CHAPTER XXIII

ANDREW JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION

DEMOCRAT-1829-1837

419. Jackson and Calhoun Are Elected. At the election of 1828, as had been foreseen, Jackson, the Democratic candidate, was triumphantly elected President. He received nearly twice as many votes as John Quincy Adams, the National Republican nominee. Calhoun was re-elected Vice-president.

Heretofore the Presidents, all statesmen of high rank, representing the culture and refinement of the seaboard, had been chosen from the aristocratic states of Virginia and Massachusetts. Now, for the first time, a man of humble birth and of little culture, sat in the White House. Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was a rough and ready backwoodsman and a hardy Indian fighter. Born in the Carolina backwoods, and left alone in the world at fifteen, he grew up amid the alarms and hostilities of the Revolution. Later, he made his way to that part of Carolina now known as Tennessee, and with a little knowledge of law began practice at the bar. He distinguished himself as a soldier, became a national hero in the war against the Creeks (1812), served as territorial governor of Florida, and became respectively a United States Representative and Senator from Tennessee. The great popularity gained in his battles with the Indians and his wonderful endurance of hardships, won for him the affectionate nickname of "Old Hickory. Though uncouth in looks, unconventional in dress and manners, uneducated, self-confident and headstrong, he was, nevertheless, noted for generosity of heart, uprightness of mind, absolute honesty, and utter fearlessness. While hating his enemies intensely, he was devotedly attached to his friends,

and even so blind to their faults that, at times, he unconsciously became the instrument through which unprincipled office and money seekers accomplished their schemes.

Jackson's Cabinet was a weak one, composed for the most part of very ordinary men. Martin Van Buren, Secretary of State, was the only man of ability and reputation appointed to a seat in the Cabinet at the opening of the administration. The personnel of the Cabinet, however, was a matter of little consequence, since Jackson dominated the entire government. He rarely consulted his Cabinet, as he preferred the advice of a few intimate friends, whom the newspapers of the time called his "Kitchen Cabinet."

420. A New Era of American History. The election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency opened a new era in American history. The Democratic spirit of the West and South, which now triumphed over the aristocratic spirit of the East, placed the reins of government in the hands of the plain people. In fact, the national period was in reality just beginning. New issues, such as the tariff, the United. States Bank, the Indians, internal improvements, and particularly slavery, now took the place of the old colonial problems of representation, taxation, commercial regulations, etc. Nearly all of the older statesmen, the framers of the Constitution and the organizers of the government, as also their associates, had passed away. The leading men of this political era with Jackson were Martin Van Buren, the shrewd politician, Henry Clay, the father of the American protective system, and John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the great expounders of the Constitution.

421. Notable Facts. Jackson's presidency will be remembered in history for three things: the introduction of the Spoils System, the crushing of Nullification in South Carolina, and the discontinuance of the United States Bank. Jackson's political views at the time of his election were not known even by his supporters. It soon became evident, however, that the

new President favored strict construction of the Constitution, and therefore opposed internal improvement at national expense, protective tariffs, and the United States Bank.

422. The Spoils System. No sooner was Jackson inaugurated than crowds of his supporters hastened to Washington to receive their reward. Jackson, believing that "to the victors belong the spoils," promptly introduced the so-called "spoils system." The old officials who belonged to the defeated party were turned out and their places filled with men belonging to the successful party. During the first year of his presidency Jackson removed more officials than his six predecessors had removed in forty years. Thus began the corrupt system, called "rotation in office." It is only just, however, to say that Jackson was desirous of appointing only men of ability, although he was frequently misled in his selection through the advice of friends. Consequently, a large number of political frauds and scandals marked his administration, though he himself was absolutely honest.

423. The Webster-Hayne Debate. While the topics of tariff and nullification were being widely and violently discussed, one of the greatest debates in our annals took place in the United States Senate (1830) between Robert Hayne, the spokesman of Calhoun (the champion of the South) and Daniel Webster of Massachusetts. Hayne, presenting Calhoun's theory of states' rights, declared in a brilliant speech that the Constitution was a mere compact formed by sovereign states, and that, accordingly, a state might withdraw from the compact whenever it saw fit to do so and might declare an act of Congress null and void in case it thought that the government had exceeded its powers. Webster, in a speech classed among the greatest of the world's orations, replied that the Constitution. was not a mere compact, but the "supreme law of the people and answerable to the people"; hence, that no state had the right to withdraw from the Union; neither could any state nullify an act of Congress on the ground that such act was