AP U.S. History Jacksonian Democracy

Welcome back to www.educator.com.0000

This lesson, we are going to focus on Jacksonian democracy.0003

We are going to talk about the infamous, the controversial Andrew Jackson, and the so called democratic revolution.0009

We are going to see that the Democratic Republican Party is going to be refashioned into simply the Democratic Party.0019

We are going to talk about how generally speaking throughout the Jacksonian era,0029

we are going to see the democratization increasing tremendously, throughout the 1830’s and 1840’s onward.0035

The Jacksonian era, I would say like 1830’s into the 1840’s.0047

We are going to see more and more people are going to have opportunities to vote and to participate in the political process.0053

However, I do not want to overstate it because there certainly are limits.0061

Yes, something to keep in mind as you learn about these topics is, democracy for whom?0067

Who is included, who is not included in these democratic revolution?0075

We will see an expansion of the universal white male suffrage,0081

but we still do not see rights for African-Americans, women, and other minority groups as well.0085

In this lesson, we are going to focus primarily on Jackson's first term.0094

In the next lesson, we will focus on the second part so we could break it down a bit.0098

We will talk about the importance of the spoils system and the overall politics of the common man,0105

as Jackson was known for being a huge advocate of the common man, being a self made man himself.0112

Then, we are also going to talk about the Whigs, the rise of the Whigs, which will result from their unhappiness with Andrew Jackson.0120

And then, we will conclude with the discussion of the nullification crisis0131

which was a major challenge during Jackson's administration, first administration, in particular.0136

Let me set the context here.0143

It is the rise of popular politics.0145

On one hand, we are going to see an expansion of the vote for white male farmers and wage earners.0149

This was significant because up until this point, it was only property owners and elites who had political power and voting power.0155

This was changing, especially by the time Jackson was voted into office.0167

Many people, including Jackson, and those who are like minded,0174

began to challenge the old political order that was dominated by wealthy notables, landowners, and so forth.0178

More people during the Jacksonian era start to vote more and more,0186

and we are going to see that laws are going to change throughout several states,0192

that allow people more of a voice in choosing presidential electors.0198

That is extremely important.0205

We are to see some significant gains here.0211

In 1824, less than 27% of adult white males voted, whereas in 1828, 58% voted, by 1840, 80%.0213

A very significant increase in white male participation in the voting sphere.0223

It is going to be a major gain during this era.0231

And obviously, we know there are still a lot of limits.0235

In the south, election laws still favored planters.0238

No franchise for free blacks in the south, and hardly anywhere in the north.0241

We will see specifically in states like Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, there were no property qualifications to vote, as well as to hold office.0248

Some major gains that will feed into Jacksonian democracy,0261

and ultimately empower those who historically had been kept out of the political process.0266

That is why Jackson's presidency is so significant, and a turning point in many ways in U.S. politics.0275

Jackson is very controversial, some people love him, some people hate him.0285

He has some very dramatic characteristics that make him very controversial.0292

But before we get into some of the nitty gritty, let us talk a little bit about the man behind Andrew Jackson.0303

We need to attribute his success as a politician to Martin Van Buren, the little magician,0312

as he was known for supporting Andrew Jackson and helping him run a very successful campaign.0320

During this Jacksonian era, we are going to see the rise and the importance of what is known as the political machine.0331

This is a 19th century term for highly organized groups operating within and intending to control political parties.0340

Yes, we are going to see that the party is increasingly going to become a very important tool in politics.0349

People like Martin Van Buren will use the political machine to strengthen the party, and to promote party loyalty and discipline.0358

Martin Van Buren, who is brought up in the Hudson River Valley area, had Dutch ancestors.0369

He ends up becoming very much involved in politics.0380

He creates the first political machine between 1817 and 1823.0383

He used newspapers to promote a platform.0388

He used patronage, as well, that was very important to award public jobs.0391

Patronage is supporting the people who vote for you.0400

It is very much tied to the spoils system, award public job to political supporters.0406

The idea is I help you, you help me, we all win.0413

It is a win-win situation.0419

He advocated for party discipline and required state legislators to follow the caucus.0421

It was a meeting of party leaders.0427

The party caucus, these informal meetings of politicians was held by political parties0430

to make majority decisions and enforce party discipline.0437

In early U.S. history, small groups of party leaders chose candidates for office and party caucuses.0442

But we are going to see change in the 1830’s, when the major political parties0449

had switched to using the national convention format to nominate their candidates.0455

That is going to be something that will eventually change.0465

But Martin Van Buren is instrumental in behind the scenes, and building up the Democratic Party,0468

and getting them to come out and vote for Andrew Jackson.0479

Because you may recall that Andrew Jackson was defeated,0483

based on decision of the House of Representatives in the election of 1824.0488

Andrew Jackson is going to need all the support he can get.0495

Martin Van Buren is very important in helping to develop the political machine,0500

and these important concepts that will be part of the Jackson administration and Jacksonian democracy.0504

Yes, we will see the agree fashion as the Democrats, and as a result we will also see the backlash against the Jacksonian,0514

when a new second party system will be composed of the Democrats vs. the Whigs.0524

We will talk about the Whigs in a little bit.0532

Just to kind of show you a little map here, a little graph, of some of the changes in voting patterns that we start to see.0535

The Democrats and the Whigs were challenged to respond to the relentless westward expansion of the nation,0549

and the emergence of the industrial economy.0558

How are we going to deal with it, we know that there will be sectional tensions between northerners and southerners, and also the westerners.0563

How the nation is going to develop.0571

We are going to see again, national conventions are going to be really important.0577

We will also see the rise of third parties, even though we would see that the United States’ political system is a two party system.0582

But third parties, those besides the two main parties, like during this time period, the Anti-Masonic party.0591

This party formed in reaction to those who were very much suspicious against the Masons.0601

They accuse Masons of being anti-democratic and privileged.0609

You can see people, ordinary people, getting fed up with elitist politics and taking matters into their own hands.0614

This was something that was becoming more and more accepted.0623

The Working Men's party is another example of another third party that starts to emerge during this time, that we do not see in this graph.0626

This primarily focuses on the two prominent parties throughout the 1820s’, 30’s, and 40’s.0634

You could see during the Jacksonian era that the Democrats are in control.0644

By the 1840’s, we see that the Whigs are in control.0651

Looking in another comparison, you remember that even though Andrew Jackson did win the popular vote,0660

he did not have a majority of electoral votes.0668

This ends up being decided by the House of Representatives.0671

He viewed this as a corrupt bargain, when John Quincy Adams ended up winning the presidency.0674

But that did not stop him, he came back in 1828.0681

With the help of Martin Van Buren and the people, ultimately, we are going to see that Jackson kicks butt here,0685

and has 178 electoral votes that definitely gave him the majority.0695

He becomes the first president from a trans-Appalachian state.0706

And in particular, he is from Tennessee.0710

This is a significant turning point in U.S. politics.0715

Andrew Jackson came from humble beginnings.0720

His parents were killed during the revolutionary war.0726

He had to work hard, he was a military hero.0731

He was very rough around the edges.0737

He was not college educated.0739

He was shaking up the status quo, that is for sure.0742

He was viewed as, what today we will call a Washington outsider.0748

He became a symbol for the common man.0753

Although, that could not be overstated because he did work his way up the ladder socially,0758

became a lawyer, became a politician, war hero, and so forth.0763

He did own slaves, he had his own plantation.0769

Yet, he really was a self made man, he did not come from privilege.0773

He was not born into all this success.0777

Anyway, the symbolism of him being the President of the common man is very important and very empowering to many people.0781

There are those who do not like Andrew Jackson.0791

We will certainly cover that as well.0793

However, when Jackson is elected and he is inaugurated,0796

he goes and celebrated in the White House, thousands crowded in Washington DC for his inauguration,0802

farmers, laborers, other working class people.0810

He was viewed as a president of the people.0814

There were certainly those who were very concerned about the turn of events, and they fear the reign of king mob.0818

These people who were not fit for such a prestigious role in government,0831

that there were definitely those who were very concerned, that the country was going downhill,0839

and that this was not a good sign for the United States.0848

I have a picture here to illustrate ordinary people who had this crazy bash, when Jackson was inaugurated.0854

They had a wild party and glasses were broken, china was broken.0864

It was just a down home party at the White House.0871

Anyway, Jackson is going to become very important for ordinary working class people and farmers.0876

His goal is to provide opportunities for more people to have equality.0882

We will see the economic equality did not occur despite the transformation that did take place concerning politics.0889

More white males began voting and won the right to hold public office.0901

That is going to be very significant.0907

We will start to see policies that do empower people, at least politically, but economically there still are a lot of limits.0909

First day in his office, you can see people are passed out, they are having a good time.0917

They are feeling boost, they are having fun, they are raising hell.0924

Here you may see Hickory, his name was old Hickory, because he was stubborn,0931

he was hard and rough around the edges, and definitely had that frontier spirit, that many people, ordinary people, in particular, liked.0938

They could relate to him.0953

The Whigs took their name from a British political party and they had a reputation for supporting liberal principles and reform.0962

Although, they were a heterogeneous group initially, the Whigs gradually elaborated a distinct vision.0976

They tended to be elitist, you could say.0986

Men of ability, wealth, chosen by talent, but not birth.0992

That is also, the distinction that we should make is that, in some ways a self made man but more elitist,1000

I guess, than the Democratic style of politician.1013

Whigs tended to be more Protestant and they also attracted Protestants, as well as upwardly mobile groups.1019

The Whigs really emerged as a party that was against Andrew Jackson.1031

That is another major point you should remember.1036

They believed that he was acting like a monarch, or they were certainly concerned that he was going to be a monarch.1039

When we get into a lot of his policies, you will understand why.1045

I will build upon this.1048

But in fact, a lot of the Whigs will call him King Jackson.1051

There are some famous cartoons that also portray him as a king.1054

This is the first major time in U.S. history when we are starting to see presidents being labeled as kings,1059

and abusing power, and not following the constitution.1069

Anyway, the Whigs are going to be very critical of Jackson.1076

They dissolve in the 1850’s.1080

We are going to see there is a divide, northern Whigs, as you can see, and southern Whigs.1082

The issue that is going to tear them apart is whether to extend slavery or not into their territories.1089

That is going to lead to their demise.1096

But for the meantime, when they are still active, northern Whigs call for return to Clay and Adams's American System.1099

The government program that was conceived in the early 1820’s to expand economic development,1109

through a federally funded system of internal improvements such as roads, canals, tariffs, and a national bank.1114

Jackson hated this idea.1123

You can see, this is the reaction, they want to go back to what Adams was promoting before.1128

Southern Whigs advocated for economic development but they did not support high tariffs and social mobility.1137

They like the status quo, they like being in charge and keeping the hierarchy as it stood.1145

Many Whigs were also Anti-Masons.1154

That is going to also come into play.1159

A bit more here on Jackson, as I was saying, considered as self made man, no college education.1164

He embraced a simple theory of democracy, equal protection and equal benefits to all white male citizens.1171

He was a Jeffersonian at heart.1181

But Jackson is going to try to expand the meaning of Jeffersonianism, to include more people.1184

That is what is going to be revolutionary.1193

In this sense, he was a unifier.1200

He believes that no region or class should be favored over another.1202

Again, there are limits, he did have slaves.1209

He was not a friend of African-Americans.1212

Women still did not have rights.1214

Although, he did have a very soft spot for women, and actually he lost his wife, in fact, and she was socially shunned.1218

It is not that he did not like women, but his policies did not support women's equality.1235

We are going to talk about this next time, Native Americans were still subjugated.1245

He is a huge foe and will be a huge advocate of removal.1252

That is obviously something that is very controversial, that he is going to be very outspoken about.1257

What else about Jackson, he wanted to replace permanent officeholders and preferred rotation of officeholders.1267

He wanted to shake up the establishment, and kind of push for the spoils system,1276

and reward people who were loyal to him, who voted for him, and give them jobs.1283

He did not think that, you should have all of these qualifications to have that job.1291

He believed that we need to shake up the status quo and put new people in there.1297

He was fragile, physically, like Jefferson.1303

Jackson embraced what is known as the spoils system,1310

a system already well entrenched in a number of state governments.1314

This is the practice of elected officials appointing their own followers and supporters to public offices following electoral victory.1318

As the saying goes, to the victors belongs the spoils.1326

Yes, if you win, then you should be able to reward your followers for their loyalty, for their vote,1332

that they should be able to gain something too.1342

Underlying this practice was a view that in a democracy,1347

rotation office was preferable to permanent upper class, the upper class of officeholders.1351

As I was saying, he wants to shake it up.1357

He began this practice on a national level in 1829, and it became a central,1360

certainly, by the end of the 19th century, a corrupting feature of the U.S. political life.1367

Spoiler alert, we will see by the time of the 1890’s, in fact the Pendleton, it might actually be 1880’s,1376

I think it is '93, the Pendleton Act will in fact, institute a civil service exam, and will put an end to this system.1390

Because it will become quite entrenched.1401

You could see that this can become a very slippery slope where you are giving people jobs1404

because they are loyal to you, and not so much because they are qualified.1409

Thank you, Jackson.1415

Moving along, we are going to see however that there are a lot of positive democratic reforms that are put into place.1418

Just some visuals of old Hickory, to the victors belongs the spoils.1428

There is money, he is riding a pig.1438

Down here, you can see fraud, bribery, plunder.1442

Quite critical, in fact, there are certainly were those who are very critical.1446

Jackson certainly had his enemies and political rivals, one of them being Henry Clay.1456

Jackson wanted to destroy the American System and rejected support for transportation projects,1469

which he also opposed on constitutional grounds.1476

He had a very strict interpretation of the constitution.1480

He did veto for internal improvement bills.1485

And in fact, it is worth mentioning that Andrew Jackson, I forgot the exact number off the top of my head,1489

but I will get that fact for you next time, but Andrew Jackson at this point in U.S. history,1495

vetoed more bills than any other president up to this point.1501

That was very significant, that is also going to feed into the criticisms that he is a king.1507

He is very kinglike, and he is abusing his power, and not cooperating with the government, particularly Congress.1513

Jackson also disliked the Bank of the United States.1523

And speaking of spoiler alerts, we will see that he is going to kill the bank.1526

But we are going to get into that issue next time.1532

Clay favored the banks, they just did not see eye to eye, politically.1534

Here we go, Jackson known for vetoing numerous bills, even one bill that would have used federal funds to construct the Maysville road,1541

because it was wholly within one state, Kentucky, the home state of Henry Clay.1551

He was that petty, we are not going to build a road across his state.1559

Kind of funny, you can see the character of old Hickory, the stubborn man.1566

We are going to see that Jackson is a bit nitty gritty, and some people like him for that, some people hate him for it.1575

But he definitely had some scandals surrounding him, and definitely tarnished his reputation.1585

People were very gossipy, especially the elitist people.1592

There is a lot of whispering going on, about first of all, his wife,1597

and then we are going to see even within his cabinet, there are some scandals that caused him a lot of trouble.1603

Jackson’s kitchen cabinet was very important to him, his advisers.1615

We are going to see that this is going to cause tensions when there are few scandals surrounding the cabinet.1623

Martin Van Buren was Secretary of State and was part of this kitchen cabinet.1632

He led the Albany regency in New York and helped create one of the first modern party organizations.1638

He is going to be very influential.1646

There are other cabinet members like Senator Eaton, who became Secretary of War in 1828, were very controversial.1648

In fact, there was a scandal called the Eaton affair.1656

When Senator Eaton had a relationship with Peggy.1660

She eventually, I have forgotten what her maiden name was, but she had previously been married to a military officer who had died apparently.1668

As soon as he died, she married Eaton right away.1678

There were rumors that they had been having this long affair.1684

And other wives of other cabinet members did not like Peggy.1687

And of course all of the social events that the women were leading, this caused problems for the Jackson administration.1693

It was really ugly and hurtful.1706

She was being shunned and this was putting pressure on the Secretary of War who eventually stepped down.1711

Just to give you an example, there were other scandals as well.1723

But this one in particular, ended up being a thorn in Jackson side.1726

Here is a very kind of critical mockery of Jackson's administration and his cabinet.1734

The rats leaving a falling house.1744

This was meant to tarnish his reputation and can be viewed as mudslinging, especially the Whigs who are not fond of Andrew Jackson.1747

They are comparing his cabinet members to rats.1760

You can see a pretty negative connotation in this cartoon.1766

On top of it, we are going to see tensions arising between Calhoun, John C. Calhoun of South Carolina.1778

John C. Calhoun who disliked the tariff because it hurt the states’ economy, but Calhoun was Vice President.1789

He in fact called this tariff, the tariff of abominations.1800

He is instead going to advocate for the idea of nullification.1804

The idea stating that a state convention could declare federal laws unconstitutional,1809

if they seem to overstep Congressional powers.1815

South Carolina politicians advance this in 1828, as response to Congress’ so called tariff of abominations.1820

This is a very states’ rights approach.1829

This is going to upset Jackson, whose job as President is to unify the country not to feed into sectional tensions.1834

That is his job as President, to be a unifying force and to enforce the law.1846

Although, he will pick and choose which laws he wants to enforce.1852

But in this case, we are going to see he is going to take a stand.1857

Even though you think he is from the south, he may be empathetic to their cause.1860

However, we are going to see that he is going to surprise many people.1870

Then, there is this famous Webster hang debate that was highlighting the sectional tensions that were emerging,1876

which highlighted this conflict in different visions, States’ Rights vs. National Power.1884

A suggestion was made during this debate, to discontinue the sale of land and surveys.1892

Hayne, who was also from South Carolina, charged that this policy favored the east politically and economically.1897

Part of this, then Webster, who was a nationalist Whig, challenged their response1907

and asserted that National Power superseded states’ rights.1912

Hayne who was influenced by Calhoun, responded with a defense of theory of nullification.1917

The idea that states have the right to nullify.1923

But Webster's reply was that no, you cannot do that, liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable.1926

Ultimately, he is going to be advocating for the supremacy of the constitution that relates to federal law that supersedes state laws.1935

Then, there is actually going to be a social gatherings and1946

all the involved politicians are going to be cheering, and making toasts, and having some cocktails.1950

And in fact, that we are kind of alluding to States' rights types of arguments,1961

and Jackson who actually ends up having the last word on this whole debate says, our federal union, it must be preserved.1969

This is important, he is showing his leadership to squash this whole nullification conflict and theme.1979

But he is willing to cut a deal.1992

Let us see what happens here.1995

South Carolina, they held a state convention and they devoted to nullify the tariffs, that rebellious South Carolina.1996

Stay tuned.2005

The tariffs in 1828 and 1832, and they forbade the collection of duties within the state.2008

Hayne was elected governor and Calhoun became a South Carolina senator.2014

We are going to see Calhoun is no longer the Vice President.2020

And Jackson is very much against this idea.2025

He viewed that nullification was treason.2030

He proposed a force bill, he needs to enforce this law2034

which did authorize the use of military force to see that the acts of Congress were being obeyed.2039

Eventually, a compromise was reached.2051

Henry Clay, who was known for being very instrumental in formulating compromises.2054

He was elected to the Senate and devised a compromise by which the tariff would be lowered, gradually,2059

so that by 1842, it would reach approximately the same level as 1816.2066

The compromise and the force bill were passed on the same day.2074

We will see that South Carolina will repeal its nullification of the tariffs.2080

The sectional tensions will deflate temporarily.2085

We are going to see that down the road, sectional tensions will reemerge.2095

But for the time being, we are seeing things smooth over, thank you Henry Clay.2102

We are already at the point in the lesson where we are going to talk about some of the examples.2111

Who do we have here, Calhoun.2119

Let us get to it, we hold that on the separation from the crown of Great Britain,2123

the several colonies became free and independent states, each enjoying a separate and independent right of self government,2127

and that no authority can be exercised over them, but by their consent.2136

It is equally true that the constitution of the United States is a compact formed between the several states,2140

that the government created it by a joint agency of the states, pointed to execute the powers enumerated and granted by that instrument,2147

that all its acts not intentionally authorized of themselves.2158

Here we go, this is important, essentially, null and void.2163

And that the states have the right to pronounce in the last resort authoritative judgment on the use of patents of the federal government,2167

such we deemed to being inherent rights of the states.2179

A very States’ rights sentiment.2189

Which of the following was the immediate cause of the publication of the statement in this excerpt?2192

I forgot to highlight the year, that was in 1832.2202

Was it the inauguration of Andrew Jackson, the end of the slave trade,2209

a Supreme Court decision on States' rights, a law passed by Congress that raised the tariff.2213

The answer.2222

As described in the excerpt, which of the following makes the final decision on whether a law is invalid in a state.2225

The answer according to Calhoun, states.2239

Third one, which of the following is or are, most similar to the statement in the excerpt?2246

Monroe doctrine, Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, the Marbury vs. Madison decision, or the Missouri compromise?2254

The answer is this one, which is also a very states’ rights type of declaration.2265

We are moving along, short answer.2278

Briefly explain which one of the following best supports the statement.2279

The duties of all public officers are so plain and simple that more is lost by the long continuance of a man in office,2283

than is generally to be gained by their experience.2292

Choices, political party conventions, rotation office, or the spoils system?2298

I’m going to do this one.2313

Political party conventions replace the caucuses of party leaders in selecting candidates,2317

and were more open to popular participation, and therefore more democratic.2322

Contrast your choice against one of the other options demonstrating why their option is not as good as your choice.2333

The spoils system was based on a belief in appointing people to jobs because of their political party affiliation,2340

not on being qualified to do the job.2348

Moving on, last question, briefly explain how one of the following people would either support or question this statement.2357

I’m going to choose Martin Van Buren.2369

Martin Van Buren is a strong supporter of Jackson and his policies would support the statement2372

and continue the policies of the spoils system and rotation office during his own presidency.2377

John Quincy Adams would be critical.2388

John C. Calhoun, he would be supportive for the most part, except for the unfair and nullification of the Jacksonian administration.2391

A little bit about Jackson, old Hickory.2405

We will talk more about him next time, and his controversial bank policies, and the removal of Native Americans.2410

With that, I'm going to conclude this lesson, and thank you for watching www.educator.com.2420