Jacksonian Democracy and the Second Party System (1824–1854)
Jacksonian Democracy and the Second Party System (1824–1854)
The one-party calm of the Era of Good Feelings gave way to a vibrant, sometimes rowdy new democracy. Voting expanded to nearly all white men, mass political parties organized the electorate, and Andrew Jackson became the era's dominant and divisive figure. This chapter follows the rise of the second party system: Democrats versus Whigs.
5.1The disputed election and a new coalitionIn 1824 four candidates split the vote, and the House chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson, who had won the most votes. Jackson's…5.2Jackson and the DemocratsJackson cast himself as champion of the ordinary white citizen against entrenched elites. His Democrats stood for a small federal…5.3The Whigs emergeJackson's forceful presidency provoked an opposition that coalesced by the mid-1830s into the Whig Party. Led by Henry Clay and Daniel…5.4Removal and the Trail of TearsJacksonian democracy's promise did not extend to Native Americans. Under Jackson, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act (1830)…5.5Reform and reawakeningThe same democratic ferment fueled a wave of reform movements. A religious revival, the Second Great Awakening, convinced many Americans…5.6Expansion and its explosive questionThe 1840s were gripped by "Manifest Destiny," the belief that the United States was destined to span the continent. The annexation of Texas…5.7Meanwhile, elsewhere (1824–1854)Europe seethed with the tension between old monarchies and new demands for liberty and nationhood. In 1848, revolutions swept across the…