Quiet and Seated
Jackson Era continued…
Chapter 12 sec. 3 & 4
Conflicts Over States’ Rights
•When Jackson took office in1829 there were 3 majoreconomic issues that werepulling the nation apart
–The sale of public land
–Internal improvements
–Tariffs
•The 3 regions – Northeast,West and South
•Sale of public land inthe West
–N.E. opposed thisbecause the low landprices attracted theworkers the N.E.needed in the factories
–West supported itbecause the morepeople in the West =More political power
•Internal Improvements
–Government spending on building new roads and canals
•N.E. and West supported Internal Improvements
–Made it easier to transport food from the West to N.E.and then manufactured goods from N.E. to West
•South opposed it because the Gov. was financingthe improvements through Tariffs
–South did not want an increase tariffs
•The N.E. favored high tariffs because it enabledthem to produce and sell their goods at priceslower than imported goods
•The Southern economy depended on foreigntrade
•The South opposed the tariffs
–Tariffs are taxes on imported goods
–They traded their cotton for credit which they used tobuy foreign goods
Tariff of Abominations
•In 1828, just before Jackson took office, Congresspassed a bill that raised the tariffs dramaticallyon raw materials and manufactured goods
•Southerners hated it and called it the T. of A. andblamed Adams for it.
•The Tariff of Abominationhit S. Carolina really hard
–Leaders from the state(S.C.)threatened to leavethe union over the issue oftariffs
•John C. Calhoun(Jackson’s V.P.) expandedon an old idea – Thedoctrine of nullification
–States could refuse torecognize a federal lawwithin their borders
State’s Rights
•There was a growingdivision betweensupporters for a stronggovernment vs.defenders of state’s rights
–Webster – Hayne debate
•Senator Daniel Websterfrom Mass. defended astrong Fed. Gov
•Senator Robert Hayne fromS. Carolina favorednullification
Division in the White House
•Jackson favored a stronggovernment
•Calhoun favored state’s rights
•At the Jefferson ball thedivision was made public
–Jackson’s toast – preserve theUnion
–Calhoun’s toast – states’ rights
Threats of Secession
•Jackson trying to preservethe union asked Congress toreduce the tariffs
–Congress did, but Southernersstill thought the tariffs were tohigh
–S. Carolina threatened tosecede during a congressionalmeeting
–Jackson was mad
•He said that if S. Carolina left theunion, he would “hang the firstman of them I(A.J.) can get myhands on.”
•Jackson ran for reelection 1832without Calhoun as his V.P.
•Jackson won
Mr. Biddle’s Bank
•Nicholas Biddle was thepresident of the SecondBank of the US whichcontrolled the nationsmoney supply
•Jackson did not likeBiddle’s influence onCongress
–Jackson also felt thelending practices favoredthe wealthy and hurt theaverage person
•Jackson vetoed thecongress’s renewal of thebank’s charter
–He claimed the bank wasunconstitutional.
–During Jacksons secondterm as President, hebegan to deposit federalmoney into state banks
–Biddle retaliated bymaking it even harder toborrow money
•This backfired for Biddle –people supported Jackson
Prosperity Becomes Panic
•During the last years ofJackson’s presidency, mostof the nation prospered
•Many people got loans tobuy land
–The state banks (“pet banks”)ended up printing too muchmoney – inflation
•1835 only year in US historythat we were debt free
•Martin Van Buren (A.J.’s vp)won the election of 1836
–Shortly after he took officethe Panic of 1837 struck
–Fear over the economycaused people to take theirbank printed money to thebanks and demanded gold orsilver
–The banks quickly ran out
–Many banks defaulted ontheir loans and went out ofbusiness
–A depression followed
The Whig Party
•Many Americans blamedVan Buren for the Panic.
•The Whig party was formedby Jackson’s opponents
•In the Election of 1840,William Henry Harrison andJohn Tyler were theirnominees
–Harrison was a war Hero
•Van Buren’s supportersclaimed Harrison was tooold (68 yrs. Old).
•Harrison won a closeelection and to prove hisage wasn’t a factor, he gavea two hour speech on acold, rainy March day withno hat or coat
•Harrison caught a cold thatturned into pneumonia.
–He died on April 4, 1841
–Tyler became president
•Complete the Chapter Review on page 388
–Terms & Names #1-10
–Review questions #1-10