Summary
Highlights
Following the decline of the Federalist Party, the Democratic Republicans split into two major factions: the Democrats, led by Andrew Jackson, and the Whigs, led by Henry Clay. Democrats favored limited federal power, free trade, and local rule, opposing corporate monopolies, high tariffs, and a national bank. Whigs, in contrast, advocated for a stronger central government, supporting a national bank, protective tariffs, and federally funded internal improvements through Henry Clay's American System. The central debate between these parties revolved around the extent of federal power.
The Tariff of 1828, dubbed the 'Tariff of Abominations' by Southerners, significantly raised import duties, benefiting Northern manufacturers and Western farmers but harming the Southern economy. Vice President John C. Calhoun, from South Carolina, introduced the doctrine of nullification, asserting states' rights to nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional. President Andrew Jackson vehemently opposed this challenge to federal authority, securing the Force Bill in 1833 to enable military action against South Carolina. While South Carolina ultimately backed down from secession and the tariff was reduced, they nullified the Force Bill, demonstrating the ongoing tension over federal power.
The Second Bank of the United States, established in 1816, stabilized the economy but caused distress for some state banks and citizens. Jackson viewed the bank as unconstitutional and detrimental to the lower classes, believing it favored the wealthy. In 1832, he vetoed a bill to recharter the bank, calling it a 'hydra of corruption,' a decision supported by the majority of American citizens who reelected him by a landslide.
The debate over internal improvements, such as federally funded roads and canals, was another point of contention. Whigs supported these expenditures as essential for national connectivity, aligning with the American System. Jacksonian Democrats, however, viewed such spending as federal overreach and unconstitutional.
Jackson's administration implemented the Indian Removal Act of 1830, mandating the relocation of Native American tribes west of the Mississippi River. The Cherokee Nation in Georgia, declaring itself sovereign, challenged its removal in the Supreme Court case Worcester v. Georgia, where the court sided with the Cherokees, stating Georgia had no right to their lands. However, a small, unsanctioned delegation signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835, exchanging Cherokee lands for western territory. This led to the forcible removal of Cherokees and other tribes in 1838, a tragic journey known as the Trail of Tears due to the immense suffering and death. Some Cherokees resisted and eventually settled on a reservation in North Carolina, forming the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and later gaining U.S. citizenship.