What amazed me in the History reading was how quickly the people of America became discontented with the government and how quickly government traditions and rule changed. The discontentment was evident in, for example, the way people responded to the National Banks, specifically the Second National Bank. In the Panic of 1819 one of the reasons for the depression was the irresponsible action of State Banks AND the National Bank. Federalists, although they were mostly diminished in the 1800s, still left their mark on people; the group of folks that approved of the National Bank. The Republicans (the vast majority) did not approve of the National Banks. Yet the Second National Bank came along and caused just a little more tension between parties and people in America. Another thing that caused discontentment and strife in the young nation was the issue of slavery. We proved that we could still work things out in the Missouri Compromise of 1820. However the compromise was not going to end well. Thomas Jefferson said, "This momentous question, like a fireball in the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered in the knell [ring as in announcing death] of the Union." An example of how government traditions and rules were changed quickly was the Death of "King Caucus." This was the change from the president (usually from one major party) being chosen from a caucus (a closed meeting of party leaders). This was usually caused because there was usually only one main party to chose from (usually Republican) and people weren't very interested in even voting. The election of 1824, between William H. Crawford, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson, changed the caucus elections for good.
What was interesting to read about were all the Tariff acts and bills that were passed restricting outside competition during this time period. How there were two majorly different responses by both the north and the south. How the north wanted this because their life style was more industries and the south strongly opposed this because it was almost all farm and plantations. It was interesting to see that this is were we America started to fall apart. The president started to make law to directly control states that did not like the new tariffs. This continued threw out the years until the southern states wouldn't take it anymore and the Civil War began. It was nice to see were it all started to fall apart after the Revolutionary war.
Something I found fascinating in the History reading was about the 'corrupt bargain.' I heard about this before but had not read about it detail. In a four way race between Clay, Crawford, Jackson, and Adams for president no one won the majority vote. It was interesting that even though Henry Clay had the lowest tally and didn't make the cut for president he was able to pick the next president because he was the Speaker of the House. It did seem sketchy that Clay took Adams position as Secretary of State after guiding the votes so Adams could become president. John Adams was very good at his job as Secretary of State yet as president he was very ineffective. Even though his presidency was not very effective he did encourage American nationalism and help provide funding for higher education and the arts. At the next election between Adams and Jackson, Jackson won majority vote which is not surprising considering he had the top tally when he ran four years earlier.
Something that interested me in the history chapter this week was on the Indian removal policy. Although President Jackson in his first inaugural address promised that the Indians would be treated with "just and liberal" policies" and "humane and considerate attention to their rights and their wants" in reality he pursued policies that were in fact the opposite of these promises. When taking office, Jackson vigorously pursued the Indian removal policy. Ninety-four different treaties were made with the Indians and unfortunately, many of these treaties were opposed upon the Indians by force. The United States then began to push the Indians westward so that the land in the east would be open to white settlers. Many Indian tribes did not go along willingly with this unfair treatment. As a result many small wars broke out between the Indians and the settlers such as the 1832 Black Hawk War and Seminole War which lasted from 1835 to 1842. In many of these wars the Indians suffered and lost more men than the U.S.. Among the Indian tribes were the Cherokee who were a part of the "five civilized tribes". Unlike many Indian tribes, the civilized tribes adopted the new culture as their own. They built roads, schools, and practiced farming and agriculture. One leader of the Cherokees named Sequoyah, even developed an Indian alphabet so that the Indians could publish their own newspapers and translate the Bible into their own language. The Cherokee also resisted the Indian removal but rather than go to war, they went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1832 the judged made a decision in favor of the Cherokee but the government ignored it. Thousands of Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed from their homes and moved west to what is now Oklahoma. The path that they traveled on is now known as the "Trail of Tears". This event in American history is known as one of the saddest events in the Indian removal policy.
Out of the many characters that surfaced in this chapter, I though Andrew Jackson was a very inspiring one. After a difficult childhood, he studied law and became a prosecutor. After earning many things through his work in the West, he was admitted to Congress. But he didn't gain a reputation through politics, but through battle. I thought that was just amazing. He was a "fiery and energetic" man and people would say that he was "tough as hickory." As well as receiving respect from others because of this characteristic, he also maintained his own honor. Personally, I can really appreciate that because there are politicians today that do not care about their own personal honor and only care about how they look to those around them. Up to the point when he was elected president, Jackson had offered very much opportunity to the people of America. He also made it so that people who had been working with him would not become corrupt by their power. He did so by making their service only temporary, instead of life long. By keeping a close circle of advisors, who were prominent Democrats, newspaper editors, and the secretary of state, he fulfilled the role of a party leader. In sum, President Jackson was one of the most beneficial and loved presidents that the U.S. had in the 1800s.
One thing that interested me in this chapter was the log cabin campaign. I found it so intriguing that the Whigs learned from the Democrats. I loved how they used the Democrats own idea, and turned it against them. When one Democratic newspaper in Baltimore mocked the Whigs with this statement: "that upon a condition of his recieving a pension of $2,000 and a barrel of cider. General Harrison would no doubt consent to withdraw his pretensions, and spend his days in a log cabin on the banks of the Ohio." The Whigs ingeniously turned that statement into a winning theme. They presented Harrison as a humble but heroic backwoodsman in contrast to the dainty, aristocratic Van Buren, when Harrison actually was born into a higher luxury. They even made a song! In the end, they won, and Harrison became President. Then comes the sad part, where President Harrison catches pneumonia, and dies one month after he became president. That had to have been really shocking, and saddening.
Now that the oldest president yet to be elected has died, the weight of presidency now falls onto the youngest president, who was never expected or intended to be president. I find that so ironic. The oldest president dies, and now the youngest president takes his place.
Something that I found interesting in this week's reading was how much the president and vice president could be against each other in the time. Now a days, besides the fact that the president gets to pick his own vice president, the potential vice president pretty much has to agree with the president on every subject--he has to do his best to make the potential president look better. In the history reading, however, the vice president and president were at such odds with each other that the vice president even abandoned his office! This was something that really stood out to me, as I think all of us are very used to the fact that a president and vice president are supposed to be complements of each other.
"The Trail Where They Cried," this story always seems so unfair to me. The way early Americans treated the Indians was harsh and unjust. It isn't right to force a people group out of land you stole from that same people group! Nevertheless, this is what America did. The "Indian problem" began during Jackson's presidency, (1829-1837) the legendary Indian fighter was all to eager to remove the Indians from the civilized east.The Indians were removed, peacefully and forcefully, to the lands west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rockies. Some Indian tribes resisted, the Black Hawk War (1832) was the joint force of the Sauk and Fox Indians who attempted to reclaim their land. The Seminole War (1835-1842) did end well for the Indians, they strategically hid in the swamps of Florida, just like the Continental Soldiers had 50 years ago, and avoided the hunting American militia.
What saddens me the most is the story of the Cherokee. This tribe had worked hard to civilize themselves, the American way. Schools had been established, roads created, towns built; an intelligent Indian had even created a Cherokee alphabet. When they were ordered to move, they resisted, the civilized way. They brought their case to court but were immediately shot down. As a result thousands of Cherokee indians were removed from their homes and herded to the west, the year was 1832. The empty land was soon filled with white American settlers, abolishing the relationship between the Indians and Americans. An Indian chief who had fought alongside of Jackson said, "If I had known the Jackson would drive us from our homes, I would have killed him that day at the Horse Shoe."
I found it interesting in the Histroy reading, was when the text was discussing the Indian Resistances. The Indians did not take lightly theses orders, and rightly so. Because the Americans forced them out of their land, they reacted violently. Though this may not have been your first choice, they really had no other options. If they were to peacfully converese with the American government, there was a very high chance that American leaders would not listen. It was as if they did not have a voice. So, in a way they were justified for their behavior. After all, this was their land first. The American veiw however was also vvery interseting. The American governmnet thought, at first, that the policy was fair, for they wanted the Indians land not the west. But later, we find that we became a little too greedy.
In American History, it was really weird the part where Jackson threatened to hang his Vice-President. Imagine if that happened today and Obama threatened to hang Biden, it would be a national scandal! But back in Jackson's time it seemed almost like a matter of course and no one really got upset about it. I guess it shows how much politics has changed since then. However, it did show the rapidly growing rift between the President and the Vice-President which would eventually lead to the resignation of John Calhoun. It is interesting too that they picked those two in the first place, they should have picked a better Vice-President, that would have fit Jacksons political and personal nature better. As it was, the two ended up strongly disliking each other
What I found interesting in this week's history reading was the National Bank. It was the major campaign issue in Jackson's re-election. Even though Jackson knew little about banking, he still had a strong dislike for it, because everyone blamed the Bank for the Panic of 1819. In 1832, the president of the Bank wanted to renew its contract for twenty more years, even though the current one wash't going to expire till 1836. When Jackson found out that his rival, Henry Clay, had initiated the too-soon renewal, Jackson was furious. He said, "the bank... is trying to kill me, but I will kill it." The Bank had such an influence on Congress that Clay thought he had the presidential victory already in his grasp. The renewal contract passed Congress, but Jackson vetoed it and Congress couldn't get a two-thirds vote. The crazy rivalry between these two presidential candidates was all caused by the Bank.
PS: I wrote this twice because Google deleted my first try.
What amazed me in the History reading was how quickly the people of America became discontented with the government and how quickly government traditions and rule changed.
ReplyDeleteThe discontentment was evident in, for example, the way people responded to the National Banks, specifically the Second National Bank. In the Panic of 1819 one of the reasons for the depression was the irresponsible action of State Banks AND the National Bank. Federalists, although they were mostly diminished in the 1800s, still left their mark on people; the group of folks that approved of the National Bank. The Republicans (the vast majority) did not approve of the National Banks. Yet the Second National Bank came along and caused just a little more tension between parties and people in America.
Another thing that caused discontentment and strife in the young nation was the issue of slavery. We proved that we could still work things out in the Missouri Compromise of 1820. However the compromise was not going to end well. Thomas Jefferson said, "This momentous question, like a fireball in the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered in the knell [ring as in announcing death] of the Union."
An example of how government traditions and rules were changed quickly was the Death of "King Caucus." This was the change from the president (usually from one major party) being chosen from a caucus (a closed meeting of party leaders). This was usually caused because there was usually only one main party to chose from (usually Republican) and people weren't very interested in even voting. The election of 1824, between William H. Crawford, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson, changed the caucus elections for good.
What was interesting to read about were all the Tariff acts and bills that were passed restricting outside competition during this time period. How there were two majorly different responses by both the north and the south. How the north wanted this because their life style was more industries and the south strongly opposed this because it was almost all farm and plantations. It was interesting to see that this is were we America started to fall apart. The president started to make law to directly control states that did not like the new tariffs. This continued threw out the years until the southern states wouldn't take it anymore and the Civil War began. It was nice to see were it all started to fall apart after the Revolutionary war.
ReplyDeleteSomething I found fascinating in the History reading was about the 'corrupt bargain.' I heard about this before but had not read about it detail. In a four way race between Clay, Crawford, Jackson, and Adams for president no one won the majority vote. It was interesting that even though Henry Clay had the lowest tally and didn't make the cut for president he was able to pick the next president because he was the Speaker of the House. It did seem sketchy that Clay took Adams position as Secretary of State after guiding the votes so Adams could become president. John Adams was very good at his job as Secretary of State yet as president he was very ineffective. Even though his presidency was not very effective he did encourage American nationalism and help provide funding for higher education and the arts. At the next election between Adams and Jackson, Jackson won majority vote which is not surprising considering he had the top tally when he ran four years earlier.
ReplyDeleteSomething that interested me in the history chapter this week was on the Indian removal policy. Although President Jackson in his first inaugural address promised that the Indians would be treated with "just and liberal" policies" and "humane and considerate attention to their rights and their wants" in reality he pursued policies that were in fact the opposite of these promises. When taking office, Jackson vigorously pursued the Indian removal policy. Ninety-four different treaties were made with the Indians and unfortunately, many of these treaties were opposed upon the Indians by force. The United States then began to push the Indians westward so that the land in the east would be open to white settlers. Many Indian tribes did not go along willingly with this unfair treatment. As a result many small wars broke out between the Indians and the settlers such as the 1832 Black Hawk War and Seminole War which lasted from 1835 to 1842. In many of these wars the Indians suffered and lost more men than the U.S..
ReplyDeleteAmong the Indian tribes were the Cherokee who were a part of the "five civilized tribes". Unlike many Indian tribes, the civilized tribes adopted the new culture as their own. They built roads, schools, and practiced farming and agriculture. One leader of the Cherokees named Sequoyah, even developed an Indian alphabet so that the Indians could publish their own newspapers and translate the Bible into their own language. The Cherokee also resisted the Indian removal but rather than go to war, they went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1832 the judged made a decision in favor of the Cherokee but the government ignored it. Thousands of Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed from their homes and moved west to what is now Oklahoma. The path that they traveled on is now known as the "Trail of Tears". This event in American history is known as one of the saddest events in the Indian removal policy.
Out of the many characters that surfaced in this chapter, I though Andrew Jackson was a very inspiring one. After a difficult childhood, he studied law and became a prosecutor. After earning many things through his work in the West, he was admitted to Congress. But he didn't gain a reputation through politics, but through battle. I thought that was just amazing. He was a "fiery and energetic" man and people would say that he was "tough as hickory." As well as receiving respect from others because of this characteristic, he also maintained his own honor. Personally, I can really appreciate that because there are politicians today that do not care about their own personal honor and only care about how they look to those around them.
ReplyDeleteUp to the point when he was elected president, Jackson had offered very much opportunity to the people of America. He also made it so that people who had been working with him would not become corrupt by their power. He did so by making their service only temporary, instead of life long.
By keeping a close circle of advisors, who were prominent Democrats, newspaper editors, and the secretary of state, he fulfilled the role of a party leader.
In sum, President Jackson was one of the most beneficial and loved presidents that the U.S. had in the 1800s.
One thing that interested me in this chapter was the log cabin campaign. I found it so intriguing that the Whigs learned from the Democrats. I loved how they used the Democrats own idea, and turned it against them. When one Democratic newspaper in Baltimore mocked the Whigs with this statement: "that upon a condition of his recieving a pension of $2,000 and a barrel of cider. General Harrison would no doubt consent to withdraw his pretensions, and spend his days in a log cabin on the banks of the Ohio." The Whigs ingeniously turned that statement into a winning theme. They presented Harrison as a humble but heroic backwoodsman in contrast to the dainty, aristocratic Van Buren, when Harrison actually was born into a higher luxury. They even made a song! In the end, they won, and Harrison became President. Then comes the sad part, where President Harrison catches pneumonia, and dies one month after he became president. That had to have been really shocking, and saddening.
ReplyDeleteNow that the oldest president yet to be elected has died, the weight of presidency now falls onto the youngest president, who was never expected or intended to be president. I find that so ironic. The oldest president dies, and now the youngest president takes his place.
Something that I found interesting in this week's reading was how much the president and vice president could be against each other in the time. Now a days, besides the fact that the president gets to pick his own vice president, the potential vice president pretty much has to agree with the president on every subject--he has to do his best to make the potential president look better. In the history reading, however, the vice president and president were at such odds with each other that the vice president even abandoned his office! This was something that really stood out to me, as I think all of us are very used to the fact that a president and vice president are supposed to be complements of each other.
ReplyDeleteSo google just deleted my entire blog post...
ReplyDelete"The Trail Where They Cried," this story always seems so unfair to me. The way early Americans treated the Indians was harsh and unjust. It isn't right to force a people group out of land you stole from that same people group! Nevertheless, this is what America did. The "Indian problem" began during Jackson's presidency, (1829-1837) the legendary Indian fighter was all to eager to remove the Indians from the civilized east.The Indians were removed, peacefully and forcefully, to the lands west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rockies. Some Indian tribes resisted, the Black Hawk War (1832) was the joint force of the Sauk and Fox Indians who attempted to reclaim their land. The Seminole War (1835-1842) did end well for the Indians, they strategically hid in the swamps of Florida, just like the Continental Soldiers had 50 years ago, and avoided the hunting American militia.
ReplyDeleteWhat saddens me the most is the story of the Cherokee. This tribe had worked hard to civilize themselves, the American way. Schools had been established, roads created, towns built; an intelligent Indian had even created a Cherokee alphabet. When they were ordered to move, they resisted, the civilized way. They brought their case to court but were immediately shot down. As a result thousands of Cherokee indians were removed from their homes and herded to the west, the year was 1832. The empty land was soon filled with white American settlers, abolishing the relationship between the Indians and Americans. An Indian chief who had fought alongside of Jackson said, "If I had known the Jackson would drive us from our homes, I would have killed him that day at the Horse Shoe."
I found it interesting in the Histroy reading, was when the text was discussing the Indian Resistances. The Indians did not take lightly theses orders, and rightly so. Because the Americans forced them out of their land, they reacted violently. Though this may not have been your first choice, they really had no other options. If they were to peacfully converese with the American government, there was a very high chance that American leaders would not listen. It was as if they did not have a voice. So, in a way they were justified for their behavior. After all, this was their land first. The American veiw however was also vvery interseting. The American governmnet thought, at first, that the policy was fair, for they wanted the Indians land not the west. But later, we find that we became a little too greedy.
ReplyDeleteIn American History, it was really weird the part where Jackson threatened to hang his Vice-President. Imagine if that happened today and Obama threatened to hang Biden, it would be a national scandal! But back in Jackson's time it seemed almost like a matter of course and no one really got upset about it. I guess it shows how much politics has changed since then. However, it did show the rapidly growing rift between the President and the Vice-President which would eventually lead to the resignation of John Calhoun. It is interesting too that they picked those two in the first place, they should have picked a better Vice-President, that would have fit Jacksons political and personal nature better. As it was, the two ended up strongly disliking each other
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting in this week's history reading was the National Bank. It was the major campaign issue in Jackson's re-election. Even though Jackson knew little about banking, he still had a strong dislike for it, because everyone blamed the Bank for the Panic of 1819. In 1832, the president of the Bank wanted to renew its contract for twenty more years, even though the current one wash't going to expire till 1836. When Jackson found out that his rival, Henry Clay, had initiated the too-soon renewal, Jackson was furious. He said, "the bank... is trying to kill me, but I will kill it." The Bank had such an influence on Congress that Clay thought he had the presidential victory already in his grasp. The renewal contract passed Congress, but Jackson vetoed it and Congress couldn't get a two-thirds vote. The crazy rivalry between these two presidential candidates was all caused by the Bank.
ReplyDeletePS: I wrote this twice because Google deleted my first try.