Jefferson and Jackson

Jefferson

Jefferson’s political victory was rooted in Adams’ political failures.

Adams broke with Federalists by his break with Hamilton. Hamiltonians later sided with Burr in 1800 Presidential election.

Jefferson sought to build a new consensus based on the new Democratic-Republican Party.

Strategic in filling vacancies.

Unlimited success with Congress.

Mixed success with the Courts

Repeal of 1801 Judiciary Act (Court did not overturn in Stuart v Laird)

Marbury v Madison

- Upheld Marbury’s claim to office while upholding the authority to judge constitutionality of legislation.

Legislative achievements:

Remade the Defense establishment, while raising the tariff

Passage of 12^th Amendment in 1804

Did not submit Secretary of State Monroe’s treaty with the British to the Senate.

Instead, took the policy of a trade embargo.

Skowronek argues that checks and balances did not work during this period because other institutions such as Congress and the Courts were still asserting their identities. How valid is this argument? Would Jefferson have endured more scrutiny and resistance in other eras?

Jackson

Jackson’s 1828 election was pretexed in his 1824 defeat.

Jackson built a political coalition that was wrought with inconsistencies.

-Opposed Nullification AND a strong National Government

-Ran against institutions while supporting more of a citizen’s role in public administration

Jackson also endured much more political opposition than Jefferson.

Recommended a constitutional amendment removing the House from deciding Presidential elections and limiting the President to 1 term.

Jackson’s administration is mostly defined by his break with Calhoun and fights over the Bank.

Calhoun vs Van Buren rivalry over succession

Disagreement over tariff

Senate rejected many of his appointments

House voted satisfaction with the bank.

House and Senate attempted to renew the charter.

Jackson by vetoing the legislation and moving deposits to state banks.

Senate responded by censuring the President

1832 was a significant year in the development of Democratic and Whig parties

Democrats running for office took President’s position on the Bank

In 1832, South Carolina nullified the 1828 and 1832 tariffs. Jackson responded by proposing to send troops to SC for enforcement. This was known as the Force Bill.

Tariff and Force bill split all political coalitions

Calhoun-Clay alliance over Tariff and Force Bill

Lower tariff was negotiated (Clay compromise) for opposition dropped to the Force Bill (Calhoun compromise)

President tried to claim victory by signing the Force Bill first

Jackson’s greatest achievement is the modern party and administration. This is clearly described by Morone.

Morone looks at Jacksonian Democracy as a response to economic changes, immigration, and pressures caused by the Indian removal and slavery issues. In a way, Morone makes a better argument for Jackson being a reconstructive President.

Compare and contrast Jefferson’s and Jackson’s Presidencies. Why was Jefferson more successful in asserting Presidential authority? Why was Jackson more successful in remaking the political order?

Readings for Monday

Please read the following chapters for Monday's class:


James Morone, The Democratic Wish , pp. 74-96

Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make , chapters on Presidents Jefferson and Jackson

Midterm Essays

Answer 2 of the following (25 points each):

1. What is American Political Development? Which theories help us to arrive at a definition? Which theories are less applicable?

2. Can culture provide an adequate explanation of political development? Is there consensus in American political culture?

3. How well does political development occurs in cycles. Assess the following cyclical theories in your answer: Generations, Party Realignment, and Presidential Leadership.

4. Discuss the role played by Religion in American Political Development.

5. Describe Sundquist’s portrayal of Party Realignment. What are its strengths and weaknesses.

6. Assess Skowronek’s theory as a viable explanation of Presidential authority. The author explicitly omits personality and character traits, is this a flaw in his theory?

Presidential Leadership



Traditional Theories of the Presidency:

Presidents as agents of power

Presidents as articulators

Psychological Presidency




Skowronek’s Theory:

All Presidents aspire for a place in history.

Successful leaders control the political definition of their actions, and the terms in which their place in history is understood.

All presidents face the challenge of “Legitimation”

This manifests itself in how the President manages Power and Authority


Power – resources, formal and informal, that presidents in a given period have at their disposal.

Authority – expectations that surround the exercise of power at a particular moment. The perceptions of what is appropriate for a given president to do.







Skowronek’s argument is completely Structuralist

The author provides for “little in the personal characters or political skills of those few who have mastered the legitimation problem that readily distinguishes them as a group from those who have not.”


Agrees with Hamilton in Federalist 72, that new presidents come to power with a “rationale for shattering the received order.”

Exceptions??: John Q Adams, Benjamin Harrison, George W Bush



Thus, each President’s narrative is based on their placement in “political time”




President’s Political Identity
Previously Established Commitments
Opposed
Affiliated
Vulnerable
Politics of Reconstruction
Politics of Disjunction
Resilient
Politics of Preemption
Politics of Articulation





Politics of Reconstruction – President is from opposition to the previously established regime. Repudiates existing commitments of ideology and interests. Leverages events by fashioning an expansive authority to remake government.


Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, FDR, Reagan


Disjunction – President is affiliated with a set of established commitments that have been considered as failed or not relevant to existing challenges and events.

John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter


Articulation – Established commitments of ideology and interest are resilient. They use political action to leverage existing resources, “demonstrating the vitality of the established order.” Challenge is dealing with factional issues within the establishment.



James Monroe, James Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson,
George H W Bush



Preemption – These are opposition leaders within a resilient political order. They present a new agenda, attempt to play political divisions against each other, forging a middle ground. Tend to be disruptive to existing coalitions, sometimes leading to constitutional crisis.


John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon,
Bill Clinton