JACKSONIAN DEMOCRACY
Questions/Thinking Points

Terms
Election of 1828
Martin van Buren
Andrew Jackson
"spoils system"
Indian removal
Trail of Tears
Indian Removal Act (1830)
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia  (1831)
Worcester v. Georgia (1832)
Black Hawk War
Webster-Hayne Debate
Jefferson Day Dinner
Tariff of 1832
Nullification Crisis
Force Act
Tariff of 1833
Bank Wars
"pet banks"
Specie Circular
Election of 1836
Martin van Buren
Panic of 1837
Whig Party
Election of 1840
William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
Indian Appropriations Act (1851)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Oregon
California
Texas
Stephen F. Austin
General Santa Anna
Battle of the Alamo
General Sam Houston
Battle of San Jacinto
Treaty of Velasco
Manifest Destiny
Election of 1844
James K. Polk
annexation of Texas (1845)
Mexican War (1846-48)
Henry David Thoreau
General Zachary Taylor
Battle of Buena Vista
General Winfield Scott
Battle of Vera Cruz
General Stephen Kearny
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Wilmot Proviso

1.  What kind of man was Andrew Jackson, and how did he differ from his predecessors in office?
2.  What was Jackson's political philosophy?
3.  What were Jackon's goals as president, and what actions did he take to further these goals?
4.  What was the "spoils system"?
5.  What were the two "conflicting ideologies" American presidents had pursued in Indian policy since Jefferson's term?  Which ideology won out, and why?
6.  What was the reaction of the Indians to the Indian Removal Act?
7.  Why did Congress adopt such "morally indefensible policies"?
8.  How did the issue of land distribution in the West become transformed into a sectional issue?
9.  What were some of the views on the issue of Union and sovereignty expressed by the major figures in the Jacksonian era?
10.  Describe the Nullification Crisis and how it was resolved, though its core issues were not.
11.  Why did Henry Clay try to recharter the Second Bank of the U. S., and how did his efforts "backfire"?
12.  What actions did Jackson take to "kill" the Second Bank of the U. S.?
13.  What were the origins of the Panic of 1837?
14.  What were the origins of the Whig Party?  Who were they?  What was their philosophy?
15.  How did Americans come to settle in Tejas?  What kind of relationship did they have with the government in Mexico City?
16.  What were the factors that led to the Texas War of Independence?
17.  Upon achieving independence, what was Texas's relationship with the United States?
18.  What was meant by the term "manifest destiny"?
19.  What policies taken by presidents Tyler and Polk reflected the belief in "manifest destiny"?
20.  What was the main issue in President Tyler's administration?
21.  How did the Oregon issue figure in James K. Polk's campaign for president?  What actions did he take after assuming office with respect to the Oregon territory?
22.  What were the origins of the U. S.-Mexican War?
23.  What were some of the criticisms of the Mexican War?
24.  What were some of the major battles of the Mexican War?
25.  What were the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo?
26.  What was the long-term significance of the Mexican War for the United States?

This page last updated June 15, 2007
© Kahne Parsons, 2007-08