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Chapter 6: 1828-1844

Chapter 6 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, BRI's U.S. History Curriculum Resource, invites students to explore if the democratization of politics during the Jacksonian era was a shift from Founding era political theory.

Essays

Chapter 6 Introductory Essay: 1828-1844

What changes occurred in the U.S. during the Jacksonian era?

The Nullification Crisis

Explores the nullification crisis and its resolution.

The Mormon Trail

What impact did Mormonism have on westward expansion?

The Trail of Tears

What was the U.S. policy toward American Indians?

William Lloyd Garrison’s War against Slavery

How did William Lloyd Garrison fight to end slavery?

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

How did Nat Turner's Rebellion impact U.S. society?

Sam Houston and Texas Independence

Explores how Texas became part of the United States.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Struggle for Women’s Suffrage

How did Elizabeth Cady Stanton help win female suffrage?

The Lowell Girls

Explores women's experiences in early industrial jobs.

John Quincy Adams and the Amistad

How did John Quincy Adams fight for justice in the Amistad case?

Frederick Douglass’s Path to Freedom

Explores Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery.

John Quincy Adams and the Gag Rule

By the end of this section, you will explain how different regional interests affected debates about the role of the federal government in the early republic.

Andrew Jackson’s Veto of the National Bank

Activities

Is the Concurrent Majority Theory Faithful to the Ideals of the Constitution?

Two scholars debate this question.

John C. Calhoun, South Carolina Exposition and Protest, 1828

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

David Walker, “An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World,” 1829

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Webster-Hayne Debates, 1830

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Indian Removal Act, 1830, and Cherokee Chief John Ross’s Memorial and Protest to Congress, 1836

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Andrew Jackson, Bank Veto Message, 1832

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1835

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Jedediah Burchard, Revivalist Sermon, 1835

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Sarah M. Grimké, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women, 1837

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar,” 1837

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

John C. Calhoun, “Slavery as a Positive Good,” 1837

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Dorothea Dix, Memorial to the Legislation of Massachusetts, 1843

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Art Analysis: The County Election by George Caleb Bingham, 1852

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Lessons

Responses to the Cherokee Removal Mini DBQ

This Lesson can be used alongside The Trail of Tears Narrative to highlight the plight of American Indians during the Jackson presidency.

American Indians in American Art

Students should be familiar with the increasing tensions between American Indians and U.S. settlers discussed in the Chapter 5 Introductory Essay: 1800-1828 and the following Narratives: The Lewis and Clark Expedition ,Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans , and Tecumseh and the Prophet.

The Women’s Movement and the Seneca Falls Convention

This Lesson should follow the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Struggle for Women's Suffrage Narrative.

Unit 3 Civics Connection: Liberty and Union

Use this lesson at the end of Unit 3 to discuss the different ways that the Founding principles were interpreted during the nation's first fifty years.

Unit 3 Essay Activity

Use this lesson at the conclusion of Unit 3.

Teacher Resources

Educator Resource

Chapter 6: 1828-1844 Inquiry Organizer

Was the democratization of politics during the Jacksonian era a shift from Founding era political theory?

Educator Resource

Chapter 6 Answer Key

Answer Key for Chapter 6 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Want to learn more about Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is designed to meet the course needs of a yearlong U.S. History or AP U.S. History class. The history of the United States is presented through a series of narratives, primary sources, and point-counterpoint debates that invites students to participate in the ongoing conversation about the American experiment. The content is coupled with rigorous assessments that help students to develop historical thinking skills and reasoning processes.