Unit 5 Study Guide

Part 1

KEY TERMS: “Old Hickory”; Jacksonian Democracy; spoils system; “Kitchen Cabinet”; Tariff of Abomination (1828); nullification; Force Bill (1830); Indian Removal Act of 1830; Trail of Tears; Nicholas Biddle; 2nd Bank of the U.S.; Specie Circular; Panic of 1837; Whigs vs. Democrats

QUESTIONS:

  1. What were the general characteristics of "Jacksonian Democracy" [its philosophy, practice, etc.]?
  2. Describe the “corrupt bargain” in the election of 1824. Give evidence for and against the bargain.
  3. How did Adams’ “win” in that election and charges of corruption haunt Adams’ entire presidency? How did his “win divide the Republican party?
  4. Explain the Anti-Mason movement. Why was Anti-Masonry so appealing to some?
  5. To what extent did the growth of democracy change the American political system?
  6. What groups were excluded from this widening of political opportunity? Why?
  7. What was the "Kitchen Cabinet?"
  8. What programs did Martin Van Buren propose? How did these proposals reflect the balance of power in the Democratic Party?
  9. Describe the presidency of John Quincy Adams. What were his successes? His failures?
  10. How did the spoils system fit into Jackson's "democratic" plans? What other means did he use to bring more people into the political process?
  11. How were Jackson's views concerning the Indians "little different" from those of white Americans?
  12. Summarize the actions of white settlers and US government toward Indians from the 1790s to the 1820s.
  13. How did Jackson defy the Supreme Court’s rulings regarding the Cherokees in Georgia? What did the Indian Removal Act (1830) accomplish? Describe the “Trail of Tears”.
  14. Summarize the experience of African Americans during the Jackson administration.
  15. How did the tariff issue divide the country in the 1820s?
  16. Why did South Carolinians refer to the Tariff of 1828 as the "Tariff of Abomination?"
  17. What was Calhoun's theory of nullification as set forth in the South Carolina Exposition and Protest?
  18. What was the major point of disagreement between Webster and Hayne? What arguments were advanced on either side?
  19. Describe how Clay’s Compromise Tariff of 1833 and the Force Bill ended the nullification controversy. How was this only a temporary solution to a problem that would not be solved until the Civil War?
  20. What was Jackson's opinion on the Bank of the United States? On what did he base his views? What other factors contributed to his stand?
  21. What was Nicholas Biddle's initial attitude toward the Bank's involvement in politics? What caused him to change his mind and what steps did he take to resolve the situation?
  22. How did Jackson respond to the efforts to re-charter the Second BUS? What reasons did he give for his action?
  23. How does Jackson “kill” the Bank after the 1832 election? How was this significant?
  24. Describe the changes that Jackson made to the presidency.
  25. Summarize the significance of Jackson’s Specie Circular? What did it mean? What was its effects?
  26. What kind of president was Martin Van Buren? What kinds of problems did he face?
  27. What caused the Panic of 1837? What effect did it have on the nation? on the Democratic Party?
  28. How did the Whig Party come into existence? What kinds of people supported the party? Summarize the party’s platform (beliefs and policies).
  29. Why did the Whigs select William Henry Harrison as their presidential candidate in 1840? How did his campaign set a new pattern for presidential contests?
  30. Compare and contrast the social makeup of the Democratic and Whig parties.
  31. What were the results of the 1836 presidential election?
  32. How were the divisions between the Whigs and Democrats in 1840 like the Hamilton-Jefferson divisions in the 1790s?