attained to a certain degree of civilization, appealed to the President for protection against the seizure of their lands by the State; but they were told that he “had no power to op- pose the exercise of the sovereignty of any State over all who may be within its limits;” and the Indians were obliged to remove to the territory set apart for them west of the Mississippi. In 1832, in the West, trouble with the Indians had culminated in the Black Hawk War (see Black Hawk), and now in 1835 the Seminole War broke out in Florida, and a tribe of Indians, insignificant in numbers, under the crafty leadership of Osceola (q.v.), kept up hostilities for years, at a cost to the United States of several thousands of men and some $50,000,000. The removal in 1835 by order of the President of the Government deposits from the United States Bank to certain State banks, led to the weakening of the bank, and, after some years, to the adoption of Van Buren's plan of an independent treasury. Later the Senate, which was controlled by the Whigs, as Jackson's opponents now styled themselves, led by Henry Clay, took the extraordinary step of passing formal resolutions of censure of the President for his order removing the Government deposits from the bank. The President protested against the resolution, but the protest was not allowed by the Senate to appear upon the record. The warfare between the President and Senate continued through the next two years, the latter frequently rejecting the nominations made by the Executive. In 1837, however, largely under the influence of Benton, the Senate, which had at last become Democratic, voted to expunge from its records the resolutions of censure already mentioned. In 1835 (December 7th) the President announced to Congress that the national debt would soon be paid, and that provision should be made for the surplus revenue which was anticipated. In June, 1836, a bill was passed providing that after January 1, 1837, any surplus exceeding the sum of $5,000,000 should be divided among the States as a loan, subject to a recall by Congress; and in accordance with this act, some $28,000,000 was divided in 1837, which has never been recalled. In July, 1836, the President caused the famous Specie Circular to be issued, which ordered the agents of the Government to receive only gold or silver in payment for public lands.
At this time Texas, which had been colonized by Americans, was endeavoring to free itself from Mexican control and to establish its independence. The South saw in the movement a prospect of annexing this large territory to the United States, and of carving from it new slave States whose votes in the Senate would counterbalance those of the new free States. Many manifestations of sympathy with the Texans were therefore made, and a resolution recognizing the independence of Texas passed the Senate, but not the House. A new era in the slavery controversy had been inaugurated with the establishment of the Liberator by Garrison in 1831. The New England Anti-Slavery Society was organized in 1832. and the American Anti-Slavery Society at Philadelphia in 1833. (See Slavery; Garrison, W. L.; Phillips, Wendell; Abolitionists; Gag Rules.) Arkansas (June 15, 1836) and Michigan (January 26, 1837) were admitted to the Union. The administration of Jackson was further marked by the political acerbities growing partly out of the Peggy O'Neill affair (see Eaton, Margaret), and leading to the reorganization of the Cabinet, by the treaty with France settling the spoliation claims and the treaty with England securing unrestricted direct trade with the British West Indies, by the adoption on a large scale by Jackson of the ‘spoils system,’ and by the introduction of railroads. The election of 1836 resulted in the success again of the Democratic Party, whose candidate for President, Martin Van Buren, of New York, received 170 electoral votes, against 73 for William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, and 51 scattering. No candidate for Vice-President received a clear majority, and so the Senate elected Richard M. Johnson (q.v.), of Kentucky.
XIII. Administration of Martin Van Buren (1837-41). Cabinet.—Secretary of State, John Forsyth, continued. Secretary of the Treasury, Levi Woodbury, continued. Secretary of War, Joel R. Poinsett, South Carolina, March 7, 1837. Secretary of the Navy, Mahlon Dickerson, continued; James K. Paulding, New York, June 25, 1838. Attorney-General, Benjamin F. Butler, continued; Felix Grundy, Tennessee, July 5, 1838; Henry D. Gilpin, Pennsylvania, January 11, 1840. Postmaster-General, Amos Kendall, continued; John M. Niles, Connecticut, May 19, 1840.
Van Buren, in accordance with his pledges, carried out and perpetuated the policy of his predecessor. The new Administration was unfortunate in its beginnings. A financial disaster, such as had not until then been known in the United States, swept over the country in 1837. A general suspension of specie payments occurred; many banks suspended altogether, and innumerable corporations and individuals were ruined. Congress authorized the issue of $10,000,000 in treasury notes, and Jackson's Specie Circular was revoked. Van Buren's administration was marked by the establishment of the independent treasury system (reëstablished in 1846), by a renewal of hostilities against the Seminole Indians, and by the establishment of regular steamship communication with Europe. The Democrats with difficulty retained control of the House of Representatives, and through such methods as to decrease public confidence in the party leaders. This, together with the prevalent depression in business, weakened the dominant party in the country at large, so that in the campaign of 1840 the candidacy of the Whig nominee, General William Henry Harrison (q.v.), of Ohio, was supported with an enthusiasm such as no subsequent political campaign has ever witnessed. It has become known as the ‘Log Cabin Campaign’ and the ‘Hard Cider Campaign,’ from the prevalent symbols of the homely and simple frontier life of General Harrison. The ‘Liberty Party’ (q.v.) also made nominations, their candidates being James G. Birney (q.v.), of New York, for President, and Francis Lemoyne, of Pennsylvania, for Vice-President. The Democrats renominated Van Buren, but the convention did not agree upon the choice of a candidate for the Vice-Presidency. General Harrison received 234 electoral votes, to 60 for Van Buren; and for Vice-President the Whig, John Tyler, of Virginia, received 234, against 48 for R. M. Johnson and 12 scattering.
XIV. Administration of William Henry Harrison (1841) and of John Tyler (1841-45).
