Lesson 1: Jackson Wins the Presidency Flashcards
(33 cards)
Alexis de Tocqueville Definition
He was a French nobleman, politician, and writer. He visited the United States during the early 1830s and wrote a book about democratic life there.
Andrew Jackson Definition
He was the seventh president of the United States and served from 1829 to 1837. He was a military hero during the War of 1812 and the Seminole Wars. He supported full democratic rights for all white men, Native American removal, and a limited federal government.
Democratic Party Definition
a U.S. political party dating from the 1820s to the present that at first spoke out for small farmers and workers against moneyed businessmen and whose policies have changed over the years
Henry Clay Definition
a leading member of the House of Representatives for Kentucky under Presidents Madison and Monroe who spoke for the interests of the West, and who later served as a U.S. senator and Secretary of State
John Quincy Adams Definition
He was the sixth president of the United States who earlier served as a U.S. diplomat, senator, and Secretary of State. He is the son of John Adams, the second president.
Majority Definition
more than half
Spoils System Definition
using political power to grant other positions to friends and supporters
Suffrage Definition
the right to vote
Whig Party Definition
a U.S. political party active between 1832–1858 that backed government support for the economy
How did poorer Americans expect to be treated by the rich? Why did this surprise European visitors?
Most Americans did not feel that the rich deserved special respect. Wealthy European visitors to the United States were surprised that American servants expected to be treated as equals. Others were amazed that butlers and maids refused to be summoned with bells, as in Europe.
Why was Alexis de Tocqueville sent to America? What did he observe? What was his book called?
A visitor from France, Alexis de Tocqueville became especially well known for his observations on American democracy. He arrived in the United States in 1831. The French government had sent him to study the American prison system. For several months, Tocqueville toured much of the United States. However, he observed much more than prisons. He observed a society that was becoming more and more democratic. After his return to France, Tocqueville recorded his experiences and observations in a book titled Democracy in America. In it, he admired the American democratic spirit and the American goals of equality and freedom. He found that the results of the social “revolution taking place” in America, while “still far from coming to an end,” were “already incomparably greater than anything which has taken place in the world before.”
What is the Age of Jackson?
During the early 1800s, a growing spirit of democracy changed the political system and affected American ideas about social classes. The main cause stemmed from the influence of Andrew Jackson. He was an American politician during this time who supported expanding democratic rights. From the time of his first campaign for president in 1824 until his death in 1845, he dominated American politics. Jackson’s policies had a significant effect on issues such as voting rights and the ways in which government functions. This period is often known as the Age of Jackson.
In the 1820s, how did more Americans gain suffrage, or the right to vote?
During the 1820s, or the early years of the Age of Jackson, more Americans gained suffrage, or the right to vote. Others, however, were denied full participation in the growing democracy. The United States was growing rapidly. New states were joining the Union, and there were many citizens eager to participate in elections. Some of the first states to give voting privileges to white males who did not own property were in the West. In these states, any white man over age 21 could vote. Reformers in the East worked to expand suffrage in that region. By the 1830s, most eastern states had dropped the requirement that voters had to own land. In this way, many craft workers and shopkeepers won the right to vote. Throughout the country, growing numbers of Americans exercised their newly acquired right to vote. Before 1828, the turnout of eligible voters was never more than 27 percent. That low percentage rose to nearly 58 percent in the election of 1828. By 1840, voter turnout was nearly 80 percent.
Which groups did not have the right to vote in America?
Despite the nation’s growing democratic spirit, a great many Americans did not have the right to vote. They included women, Native Americans, and the vast majority of African Americans. Slaves had no political rights at all. Meanwhile, the few states that still required white men to own property to vote failed to remove that barrier during Jackson’s presidency.
How did the suffrage of black men get taken away?
Although most white men had won suffrage, free African Americans had lost it. In the early years of the nation, most northern states and a few southern states allowed free African American men to vote. By the 1820s, however, many of these states had taken away that right. By 1830, only a few New England states permitted free African American men to vote on equal terms with white men. In New York, African American men had to own property in order to vote while white men did not. No state allowed enslaved African Americans to vote.
Who were the four candidates in the election of 1824? Which section of the United States supported each?
There were four candidates for president in 1824. All four were members of the old Republican Party. However, each had support in different parts of the country. John Quincy Adams was strong in New England. Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson had support in the West. William H. Crawford was favored in the South, but became too ill to campaign.
What was John Quincy Adams’s background, going into the election of 1824?
John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts was the son of Abigail and John Adams, the second president. A graduate of Harvard University, the younger Adams had served as Secretary of State and helped end the War of 1812. People admired Adams for his intelligence and high morals. Adams, however, was uncomfortable campaigning among the common people. In fact, to most people he seemed hard and cold.
What was Henry Clay’s background, going into the election of 1812? What was his popularity compared to the other candidate in the west?
A Kentuckian, Henry Clay was a shrewd politician who became Speaker of the House of Representatives. In Congress, Clay was a skillful negotiator who had worked out several important compromises. Despite his abilities, Clay was less popular than the other candidate from the West, Andrew Jackson.
What was William H. Crawford’s background, going into the election of 1824? Where was most of his support concentrated?
William H. Crawford had served as Treasury Secretary, War Secretary, Ambassador to France after the War of 1812, and as a senator from Georgia. Crawford’s support was concentrated in the Southeast.
What was Andrew Jackson’s background going into the election of 1824?
To many Americans, especially on the western frontier, Andrew Jackson was a hero. A general during the War of 1812, he had defeated the British and a group of Creek Indians who were allied with the British. He had gone on to defeat the Seminoles and the Spanish in Florida, gaining that territory for the United States. He was known as the “Hero of New Orleans” for his victory in the War of 1812. He also earned the nickname “Old Hickory” after a soldier said he was “tough as hickory.” Jackson’s fame as a general helped him launch a political career. Although he was a landowner and a slave owner, many saw him as a man of the people. Jackson had been born in a log cabin, and his parents had been poor farmers. He was admired by small farmers and others who felt left out of the growing economy in the United States. The expansion of the vote to white men without property helped account for Jackson’s political popularity.
What was the corrupt bargain in the Election of 1824?
No clear winner emerged from the election of 1824. Jackson won the popular vote, but no candidate won a majority, or more than half, of the electoral votes. As a result, under the provisions of the Constitution, the House of Representatives had to choose the president from among the top three candidates. Because he had finished fourth, Clay was out of the running. As Speaker of the House, though, he played an important role in influencing the results and reaching a compromise to settle the conflict. Clay urged members of the House to vote for Adams. Clay’s support was enough for Adams to win the vote in the House. After he became president, Adams named Clay his Secretary of State. In the past, Secretaries of State had gone on to become president. Jackson and his backers were furious. They accused Adams and Clay of making a “corrupt bargain” and stealing the election from Jackson. In fact, the election was decided based on provisions of the Constitution. Still, the anger of Jackson and his supporters seriously hampered President Adams’s efforts to unify the nation.
What did John Quincy Adams do in hope to bring the nation back together, after the hated election results? How did people view his plan?
Adams knew that the outcome of the election had angered many Americans. To “bring the whole people together,” he pushed for a program of economic growth through internal improvements. His plan backfired, however, and opposition to him grew.
What internal improvements and programs did John Quincy Adam’s propose? How did the majority of Americans view them? How did Congress view them?
Like Alexander Hamilton and Henry Clay, Adams thought that the federal government should promote economic growth. He called for the government to pay for new roads and canals. These internal improvements would help farmers to transport goods to market. Adams also favored projects to promote the arts and the sciences. He suggested building a national university and an observatory from which astronomers could study the stars. Most Americans objected to spending money on such programs. They feared that the federal government would become too powerful. Congress approved money for a national road and some canals but turned down most of Adams’s other programs.
How did the conflict between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams influence political parties?
During the 1820s, nearly all politicians were members of Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party. In the 1830s, however, new political parties took shape. These parties grew out of the conflict between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.
