James K. Polk

Term: 1845-1849

Party: Democrat

Nickname: Young Hickory

Short Bio:
James K. Polk was the first presidential dark horse. The opposition’s famous slogan was “Who is James K. Polk?”. Polk’s association with Jackson throughout his political career had helped bring him to the light of presidency. Polk, like Jackson, didn’t trust banks and was very much for expansion. As soon as he was elected over Whig, Henry Clay, he told the public that he was only going to run for one term. But he set four specific goals for this term: 1) a reduction in tariffs; 2) the creation of an independent treasury; 3) a settlement of disputes with Great Britain over Oregon; and 4) the acquisition of California. Hardworking and effective, Polk achieved all four goals during his single term.

These accomplishments came with a cost, however. With Texas now part of the U.S., there were newfound disputes with Mexico over where Mexico land started, and where it ended. Texas claimed all the way to the Rio Grande, while Mexico claimed more land of the south west part of the state. Polk had his men go down to the disputed area, where they are promptly fired upon. Many still speculate that Polk had purposefully started a conflict with Mexico to gain land from them, but we’re not completely sure. I think it was intentional though. After Polk had Zachery Taylor and Winfield Scott attack Mexico from the North and the east from the sea, Mexico was defeated and had to give the U.S. California, New Mexico, and Arizona, or the land that comprised most of these future states. Polk felt generous and gave Mexico 15 million dollars for the land. Mexico had earlier demanded over twice that much for the land.

With California now a part of the United States and the Gold rush in 49 bringing a swelling of the population, who calls for statehood, the slavery issue comes back. Should California be free or slave? Polk didn’t have to answer that question and left it for the next president. However, Wisconsin and Oregon are brought into the Union as free states per the Missouri Compromise.
One of the best things Polk did was declare that it was the people’s right to elect the president directly and had the old electoral system done away with. Polk, physically drained by long hours of hard work, died just a few months after returning home. Good thing he didn’t go for a second term.

Grade: B

Polk was a man after Jackson’s heart, as people will notice from his similar nickname. This served him well in some respects, but some might say his expansionist ways led the U.S. to a war it wasn’t supposed to be in. We did gain a lot of land from the war, but it did reignite the slavery issue. Polk was a man of his word and accomplished all that he had said he would. That’s pretty good for one term.

John Tyler

Term: 1841-1845

Party: Whig

Nickname: His Accidency

Short Bio:
John Tyler was now the president after William Henry Harrison had died in office, or was he? The Constitution didn’t say anything about who would become president if they should die. All it said was the vice-president should take on the duties of the president, but not become the president. That seems like not much of a difference, but to everyone back then, that was really important. Tyler declared that he was president and the people of the U.S. better get used to it. Due to this question of power, Tyler received the names of “The Accidental President”, and “His Accidency.” Tyler refused to open any mail that said anything of that sort or “acting president.” Tyler laid the groundwork for future vice-presidents who would take over for their fallen leader.
The Whigs assumed that Tyler would act more as a figurehead, like Harrison, and let them do their thing. Tyler would have none of that and decided to take action. When Henry Clay pushed forward his plans to create a new Bank of the U.S., Tyler vetoed it. Everyone in his cabinet, of which were all Harrison’s choosing and not Tyler’s, resigned in protest except Daniel Webster. Webster would eventually leave, but not out of bitterness.Now, opposed by Both the Whigs and the Democrats, Tyler could not get anything through Congress. He was a lone wolf. Tyler however, got things done anyhow. Not wanting to miss out on the Manifest Destiny craze, he advocated for the annexation of Texas, which had been its own country for about eight years and wanted to be protected from Mexico. He also oversaw the opening of the first trading ports with China.
Fun Fact! John Tyler is the only president to swear his allegiance to another country! Later in his life he served on the Confederate House of Representatives. This fact diminished his status as a president and he was not given a typical presidential funeral.

Grade: B-

I used to not like Tyler at all. The whole confederate thing is pretty lame, but that happened much later in life. Tyler was elected as vice president for his southern views and those made him alienated after Harrison’s death. He wasn’t able to get anything but the Texas annexation passed and made the mistake of not picking his own cabinet. Though he wasn’t the best president, I do admire his perseverance and bull-bullheadedness. If he had backed down about the presidency issue at all, he may have not been in that position. I have gained a little more respect for Tyler, but he still didn't go about all things the right way.

William Henry Harrison

Term: 1841

Party: Whig

Nickname: Old Tippecanoe

Very Short Bio:
William Henry Harrison was best known before becoming president as a general who defeated Tecumseh’s forces. Notice I said forces and not Tecumseh. He was away gathering tribes to help them fight the white settlers who were encroaching on their land. Harrison was chosen for the Whig nomination for his reputation, and because southerners didn’t want Henry Clay to be nominated. With the Democrats unpopular due to the plunging economy, the Whigs knew it was their time. Harrison had no political background whatsoever, and had no opinion on any issues. Nevertheless, he was elected with John Tyler- states’ rights advocate-as his vice-president. Wanting to prove that he did have a few things to say on the issues and also wanting to prove he was tough, he gave his inauguration speech in the rain and cold during March without a coat or hat on. He gave the longest inauguration speech ever given. It was around two and a half hours long. That is ridiculous. He became sick after and later that month developed pneumonia and died. Remember, he was 67 years old, so he was no spring chicken. Well, he sort of looked like a chicken. Harrison was dead only a month into his term, giving the presidency to John Tyler.

Grade: ???

I would give him a F for his stupidity in not dressing for the weather, but that can’t be the only thing graded. There are questions whether it would have been a chaotic presidency due to the fact that he promised the same government posts to more than one person. But we shall never know, since he didn’t live long enough to screw anything up.

Martin Van Buren

Term: 1837-1841

Party: Democrat

Nickname: Little Magician (Don’t ask)

Short Bio: Martin Van Buren is one of those presidents that make you scratch your head, wondering what he was known for, and what century he was president in. He is not a very well known president, but you will see why. Van Buren rode Jackson’s coattails to the presidency and decided to take over where Jackson left off. Too bad that included a economic tailspin. Van Buren inherited Jackson’s economy problem and was ultimately blamed for it, as the Panic of 1837 as it was called, didn’t happen till he was president. Van Buren was stuck with the very clever name of Martin Van Ruin (I’m being a little sarcastic). Van Buren was not like Jackson in many ways though. He was not a visible man of the people-he liked to wear expensive clothes and had a stuffy appearance. He was also not as adamant or fierce in the face of opposition. He was like Jackson in one way-he did not hesitate to order the Cherokee off their land starting the lovely chapter of American History called the Trail of Tears. Van Buren, Jackson, and most of the U.S. population was to blame for what happened to the Native Americans. The blame does not solely lay on one person in particular. Did Jackson and Van Buren play a part? They sure did, and that's why they lose points for wheir involvement.

Though popular at first, Van Buren lost it with the Panic of 1837 and the depression that followed. It didn’t help that he refused to extend federal aid to distressed banks and state governments. He was soundly beat by non-political war hero, William Henry Harrison. One bright spot on Van Buren’s record is his peaceful approach to the border dispute over Maine. Fighting was about to break out between U.S. troops and the British over the land when Van Buren went into peace talks and had a property line drawn.

Grade: C

He loses points for his mismanagement of a country in economic peril. He did very little to help the economy and got his comeuppance with a denied second term. I still find the Trail of Tears to be a bad mark on his record. He gains points for his peaceful talks with Britain and giving us the land that would be Maine. Van Buren was a strictly mediocre president.

Andrew Jackson

Terms: 1829-1837

Party: Democrat

Nickname: Old Hickory

Not short at all bio:
Andrew Jackson or otherwise known as “that guy on the twenty.” Washington and Lincoln surely deserve their place on our nation’s money, but what did Jackson do that propelled him to the status of so money he don’t even know it? In short, Jackson gave power back to the people-well, some people. Remember General Jackson from the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812? That little stunt propelled him into the limelight, and people started clamoring to get him into the presidency. At first, Jackson was hesitant and really wanted nothing to do with the position. But, like many presidents after him, he changed his mind and started campaigning. Jackson entered the election of 1824 with his popularity and non-aristocratic background. Jackson won the popular vote and the electoral votes, but didn’t win the election. How can that be you ask? Well, Jackson didn’t have enough electoral votes to win; sure he had the most, but didn’t reach the necessary amount. All four candidates were Democratic-Republicans and took a fair share of the electoral votes. Thus, the decision went to the House of Representatives. Henry Clay was out of the race, and decided to throw his hat in with John Quincy Adams. He used his influence to persuade the Kentucky representatives to side with Adams and therefore give him the victory. After Adams won, he gave Clay the position of secretary of state. Jackson’s followers were outraged and claimed that Clay and Adams had struck a deal to steal the election. This is another reason Adams didn’t have quite the best presidency.

Thus, the Democratic Party was born. The party dedicated to electing Andrew Jackson as president. Jackson used his image as a war hero and a log cabin everyman to win the election in a landslide. Just a note: Jackson was not as poor growing up as he and his campaigners made people believe, his family was well off, but not part of the social elite. Jackson, as a man of the people and not for the rich, decided to allow the public to join the inauguration party. The public proceeded to trash the white house and sent Jackson fleeing for safety. The public didn’t hate him; they just knew how to party.

Jackson’s presidency would be dogged by two men, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. You could probably see why he didn’t like Clay, but why Calhoun? He was as a matter of fact, his vice-president. This was a time when presidents picked a vice-president or cabinet members who would appeal to the south. Calhoun was that person. He was a loyal South Carolinian and chose to support his state over the country. The Tariff of Abominations, passed by Adams, and followed still by Jackson, made the south and other areas pay heavy taxes on importing. Calhoun and South Carolina decide that this is unconstitutional and issues the Doctrine of Nullification, which basically says that a state doesn’t have to follow a federal law that they feel is unconstitutional. South Carolina threatened to secede from the Union. At this point, Jackson didn’t really say much in terms of state’s rights and federal rights. He didn’t give his opinion. But, at a formal white house dinner, Jackson gave a toast, saying that the union of the states was the most important thing. Basically saying he didn’t support South Carolina’s states’ rights argument. Calhoun, in a rage, delivered a speech right afterwords, saying just about the opposite. Jackson and Calhoun didn’t speak after that. Calhoun would resign his post shortly after the second term started. Jackson stated to South Carolina that he would march down to the state and hang the first secessionist he saw. Was he serious? Nobody wanted to find out. South Carolina backed off, and a fierce and courageous Jackson staved off what could have been a very early Civil War. Many historians today believe had we not had Jackson in that position at that time, we probably would have gone to war forty years early.

Ok, so Jackson was a man of the people, and supported the Union, so what else? Well, Jackson’s presidency was a time that the President had all the power. Jackson vetoed a record amount of bills and blocked anything he didn’t like. After his presidency the pendulum would swing the other way, back to congress, but for his time, he had a whole lot of power. He may have had too much power though. One of the most controversial parts of his two terms was his Indian Removal Act. Long story short, a lot of white people wanted Native American land, for farming, gold, and opportunities. Jackson saw this and decided to move the Native Americans off their land to let the settlers have their way. The funny thing is Jackson felt he was doing them a favor by making them move. He felt that settlers would force them off anyway in violent ways. The Cherokee, one of the civilized tribes (this is what the settlers called them due to the Cherokee’s acceptance of white customs and clothing), had been granted the pass to stay on their land. Jackson went against this decision and had them moved anyway, saying that the judge could enforce it himself if he wanted. Jackson technically could have been impeached for going against a Supreme Court decision. The Cherokee’s were not moved until Martin Van Buren’s presidency. Their move is otherwise known as the Trail of Tears.

So, Jackson meant well, but some of the worst people you meet mean well. Jackson also decided that he didn’t like the Federal Bank. The Second National Bank was a very powerful bank that had helped the country stay afloat and keep inflation down. Jackson had personal problems with banks as young man and didn’t like Nicholas Biddle, the bank operator, bragging that he could persuade Congress. Biddle claimed that he would give out better loans to members of Congress who passed bills he liked. Jackson smelled corruption and decided to take the bank out. First, he declined their charter renewal, and then had all the government groups pull out the money from the bank and put it into state banks, or pet banks as Jackson’s opponents called them. While Biddle’s National bank had made it hard for people who probably couldn’t pay him back a loan, the state banks decided that it was fine to do that. Instead of regulated loan giving, everyone was getting loans, even people who couldn’t afford to pay the money back. Sound familiar? It should given our current recession due to the same practice by the housing industry. The National Bank lost all its money and disappeared, while the nation went into an economic panic. Luckily for Jackson, this panic didn’t really hit until he was gone and Martin Van Buren was in control.
So despite causing a depression and sending people off their land, Jackson was a decent president. You could argue either way, but I feel that his presidency was needed. The U.S. needed a man of the people, someone who would fight for the weak (but not weak Native Americans). Though his destruction of the Second Bank ended up being a disaster, he was looking out for all the people who weren’t allowed loans due to their status. Though he was one of our most controversial presidents, he is probably one of our luckiest too. Near the end of his presidency, Jackson was leaving a funeral at the Capital when a man approached him. The man, Richard Lawrence, pulled out a pistol and shot point-blank range at Jackson. The gun miraculously misfires. Undeterred, Lawrence pulls out another pistol and shoots. The second pistol also misfires. Seeing that he was not going to be shot, Jackson takes his cane and promptly beats Lawrence within an inch of his life. Both guns were studied afterwords and were said to be in perfect working order. Studies still show that the odds of both fully functioning guns misfiring are astronomical. Some historians even claim divine intervention. Whether it was God, or just luck, Jackson walked away. Nobody knew Lawrence’s motivation and he was promptly dubbed insane.

Grade: B
Without a strong willed president, we may have been in the Civil War much earlier. Jackson let the people know that he was there for them and allowed for all white males regardless of status to vote. He helped develop an America for the people. He was dubbed “King Andrew” by his enemies and at times, he acted like one. He had a few big missteps though he claimed good intentions. The bank fiasco was very much avoidable, but in all honesty, any president would have moved the Native Americans at that time. So next time you look at a twenty, think about how ironic it is that Jackson is printed on a Federal Bank note.

John Quincy Adams

Term: 1825-1829

Party: Whig

Nickname: Old Man Eloquent

Short Bio: There is not much to say about John Quincy Adam's presidency. He was extremely smart, knew many languages, helped with the treaty for peace with Britain, made the Monroe Doctrine, and had Florida ceded into the U.S., but for all that, he was one lousy president. All of these great things were done when he was secretary of state for Monroe. In fact, Adams is regarded as the best secretary of state in U.S. history. The first person to follow their dad's footsteps into the presidency, he was socially awkward and only had one term...just like his dad. Adams had a problem from the get-go. He won the 1824 election even though Andrew Jackson had secured more popular votes than he had. Through supposed back door dealings, Adams had won the presidency, and Jackson and his supporters would make Adams pay for it his whole term. Adams' biggest mistake was not getting his supporters into the administration. He kept all of Jackson's supporters for some reason, and wondered why he couldn't get anything passed! Adams became extremely ineffective and was trounced by Jackson in the 1828 election.

Grade:D+
Adams was a great person, don't get me wrong, but a terrible president. He, like others I will talk about later, hated being the president due to the stress and national attention and jeering. Adams was ineffective, and wasn't smart enough to surround himself with friends.

James Monroe

Term: 1817-1825

Party: Democratic Republicans

Nickname: The Last Cocked Hat

Short Bio:

Monroe's nickname speaks to him being the last of the "Virginia Dynasty", or presidents that hailed from Virginia. The group was also considered of the elite. Monroe's presidency ushered in the "Era of Good Feelings." The economy was great, the Federalists party died out so inter-party squabbles ceased, and the country had just fought off a major power in the world. Major happenings under Monroe included the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine and the Missouri Compromise. The Monroe Doctrine is only named such, because Monroe was president at the time. The secretary of state at the time, John Quincy Adams, came up with the idea. If you don't remember what the Monroe Doctrine is, it basically says that European powers cannot come over and try and colonize the America's anymore. Basically, stay out of our business and we'll stay out of yours. America threatened war with any country that went against the Monroe Doctrine, though they really didn't have the manpower to do it.

The Missouri Compromise came from the growing issue of slavery in the U.S. There is now a clear division of slave and free states, and the issue of slavery cannot be ignored anymore. The Missouri Compromise allowed for Missouri to become a slave state, as long as Maine came in as a free state. Also, slavery was banned north of the 36 degrees, 30 line. This was a temporary fix that would lead to troubles down the road.

Monroe himself was another man after Jefferson, wanted limited government and more emphasis on states' rights. Monroe was so popular that he ran unopposed in the next election, but was given one vote against so he would not have the distinction of winning unanimously like Washington.

The addition of Florida from Spain also happened during his presidency. General Andrew Jackson invaded Florida to get rid of the Seminoles and the Spanish basically left the territory and ceded it to America.

Grade:
B
He gets a above average grade for being President during the Era of Good Feelings. Sure, Madison had a little to do with it, but Monroe did such a good job that nobody wanted to run against him. Thumbs up for the Monroe Doctrine in my opinion. Though it was another man's idea, Monroe does support and endorse it. Thumbs sort of down for the Missouri Compromise. It was a good fix, but even the near death Thomas Jefferson knew that only war would come from this compromise.