Insight: The Age of Jackson (Chapter 4)

The election of 1824 was between four candidates: John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson. The winner ended up being Jackson, his reign would bring upon a list of events, the majority far more dull and extremist than positive.

            Adams and Clay argued that government power should be used to promote economic development. Out of all four candidates, Jackson was the wild card – he was a wealthy plantation owner, and his fame rested on his military exploits like his victory at New Orleans. Yet, the House of Representatives had to choose a president from among the top go getters, which left Jackson and Adams as main rivals. Adams won for a majority of votes. However, a large part of the American population believed this had been won in a corrupt manner and Jackson planned to win on the next election.

            The election of 1828 was between the National Republicans (Adams and Clay) and the Jacksonian Republicans (Andrew Jackson) – their faceoff was called the second American party system. A faceoff won by Andrew Jackson.

            Andrew Jackson defended the spoil system, which was based on the belief that any intelligent person could perform the duties required in any government position – which made it fair for acquaintances of Jackson to take on these positions based solely on the fact that he knew them. And Jackson also defended the fact that economic issues should not be a priority for the government. He had a deep hatred towards banks, and decided to close the National Bank. Even when the congress passed a motion to avoid this from occurring, Jackson vetoed the decision and continued with its closure.

            The nullification crisis was an event that was managed during Jackson’s presidency. Here, there was a conflict due to tariffs – manufacturers in the South were not in favor of the high tax import in order to encourage manufacturing within the United States, for this mostly favored northerners in profit. Jackson’s solution was the Force Bill – which compelled the state of South Carolina to collect tariff act duties or else troops would be sent. However, Henry Clay opted for a compromise the annulled the Nullification Act and the Force Bill.

            Jackson also used his power to relocate the position of a large number of Native American tribes – he had a prejudice towards them and believed that they would prevent white people from moving west and opening up land for cotton production. They were forced to march west in what was called the Trail of Tears, in which one of every four Cherokees died due to the voyage’s conditions. Furthermore, the money promised to the Cherokees for relocating was short, instead of being given nine million, they were giving six.

            After two terms, Jackson left office. Behind him he left a war on banks, the trail of tears, evidence of a nullification conflict, and his belief upon a spoil system. Certainly a memorable president, whether for good or bad, is entirely subjective.

An image of Andrew Jackson 

Insight: Sectional Divisions Arise (Chapter 4)

            A nation will grow to a point in which sections start to become noticeable. Sections being defined as regions distinguished from one another by economic and cultural differences – in America, these were the North and the South. The north was made of the Northeast and the Old Northwest, while the South had no inner divisions.

            The Old Northwest was very large on farming, mainly crops and animals and their byproducts – however, they also created products such as whiskey.  The market for these products expanded thanks to river transportation to New Orleans and the Caribbean and the Eastern United States, and grew even more when canals were created. In the Northeast people were divided between those who still lived on farms and those who had gone to seek a job. This included women, who usually worked on windmills for they could be persuaded to work for half of the pay that a man would usually receive – a chauvinistic deal that they ignored happily, for they were earning their own money before being wed.

 Cities in the Northeast and Northwest developed due to the desire for jobs, a lot of migration took place. These cities, due to overcrowding, were lacking in sanitation and life conditions. Furthermore, those who did find jobs clashed with the owners of factories, for capitalism overshadowed the workers’ rights – leading to strikes and revolts.

The South’s primary products were cotton, tobacco, sugar, rice, and slaves. They did not develop as many towns and industries as the Northern colonies did, the region remained one of farms and open rural areas. They did have a small number of cities, however, which were rather large as the northern cities.

The slavery system supplied the labor for most of the crops in the South. Most of the enslaved African Americans lived on the plantations they worked on. Life for them was harsh, treatment was unfair – women had to withstand rape, abuse, taking care of their children, and giving birth; all while attempting to please their owners. Slavery was based on economics, owners exploited slaves to get work done, it was property that performed labor. Sometimes slaves would rebel, but most resistance consisted of small rebellions in daily routines. This slave system is a major separation between the North and the South.

            The sectional division between the North and the South and whatever sections existed between them is still relevant today. For it set the pace of development in which they would be stuck in, results of which are visible in present terms.

Slavers were an economic acquisition for land/plantation owners. 

Insight: Changing Households and New Markets (Chapter 4)

            When a population grows, when a nation grows, there are bound to be changes in the market and its goods. Rather than trading, exchanging goods, people now used cash and credit to obtain their resources – this is called the Market Revolution; introducing entrepreneurs, banks, and knowledge on buying.

            Samuel Slater was one of the creators and definers of what an entrepreneur was to be. He took advantage of the potential of a young, growing nation – the United States was producing more and more cotton to meet the needs of the growing population, and he brought English information on cotton mills and textile factories to create a fortune. For an entrepreneur is one who takes on business risks for the sake of profit, and this individual flourishes in capitalism – which is manufacturing controlled by private corporations and by individuals competing for profit.

            The household economy had ruled previously, in which people’s business was simply based on keeping their households running, it was very individualistic. They didn’t care for wealth, just living comfortably and on their own produce. Work was not a commodity, something to be bought and sold. As time passed, families produced fewer things they needed and instead bought them from stores or other people - this lead to centralizing manufacturing, which increased production.

            The Market Revolution also brought by the importance of banks, for these provided the credit and cash necessary for entrepreneurs to buy land or invest. They first appeared during the 1780’s, and by the 1830’s hundreds of them were placed. They were often started by groups of private investors, who unknowingly fueled the development of American economy. They allowed the loans to buy millions of acres of federal land in the West and other money-making schemes. They caused economic booms, but also, due to their way of acting together, severe depressions.

            Thanks to the Market Revolution: middle-class Americans were cluttered with purchased items, banks consolidated themselves as some of the most powerful and important institutions in society, work became a commodity, and work was centralized. All which, together, allowed for the American economy to flourish and expand.

Samuel Slater: one of the very first entrepreneurs. 

Insight: Life in the New Nation (Chapter 4)

            The political aspect of the building of a new nation is important, but often overshadows the building of the mundane lifestyle of said state, which happens to be just as eventful and relevant as the official actions of the nation. The Trans-Appalachian settlement, the War of 1812, the Missouri Compromise, new technology, and the democratization of religion are some of the happenings during this period’s citizen livelihood.

            The reason why the population of the United States grew is the migration of American citizens to Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland River Valleys. This created an increase of population; from 2.7 million to 12 million in only fifty years – the nation was slowly growing, slowly making a bigger name and relevance for themselves. This expansion wasn’t favoring some, though, for the Land Ordinance of 1785 allowed sale of Native American land northwest of the Ohio River, otherwise called the Northwest Territory.

            This created friction between the Native Americans and the centralized government, creating repercussions such as the war of 1812 and resistance. The war of 1812 was triggered by interference of American shipping by British navy and also the support of the British towards the Native Americans. This war included battles such as the Battle of Thames or the Battle of Horseshoe – the two battles that ended the Native American resistance to American expansion to their lands.  

            Slavery was another aspect of their normalcy that became a discussion. The black code kept African Americans under the authority of white Americans even if slavery was illegal. Americans in the early republic agreed that slavery was legal south of the Ohio River and illegal north of it. There was a debate about this, however, for Missouri didn’t lie particularly north or south of said boundary, a debate that led to the Missouri Compromise. In which slavery would be permitted in Missouri, and Maine was carved out of Missouri which was before northern Missouri – and, in Maine, slavery was illegal.

            Technology arrived with the industrial revolution. Amazing improvements such as steam power, canals, and communications such as post offices created a massive improvement in their lifestyles. Not only was there an industrial awakening, but a Second Great awakening – an awakening of evangelization. This movement stressed preaching and predicted a better after life if they were to follow Christ. This movement aided in a sense of community and inclusion of women roles.

            As the laws and politics moved, so did the people. And, as the repercussions of all these events prove, the government depended on the people’s actions as much as the people depended on the government for changes to take place. 

A representation of the Missouri Compromise