Grade 7 Social Studies

Complete DBQ Questions from Text

Chapter 10  Section 4

The Native Americans in the Southeast stood in the way of westward expansion of the United States  They were very interested in the fertile land that the Native Americans lived on for growing cotton..

They were not willing to give up their land and refused any offers made by the government. 

The state of Georgia passed a law stating that the Creeks had to give up most of their land.(1825 and 1827)

In 1828 Georgia wanted the Cherokees to do the same thing. The Cherokees challenged Georgia in court.

1831-Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia= Decision against the Cherokees.

The state said that the Cherokees were not a separate Indian nation and they too had to move.

1832-Worcester vs. Georgia=The courts decided that under the Constitution, Georgia’s laws COULD NOT BE ENFORCED WITHIN CHEROKEE LAND AND COULD NOT TAKE AWAY THEIR TERRITORY.

****President Jackson IGNORED the decision and created the Indian Removal Act of 1830.****

Indian Removal Act of 1830

Law passed by Jackson that offered Native American nations land west of the Mississippi in exchange for their land in the east.

The Native Americans signed new treaties giving up their lands because they felt that they had NO choice.  They agreed to move to Indian territory in what is today most of the area of the state of OKLAHOMA.

Choctaws

First to move; They signed a treaty called, The Treaty Of Dancing Rabbit Creek.  They moved west under the watchful eye of American soldiers.

Conditions were horrible and the trip was quite a burden due to the weather elements, lack of food ,  clothing, and other supplies

Cherokees

Held out longer than the Choctaws(until 1838)

Jackson had left office: New President Martin Van Buren forced the Cherokees to move.

They went to Indian Territory in the winter of 1838-39

The route was called The Trail of Tears.  They were forced to march hundreds of miles westward without a lot of food or proper shelter.  The weather was frigid cold and they suffered through countless snowstorms.

4,000 died out of the original 15,000 Cherokees.

Seminoles
The Seminoles were the last holdouts. They fought three wars against removal, but by the 1840’s, most Seminoles were forced to leave.

The Second Bank of America

Andrew Jackson was the largest enemy of the bank.  He called the bank, THE MONSTER

Second bank had strong support from business people.

*  The bank loaned the businesses money and was a safe place for the federal government to keep their money.

Jackson and many Americans felt that the banks favored the rich.

Henry Clay(Favored Bank) ran against Jackson in 1832.    Americans backed Jackson who opposed the bank. He won by a landslide.    

****Bank seized to exist when its charter ran out in 1836****

States Rights

The Constitution gave the Federal government many powers.

The 10th Amendment set limits on federal powers:
ANY POWERS NOT SPECIFICALLY GIVEN TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE RESERVED TO THE STATES OR THE PEOPLE.

During Jackson’s presidency many disagreements occurred over this issue causing a serious crisis.

                                                                NULLIFICATION CRISIS

1828-Congress passed a tariff on manufactured goods. This helped manufacturers in the North.

Southerners felt this was unfair because they had to pay more for goods.(Hurt Southerners)

***** Southerners felt that if the federal government  could enforce laws that Southerners felt were unfair; could the federal government interfere and use their power to end slavery????

Vice President John C. Calhoun said the Southern states had the right of nullification.

(An action by a state that cancels a federal law to which a state objects)

He felt that the union was formed by an agreement between the INDIVIDUAL STATES.  To Calhoun, States’ Rights were more important than saving the Union.

Those who opposed Nullification

Daniel Webster was the MOST outspoken AGAINST nullification.

President Jackson was against nullification.  He felt that the federal union must be preserved(favored unity)

.The idea of nullification seriously hurt and weakened the power of the federal government.

South Carolina tried to nullify a law passed on tariffs in 1828 and 1832.  South Carolina felt that the tariffs did not help them and threatened to secede,or pull out of the Union if the government tried to enforce them.

Jackson sent troops to South Carolina.  In a proclamation he told the people of South Carolina that the Union could not be dissolved and any effort to do so would be considered TREASON.

Calhoun resigned as Jackson’s Vice-President over this difference in opinion.

Martin Van Buren replaced Calhoun as Vice President

Jackson asked Congress to allow the federal government to collect the tariffs in South Carolina by force if necessary.

He also favored a compromise bill that would lower the tariffs.

Both requests were granted by Congress.

South Carolina took back their threats to secede.

Martin Van Buren elected President after Jackson’s second term had ended,

                                            Panic of 1837

Van Buren’s  presidency came at a time when the country went into an economic slump.

Reasons for economic problems:

1. Britain experienced an economic slowdown.  They stopped buying American cotton which caused prices to fall here in the United States.

2. The banks were not able to collect on the loans that they had made to the cotton growers.

3. This caused an economic collapse in our country that lasted for 6 years.

This economic collapse ruined Van Buren’s presidency,

He lost the bid for reelection in 1840 to Henry Harrison(Whig candidate)

Harrison won the election using the campaign promise of being a simple man of the people.

The Whigs were now in power!!!!  The Age of Jackson was OVER.

FYI TRIVIA FACT

Henry Harrison delivered the longest inauguration speech in presidential history.