The Rise of Mass Democracy
513336002 | Corrupt Bargain | Alleged deal between presidential candidates John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay to throw the election, to be decided by the House of Representatives, in Adams' favor. Though never proven, the accusation became the rallying cry for supporters of Andrew Jackson, who had actually garnered a plurality of the popular vote in 1824 | |
513336003 | Spoils system | policy of rewarding political supporters with public office, first widely employed at the federal level by Andrew Jackson. The practice was widely abused by the unscrupulous office seekers, but it also helped cement party loyalty in the emerging two-party system. | |
513336004 | Tariff of Abominations (1828) | Noteworthy for its unprecedentedly high duties on imports. Southerners vehemently opposed the Tariff, arguing that it hurt Southern farmers, who did not enjoy the protection of tariffs, but were forced to pay higher prices for | |
513336005 | Nullification Crisis (1832-1833) | Showdown between President Andrew Jackson and the South Carolina legislature, which declared the 1832 tariff null and void in the state and threatened secession if the federal government tried to collect duties. It was resolved by a compromise negotiated by Henry Clay in 1833 | |
513336006 | Compromise tariff of 1833 | Passed as a measure to resolve the nullification crisis, it provided that tariffs be lowered gradually, over a period of ten years, to 1816 levels. | |
513336007 | Force Bill (1833) | Passed by Congress alongside the Compromise Tariff, it authorized the president to use the military to collect federal tariff duties. | |
513336008 | Indian Removal Act (1830) | Ordered the removal of Indian Tribes still residing east of the Mississippi to newly established Indian Territory west of Arkansas and Missouri. Tribes resisting eviction were forcibly removed by American forces, often after prolonged legal or military battles. | |
513336009 | Trail of Tears (1838-1839) | Forced march of 15,000 Cherokee Indians from their Georgia and Alabama homes to Indian Territory. Some 4,000 Cherokee died on the arduous journey. | |
513336010 | Black Hawk War (1832) | Series of clashes in Illinois and Wisconsin between American forces and Indian chief Black Hawk of he Sauk and Fox tribes, who unsuccessfully tried to reclaim territory lost under the 1830 Indian Removal Act | |
513336011 | Bank War (1832) | Battle between President Andrew Jackson and Congressional supporters of the Bank of the United States over the bank's renewal in 1836. Jackson vetoed the Bank Bill, arguing that the bank favored moneyed interests at the expense of western farmers. | |
513336012 | Specie Circular (1836) | U.S. Treasury decree requiring that all public lands be purchased with "hard," or metallic, currency. Issued after small state banks flooded the market with unreliable paper currency, fueling land speculation in the West. | |
513336013 | Panic of 1837 | Economic crisis triggered by bank failures, elevated grain prices, and Andrew Jackson's efforts to curb over speculation on western lands and transportation improvements. In response, President Martin Van Buren proposed the "Divorce Bill," which pulled treasury funds out of the baking system altogether, contracting the credit supply. | |
513336014 | Alamo | Fortress in Texas where American volunteers were slain by Santa Anna in 1836. "Remember the Alamo" became a battle cry in support of Texan independence. | |
513336015 | Battle of San Jacinto | final battle of the Texas Revolution; resulted in the defeat of the Mexican army and independence for Texas | |
513336016 | John Q. Adams (1825-1829) | The sixth president of the United States, who was not well-liked by citizens and accused of making a corrupt bargain to win the election. He mainly focused on the economy during his presidency. | |
513336017 | Andrew Jackson | The seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), who as a general in the War of 1812 defeated the British at New Orleans (1815). As president he opposed the Bank of America, objected to the right of individual states to nullify disagreeable federal laws, and increased the presidential powers. | |
513336018 | Denmark Vesey | American insurrectionist. A freed slave in South Carolina, he was implicated in the planning of a large uprising of slaves and was subsequently hanged. The event led to more stringent slave codes in many Southern states. | |
513336019 | John C. Calhoun | The 7th Vice President of the United States and a leading Southern politician from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. He was an advocate of slavery, states' rights, limited government, and nullification. | |
513336020 | Black Hawk | Sauk leader who in 1832 led Fox and Sauk warriors against the United States | |
513336021 | Nicholas Biddle | The brilliant but arrogant president of the Second Bank of the United States. Many people believed he held an unconstitutional amount of power over the nation's financial affairs. The power struggle between Biddle and Jackson led to Jackson depositing a large amount of investments into his pet banks. | |
513336022 | Daniel Webster | noted orator, constitutional lawyer, senator, secretary of state, and major spokesman for nationalism and the union in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s. | |
513336023 | Henry Clay | Distinguished senator from Kentucky, who ran for president five times until his death in 1852. He was a strong supporter of the American System, a war hawk for the War of 1812, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and known as "The Great Compromiser." Outlined the Compromise of 1850 with five main points. Died before it was passed however. | |
513336024 | Martin Van Buren | Served as secretary of state during Andrew Jackson's first term, vice president during Jackson's second term, and won the presidency in 1836 | |
513336025 | Stephen Austin | The son of Moses Austin and also known as the "Father of Texas" he lead "the old 300" into Texas after his father died of pneumonia. Mexico granted him land on the condition that there would be Roan Catholicism, the learning of Spanish, and no slavery. | |
513336026 | Sam Houston | United States politician and military leader who fought to gain independence for Texas from Mexico and to make it a part of the United States (1793-1863), First president of the Republic of Texas | |
513336027 | Santa Anna | Mexican general who tried to crush the Texas revolt and who lost battles to Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War (1795-1876) | |
513336028 | William Henry Harrison | was an American military leader, politician, the ninth President of the United States, and the first President to die in office. Led US forces in the Battle of Tippecanoe. |