Unit 4: Reform And Expansion, 1824-1853

Tippecanoe and Tyler too

"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too", originally published as "Tip and Ty", was a very popular and influential campaign song of the Whig Party's colorful Log Cabin Campaign in the 1840 United States presidential election. Its lyrics sang the praises of Whig candidates William Henry Harrison (the "hero of Tippecanoe") and John Tyler, while denigrating incumbent Democrat Martin Van Buren.

Second Great Awakening begins, 1820's

- A series of frontier revivals and religious enthusiasm, with an emphasis on personal conversion, swept through the United States. - The Second Great Awakening played an important role in making Americans aware of the moral issues posed by slavery and spurred other social reforms. - Even though they could not vote, women and blacks played a prominent role in the revivals, building on the new spirit of participatory democracy in the United States.

Independent Treasury System, 1840

- Independent Treasury System, in U.S. history, system for the retaining of government funds in the Treasury and its subtreasuries independently of the national banking and financial systems. In one form or another, it existed from the 1840s to 1921. - After President Andrew Jackson vetoed the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States, he transferred (1833) government funds from the bank to state banks (the "pet banks" ). Those banks, however, used the funds as a basis for speculation, which was already rampant and was soon to be further increased by the distribution of the federal surplus among the states. The situation was brought to a head by Jackson's issue of the Specie Circular (1836), which led to a drain on the "pet banks" and their collapse in the Panic of 1837. President Martin Van Buren then proposed that an independent treasury be set up that would be isolated from all banks. The proposal met considerable opposition and failed to pass the House of Representatives in 1837 and again in the sessions of 1837-38 and 1838-39. - In 1840 legislation for an independent treasury was passed and approved by the President; however, the following year the Whigs repealed the law. The intention of the Whigs was to establish a new central bank, but the objections of President John Tyler on constitutional grounds prevented the creation of another Bank of the United States. The Democrats won the presidential election of 1844, and measures were inaugurated to restore the Independent Treasury System. The act of Aug., 1846, provided that the public revenues be retained in the Treasury building and in subtreasuries (see subtreasury) in various cities. The Treasury was to pay out its own funds and be completely independent of the banking and financial system of the nation; all payments by and to the government, moreover, were to be made in specie. The separation of the Treasury from the banking system was never completed, however; the Treasury's operations continued to influence the money market, as specie payments to and from the government affected the amount of hard money in circulation.

Recharter Bill vetoed, 1832

- The Bank Recharter Bill of 1832 was a bill designed to renew the corporate charter of the Second Bank of the United States. Although Congress passed the bill, Andrew Jackson vetoed it a week later. - According to the History Channel, President Andrew Jackson vetoed a new charter for the Second Bank of the United States because the bank was heavily biased toward business interests and had no congressional oversight. This bias led the bank to not support western expansion, which Jackson favored. Jackson also felt that the bank was too powerful, both politically and economically. - The Second Bank of the United States was established in 1816 to replace the national bank started by George Washington and Alexander Hamilton in 1791 as a central repository for federal funds. The charter for this national bank ran out five years before the establishment of the Second Bank of the United States, which continued to serve as the federal repository. President Jackson, however, announced in 1833 that the federal government would no longer use the Second Bank, opting instead to disperse the federal funds to several state banks. The Second Bank fought back by enlisting the aid of then Kentucky Senator Henry Clay and other congressmen to back it. When Congress attempted to renew the Second Bank's charter, President Jackson vetoed the bill after arguing that the bank was unconstitutional. In retaliation, Congress censored President Jackson for abusing his presidential power.

Forty niners

A participant in the California gold rush

Who won the election of 1824?

Although Andrew Jackson won the most popular votes and the most I like Torrell votes in 1824, he did not have a majority of the elect oral votes. John Quincy Adams was elected president in the House of Representatives.

How did Jackson expand the powers of presidency?

Andrew Jackson assumed more power for the presidency by using the veto extensively and by defining Supreme Court orders. Jackson justified these actions on the grounds that the presidency was the only office representing all the people.

Seneca falls convention, 1848

At the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, N.Y., a woman's rights convention-the first ever held in the United States-convenes with almost 200 women in attendance. The convention was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two abolitionists who met at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. As women, Mott and Stanton were barred from the convention floor, and the common indignation that this aroused in both of them was the impetus for their founding of the women's rights movement in the United States. In 1848, at Stanton's home near Seneca Falls, the two women, working with Martha Wright, Mary Ann McClintock, and Jane Hunt, sent out a call for a women's conference to be held at Seneca Falls. The announcement, published in the Seneca County Courier on July 14, read, "A Convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women will be held in the Wesleyan Chapel, at Seneca Falls, N.Y., on Wednesday and Thursday, the 19th and 20th of July current; commencing at 10 o'clock A.M. During the first day the meeting will be exclusively for women, who are earnestly invited to attend. The public generally are invited to be present on the second day, when Lucretia Mott, of Philadelphia, and other ladies and gentlemen, will address the Convention." On July 19, 200 women convened at the Wesleyan Chapel, and Stanton read the "Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances," a treatise that she had drafted over the previous few days. Stanton's declaration was modeled closely on the Declaration of Independence, and its preamble featured the proclamation, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights..." The Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances then detailed the injustices inflicted upon women in the United States and called upon U.S. women to organize and petition for their rights. On the second day of the convention, men were invited to intend-and some 40 did, including the famous African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. That day, the Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances was adopted and signed by the assembly. The convention also passed 12 resolutions-11 unanimously-which called for specific equal rights for women. The ninth resolution, which declared "it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise," was the only one to meet opposition. After a lengthy debate, in which Douglass sided with Stanton in arguing the importance of female enfranchisement, the resolution was passed. For proclaiming a women's right to vote, the Seneca Falls Convention was subjected to public ridicule, and some backers of women's rights withdrew their support. However, the resolution marked the beginning of the women's suffrage movement in America. The Seneca Falls Convention was followed two weeks later by an even larger meeting in Rochester, N.Y. Thereafter, national woman's rights conventions were held annually, providing an important focus for the growing women's suffrage movement. After years of struggle, the 19th Amendment was adopted in 1920, granting American women the constitutionally protected right to vote.

How did Jackson destroy the bank of the United States?

Congress voted to recharter the second bank of the United States in 1832. President Jackson, however, dislike the bank of the United States and a V toad the recharter bill. He then destroy the bank in 1833 by with the drying government signs and pleasing them in state banks or, as some people call them, "pet" banks. This action led to a run away inflation that Jackson ended by issuing a specie circular. The issuing of the specie circular led to the panic of 1837.

Hard money

Hard Money When cash is contributed directly to a political candidate, it is known as a "hard money" contribution. These contributions may only come from an individual or a political action committee, and must follow the strict limits set forth by the FEC. For example, in 2012, the maximum amount that an individual can contribute to a presidential candidate or committee is:

Who succeeded Andrew Jackson as president?

In 1836 Martin van Buren, A Democrat, was handpicked by Jackson to succeed Jackson as president. Van Buren was later blamed for the panic of 1837 and was not real elected. In 1840 William Henry Harrison, a Whig, was elected president with John Tyler as vice president. The 1840 election was characterized by both political parties actively seeking votes in a way that is often referred to as the first "modern" election. Harrison died after only one month in office, making Tyler the first vice president elevated to the presidency after the death of a president.

How did the election of 1844 change the United States?

In 1844 James K Polk, a Democrat, was elected on an expansionist platform calling for the "reannexation" of Texas and the "reoccupation" of Oregon. During poults presidency the US annexed an independent Texas. In a treaty with Great Britain the US annexed the Oregon territory. President Polk also annexed land after a war with Mexico. The Mexican American war began in 1846 when General Zachary Taylor crossed with Mexican troops near the Rio Grande. The war ended in 1848 with the US gaining land from the Mexican cession for $15 million.

Cult of domesticity

The cult of domesticity, also known as the cult of true womanhood (by people who like it), is an opinion about women in the 1800s. They believed that women should stay at home and should not do any work outside of the home.[1] There were four things they believed that women should be: More religious than men Pure in heart, mind, and body, purity Submit to their husbands Stay at home These were very popular in the 1800s and in the 1950s. Now most women reject this view.

California Gold Rush, 1849

The discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 sparked the Gold Rush, arguably one of the most significant events to shape American history during the first half of the 19th century. As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco and the surrounding area; by the end of 1849, the non-native population of the California territory was some 100,000 (compared with the pre-1848 figure of less than 1,000). A total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was extracted from the area during the Gold Rush, which peaked in 1852.

Corrupt bargain

The term Corrupt Bargain refers to three historic incidents in American history in which political agreement was determined by congressional or presidential actions that many viewed to be corrupt from different standpoints. Two of these involved resolution of indeterminate or disputed electoral votes from the United States presidential election process, and the third involved the disputed use of a presidential pardon. In all three cases, the president so elevated served a single term, or singular vacancy, and either did not run again, or was not reelected when he ran.

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in the eastern region of the United States. The movement was a reaction to or protest against the general state of intellectualism and spirituality.[1] The doctrine of the Unitarian church as taught at Harvard Divinity School was of particular interest.

Utopian socialism

Utopian socialism is a label used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen.[1] Utopian socialism is often described as the presentation of visions and outlines for imaginary or futuristic ideal societies, with positive ideals being the main reason for moving society in such a direction. Later socialists and critics of utopian socialism viewed "utopian socialism" as not being grounded in actual material conditions of existing society, and in some cases, as reactionary. These visions of ideal societies competed with Marxist-inspired revolutionary social democratic movements.[2]

Worcester v. Georgia, 1832

Worcester v. Georgia: The Background Worcester v. Georgia deals with Georgia state laws that were passed in the middle of the 1800s. These laws were passed following an agreement reached between the Cherokee tribe and the state government of Georgia. The laws instituted a prohibition of non-Indians from living in Indian territories. Only Non-Native Americans with special permission from the government were allowed to live on these lands. The case beings when missionary Sam Worcester and his family (wife and 5 fellow missionaries) refused to move from a land that was labeled an "Indian territory." In addition to refusing to move, the group refused to apply for the government license that would allow them to reside on the lands. Because of this refusal, the army entered the Native American lands and arrested Worcester along with the other 6 people. Following his arrest, Worcester appealed his charges and took his case to the Supreme Court. Worcester v. Georgia: The Case Profile Worcester v. Georgia began on February 20th of 1832. The case was filed by Worcester who claimed that his family's forced removal was a violation of his constitutional rights. He believed the state of Georgia over-stepped their boundaries, for they did not maintain jurisdiction to enforce the law within the Native land. Worcester v. Georgia was decided on March 3rd of 1832 by the United States Supreme Court. Worcester v. Georgia: The Verdict Chief Justice John Marshall (the judge who presided over the case) ruled in favor of Mr. Worcester in Worcester v. Georgia. Chief Justice Marshall believed that the state government of Georgia did not have the power to enforce a law within lands that were not within the jurisdiction of the state. The Supreme Court, through Marshall, also stated that the interactions between the Native American tribe and the state of Georgia must be considered and approached as international talks. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of Worcester because they found the state to have violated his 14th Amendment rights. The 14th Amendment does not allow any government in the United States from blocking a citizen's right to pursue "life, liberty and happiness." Furthermore, Worcester v. Georgia also dealt with the due process clause which refers to the government's obligation to maintain and respect these legal rights. The United States government is thus required to treat all American citizens in a respectful manner. Any attempt to over-step their boundaries will be deemed a violation of the constitution. The case of Worcester v. Georgia is an example of this.

How did the election of 1824 bring the era of good feelings to an end?

Jackson's supporters charged that Adam's election was a "corrupt bargain" in which Henry Clay was made secretary of state in return for giving his support to Adams. This election therefore ended the era of good feelings and brought about to new political parties. Supporters of Jackson called themselves democrats. Supporters of Adams and Clay called themselves Whigs.

Manifest destiny

Manifest Destiny is a term for the attitude prevalent during the 19th century period of American expansion that the United States not only could, but was destined to, stretch from coast to coast. This attitude helped fuel western settlement, Native American removal and war with Mexico.

Nativism

Nativism is the political position of preserving status for certain established inhabitants of a nation as compared to claims of newcomers or immigrants.[1] According to Fetzer, (2000) opposition to immigration is common in many countries because of issues of national, cultural, and religious identity. The phenomenon has been studied especially in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, as well as Europe in recent years, where immigration is seen as lowering the wages of the less well paid natives. Thus nativism has become a general term for 'opposition to immigration' based on fears that the immigrants will distort or spoil existing cultural values.

South Carolina nullification crisis, 1832-33

Nullification crisis, in U.S. history, confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government in 1832-33 over the former's attempt to declare null and void within the state the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832. The resolution of the nullification crisis in favour of the federal government helped to undermine the nullification doctrine, the constitutional theory that upheld the right of states to nullify federal acts within their boundaries. The doctrine of nullification had been advocated by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798-99. The union was a compact of sovereign states, Jefferson asserted, and the federal government was their agent with certain specified, delegated powers. The states retained the authority to determine when the federal government exceeded its powers, and they could declare acts to be "void and of no force" in their jurisdictions. John C. Calhoun furthered the nullification doctrine in his South Carolina Exposition and Protest, published and distributed by the South Carolina legislature (without Calhoun's name on it) in 1829. Writing in response to Southern bitterness over the Tariff of 1828 ("Tariff of Abominations"), Calhoun took the position that state "interposition" could block enforcement of a federal law. The state would be obliged to obey only if the law were made an amendment to the Constitution by three-fourths of the states. The "concurrent majority"—i.e., the people of a state having veto power over federal actions—would protect minority rights from the possible tyranny of the numerical majority. When the Tariff of 1832 only slightly modified the Tariff of 1828, the South Carolina legislature decided to put Calhoun's nullification theory to a practical test. The legislature called for a special state convention, and on November 24, 1832, the convention adopted the Ordinance of Nullification. The ordinance declared the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 "null, void, and no law, nor binding upon this State, its officers or citizens." It also forbade appeal of any ordinance measure to the federal courts, required all state officeholders (except members of the legislature) to take an oath of support for the ordinance, and threatened secession if the federal government tried to collect tariff duties by force. In its attempts to have other Southern states join in nullification, however, South Carolina met with total failure. On December 10, 1832, Pres. Andrew Jackson issued his "Proclamation to the People of South Carolina," asserting the supremacy of the federal government and warning that "disunion by armed force is treason." Congress then (March 1, 1833) passed both the Force Bill—authorizing Jackson to use the military if necessary to collect tariff duties—and a compromise tariff that reduced those duties. The South Carolina convention responded on March 15 by rescinding the Ordinance of Nullification but three days later maintained its principles by nullifying the Force Bill. The nullification crisis made President Jackson a hero to nationalists. But Southerners were made more conscious of their minority position and more aware of their vulnerability to a Northern majority as long as they remained in the union.

Tariff of Abominations, 1828

On this date, the Tariff of 1828—better known as the Tariff of Abominations—passed the House of Representatives, 105 to 94. The tariff sought to protect northern and western agricultural products from competition with foreign imports; however, the resulting tax on foreign goods would raise the cost of living in the South and would cut into the profits of New England's industrialists. Nevertheless, President John Quincy Adams approved the bill on May 19, 1828, helping to seal his loss to Andrew Jackson in the 1828 presidential election. Later that year in response to the tariff, Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina anonymously penned the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, articulating the doctrine of nullification. The doctrine emphasized a state's right to reject federal laws within its borders and questioned the constitutionality of taxing imports without the explicit goal of raising revenue. Calhoun later took credit for the doctrine in 1832 to the detriment of his presidential ambitions. Following their statesman's lead, the South Carolina legislature used Calhoun's reasoning to nullify the Tariff of 1832, which had earlier replaced the Tariff of Abominations. While other southern states disagreed with the tariff, South Carolina was the only state to invoke nullification. Following a few tense months, South Carolina eventually accepted a compromise tariff in the winter of 1833. The constitutional crisis was only temporarily averted, as tensions remained throughout the Union.

Pet banks

Pet banks is a pejorative term for state banks selected by the U.S. Department of Treasury to receive surplus government funds in 1833. Pet banks are sometimes mistaken with wildcat banks; however, the two are distinct types of institutions that arose during the same period of time, although some pet banks were known to engage in the practices of wildcat banking.[1] They were chosen among the big U.S. bank when President Andrew Jackson vetoed the recharter for the Second Bank of the United States, proposed by Nicholas Biddle and Henry Clay four years before the recharter was due.

What political changes were made during the age of Jackson, 1824 to 1848?

Political changes during the age of Jackson included allow uncommon a man to have a voice in choosing the elect oral college, the adoption of the spoils system of the national level, and the beginning of national nominating conventions.

First "modern" election, 1840

President Van Buren was very unpopular by the time the election of 1840 neared. Van Buren was blamed for the depression that followed the Panic of 1837. President Van Buren was reviled for not doing anything to improve the economy. As a result, the Whig Party felt they had a good chance to capture the White House. Henry Clay, of Kentucky, was the early favorite at the Whig convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in December 1839. Clay, however, was a Mason. Strong anti-mason feeling was strong enough to block his nomination. In the final ballot Harrison was nominated, with 148 votes to Clay's 90, and Scott's 16. John Tyler was nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate. Meanwhile, President Van Buren was unanimously renominated by the Democrats. The election of 1840 was the first campaign with slogans, songs, and modern campaign paraphernalia. The slogan that became best known was: "Tippecanoe and Tyler too". Tippecanoe was the battle Harrison won against the Indians in 1811. Harrison was portrayed as a man of the people. Though his views on most major issues were unknown. The economy was the major issue of the campaign. Van Buren shouldered the blame for the poor state of the economy. Harrison promised to get the economy moving again. By this time, Van Buren was so wildly unpopular that he even lost his home state.

Gadsden Purchase, 1853

The Gadsden Purchase (known in Mexico as Spanish: Venta de La Mesilla, "Sale of La Mesilla") is a 29,640-square-mile (76,800 km2) region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that was purchased by the United States in a treaty signed on December 30, 1853 by James Gadsden who was the American ambassador to Mexico at that time. It was then ratified, with changes, by the U.S. Senate on April 25, 1854, and signed by 14th President Franklin Pierce, with final approval action taken by Mexico's government and their General Congress or Congress of the Union on June 8, 1854. The purchase was the last territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States to add a large area to the country.

Indian Removal Act, 1830

The Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress on May 28, 1830, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The law authorized the president to negotiate with southern Indian tribes for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their ancestral homelands.

Maysville Road veto, 1830

The Maysville Road veto occurred on May 27, 1830, when President Andrew Jackson vetoed a bill that would allow the Federal government to purchase stock in the Maysville, Washington, Paris, and Lexington Turnpike Road Company, which had been organized to construct a road linking Lexington, KY. and Maysville, KY., on the Ohio River, the entirety of which would be in the state of Kentucky. Its advocates regarded it as a part of the national Cumberland Road system. Congress passed a bill in 1830 providing federal funds to complete the project. Jackson vetoed the bill on the grounds that federal funding of intrastate projects of this nature was unconstitutional. He declared that such bills violated the principle that the federal government should not be involved in local economic affairs. Jackson also pointed out that funding for these kinds of projects interfered with paying off of the national debt.[1] Proponents of internal improvements, such as the development of roads and bridges, argued that the federal government had an obligation to harmonize the nation's diverse, and often conflicting, sectional interests into an "American System." Jackson's decision was heavily influenced by his Secretary of State Martin Van Buren. Some authors have described the motives behind the veto decision as personal, rather than strictly political. The veto has been attributed to a personal grudge against Henry Clay, as well as to preserve the trade monopoly of New York's Erie Canal, in Van Buren's case.[2] Martin Van Buren then became known as a failure in the White House because of the economic problems at the time.

Mexican cession

The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the modern day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, but had not been part of the areas east of the Rio Grande which had been claimed by the Republic of Texas, though the Texas annexation resolution two years earlier had not specified Texas's southern and western boundary. The Mexican Cession (529,000 sq. miles) was the third largest acquisition of territory in US history. The largest was the Louisiana Purchase, with some 820,000 sq. miles, followed by the acquisition of Alaska (about 586,000 sq. miles).

Mexican-American War, 1846-48

The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. Polk, who believed the United States had a "manifest destiny" to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. A border skirmish along the Rio Grande started off the fighting and was followed by a series of U.S. victories. When the dust cleared, Mexico had lost about one-third of its territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.

Oregon Treaty, 1846

The Oregon Treaty[1] is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. Signed under the presidency of James K. Polk, the treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country; the area had been jointly occupied by both Britain and the U.S. since the Treaty of 1818 - provided for joint control of that land for ten years. Both countries could claim land and both were guaranteed free navigation throughout.

Specie Circular

The Specie Circular is a United States presidential executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson in 1836 pursuant to the Coinage Act and carried out by his successor, President Martin Van Buren. It required payment for government land to be in gold and silver.[1]

Trail of Tears, 1838

The Trail of Tears was a series of forced relocations of Native American nations in the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The relocated people suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation while en route, and more than ten thousand died before reaching their various destinations. The removal included members of the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations, from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to an area west of the Mississippi River that had been designated as Indian Territory. The phrase "Trail of Tears" originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831. Between 1830 and 1850, the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muskogee, Creek, Seminole and Cherokee people (including European Americans and African American freedmen and slaves who lived among them) were forcibly removed from their traditional lands in the Southeastern United States, and relocated farther west. The Native Americans were forced to march to their destinations by state and local militias.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. The war had begun almost two years earlier, in May 1846, over a territorial dispute involving Texas. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America's southern boundary.

Whig party

The Whig Party was a political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. Four presidents were members of the party during their terms in office.[1] Along with the rival Democratic Party, it was central to the Second Party System from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s.[2] It was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson (in office 1829-37) and his Democratic Party. In particular, the Whigs supported the supremacy of Congress over the Presidency and favored a program of modernization, banking, and economic protectionism to stimulate manufacturing. It appealed to entrepreneurs and planters, but had little appeal to farmers or unskilled workers. It included many active Protestants, and voiced a moralistic opposition to the Jacksonian Indian removal policies.

Joseph Smith establishes the Mormon Church, 1830

In Fayette Township, New York, Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, organizes the Church of Christ during a meeting with a small group of believers. Born in Vermont in 1805, Smith claimed in 1823 that he had been visited by a Christian angel named Moroni who spoke to him of an ancient Hebrew text that had been lost for 1,500 years. The holy text, supposedly engraved on gold plates by a Native American historian in the fourth century, related the story of Israelite peoples who had lived in America in ancient times. During the next six years, Smith dictated an English translation of this text to his wife and other scribes, and in 1830 The Book of Mormon was published. In the same year, Smith founded the Church of Christ-later known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-in Fayette Township. The religion rapidly gained converts, and Smith set up Mormon communities in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. However, the Christian sect was also heavily criticized for its unorthodox practices, such as polygamy, and on June 27, 1844, Smith and his brother were murdered in a jail cell by an anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Illinois. Two years later, Smith's successor, Brigham Young, led an exodus of persecuted Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois, along the western wagon trails in search of religious and political freedom. In July 1847, the 148 initial Mormon pioneers reached Utah's Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Upon viewing the valley, Young declared, "This is the place," and the pioneers began preparations for the tens of thousands of Mormon migrants who would follow them and settle there.

Jackson withdraws BUS funds, 1833

In order to shut down the Bank of the United States Andrew Jackson announced that the government would no longer deposit federal funds in the Second Bank of the United States. He then used his executive power to close the account and put the money in various state banks.

Spoils system

In the politics of the United States, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends and relatives as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party—as opposed to a merit system, where offices are awarded on the basis of some measure of merit, independent of political activity.

What was Jackson's policy toward American Indians?

Jackson adopted a policy of "removal" in regard to American Indians. Believing that Indianland must be open to economic development, the government forced Indians to move west of the Mississippi River.

Panic of 1837

The early 1830s was a time of expansion and prosperity. Much of the growth in these years had been fueled by the widespread construction of new railroads and canals. Millions of acres of public lands were sold by the government, mostly to speculators. Their hope was to purchase well-located parcels that would increase in value as the railroads and canals brought settlers and traffic into their areas. These government land sales, coupled with the Tariff of 1833, brought huge amounts of money into the Treasury's coffers. In 1835, the government was able to pay off the national debt—one of the fondest dreams of President Andrew Jackson. For one of the few times in American history, the Treasury rapidly began to accumulate a surplus. Members of Congress responded to pressures from home and passed a measure distributing the surplus to the states. The windfall was quickly invested in further internal improvement projects-more railroads and canals. Most state governments, as well as many individuals, preferred to hoard specie (gold and silver) and to discharge debts with paper bank notes. Jackson became alarmed by the growing influx of state bank notes being used to pay for public land purchases and, in 1836 shortly before leaving office, issued the Specie Circular. This order commanded the Treasury to no longer accept paper notes as payment for such sales. Westerners were dismayed by this action, and a major bank crisis awaited the incoming administration of Martin Van Buren, in early 1837. Banks restricted credit and called in loans. Depositors rushed to their local institutions and attempted to withdraw their funds. Unemployment soon touched every part of the nation and food riots occurred in a number of large cities. Construction companies were unable to meet their obligations, sparking the failure of railroad and canal projects, and the ruin of thousands of land speculators. Van Buren was philosophically opposed to direct government action in combating the nation's economic ills, a position that probably cost him reelection in 1840. The Whigs, however, capitalized on the misery, electing William Henry Harrison as their first president. The impact of the depression, however, lingered until 1843.

Know nothing party

The movement arose in response to an influx of migrants, and promised to "purify" American politics by limiting or ending the influence of Irish Catholics and other immigrants, thus reflecting nativist and anti-Catholic sentiment. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, whom they saw as hostile to republican values, and as being controlled by the Pope in Rome. Mainly active from 1854 to 1856, the movement strove to curb immigration and naturalization, but met with little success. Membership was limited to Protestant men. There were few prominent leaders, and the largely middle-class membership was fragmented over the issue of slavery.

Fifty four fort or fight

The southern boundary of the United States with Mexico was not the only western territory under dispute. The OREGON TERRITORY spanned the modern states of Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, as well as the western coast of Canada up to the border of RUSSIAN ALASKA. Both Great Britain and America claimed the territory. The TREATY OF 1818 called for joint occupation of Oregon — a solution that was only temporary. Led by missionaries, American settlers began to outnumber British settlers by the late 1830s. But Britain was not Mexico. Its powerful navy was still the largest in the world. Twice before had Americans taken up arms against their former colonizers at great expense to each side. Prudence would suggest a negotiated settlement, but the spirit of manifest destiny dominated American thought. Yet another great showdown loomed. Oregon Trail Ruts Wagon tracks leftover from the Oregon Trail pioneers still crisscross the American midwest. Oregon fever swept the nation in the 1840s. Thousands of settlers, lured by the lush WILLAMETTE VALLEY headed west on the OREGON TRAIL. Families in caravans of 20 or 30 braved the elements to reach the distant land. Poor eastern families could not generally make the trip, as outfitting such an expedition was quite expensive. The CONESTOGA WAGON, oxen and supplies comprised most of the cost. The families fought Native Americans at times, but often they received guidance from the western tribes. It took six months of travel at the speed of fifteen miles per day to reach their destination. Friday, May 6th — Pleasant. We have just passed the Mormon graveyard. There is a great number of graves on it. The road is covered with wagons and cattle. Here we passed a train of wagons on their way back, the head man had drowned a few days before, in a river called Elkhorn, while getting some cattle across, and his wife was lying in the wagon quite sick, and children were mourning for a father gone. With sadness and pity I passed those who perhaps a few days before had been well and happy as ourselves. Came 20 miles today. Excerpt from Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight, 1853 Oregon Territory Should the U.S. have compromised and divided the Oregon Territory with Great Britain at the 49th parallel? Yes No In the east, the subject of Oregon was less personal and more political. In 1844 the Democrats nominated JAMES K. POLK, an unknown candidate from Tennessee. It appeared as though the Whig Party candidate, Henry Clay, would win in a landslide. Very few Americans had ever heard the name Polk, but Clay's illustrious career was widely known. However, Polk was an excellent strategist. He tapped into the public mood and realized that manifest destiny was the very issue that could lead him to victory. Polk called for expansion that included Texas, California, and the entire Oregon territory. The northern boundary of Oregon was the latitude line of 54 degrees, 40 minutes. "FIFTY-FOUR FORTY OR FIGHT!" was the popular slogan that led Polk to victory against all odds. Oregon City, 1848 John Mix Stanley Oregon City, along the banks of the Willamette River, the final stop along the Oregon Trail as it appeared in 1848. Claiming the territory in an election campaign was one thing. Acquiring it from the powerful British was another. Although Polk blustered about obtaining the entire territory from Britain, he was secretly willing to compromise. Trouble was brewing with Mexico in the south. Surely the new nation could ill afford to fight Mexico in the southwest and the British in the northwest simultaneously. Nevertheless, Polk boldly declared to Great Britain that joint occupation would end within one year. The British were confident they could win, but by 1846 they were vastly outnumbered in Oregon by a margin of greater than six to one. In June of that year, Britain proposed splitting Oregon at the 49th parallel. Polk agreed to the compromise, and conflict was avoided.

Temperance movement

The temperance movement is a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements typically criticize excessive alcohol consumption, promote complete abstinence (teetotalism), or use its political influence to press the government to enact alcohol laws to regulate the availability of alcohol or even its complete prohibition.

What was Jacksonian democracy?

The term "Jacksonian Democracy" refers to the general extension of democracy that characterized US politics from 1824 to 1828. The support for Jacksonian democracy came primarily from the lower class in the form of a rebellion against aristocracy. Although Jacksonian democracy stressed equality, it was also proslavery and anti-Indian.

Democratic party

the Democrats usually bested the opposition Whig Party by narrow margins. Both parties worked hard to build grassroots organizations and maximize the turnout of voters, which often reached 80 percent or 90 percent. Both parties used patronage extensively to finance their operations, which included emerging big city political machines as well as national networks of newspapers. The Democratic party was a proponent for farmers across the country, urban workers, and new immigrants. It was especially attractive to Irish immigrants who increasingly controlled the party machinery in the cities. The party was much less attractive to businessmen, plantation owners, Evangelical Protestants, and social reformers. The party advocated westward expansion, Manifest Destiny, greater equality among all white men, and opposition to the national banks.