Age of Jackson Review

Master the Age of Jackson! Review key terms, events, and concepts.

Match the vocab words to their definitions Nullify the act of invalidating or cancelling a law because states think it’s unconstitutional Spoils System Giving government jobs to friends and supports as rewards for helping to win the election Sectionalism loyalty to a section of the country (like north or south) over the country as a whole Suffrage the right to vote Corrupt doing something unlawful for personal or political gain Tariff a tax on trade (imports and exports) Elite a small group with a lot of money with influence over society Fill in the blanks to describe the events of the Corrupt Bargain. In 1824, four Democratic-Republicans ran for president. Although none of them won a majority of the electoral college votes, Andrew Jackson received the most votes overall. Because there was no clear winner, the House of Representatives had to decide the election. Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams, wanting to keep Jackson out of the White House, conspired to rig the election in Adams' favor. Clay convinced his supporters to vote for Adams, and with these new votes, John Quincy Adams won the election. This shady deal kept Jackson from winning this election, which broke up the Democratic-Republican party. The new Democrat party helped Jackson win the 1828 election by expanding voting rights. Match the important topics from this chapter to their descriptions. The chart matches horizontally, not vertically. (left and right, not up and down) The Kitchen Cabinet The nickname given to Jackson's friends who served as his unofficial advisors and acted questionably in the White House The "Common Man" The nickname used to describe Jackson's supporters: poor, white male farmers and laborers. These people received suffrage because of Jackson's Democrat party The Tariff of Abominations The nickname given to the Tariff of 1828 which raised taxes on imports from foreign countries to protect northern businesses. The Spoils System Allows the winners of an election to hire their friends and supporters as government officials in order to reward them The National Bank Created to manage the nation's finances and supported by the Whig Party, this was hated by Jackson and the Democrats who believed it only benefited wealthy Americans The Nullification Crisis South Carolina believed they had the right to ignore a federal law. They were supported in their beliefs by VP Calhoun, which led to them threatening to secede if they were forced to pay the tariff. How did voting rights change during this time period? All men gained the right to vote Voting rights were not expanded during this time period Poor white men who did not own land gained the right to vote Native American men gained the right to vote What was the purpose of the Indian Removal Act? moved Native Americans to the west to take their lands for gold moved Native Americans to the north to take their lands for gold Allowed Native Americans to stay on their tribal land, but prohibited them from leaving their own territories for any reason Moved Native Americans south of the Mississippi to settle in unorganized territories Which of the following is true concerning the Trail of Tears? Only the Cherokee were impacted by the Trail of Tears Andrew Jackson ignored a Supreme Court ruling and forced the Cherokee off their lands The ruling of Worcester v. Georgia allowed the state of Georgia to force the Cherokee off their lands The Trail of Tears moved the Native Americans from their ancestral lands to reservations in Montana What was the purpose of the Worcester v. Georgia Supreme Court case? To decide whether or not John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay were guilty due to the Corrupt Bargain To decide whether or not the Spoils System was constitutional To decide whether or not South Carolina was allowed to nullify a federal law To decide whether or not Georgia could force the Cherokee Nation off their ancestral homelands What was the major concern addressed during the Nullification Crisis? Is a state allowed to remove Native Americans from their ancestral lands? Is a state allowed to tax the National Bank? Is a state allowed to overturn a federal law? Is a state allowed to overturn a Supreme Court ruling? How was the Nullification crisis resolved? Andrew Jackson sent in the military and forced South Carolina to comply John Quincy Adams created the Compromise Tariff to lower the taxes Henry Clay created the Compromise Tariff to lower the taxes Andrew Jackson created the Compromise Tariff to lower the taxes Fill in the blanks to complete the summary of Jackson's presidency. Andrew Jackson became president in 1828 as the leader of the Democratic party. Once in office, he fired many experienced political officials and replaced them with his friends and supporters. This practice is known as the Spoils System. Jackson was not the kind of person who took no for an answer, and if anyone disagreed with him, they were quickly fired and replaced with someone who would do as they were told. Jackson did some good things during his years in office. He helped to make sure that the "common man" gained the right to vote, which expanded suffrage to many Americans who had never before been involved in politics. This was a revolution in the way our country elected officials. Jackson was also responsible for terrible events during his presidency, chiefly the Trail of Tears. Jackson ignored the Supreme Court ruling in Worcester v. Georgia that recognized the Cherokee people as independent from Georgia, and he forced 16,000 Native Americans to abandon their ancestral lands for reservations in Oklahoma. 4,000 people died. Jackson was also responsible for the financial panic that ensued after he vetoed the National Bank, which he believed was only helping wealthy Americans. Finally, Jackson's stubbornness and unwillingness to negotiate led in part to the Nullification Crisis, when South Carolina threatened to secede from the union when forced to pay a tariff that harmed their economy. This crisis almost led to a civil war, as Jackson responded to South Carolina's threat with a promise of violence. Henry Clay was able to resolve the issue by creating the Compromise Tariff, but the southern states remained resentful of the powers of the national government. Jackson served two terms in office and is remembered as an extremely controversial president.