Historical Period 4 (1800-1848)
Unit Five: The Jacksonian Era (1824 – 1840)
Unlike many teachers I use the election of 1824 as the origins of Jacksonian Democracy because many reforms were already impacting the electoral system. Jackson had already become a force in national politics and the second American Party system had already begun to take shape with Harrison’s election in 1840. This relates to Chapter 10 in the Amsco book.
Focus Questions
· Outline the impact of the 1824 election and the divisive nature of sectional politics. What impact will this trend have on sectionalism? (ID-4,5) (POL-2)
· Explain how Jackson’s Presidency hoped to balance demands of both national and state power. On the balance sheet was Jackson more devoted to state’s rights or federal power? Discuss economics during the Jacksonian Period. How did speculation, monetary policies, westward expansion impact the economy in both positive and negative ways? Examine the growth of the middle class and the growing nature of urbanization. (POL-2,3) (PEO-5)
· Discuss Clay’s American System of Manufacturing. What parts of the plan resemble the beliefs of the dearly departed Federalists? (POL-2,3) (WXT-2)
· Examine the creation of the Whig Party. How might Democratic policies have contributed to the opposition? (POL-2,3)
Unit Five: The Jacksonian Era (1824 – 1840)
Unlike many teachers I use the election of 1824 as the origins of Jacksonian Democracy because many reforms were already impacting the electoral system. Jackson had already become a force in national politics and the second American Party system had already begun to take shape with Harrison’s election in 1840. This relates to Chapter 10 in the Amsco book.
Focus Questions
· Outline the impact of the 1824 election and the divisive nature of sectional politics. What impact will this trend have on sectionalism? (ID-4,5) (POL-2)
· Explain how Jackson’s Presidency hoped to balance demands of both national and state power. On the balance sheet was Jackson more devoted to state’s rights or federal power? Discuss economics during the Jacksonian Period. How did speculation, monetary policies, westward expansion impact the economy in both positive and negative ways? Examine the growth of the middle class and the growing nature of urbanization. (POL-2,3) (PEO-5)
· Discuss Clay’s American System of Manufacturing. What parts of the plan resemble the beliefs of the dearly departed Federalists? (POL-2,3) (WXT-2)
· Examine the creation of the Whig Party. How might Democratic policies have contributed to the opposition? (POL-2,3)
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read Chapter 10 in Amsco and answer the essay questions 1, 2, 3, and 5 on page 196. Also answer#1-5 on Page 201.
2.Getafive.com videos- Emergent Sectionalism, Part 1, 2, &3. The Jacksonian Era, 1824-1840, Part 1, 2, &3.
3. Election of 1824-Complete the Graphic Organizer from the following resources:
Resources
Lyrics
“Little Know Ye Who’s Coming” available at
http://divisionoflabour.com/archives/000112.php
“Hunters of Kentucky” available at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6522/
Other Resources
* NEH Edsitement Website featuring lesson plans, documents, and resources for the 1824 election. This
is an excellent site rich in material.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=549
* The Election Is in the House: The Presidential Election of 1824, PDF document charting the issues by
candidate.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=551
* American President.org site containing biographies, campaign issues, results, etc.
http://www.americanpresident.org/history/johnquincyadams/biography/CampaignsElections.common.sht
ml * Website set up to illustrate and compare election and electoral results from 1789-2004.
http://presidentelect.org/e1824.html
* Website set up to illustrate and compare election and electoral results from 1789-2004.
http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/index.html
* Website with candidate information, maps, charts, etc.
http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-presidential-election-1824
* Website featuring explanation of Electoral College – perfect for an extension lesson.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/electoral-tally/
* Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp
Resources
Lyrics
“Little Know Ye Who’s Coming” available at
http://divisionoflabour.com/archives/000112.php
“Hunters of Kentucky” available at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6522/
Other Resources
* NEH Edsitement Website featuring lesson plans, documents, and resources for the 1824 election. This
is an excellent site rich in material.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=549
* The Election Is in the House: The Presidential Election of 1824, PDF document charting the issues by
candidate.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=551
* American President.org site containing biographies, campaign issues, results, etc.
http://www.americanpresident.org/history/johnquincyadams/biography/CampaignsElections.common.sht
ml * Website set up to illustrate and compare election and electoral results from 1789-2004.
http://presidentelect.org/e1824.html
* Website set up to illustrate and compare election and electoral results from 1789-2004.
http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/index.html
* Website with candidate information, maps, charts, etc.
http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-presidential-election-1824
* Website featuring explanation of Electoral College – perfect for an extension lesson.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/electoral-tally/
* Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp
election_of_1824_graphic_organizer.jpg | |
File Size: | 128 kb |
File Type: | jpg |
4. Complete Andrew Jackson Document Based Questions- Analysis Only (No essay)
andrew_jackson_dbq.pdf | |
File Size: | 632 kb |
File Type: |
5. Issues in the Election of 1828
Read the selected paragraphs from “The Presidency of John Quincy Adams,” available at http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=636. The issues listed in the chart below were important to the presidential election campaign of 1828 and to Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Describe each issue and note which region of the country, if any, would tend to be strongly against it.
Read the selected paragraphs from “The Presidency of John Quincy Adams,” available at http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=636. The issues listed in the chart below were important to the presidential election campaign of 1828 and to Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Describe each issue and note which region of the country, if any, would tend to be strongly against it.
issues1828.pdf | |
File Size: | 92 kb |
File Type: |
6. Political Battles of the Jacksonian Era - The Bank War
Reading 1:
It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes. Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth cannot be produced by human institutions. In the full enjoyment of the gifts of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society--the farmers, mechanics, and laborers--who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government. There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing.
Jackson's Veto Message
Reading 2:
This message...denies to the judiciary the interpretation of law, and claims to divide with Congress the power of originating statutes. It extends the grasp of executive pretension over every power of the government. But this is not all....It manifestly seeks to inflame the poor against the rich; it wantonly attacks whole classes of the people, for the purpose of turning against them the prejudices and the resentments of other classes.
Daniel Webster's Reply
Reading 3:
The Bank Veto.--This is the most wholly radical and basely Jesuitical document that ever emanated from any Administration, in any country....It impudently asserts that Congress have acted prematurely, blindly, and without sufficient examination. It falsely and wickedly alleges that the rich and powerful throughout the country are waging a war of oppression against the poor and the weak; and attempts to justify the President on the ground of its being his duty thus to protect the humble when so assailed. Finally, it unblushingly denied that the Supreme Court is the proper tribunal to decide upon the constitutionality of the laws!!
The whole paper is a most thoroughgoing electioneering missile, intended to secure the mad-caps of the South, and as such, deserves the execration of all who love their country or its welfare.
Boston Daily Atlas editorial
Reading 4:
The United States Bank, as at present constituted, ought never to be renewed. The reasons are obvious.
The capital is too vast. In proportion to the wealth of the country, it is the largest moneyed monopoly in the world....Republican America, the Virgin of the New World, the Government which is especially charged by wholesome legislation to prevent all extreme inequalities of fortune, has surpassed every country in Europe in the lavish concession of influence and privileges to a moneyed corporation.
Political influence is steadily tending to the summit level of property....When a life and trust company ask for privileges, which enable capital to consume the moderate profits of the farmer by tempting him to incur the hazards of debt, it is the clamor of capital, deafening the voice of benevolence and legislative wisdom.
When the creditor demands that the debtor may once more be allowed to pledge his body and his personal freedom, it is the clamor of capital.
When "vested rights" claim a veto on legislation, and assert themselves as the law paramount in defiance of the constitution which makes the common good the supreme rule, it is the clamor of capital, desiring to renew one of the abuses of feudal institutions.
When the usurer invokes the aid of society to enforce the contracts, which he has wrung without mercy from the feverish hopes of pressing necessity, it is the clamor of capital, which like the grave never says, It is enough.
When employers combine to reduce the wages of labor, and at the same time threaten an indictment for conspiracy against the combinations of workmen, it is the clamor of capital
The feud between the capitalist and the laborer, the house of Have and the house of Want, is as old as social union, and can never be entirely quieted; but he who will act with moderation, prefer facts to theories, and remember that every thing in this world is relative and not absolute, will see that the violence of the contest may be stilled, if the unreasonable demands of personal interests are subjected to the decisions of even-handed justice....
George Bancroft, 1834
Reading 5:
The national bank, though not properly a political institution, is one of the most important and valuable instruments that are used in the practical administration of the government.... As the fiscal agent of the executive, it has exhibited a remarkable intelligence, efficiency, energy, and above all, INDEPENDENCE. This...has been its real crime. As the regulator of the currency, it has furnished the country with a safe, convenient and copious circulating medium, and prevented the mischiefs that would otherwise result from the insecurity of local banks. As a mere institution for loaning money, it has been...the Providence of the less wealthy sections of the Union....Through its dealings in exchange at home and abroad, the bank has materially facilitated the operations of our foreign and domestic trade. The important advantages which have thus been derived from this institution have been unattended by any countervailing evil.
The Boston Daily Advertiser defends the second Bank of the United States, 1832
Questions
1. Why does Andrew Jackson oppose recharter of the second Bank of the United States?
2. What positive functions were served by the bank? What were some of the bank's negative consequences?
3. What should be the proper relationship between finance, business, and government?
Reading 1:
It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes. Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth cannot be produced by human institutions. In the full enjoyment of the gifts of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society--the farmers, mechanics, and laborers--who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government. There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing.
Jackson's Veto Message
Reading 2:
This message...denies to the judiciary the interpretation of law, and claims to divide with Congress the power of originating statutes. It extends the grasp of executive pretension over every power of the government. But this is not all....It manifestly seeks to inflame the poor against the rich; it wantonly attacks whole classes of the people, for the purpose of turning against them the prejudices and the resentments of other classes.
Daniel Webster's Reply
Reading 3:
The Bank Veto.--This is the most wholly radical and basely Jesuitical document that ever emanated from any Administration, in any country....It impudently asserts that Congress have acted prematurely, blindly, and without sufficient examination. It falsely and wickedly alleges that the rich and powerful throughout the country are waging a war of oppression against the poor and the weak; and attempts to justify the President on the ground of its being his duty thus to protect the humble when so assailed. Finally, it unblushingly denied that the Supreme Court is the proper tribunal to decide upon the constitutionality of the laws!!
The whole paper is a most thoroughgoing electioneering missile, intended to secure the mad-caps of the South, and as such, deserves the execration of all who love their country or its welfare.
Boston Daily Atlas editorial
Reading 4:
The United States Bank, as at present constituted, ought never to be renewed. The reasons are obvious.
The capital is too vast. In proportion to the wealth of the country, it is the largest moneyed monopoly in the world....Republican America, the Virgin of the New World, the Government which is especially charged by wholesome legislation to prevent all extreme inequalities of fortune, has surpassed every country in Europe in the lavish concession of influence and privileges to a moneyed corporation.
Political influence is steadily tending to the summit level of property....When a life and trust company ask for privileges, which enable capital to consume the moderate profits of the farmer by tempting him to incur the hazards of debt, it is the clamor of capital, deafening the voice of benevolence and legislative wisdom.
When the creditor demands that the debtor may once more be allowed to pledge his body and his personal freedom, it is the clamor of capital.
When "vested rights" claim a veto on legislation, and assert themselves as the law paramount in defiance of the constitution which makes the common good the supreme rule, it is the clamor of capital, desiring to renew one of the abuses of feudal institutions.
When the usurer invokes the aid of society to enforce the contracts, which he has wrung without mercy from the feverish hopes of pressing necessity, it is the clamor of capital, which like the grave never says, It is enough.
When employers combine to reduce the wages of labor, and at the same time threaten an indictment for conspiracy against the combinations of workmen, it is the clamor of capital
The feud between the capitalist and the laborer, the house of Have and the house of Want, is as old as social union, and can never be entirely quieted; but he who will act with moderation, prefer facts to theories, and remember that every thing in this world is relative and not absolute, will see that the violence of the contest may be stilled, if the unreasonable demands of personal interests are subjected to the decisions of even-handed justice....
George Bancroft, 1834
Reading 5:
The national bank, though not properly a political institution, is one of the most important and valuable instruments that are used in the practical administration of the government.... As the fiscal agent of the executive, it has exhibited a remarkable intelligence, efficiency, energy, and above all, INDEPENDENCE. This...has been its real crime. As the regulator of the currency, it has furnished the country with a safe, convenient and copious circulating medium, and prevented the mischiefs that would otherwise result from the insecurity of local banks. As a mere institution for loaning money, it has been...the Providence of the less wealthy sections of the Union....Through its dealings in exchange at home and abroad, the bank has materially facilitated the operations of our foreign and domestic trade. The important advantages which have thus been derived from this institution have been unattended by any countervailing evil.
The Boston Daily Advertiser defends the second Bank of the United States, 1832
Questions
1. Why does Andrew Jackson oppose recharter of the second Bank of the United States?
2. What positive functions were served by the bank? What were some of the bank's negative consequences?
3. What should be the proper relationship between finance, business, and government?
7. BLOG ASSIGNMENT
Andrew Jackson: Hero by Popular Opinion
Published on September 18, 2013 in
By Jesse Schultz
On the surface the 7th President of the United States seems ready made for the mantle of hero. He was born into poverty from Irish immigrant parents in 1767, fought briefly in the American Revolution, studied law and became the prosecuting attorney for western North Carolina, elected to the House of Representatives in 1796, and later the Senate the very next year in 1797. He even served in the state supreme court.
He rose to fame during the War of 1812 when he soundly defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans using a remarkably egalitarian force of slaves, Haitians, Choctaw, French pirates, Canary Islanders, and frontiersmen. The press declared him a hero and dubbed him “Old Hickory”. He went on to serve as Governor of the newly acquired Territory of Florida. He ran for President in 1824, winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College. He ran again in 1828 and won and 4 years later won reelection. Andrew Jackson seemed to live a life that, had it been the product of some work of fiction, would seem almost too much to believe. Certainly a hero.
But…
There was another side to Andrew Jackson. He was a man who engaged in duels, killing Charles Dickinson in 1806. During in the First Seminole War he inflicted harsh discipline on his troops, including executions for mutiny. The necessity of some were questioned. Later he would capture two British subjects, Robert Ambrister and Alexander Arbuthnot, and believing them to be agents sent to supply the Seminoles Jackson had them tried and executed. The questionable aspects of the Arbuthnot-Ambrister Incident, which included the invasion of Spanish Territory, would see Jackson investigated by Congress. While Congress would find “fault” with Jackson’s handling of the trial and execution, they would not take any action against Jackson.
And as President Jackson would oversee one of the more shameful moments in American history. In 1830 he signed the Indian Removal Act which called for the forcible removal of Native Americans from their lands. The Cherokee Nation would actually take their fight to the Federal Court in an attempt keep their lands and inWorcester v Georgia The Supreme Court ruled against the relocation. Of the ruling Jackson would reputedly say “John Marshall (the chief justice at the time) has made his decision; now let him enforce it!”. There’s been dispute on whether Jackson in fact uttered those words, but unfortunately they did seem to sum up his attitude. While the Cherokee would not be removed till the Van Buren Administration, the Choctaw, Seminoles, and Creek would see removal under Jackson’s watch.
But none of this seems to have affected Jackson’s popularity, which only increased.After his death his image would appear on no less than 13 postage stamps, have numerous memorials, counties, and cities named after him, his image is on the $20 bill and has been on numerous other denominations over the years. In a 2009 C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership, historians placed him at 13th.
So was Andrew Jackson a hero for his leadership during his Presidency? A villain for his actions? Both? Neither? This is why the notion of what is a “hero” is so nebulous. Public and historic consensus focused on his actions in the War of 1812, or his handling of the Nullification Crisis, or simply his stellar political career. The darker aspects of his persona are ignored or excused. Jackson certainly wouldn’t be a hero to Native Americans, or the British, or the Spanish. To this day we face these questions when declaring heroes. Do the person’s admirable qualities outweigh the frailty of the human condition? Who decides?
Andrew Jackson: Hero by Popular Opinion
Published on September 18, 2013 in
By Jesse Schultz
On the surface the 7th President of the United States seems ready made for the mantle of hero. He was born into poverty from Irish immigrant parents in 1767, fought briefly in the American Revolution, studied law and became the prosecuting attorney for western North Carolina, elected to the House of Representatives in 1796, and later the Senate the very next year in 1797. He even served in the state supreme court.
He rose to fame during the War of 1812 when he soundly defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans using a remarkably egalitarian force of slaves, Haitians, Choctaw, French pirates, Canary Islanders, and frontiersmen. The press declared him a hero and dubbed him “Old Hickory”. He went on to serve as Governor of the newly acquired Territory of Florida. He ran for President in 1824, winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College. He ran again in 1828 and won and 4 years later won reelection. Andrew Jackson seemed to live a life that, had it been the product of some work of fiction, would seem almost too much to believe. Certainly a hero.
But…
There was another side to Andrew Jackson. He was a man who engaged in duels, killing Charles Dickinson in 1806. During in the First Seminole War he inflicted harsh discipline on his troops, including executions for mutiny. The necessity of some were questioned. Later he would capture two British subjects, Robert Ambrister and Alexander Arbuthnot, and believing them to be agents sent to supply the Seminoles Jackson had them tried and executed. The questionable aspects of the Arbuthnot-Ambrister Incident, which included the invasion of Spanish Territory, would see Jackson investigated by Congress. While Congress would find “fault” with Jackson’s handling of the trial and execution, they would not take any action against Jackson.
And as President Jackson would oversee one of the more shameful moments in American history. In 1830 he signed the Indian Removal Act which called for the forcible removal of Native Americans from their lands. The Cherokee Nation would actually take their fight to the Federal Court in an attempt keep their lands and inWorcester v Georgia The Supreme Court ruled against the relocation. Of the ruling Jackson would reputedly say “John Marshall (the chief justice at the time) has made his decision; now let him enforce it!”. There’s been dispute on whether Jackson in fact uttered those words, but unfortunately they did seem to sum up his attitude. While the Cherokee would not be removed till the Van Buren Administration, the Choctaw, Seminoles, and Creek would see removal under Jackson’s watch.
But none of this seems to have affected Jackson’s popularity, which only increased.After his death his image would appear on no less than 13 postage stamps, have numerous memorials, counties, and cities named after him, his image is on the $20 bill and has been on numerous other denominations over the years. In a 2009 C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership, historians placed him at 13th.
So was Andrew Jackson a hero for his leadership during his Presidency? A villain for his actions? Both? Neither? This is why the notion of what is a “hero” is so nebulous. Public and historic consensus focused on his actions in the War of 1812, or his handling of the Nullification Crisis, or simply his stellar political career. The darker aspects of his persona are ignored or excused. Jackson certainly wouldn’t be a hero to Native Americans, or the British, or the Spanish. To this day we face these questions when declaring heroes. Do the person’s admirable qualities outweigh the frailty of the human condition? Who decides?
8. Henry Clay's American System Short Answer
"In Defense of the American System," Henry Clay, 1832.
The United States Democratic Review, 1844.
Source text:
Document A: This passage is from Kentucky Senator Henry Clay’s Senate speech, “In Defense of the American System,” from February 1832. Clay's American System called for higher tariffs to protect American industry, a central bank to control the money supply, and government support for public projects, such as canals, roads, and railroads. This portion of the speech concerns Clay’s tariff policies.
“[Now, eight years after the tariff of 1824], we behold cultivation extended, the arts flourishing, the face of the country improved, our people fully and profitably employed . . . our cities expanded, and whole villages springing up. . . ; our exports and imports increased and increasing; our tonnage, foreign and coastwise, swelling and fully occupied. . . . This transformation of the condition of the country from gloom and distress to brightness and prosperity, has been mainly the work of American legislation, fostering American industry, instead of allowing it to be controlled by foreign legislation.”
Document B: This article is from a May 1844 issue of The United States Democratic Review, a conservative 19th-century magazine that supported small government and minimal intervention by the federal government. The article is highly critical of Henry Clay's American System, particularly its support of higher tariffs.
“This American system... what is it, but a fraudulent partnership between a portion of our politicians and capitalists…. States, whose products for export will soon reach a hundred million of dollars, will not suffer their markets abroad to be restricted or closed by our own laws…. The Constitution prohibits our taxing exports; and restrictions on imports.”
Question 1: In the 19th century, many Americans opposed increased government regulation of the economy. How does Document A provide evidence of this?
Question 2: How does Document B also provide evidence that many Americans opposed increased government regulation of the economy?
Question 3: What other outside information support the evidence?
Document A: This passage is from Kentucky Senator Henry Clay’s Senate speech, “In Defense of the American System,” from February 1832. Clay's American System called for higher tariffs to protect American industry, a central bank to control the money supply, and government support for public projects, such as canals, roads, and railroads. This portion of the speech concerns Clay’s tariff policies.
“[Now, eight years after the tariff of 1824], we behold cultivation extended, the arts flourishing, the face of the country improved, our people fully and profitably employed . . . our cities expanded, and whole villages springing up. . . ; our exports and imports increased and increasing; our tonnage, foreign and coastwise, swelling and fully occupied. . . . This transformation of the condition of the country from gloom and distress to brightness and prosperity, has been mainly the work of American legislation, fostering American industry, instead of allowing it to be controlled by foreign legislation.”
Document B: This article is from a May 1844 issue of The United States Democratic Review, a conservative 19th-century magazine that supported small government and minimal intervention by the federal government. The article is highly critical of Henry Clay's American System, particularly its support of higher tariffs.
“This American system... what is it, but a fraudulent partnership between a portion of our politicians and capitalists…. States, whose products for export will soon reach a hundred million of dollars, will not suffer their markets abroad to be restricted or closed by our own laws…. The Constitution prohibits our taxing exports; and restrictions on imports.”
Question 1: In the 19th century, many Americans opposed increased government regulation of the economy. How does Document A provide evidence of this?
Question 2: How does Document B also provide evidence that many Americans opposed increased government regulation of the economy?
Question 3: What other outside information support the evidence?
9. Whig Party formed
1834
Concerned with President Andrew Jackson’s use and abuse of presidential power, a coalition of anti-Jackson political parties merged to form the Whig Party.
Whig Party
The Whig Party was formed in 1834 by a coalition of National Republicans, Anti-Masons, and disgruntled Democrats, who were united by their opposition to “King Andrew” Jackson and his “usurpations” of congressional and judicial authority. The party took its name from the seventeenth-century British Whig group that had defended English liberties against the usurpations of pro-Catholic Stuart Kings. Like the Democrats, the Whigs were a coalition of sectional interests, class and economic interests, and ethnic and religious interests. Democratic voters tended to be small farmers, residents of less-prosperous towns, and Scots-Irish or Catholic Irish. Whigs tended to be educators and professionals; manufacturers; business-oriented farmers; British and German Protestant immigrants; upwardly aspiring manual laborers; free blacks; and active members of Presbyterian, Unitarian, and Congregational churches. The Whig coalition included supporters of Henry Clay’s American System, states’ rights supporters, religious groups alienated by Jackson’s Indian removal policies, and bankers and businesspeople frightened by the Democrats’ anti-monopoly and anti-bank rhetoric. Whereas the Democrats stressed class conflict, Whigs emphasized the harmony of interests between labor and capital, the need for humanitarian reform, and leadership by men of talent. The Whigs also idealized the “self-made man,” who starts “from an humble origin, and from small beginnings rise[s] gradually in the world, as a result of merit and industry.” Finally, the Whigs viewed technology and factory enterprise as forces for increasing national wealth and improving living conditions.
Answer this question:
Examine the creation of the Whig Party. How might Democratic policies have contributed to the opposition?
1834
Concerned with President Andrew Jackson’s use and abuse of presidential power, a coalition of anti-Jackson political parties merged to form the Whig Party.
Whig Party
The Whig Party was formed in 1834 by a coalition of National Republicans, Anti-Masons, and disgruntled Democrats, who were united by their opposition to “King Andrew” Jackson and his “usurpations” of congressional and judicial authority. The party took its name from the seventeenth-century British Whig group that had defended English liberties against the usurpations of pro-Catholic Stuart Kings. Like the Democrats, the Whigs were a coalition of sectional interests, class and economic interests, and ethnic and religious interests. Democratic voters tended to be small farmers, residents of less-prosperous towns, and Scots-Irish or Catholic Irish. Whigs tended to be educators and professionals; manufacturers; business-oriented farmers; British and German Protestant immigrants; upwardly aspiring manual laborers; free blacks; and active members of Presbyterian, Unitarian, and Congregational churches. The Whig coalition included supporters of Henry Clay’s American System, states’ rights supporters, religious groups alienated by Jackson’s Indian removal policies, and bankers and businesspeople frightened by the Democrats’ anti-monopoly and anti-bank rhetoric. Whereas the Democrats stressed class conflict, Whigs emphasized the harmony of interests between labor and capital, the need for humanitarian reform, and leadership by men of talent. The Whigs also idealized the “self-made man,” who starts “from an humble origin, and from small beginnings rise[s] gradually in the world, as a result of merit and industry.” Finally, the Whigs viewed technology and factory enterprise as forces for increasing national wealth and improving living conditions.
Answer this question:
Examine the creation of the Whig Party. How might Democratic policies have contributed to the opposition?