8th Grade US History Notes

Chapter 13: The Jackson Era

Section 1: Jacksonian Democracy
• In the election of 1824, Andrew Jackson won the greatest number of popular votes but he didn’t win a majority. When there is no majority, the Constitution directs the House of Representatives to choose the president. The House chose John Quincy Adams as president.
• The 1824 election split the Democratic-Republican Party. In 1828 Democrat Jackson defeated National Republican Adams for reelection. Jackson’s victory was aided by changes that allowed poorer people to vote. These workers and farmers were attracted by Jackson’s image as a self-made “common man.”
• Congress taxed goods from Europe so that American goods would be cheaper than goods imported from Europe. Northern manufacturers liked these tariffs because they made imported goods more expensive. Southerners were afraid the tariffs would hurt their profitable cotton trade with Europe.
• Arguments about the tariffs led to fights over states’ rights. Southern leaders said that states could nullify federal laws that they did not like. President Jackson feared that nullification would weaken and destroy the Union. Congress lowered the tariff, but the dispute over states’ rights continued.
Section 2: Conflicts over Land
• Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 and created the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Thousands of Native Americans in the eastern United States were forced to relocate to live there in what is now the state of Oklahoma.
• Georgia wanted the Cherokee to move, but they refused to leave and took legal action. The Supreme Court agreed with the Cherokee, but President Jackson ignored the Court’s decision. The federal government sent the military to make the Cherokee relocate to the Indian Territory. Their journey is called the Trail of Tears.
• The Seminole in Florida refused to leave their land. They fought the army in the Seminole Wars. Most were killed or captured and sent to Oklahoma, but a few escaped and their descendants still live in Florida.
• By 1842, most Native Americans who once lived east of the Mississippi River had been moved to the Indian Territory. There they developed homes near Native American peoples already living there.
Section 3: Jackson & the Bank
• President Jackson disliked the Bank of the United States. He refused to sign a charter to allow the Bank to continue to operate. He also withdrew the government’s money from the Bank. As Jackson’s dispute with the Bank continued, actions taken by both sides caused many smaller banks to fail.
• The fear caused by the bank failures set off the Panic of 1837. The panic led to an economic depression. Many people had no job and little money and were not able to meet their basic needs. Land values dropped, investments declined, and thousands of businesses closed.
• President Martin Van Buren worked with Congress to pass a law that required the federal government to keep its money in a federal treasury instead of state banks. This helped prevent future bank crises.
• The depression helped Whig candidate William Henry Harrison defeat President Van Buren in the 1840 election. Harrison died shortly after becoming president, however, making Vice President John Tyler the president. Tyler opposed many Whig programs. His disputes with Whig leaders so weakened the party that it was unable to elect its presidential candidate in 1844.

Load content from www.educandy.com?
Loading external content may reveal information to 3rd parties. Learn more
Allow
Load content from quizlet.com?
Loading external content may reveal information to 3rd parties. Learn more
Allow
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.