Discussion 12-1 US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans The Age of Jackson (1824-1840) Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights Pages 394-401 Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans Pages 402-407 The Second National Bank Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic Pages 408-412 The Trail of Tears States Rights and Unionism Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. 2. Taking the land. The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government 3. The individual versus the state. The Bank Wars 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. The Spoils System 6. Immigration and Americanization. 7. The change in social class. The Battle with the Cherokee Nation 8. Technology developments and the environment. 9. Relations with other nations. State Rights 10. Historiography, how we know things. Talking Points I Introduction 1. Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political philosophy of United States President Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson. Jackson's Democratic Party was resisted by the rival Whig Party. More broadly, the term refers to the period of the Second Party System (1824-1854) when Jacksonian philosophy was ascend- ant as well as the spirit of that era. It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian democracy, which dominated the previous political era. The Jacksonian era saw a great increase of respect and power for the common man, as the electorate expanded to include all white male adult citizens, rather than only land owners in that group. 2. In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the executive branch and the Presidency at the expense of Congressional power, while also seeking to broaden the public's participation in government. Jacksonians believed in enfranchising all white men, rather than just the propertied class, and supported the patronage system that enabled politicians to appoint their supporters into administrative offices, arguing it would reduce the power of elites and prevent aristocracies from emerging. They demanded elected (not appointed) judges and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values. In national terms the Jacksonians favored geographical expansion, justifying it in terms of Manifest Destiny. There was usually a consensus among both Jacksonians and Whigs that battles over slavery should be avoided. The Questions to Think About Supporting Materials Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man? Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham How could the US people support him? Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands Why was he so hard on the Native American people? Andrew Jackson: by Remini Why do people in the South still revere his legacy? Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz Why is his picture on the $20 bill? The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson Discussion 12-1 US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans The Age of Jackson (1824-1840) Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights Pages 394-401 Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans Pages 402-407 The Second National Bank Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic Pages 408-412 The Trail of Tears States Rights and Unionism Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. 2. Taking the land. The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government 3. The individual versus the state. The Bank Wars 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. The Spoils System 6. Immigration and Americanization. 7. The change in social class. The Battle with the Cherokee Nation 8. Technology developments and the environment. 9. Relations with other nations. State Rights 10. Historiography, how we know things. Talking Points Jacksonian Era lasted roughly from Jackson's 1828 election until the slavery issue became dominant after 1850 and the American Civil War dramatically reshaped American politics as the Third Party System emerged. II Jacksonian Democracy and Modern America 1. Andrew Jackson rose to national prominence as a General during the War of 1812. 2. The presidential election of 1828 brought a great victory for Andrew Jackson. Not only did he get almost 70 percent of the votes cast in the electoral college, popular participation in the election soared to an unheard of 60 percent. This more than doubled the turnout in 1824; Jack- son clearly headed a sweeping political movement. His central message remained largely the same from the previous election, but had grown in intensity. Jackson warned that the nation had been corrupted by "special privilege," characterized especially by the policies of the Sec- ond Bank of the United States. The proper road to reform, according to Jackson, lay in an ab- solute acceptance of majority rule as expressed through the democratic process. Beyond these general principles, however, Jackson's campaign was notably vague about specific policies. Instead, it stressed Jackson's life story as a man who had risen from modest origins to become a successful Tennessee planter. Jackson's claim to distinction lay in a military career that in- Questions to Think About Supporting Materials Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man? Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham How could the US people support him? Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands Why was he so hard on the Native American people? Andrew Jackson: by Remini Why do people in the South still revere his legacy? Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz Why is his picture on the $20 bill? The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson Discussion 12-1 US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans The Age of Jackson (1824-1840) Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights Pages 394-401 Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans Pages 402-407 The Second National Bank Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic Pages 408-412 The Trail of Tears States Rights and Unionism Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. 2. Taking the land. The Rise of the Common Man in the US Government 3. The individual versus the state. The Bank Wars 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. The Spoils System 6. Immigration and Americanization. 7. The change in social class. The Battle with the Cherokee Nation 8. Technology developments and the environment. 9. Relations with other nations. State Rights 10. Historiography, how we know things. Talking Points cluded service as a young man in the Revolutionary War, several anti-Indian campaigns, and, of course, his crowning moment in the Battle of New Orleans at the end of the War of 1812. 3. Jackson's election marked a new direction in American politics. He was the first westerner elected president, indeed, the first president from a state other than Virginia or Massachusetts. He boldly proclaimed himself to be the "champion of the common man" and believed that their interests were ignored by the aggressive national economic plans of Clay and Adams. More than this, however, when Martin Van Buren followed Jackson as president, it indicated that the Jacksonian movement had long-term significance that would outlast his own charis- matic leadership. 4. Van Buren, perhaps even more than Jackson, helped to create the new Democratic party that centered upon three chief qualities closely linked to Jacksonian Democracy. First, it declared itself to be the party of ordinary farmers and workers. Second, it opposed the special privileges of economic elites. Third, to offer affordable western land to ordinary white Americans, Indi- ans needed to be forced further westward. The Whig party soon arose to challenge the Demo- crats with a different policy platform and vision for the nation. Whigs' favored active govern- ment support for economic improvement as the best route to sustained prosperity. Thus, the Whig-Democrat political contest was in large part a disagreement about the early Industrial Revolution. Whigs defended economic development's broad benefits, while Democrats Questions to Think About Supporting Materials Why was Andrew Jackson such a narrow minded man? Andrew Jackson: The Lion in the White House by Meacham How could the US people support him? Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by Brands Why was he so hard on the Native American people? Andrew Jackson: by Remini Why do people in the South still revere his legacy? Andrew Jackson: by Wilientz Why is his picture on the $20 bill? The reign of Andrew Jackson: by Johnson Discussion 12-1 US History ~ Chapter 12 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Jacksonian Democracy Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 12; 3 sections; 19 pages War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans The Age of Jackson (1824-1840) Section 1 ~ Jacksonian Democracy and States Rights Pages 394-401 Andrew Jackson democratic philosophy—Revolution Section 2 ~ Jacksons Policy Towards Native Americans Pages 402-407 The Second National Bank Section 3 ~ Prosperity and Panic Pages 408-412 The Trail of Tears States Rights and Unionism Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1.