship Guerrière in 1812.
12
Q
Why were American ships so successful?
A
Skillfully handled, had better gunners, and were manned by nonpress-gang crews who were eager to avenge violations of neutral rights by Britain.
13
Q
Who was Captain Oliver H. Perry?
A
American invasions of Canada in the War of 1812 were fruitless, but Captain Perry’s naval
victory on Lake Erie (“We have met the enemy and they are ours.”) inspired the nation.
14
Q
Who was Thomas Macdonough and why was he significant?
A
1814
The British attempted an invasion through the New York lake-and-river route. Macdonough won a significant naval battle on Lake Champlain—the Battle of Plattsburgh.
15
Q
Why was Thomas Macdonough’s victory significant?
A
Macdonough’s victory at Plattsburgh saved New York from conquest, kept New England from drifting away from the Union, and strengthened the position of American peace negotiators in Europe.
16
Q
When was the Battle of New Orleans?
A
1815
17
Q
What happened in the Battle of New Orleans significant?
A
A large British invasion force was repelled by Andrew Jackson’s troops at New Orleans. About 2500 British soldiers were killed or captured, while in the American army only eight men were killed.
18
Q
Why was the Battle of New Orleans significant?
A
The Treaty of Ghent had ended the War of 1812 two weeks before the battle. Nonetheless, this victory inspired American nationalism and made Jackson a national hero (and later president).
19
Q
When was the Hartford Convention?
A
1814
20
Q
What happened in the Hartford Convention?
A
This was a convention of New England Federalists hurt by trade restrictions and who opposed
the War of 1812. They proposed several amendments to the Constitution (repeal of the Three- fifths Compromise to limit Southern representation in Congress and a requirement of a two- thirds vote in Congress to declare war, admit new states, or impose a long-term embargo). They also discussed (but rejected) the idea of seceding from the US if their desires were ignored.
21
Q
What were the results of the Hartford Convention?
A
News of the Hartford Convention arrived in Washington at the same time as news of Jackson’s victory. This talk seemed disloyal; it turned public sentiment against the Federalists and led to the demise of the party.
22
Q
When was the Treaty of Ghent?
A
1814
23
Q
What did the Treaty of Ghent state?
A
The treaty essentially restored the pre-war conditions. The two sides agreed to stop fighting and return to pre-war boundaries.
No mention was made of neutral rights, but the war between France and Britain had ended, so these were no longer pressing issues.
24
Q
When was the Rush-Bagot Agreement?
A
1817
25
What was agreed upon in the Rush-Bagot Agreement?
This treaty between the US and Great Britain provided for the mutual disarmament of the Great Lakes. This was later expanded into an unarmed Canada/US border.
26
Why was the Rush-Bagot Agreement significant?
This agreement was significant as a sign of improved relations between the two nations and as an early example of arms control.
27
When was the Second Bank of the United States approved?
1816
The Second BUS was approved by Congress, this time with support from the Democratic- Republicans who now saw the BUS as in the nation’s interest.
28
Why was the Second Bank of the United States needed?
In 1811 the charter for the first BUS had expired. Following that state banks had filled the void, issuing unsound paper money. In addition, the federal government lacked a secure depository for its funds.
29
What was the Tariff of 1816's purpose and how high was it?
Earlier tariffs had been designed to provide revenue; this one was intended to protect American infant industries from British competition by imposing higher rates.
This tariff imposed rates averaging 20% to 25%.
30
When did Henry Clay propose the American System?
1824
31
What was the American System?
Henry Clay proposed a system of government programs that would benefit and link together all parts of the nation.
He proposed a protective tariff and a strong banking system to stimulate northeastern
manufacturing. Revenues from the tariff would finance a system of roads and canals to allow southern and western farmers to transport their crops to market easily and to allow the return flow of eastern manufactured goods.
32
When was the Bonus Bill?
1817
33
What was the Bonus Bill?
| Did it get passed?
John C. Calhoun proposed his Bonus Bill which would use the bonus and dividends paid to the national government by the Second Bank of the United States as a $1.5 million fund for internal improvements to be allocated to the states.
President Madison vetoed the bill, saying that the Constitution did not expressly give Congress the power to fund internal improvements.
34
When was the Era of Good Feelings?
1816-1824
35
What happened in the Era of Good Feelings?
Apparent lack of partisan political strife
In the election of 1816, James Monroe trounced Rufus King, the last of the Federalist candidates. Monroe was overwhelmingly reelected in the election of 1820 with no opposition whatsoever.
Despite the lack of party conflict, this was a time of increasing sectional tension over tariffs, internal improvements, and slavery.
36
Explain the growth of Nationalism.
The War of 1812 had stimulated a sense of national pride. This was manifested in the continued construction of the capitol in Washington, in the emergence of a new national literature (Cooper, Irving), and in a willingness to expand the powers of the federal government for economic development.
37
Explain Panic of 1819 & Wildcat Banks.
This was largely caused by over-speculation in western lands. State (wildcat) banks had issued paper currency not supported by specie (gold or silver) and had extended easy credit, encouraging farmers and speculators to buy more land.
When business conditions took a downturn, the BUS demanded wildcat banks redeem their notes in specie. When they could not do so, the wildcat banks required the repayment of the loans they had made. This led to foreclosures and a dramatic drop in land prices.
This resulted in a mistrust of banks and in a demand for higher protective tariffs for American products.
38
What was the significance of Robert Fulton & Steamboats?
In 1807 Fulton’s Clermont demonstrated the viability of steamboat transportation by traveling upriver from New York City to Albany in thirty-two hours.
Upstream transportation was now possible at ten times previous speeds, lowering prices dramatically.
The West and South could, as a result, export agricultural products and import manufactured
goods more cheaply, stimulating the economies of those regions.
39
When was the Tallmadge Amendment?
1819
40
What happened in the Tallmadge Amendment?
This measure sought to block admission of Missouri as a slave state by blocking further importation of slaves into the state and requiring the gradual emancipation of existing slaves.
The South managed to defeat the amendment in the Senate. But this raised Southern concerns that the North might try to ban slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory and perhaps even attack slavery in the South.
41
When was the Missouri Compromise?
1820
42
What was the Missouri Compromise?
To maintain the sectional balance between North and South, Missouri was allowed to enter the Union as a slave state at the same time Maine entered as a free state.
Also, the Louisiana Purchase north of 36 30ʹ, except Missouri, was closed to slavery.
43
When was McCulloch v. Maryland?
1819
44
What happened in McCulloch v. Maryland?
Maryland had taxed the BUS $15,000 per year because it didn’t want out-of-state banks competing with in-state banks.
Maryland argued that the federal government was created by sovereign states, and the powers of the federal government had been delegated to it by the states. Therefore, the federal government should do as the states said.
However, Chief Justice Marshall supported the federal government. He ruled that Congress is granted the expressed powers to collect taxes and borrow money; it also may make laws necessary and proper for carrying out expressed powers. Congress, furthermore, is not explicitly forbidden from creating a bank. Therefore, the BUS was constitutional.
This case established the principles of national supremacy (if there is a conflict between the federal government and the state governments when both are acting legally, the federal government prevails) and implied powers (the federal government can do whatever is necessary and proper to carry out the expressed powers granted by the Constitution).
45
When was Cohens v. Virginia?
1821
46
What happened in Cohens v. Virginia?
Philip and Mendes Cohen had broken a Virginia law that forbade the selling of lottery tickets that were not state-authorized. The Cohens were arrested for selling lottery tickets from Washington, D.C.
Virginia won the case, but Chief Justice Marshall again asserted the power of the central government over the states. In this case, he ruled that the Supreme Court has the power to exercise its appellate jurisdiction over the judgment of a state court involving the validity of state legislation.
47
When was Gibbons v. Ogden?
1824
48
What happened in Gibbons v. Ogden?
Ogden had been licensed by New York to run a steamboat between New York and New Jersey.
Gibbons had been licensed by Congress to do the same. Ogden tried to force Gibbons to stop. NY courts agreed, and Gibbons appealed to the Supreme Court.
In this case, Marshall gave the concept of commerce a broad interpretation. That is, commerce is not limited to buying and selling commodities.
In this decision, Marshall reaffirmed that only Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce, that is, business that crosses state lines.
49
When was Fletcher v. Peck?
1810
50
What happened in Fletcher v. Peck?
The state of Georgia in 1796 passed a law repealing a 1795 Georgia law authorizing a land sale that transferred 35 million acres of land to speculators for 1 1/2¢/acre. The law was repealed because of massive bribery and corruption in the legislature.
Chief Justice Marshall overturned the 1796 law, saying that the earlier law, fraudulent though it was, was a legally binding contract and that the state could not impair or alter a contract.
51
When was Dartmouth College v. Woodward?
1819
52
What happened in Dartmouth College v. Woodward?
The New Hampshire legislature changed Dartmouth College’s charter and placed the college under state control. Marshall ruled the original charter must stand; it was a contract and the Constitution protected contracts against state encroachment.
This decision encouraged economic development by ensuring corporations that they would be free from arbitrary interference from government once their charters were established. But the decision had the negative effect of shielding corporations from public control.
53
What happened in the Treaty of 1818?
This treaty fixed the boundary line between the United States and Canada at the 49th parallel from Lake of the Woods (northern Minnesota) to the Rocky Mountains.
The treaty also provided that the United States and Britain would jointly occupy the Oregon country for a period of ten years and decreed that the US and Canada would share the valuable Newfoundland fisheries.
54
What did Andrew Jackson do in Florida?
Arguing that Seminole Indians and runaway slaves were using Spanish Florida as a refuge from US law, Jackson obtained permission to take a military force into Florida. Once there, Jackson exceeded the limits of his authority, hanging Indians and British subjects and seizing Spanish posts.
Though most in Washington were ready to disavow Jackson, Secretary of State J.Q. Adams seized the opportunity to press Spain for concessions.
55
When was the Adams-Onis Florida Purchase Treaty?
1819
56
What happened in the Adams-Onis Florida Purchase Treaty?
Result of Jackson in Florida
Spain, realizing that Jackson might seize all of Florida, ceded
Florida to the US for $5 million.
In exchange for the US dropping its weak claim to Texas, Spain gave up its claim to the Oregon
territory and set the boundary between Oregon and Mexico at the 42nd parallel.
57
When was the Monroe Doctrine?
1823
58
What did the Monroe Doctrine state?
1) The Western Hemisphere was closed to further European colonization
2) The United States would not interfere with the existing colonies of any European power 3) The United States would not interfere in the internal affairs of any European power
4) Any attempt by European powers to intervene in the Western Hemisphere would be regarded as a threat to the US.
59
Why was the Monroe Doctrine put into place?
Latin American nations had overthrown Spanish rule. The US sought to keep powerful European colonial powers out of its backyard, and US merchants sought to build up trade with Latin American nations (not possible if a mercantilist colonial power controlled the area).
60
What were the reactions of the Americans and British to the Monroe Doctrine?
This was welcomed by Americans as an expression of nationalism and isolationism. Fortunately for the US, the British also wanted to keep other colonial powers out of the hemisphere; the British navy provided the enforcement for this doctrine in its first decades.
61
When was the 54°40ʹ/ Russo-American Treaty?
1824
62
What was the first success of the Monroe Doctrine?
The Russian decision to halt their expansion in the Western Hemisphere at 5440ʹ, the southern tip of the Alaskan panhandle.
63
What were King Numbers?
This term referred to the masses obtaining more political power under President Jackson.
64
What happened in the election of 1824?
There were four candidates running in the presidential race in 1824: Jackson, Adams, Clay, and Crawford, each a favorite son of a particular region of the country. None of these four candidates was able to win a majority in the Electoral College vote, so the House of Representatives chose from the top three candidates.
Although Jackson led in the popular and electoral vote counts, he lost in the House vote when Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams, who was then elected on the first ballot.
65
When was the Corrupt Bargain?
1825
66
What was the Corrupt Bargain and what was the result?
Shortly after Adams won the presidential vote in the House, he announced the appointment of Clay as Secretary of State, an office widely seen as the stepping stone to the White House.
Jackson’s supporters immediately charged that a corrupt bargain between Adams and Clay had deprived Jackson of victory.
There was no evidence of any explicit bargain, and there certainly was no corruption involved.
Yet this charge weakened Adams during his presidency and rallied support for Jackson.
67
When was the Second Party System?
1828 – 1860
68
What led to the Second Party System?
The battle over the disputed election of 1824 with the so-called Corrupt Bargain led to a split in the Democratic-Republicans. By 1828, the Second Party System (or Era) was forming.
69
Explain the Second Party System.
Andrew Jackson and his followers formed the Democrats. This is today’s Democratic Party.
John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, at first known as the National Republicans, soon called themselves the Whigs. In British politics, the Whigs had opposed the power of the king, and American Whigs were opposed to what they saw as the autocratic rule of King Andrew Jackson. (The Whigs eventually split and disappeared over the issue of slavery.)
Whereas voter turnout had been relatively low in the First Party System, under the Second Party System both Democrats and Whigs worked hard to increase political participation through the use of torchlight parades, mass rallies, and freely flowing alcohol. Voter participation increased dramatically.
70
When was the Tariff of Abominations?
1828
71
What was the Tariff of Abominations?
In an attempt to win votes for Jackson in the election of 1828, his supporters in Congress
proposed a high tariff (45%) on imports of raw materials and manufactured goods. The tariff passed.
72
What was the Southern response to the Tariff of Abominations.
The South hated the tariff, calling it the Tariff of Abominations. They felt that high tariffs
essentially taxed the South to help the North by raising the price of imported manufactured goods.
The South also feared that if the North could force them to pay a high tariff, it might also
interfere with the institution of slavery.
73
What was the South Carolina Exposition & Protest?
| What did it argue?
In response to the Tariff of Abominations, John C. Calhoun secretly wrote the South Carolina Exposition and Protest. This document, based on the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, presented the following arguments:
1) the federal government was created by the states to serve their interests,
2) states have the power to declare laws of Congress unconstitutional,
3) laws so declared unconstitutional are null and void.
Calhoun also believed that, as a last resort, a state could terminate its compact with the other states and secede from the Union.
74
What did the election of 1828 show?
Sectionalism
The election returns in 1828 showed the country increasingly divided on sectional lines. Adams doubled Jackson’s vote total in New England. Jackson doubled Adams’s vote in the South and nearly tripled it in the Southwest.
75
What was the Revolution of 1828?
Jackson was the first non-aristocrat to be elected president; he was the first President to come from a poor family and to have received little formal education.
His election was a victory for the common man, the small farmer and city worker over the elite.
The common people viewed Jackson as one of their own. Since Jackson opposed special privilege and campaigned as the champion of the people, his election is referred to as the Revolution of 1828.
76
Who was called King Mob?
The inelegant scene at Jackson’s inauguration led conservatives to fear that Jackson’s election
marked the rise of the vulgar mob, the common rabble, to political power.
77
Who was called Old Man Eloquent?
After he left the White House, John Quincy Adams served seventeen years in the House of Representatives where he was a strong voice for free speech and against slavery.
78
What was the Spoils System?
The spoils system awarded public offices to supporters of the winning candidate.
Jackson was an enthusiastic advocate of the spoils system, arguing that most government jobs were simple enough that ordinary people could fill them. (Note that some earlier presidents such as Jefferson had actually replaced a larger percentage of office holders on reaching the White House.)
Jackson also felt that rotation in office would prevent the establishment of an entrenched bureaucratic class unresponsive to public interests.
79
When was the Maysville Road Veto?
1830
80
What happened in the Maysville Road Veto?
Jackson believed that Congress could legally appropriate money only for objectives that benefited all Americans, national defense, for example.
Accordingly, he vetoed an appropriation for the Maysville Road, a project solely within the state of Kentucky. (It should be noted that Jackson signed more such bills than he vetoed.)
81
When was the Eaton Affair?
1830
82
What happened in the Eaton Affair?
Secretary of War Eaton married the daughter of a tavern owner and boardinghouse keeper; the daughter Peggy was accused of scandalous behavior with various male boarders. Consequently, the ladies of Jackson’s cabinet, most obviously Vice President Calhoun’s wife, snubbed her. Jackson’s wife had been tainted by scandalous rumors during the presidential campaign; sympathetic, Jackson tried to force the social acceptance of Mrs. Eaton. Relations with Calhoun soured; Calhoun resigned the vice-presidency the next year and entered the Senate for South Carolina.
At the Jefferson Day Banquet, Jackson challenged Calhoun with his famous toast, “Our Union: It must be preserved.” Calhoun replied, “The Union: Next to our liberty, most dear.”
This set the stage for the clash over nullification.
83
When was the Webster-Hayne Debate?
1830
84
What happened in the Webster-Hayne Debate?
In a dispute over the sale of public lands, Senator Hayne of South Carolina presented the states’ rights position in Senate debate as outlined in Calhoun’s Exposition and Protest.
Senator Webster of Massachusetts responded with the nationalist view: the Constitution and federal government were created by the people, not by the states; the Supreme Court, not the states, is the only agency for determining the constitutionality of a law; and no state has the right to nullify a federal law or secede from the Union.
Webster concluded with the words, “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.”
85
What was the Tariff of 1832?
A new tariff to modify the old Tariff of Abominations, this lowered the rate from 45% to 35%.
Southerners were still dissatisfied with the high rates of this protective tariff.
86
When was the South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification?
1832
87
What happened in the South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification?
A state convention in South Carolina passed this in response to the Tariff of 1832; it made void the new tariff as well as the Tariff of Abominations. South Carolina threatened secession if the federal government attempted to collect the tariff
duties within South Carolina.
88
When was the Force Bill?
1833
89
What was the Force Bill?
Jackson responded strongly to South Carolina’s nullification. Nullification itself, he said, was unconstitutional. Further, Jackson threatened to use the military to enforce national laws in South Carolina if needed.
The Force Bill authorized President Jackson to use the army and navy to collect duties on the tariffs of 1828 and 1832.
The Force Act was never invoked because it was passed by Congress the same day as the Compromise Tariff of 1833, so it became unnecessary.
South Carolina did, however, pass an ordinance nullifying the Force Bill.
90
What was Henry Clay’s Compromise of 1833?
Henry Clay devised the Compromise Tariff of 1833; over several years it gradually reduced the rates levied under the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 back to the level of the 1816 tariff.
This compromise caused South Carolina to withdraw the ordinance nullifying the tariffs of 1828 and 1832.
91
When was the Veto of the 2nd Bank of U.S.?
1832
92
Explain what happened in the veto of the 2nd Bank of the U.S.
Henry Clay attempted to push a re-charter of the bank through Congress, four years before its
charter expired; he was hoping this would secure his bid for presidency.
Jackson vetoed the bill. Unlike previous presidential vetoes that had been based on the premise that the bill in question was unconstitutional, Jackson based this veto primarily on his belief that
the BUS was bad policy. (In addition, he did argue that the BUS was unconstitutional, ignoring
the Supreme Court’s McCulloch v. Maryland decision.)
93
What were the arguments of the people who opposed the 2nd Bank of the US?
The Bank:
a) prevented state banks from issuing currency that would cause inflation,
b) did not make loans to farmers and businessmen who lacked adequate collateral,
c) was unconstitutional since there was no expressed power authorizing such a bank,
d) made loans to friendly politicians,
e) enabled an economic elite to control the nation’s credit and currency for their self-interest.
94
Who was Nicholas Biddle?
The brilliant but arrogant president of the BUS, Biddle saw himself as a public servant whose job it was to run the Bank without concern for politics.
95
What happened in the Election of 1832?
Jackson’s enemies made the Bank the biggest issue of the election, hoping to win the presidency. Jackson’s veto alienated the aristocracy (which, due to the rise of Jacksonian democracy, had less influence than before), but united the common people for him. Jackson won the election, receiving 219 electoral votes to Clay’s 49.
96
What was the Anti-Masonic Party’s Influence on National Politics?
The Anti-Masonic Party was the first third party in American political history.
This group was first to hold a national nominating convention. This was one element in the increasing democratization of the Jacksonian era.
They were also the first party to adopt a formal platform laying out the party’s views.
97
What were Pet Banks?
Jackson saw his reelection as a mandate to destroy the BUS. So beginning in 1833, he withdrew government funds from the BUS and deposited them in various state banks, called pet banks by Jackson’s critics.
The pet banks made loans unsecured by adequate collateral and issued more paper money than they could redeem in specie.
98
When was the Indian Removal Act?
1830
99
What happened in the Indian Removal Act?
In response to white demands for Indian lands in the southeastern states, President Jackson pushed through Congress the Indian Removal Act. This act gave the president the power to negotiate treaties with tribes exchanging their lands east of the Mississippi for new lands further west. Tribes that agreed were promised financial assistance to help with the move and were guaranteed that the new lands would be theirs forever.
Jackson signed over seventy such treaties removing over 50,000 Native Americans and opening up millions of acres in Georgia and neighboring states to white settlement.
Other results of the Indian Removal Act were the Trail of Tears and the bloody and costly Seminole Wars. (The Seminoles of Florida fought for several decades to resist removal.)
100
When was Worcester v. Georgia?
1832
101
What happened in Worcester v. Georgia?
In this case, John Marshall ruled that the Cherokees were a distinct political community (separate from the state of Georgia) who could not be removed from their lands without their consent. Further, he said, the tribe was entitled to federal protection against Georgia’s actions.
Jackson, whose platform had endorsed Indian removal, is said to have responded, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” In 1838 the Cherokees were forcibly moved across the Mississippi along what came to be known as the Trail of Tears.
102
When was the Trail of Tears?
1838–1839
103
What happened in the Trail of Tears?
Despite the Cherokees’ effort to follow the advice of Jefferson and other white leaders to adopt white civilization, when gold was discovered on Cherokee land, it was decided to move them from their homes in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama to new lands across the Mississippi.
One hundred thousand Indians were uprooted and marched hundreds of miles. Many died on the trail while on their way to the newly established Indian Territory (Oklahoma).
104
Who was Stephen Austin and what did he do?
Hoping to populate this northern province, Mexico invited American settlers to Texas. Stephen Austin was given permission in 1823 to bring 300 families, provided they adopted the Catholic religion and Mexican customs. They didn’t.
In 1830 Mexico emancipated its slaves and forbade further importation of slaves to Texas.
Tensions arose as Mexico also tried to halt further immigration into Texas and deprive Texas of self-governance.
In 1833 Austin was jailed when he attempted to negotiate these issues with the Mexican
government.
105
When was the Texas War for Independence?
1836
106
What happened in the Texas War for Independence?
Sam Houston led a rebellion that defeated the Mexican forces in a few months.
After the Texan victory at San Jacinto, Mexican General Santa Anna was forced to sign treaties
withdrawing troops from Texas and setting the Rio Grande as Texas’s southern border.
Texas then applied for annexation to the US, but concern over the issue of adding such a large
slave territory to the nation postponed Texas annexation until 1845.
107
What did the Whig Party do in the election of 1836?
The Whigs were united primarily by their hatred of Jackson and what they saw as his executive usurpation. They were unable to agree on a single presidential candidate. Their plan was to endorse several favorite sons who would scatter the vote so no candidate would get the majority vote. The deadlock would go to the House of Representatives where the Whigs might have a chance.
Van Buren, Jackson’s Democratic successor, won anyway.
108
What was Specie Circular?
In response to the unsound economic practices of the pet banks and wildcat banks, Jackson issued the Specie Circular, requiring that all purchases of public lands be paid for with gold or silver (specie).
This helped to cause the Panic of 1837.
109
Under whose presidency did the Panic of 1837 occur?
Van Buren
110
What happened in the Panic of 1837?
State banks were unable to meet the demand for hard currency brought on by Jackson’s Specie Circular. Land speculators lost money as land prices plummeted. Banks foreclosed on loans and shut their doors.
Britain, responding to domestic economic problems, called in foreign loans.
This severe financial depression lasted for several years. Wages dropped by a third.
Unemployment shot up.
111
When was the Independent Treasury/Divorce Bill?
On the assumption that depositing federal funds in private banks had helped to bring on the rage of speculation, President Van Buren proposed divorcing the federal government from banking.
He convinced Congress to establish several independent treasuries where the government could lock up its funds.
This did reduce the speculative fever. It also reduced the amount of money available to businesses for legitimate loans.
112
What happened in the Election of 1840?
Blamed for the Panic of 1837 and depression, Van Buren was swept from office. The Whig party
won, making William Henry Harrison president and John Tyler vice president.
113
Why was the election of 1840 significant?
1) It marked the triumph of a populist democratic style in politics—slogans, mass rallies, torchlight parades, the “Log Cabin and Hard Cider” campaign.
2) It marked the beginning of a durable and vigorous two-party system.
114
When was the Preemption Act?
1841
115
What did the Preemption Act do?
It gave squatters the first right to purchase at minimum price lands they had occupied and improved.
This was an economic aspect of Jacksonian democracy.
