American History 1

QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guide

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• Publisher: QuickStudy Reference Guides
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781423220275
• eBook ISBN: 9781423212485
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Prepare for your history exams or learn more about key events in American history with BarCharts' updated and expanded American History 1 QuickStudy® guide. Detailing the discovery and settlement of the New World up through the Civil War and Reconstruction, this guide features timelines grouped by historical theme to give you a concise outline of major events in American history through multiple perspectives. The following topics are covered:

• New Worlds, 1492-1680
• The Growth of British North America, 1630-1763
• Origins of the American Revolution, 1761-1776
• Fighting for Independence, 1775-1783
• Forming New Governments, 1776-1788
• Federalists in Power, 1789-1800
• Republicans Ascendant, 1801-1823
• The Revolutionary Generation, 1772-1829
• The Age of Jackson, 1824-1848
• Awakenings of Perfection, 1801-1855
• Breaking the Union, 1850-1860
• The Civil War, 1861-1865
• Reconstruction, 1863-1877

The Age of Jackson, 1824–1848

1824	Ideological and policy differences reemerge as multiple Republican candidates vie for the presidency. The subsequent realignment will result in the Second Party System of Jacksonian Democrats versus the Whigs. John Quincy Adams is elected president. The election is decided in the House of Representatives when no candidate wins an electoral majority. Andrew Jackson, winner of the popular vote, charges that Adams secured his office through a “corrupt bargain” when Speaker of the House Henry Clay is named secretary of state. In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court strikes down the monopoly granted by NY to a steamboat company, holding that the Commerce Clause gives Congress the sole power to regulate interstate commerce.
1825	President Adams proposes an expansive program of internal improvements, including a national university, a national observatory, and the adoption of the metric system, as well as the construction of roads and canals. The Erie Canal is completed, linking the Great Lakes across NY to the Hudson River and New York City. The project is funded with state and private investments. It is the most successful canal of the era, making a profit before completion. Transportation costs plummet, inspiring a “canal craze” as other communities attempt to copy the canal’s success.
1826	The disappearance and presumed murder of apostate Freemason William Morgan touches off an anti- Mason movement. The Anti-Masonic Party is formed in 1828 to oppose the perceived political influence of Freemasonry. Though short-lived, the party introduces innovations such as the nominating convention.
1828	Congress passes the Tariff of 1828 (a.k.a. Tariff of Abominations), a protective tariff. Andrew Jackson (D-TN) is elected president. Construction begins on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. John C. Calhoun expounds the doctrine of nullification in his “South Carolina Exposition and Protest,” provoking the Nullification Crisis. He argues that states may judge the constitutionality of federal laws and declares the Tariff of 1828 null and void because it favors northern manufacturing at the expense of southern agriculture.
1829	President Jackson begins the so-called spoils system of appointing federal officials. Jackson defends the system as a “rotation in office,” preventing corruption. Still, the chief criterion for selection is loyalty to Jackson.
1830	In the Webster-Hayne Debates over tariff policy, senators Daniel Webster (MA) and Robert Y. Hayne (SC) examine the nature of the union, the power of the states, and the structure of federalism. The Indian Removal Act forces the migration of southeastern Indians to OK. Jackson vetoes the Maysville Road Bill as unconstitutional, arguing that it would use federal funds for a project located within one state only.
1831	The Peggy Eaton affair (a.k.a. Petticoat affair) challenges Jackson’s new administration as wives of cabinet officers refuse to associate with reputed adulteress Peggy Eaton, wife of the secretary of war. To save face, all cabinet officers are forced to resign; afterward, Jackson convenes the Kitchen Cabinet, a group of unofficial advisors. Nat Turner leads a slave rebellion in VA.
1832	The Bank War commences. Presidential candidate Henry Clay and SBUS president Nicholas Biddle attempt to recharter the SBUS four years early. They hope to use the impending presidential election to corner Jackson, who was extreme in his anti-SBUS views. Jackson vetoes the recharter bill despite the popularity of the SBUS. Jackson is reelected, having persuaded people to accept his position. In Worcester v. Georgia, the Supreme Court rules that GA laws do not apply to Cherokee lands, since, according to Justice Marshall, the Cherokee are a “domestic dependent nation.” Jackson pushes for removal anyway. The Tariff of 1832 is passed. In the Blackhawk War, U.S. forces clash with Indians in the upper Midwest near the Mississippi River.
1833	Congress enacts the Force Bill, authorizing the president to use the military to collect federal duties in SC. Congress passes the Tariff of 1833, providing for the gradual lowering of tariffs. SC accepts the compromise, ending the Nullification Crisis. Still, SC votes to nullify the Force Bill to save face. Britain abolishes slavery in its colonies.
1834	Anti-Jackson forces coalesce into the Whig Party.
1835	The U.S. pays off the national debt for the first and only time in history. The Second Seminole War begins in FL. Controversy erupts over whether the U.S. Post Office is obligated to deliver abolitionist tracts in the South.
1836	Martin Van Buren is elected president. The Texas Revolution begins as Texans declare independence from Mexico. Mexican forces defeat TX forces at the Alamo. General Sam Houston defeats the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto, securing independence for TX. Congress adopts a Gag Rule, which prevents the consideration of abolitionist petitions. The Specie Circular is issued, requiring large purchases of federal lands to be made in gold or silver coin. It is intended to thwart speculators and keep lands open for small-scale farmers, but it backfires by constricting the money supply, scaring capital markets.
1837	Economic hard times follow the Panic of 1837, which is brought on by uncertainty in banking and changes in international credit markets. In Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge, the Supreme Court weakens monopoly claims granted by corporate charters.
1838	The Trail of Tears begins, leading to the deaths of more than 4,000 Indians forcibly removed westward.
1839	The Panic of 1839 plunges an already weak economy into a deep recession lasting until 1843.
1840	Mimicking Democrat tactics, Whig William Henry Harrison (OH) ...

Table of contents

• New Worlds, 1492–1680
• The Growth of British North America, 1630–1763
• Origins of the American Revolution, 1764–1776
• Fighting for Independence, 1775–1783
• Forming New Governments, 1776–1788
• Federalists in Power, 1789–1800
• Republicans Ascendant, 1801–1823
• The Revolutionary Generation, 1772–1829
• The Age of Jackson, 1824–1848
• Awakenings of Perfection, 1801–1855
• Breaking the Union, 1850–1860
• The Civil War, 1861–1865
• Reconstruction, 1863–1877