Unit 5

Westward Expansion

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1801-1849

The Jacksonian Era

03

1825-1845

Overview

The Jacksonian Era was a polarizing period in American history. The nation would witness economic prosperity and stability, as well as controversy, in the form of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Trail of Tears.

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While Andrew Jackson, the nation’s 7th President, became famous as a war hero of the War of 1812, his place in U.S. history may be better defined by his controversial decisions. As President, Jackson would push the limits of power, and in doing so, attempted to redefine the most powerful office in the world.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, who had gained national fame for being the hero in the Battle of New Orleans, became the seventh President of the United States in 1829. Jackson’s strongest supporters came from the West and South, as he appealed to the “common man”.

• Jackson had previously lost the 1824 Presidential Election to John Quincy Adams.
• Jackson appealed to the “common man” because of his humble background.
• Born on the frontier
• No college education

Andrew Jackson

Jackson’s path to the White House targeted Universal Manhood Suffrage, a form of voting rights in which all adult males are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, or race.

• Jackson won the Electoral College with 177 electoral votes and the popular vote by more than 140,000.
• Jackson defeated incumbent (current office holder) John Quincy Adams. No sitting President had previously lost bid for reelection.
• Jackson had big shoes to fill, considering Adams and James Monroe (the 5th President) had extensive political experience.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson believed that the government had become too elitist, too detached from the common man. The “New Democracy” appealed to the masses (society in general), rather than the politics of Washington.

Andrew Jackson had previously gained the nickname Old Hickory during the War of 1812 for his toughness and strict leadership.

• Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet”: team of 13 close advisors to President Jackson. The President had very little political experience and a limited education.
• Congress, by and large, considered Jackson’s advisors as a collective threat.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

President Jackson pushed Congress to force Native Americans west of the Mississippi River, especially those living in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida.

• Choctaw, Seminole, Creek and Cherokee were forced to relocate from their ancestral lands.
• Congress established the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) as the area of relocation.
• Cherokee: primary target for the Indian Removal Act of 1830; had lived peacefully in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee for many generations.