U.S. History / Unit 3: The Early Republic and Expansion
3.4 The Age of Jackson
Notes
Andrew Jackson, elected in 1828, presented himself as a champion of the "common man."
- By then most states had dropped property requirements, so most white men could vote.
- Spoils system: giving government jobs to political supporters.
- Bank War: Jackson vetoed the recharter of the Second Bank of the United States (1832), calling it a tool of wealthy elites.
- Nullification Crisis (1832 to 1833): South Carolina, led by John C. Calhoun, declared federal tariffs void inside the state. Jackson threatened force, and a compromise tariff ended the crisis.
- New parties formed: Jackson's Democrats and the Whigs, who opposed what they saw as Jackson's abuse of power ("King Andrew").
Practice
Jackson rewarding loyal supporters with government jobs is known as the:
"To the victor belong the spoils."
During the Nullification Crisis, South Carolina claimed that:
Calhoun argued states could nullify federal laws they judged unconstitutional.
A political cartoon shows Jackson dressed as a king, holding a scroll labeled "veto." The cartoonist most likely belonged to the:
The Whigs formed to oppose what they called "King Andrew's" use of executive power.
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