He Brought the People with Him: Our Federal Union: The Clash Between National Sovereignty and States Rights Advocates
South Carolina's nullification challenge and a controversy over the disposition of Western lands provoke a series of debates on the floor of Congress between South Carolina Senator Robert Haynes and the venerable Whig from Massachusetts Senator Dani...
He Brought the People with Him: Jackson and Patronage Politics
As Jackson takes office, he and his followers are eager to extend the opportunities for government service. Many positions in the Executive Branch had been held by the Eastern establishment for a generation or more. Although Jackson is widely critic...
Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler: Andrew Jackson Versus the Bank of the United States
The Bank of the United States under the leadership of Nicholas Biddle is a very profitable enterprise. In the election of 1832, Henry Clay seizes upon the early reauthorization of the bank's charter as a campaign issue against Andrew Jackson. Jackso...
Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler: Andrew Jackson's Indian Policy
Andrew Jackson's entrance into the political arena is largely built on his reputation as an Indian fighter, first against the tribes in Tennessee, and later in connection with the War of 1812. At the end of the conflict Indians in the Southeast are ...
Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler: Native Americans and the Forced Removal
President Andrew Jackson wants the tribes to move west beyond the Mississippi, out of the way of expanding white settlements. In 1830 Congress passes a Removal Act which appropriates money to finance federal negotiations with southern tribes, adding...
He Brought the People with Him: Jackson Splits With Vice-President Calhoun over Tariffs
Shortly after he takes office, Jackson finds himself embroiled in a controversy with his vice-president John C. Calhoun. As a South Carolinian, Calhoun's future political hopes may well depend on how effectively he can negotiate relief from the tari...
He Brought the People with Him: Controversial 1824 Election and Presidency of John Quincy Adams
For the first time in the history of the young United States, there is no clear front runner for the presidency in the election of 1824, and little party unity. Outsider Andrew Jackson wins more popular votes than John Quincy Adams, but when the dec...
He Brought the People with Him: Jackson 's Violent Tendencies Feared by Washington Insiders
Some people view Andrew Jackson as a dangerous backwoodsman, a "hick with power." It is true that Jackson was involved in a duel prior to his election as president. The confrontation was related to two separate incidents that called into question bo...