USH HW #4

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USH HW#4

Definitions

Spoils System

In a democratic political system, if a party wins an election, and indulges in a rewarding practice by offering jobs and incentives to its supporters, the practice is referred to as the spoils system. This system does not offer opportunities based on merit.

Worcester v. Georgia

Worcester v. Georgia was a case heard in the Supreme Court of the US. The Justice annulled the sentence of Worcester. He declared that the Georgia Act was against the constitution of the US.

The Indian Removal Act

The Indian Removal Act enabled President Andrew Jackson to make the Native Americans leave their ancestral lands and migrate to the lands in the west of the Mississippi River. President negotiated with the tribes so that they leave and the white could settle in their lands.

Trail of Tears

Trail of tears refers to the forced migration of the Native Americans from their homeland in the south of the US to the west of the Mississippi River. The relocation had adverse effects on the Cherokee people.

Log Cabin

Log cabin denotes a hut-shaped residence built by logs. During the American Civil War, the soldiers spent winter in log cabins. The cabins included a cook's house, barracks, and lodging for an officer.

Trail of Abomination

The tariff of Abomination levied taxes on imported goods. It aimed at increasing the sales of locally manufactured goods and reduce the impact of cheaper foreign goods.

Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster was a Congressman representing New Hampshire and remained the US Secretary of the State for several years. He was a strong supporter of the federal government.

Universal Male Suffrage

It implies that all men or adult males have the right to vote. There is no condition of race, income, religion, etc. It emerged during the Jacksonian era.

Nominating Convention

It alludes to a political convention wherein different political parties nominate their representatives for the upcoming elections. These conventions are held every four years.

Economic Panic

An economic panic is a financial crisis that can result in a market crash or recession. It was first appeared in 1837 due to the economic policies of President Jackson. Unemployment raised, and people were hopeless.

Answers to Questions

During the Jacksonian era, people hailed the spirit of equality for all men backed by an equal political policy of President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was against the government of elites, and he strived to increase participation of public in the government. The common man was considered during the Jacksonian era to have all the civilian rights. The concept of equality changed the perception of a common man in the minds of people. It granted the common man an increased influence in politics. It benefited, however, mostly the white males of the country. People believed that all the white men who qualified to be Americans should be given voting rights. Several states made amendments to their legislature so that the white men could vote all.

During the presidential elections of 1824 in the United States, John Quincy Adams was elected to be the sixth US President. There were four other candidates for the presidency, including Andrew Jackson during this election. He charged the election to be a “corrupt bargain” because he won the election through public votes, and the final decision had to be made in the House of the Representatives. Thus, it had an impression to be like a deal between the Speaker of the House and J. Q. Adams, wherein Adams asked the Speaker to convince the house in his favor. The charge later proved to be a reality when Jackson won the election with a landslide, and Adams had to retreat with a declined reputation.

President Jackson did not enforce the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Worcester v. Georgia. The context is that the state of Georgia restricted white people to stay among the Native Americans without getting permission from the state government. The Supreme Court prohibited Georgia to deal with the Native Americans and asserted that the federal government could only intervene in their issue. At that time, President Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision, saying that it cannot give any positive results. He told the Native Americans to relocate for the sake of their liberty.

Nullification refers to the right of a state to make a law passed by the federal government invalid. The state can do so in case the federal law seems to violate the US constitution. The Nullification Crisis denotes the political crisis that took place when Andrew Jackson was the President of the United States. The South California State invalidated a law regarding the tariffs enacted by the federal government. These tariffs were imposed to reduce the import of relatively cheaper goods into the US and increase the sales of local manufacturers. The state of South California declared the federal tariffs to be unconstitutional.

The Whig was a political party that was established with the purpose of opposing President Jackson and his radical views. The Whigs stood for the protective tariffs so that the interests of people are not exploited. They asserted that the role of national bank is vital for the success of economy. They emphasized the need for federal support to finance the development of infrastructure. They made efforts so that the rule of law could prevail in the country.