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Difficulty: MediumJacksonian Democracy and the Second Party System

Read the excerpt below from the Democratic Party Platform of 1840:

'Resolved, That the Federal Government is one of limited power, derived solely from the Constitution; and the grants of power made therein ought to be strictly construed by all the departments and agents of the government; and that it is inexpedient and dangerous to exercise doubtful constitutional powers...
Resolved, That the Constitution does not confer upon the General Government the power to commence and carry on a general system of internal improvements.'

Which of the following historical actions by the Jackson administration best reflects the constitutional principles expressed in this excerpt?

  1. A
    The deployment of federal force under the Force Bill to collect tariff duties in South Carolina.
  2. B
    The support for the Supreme Court's ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland confirming the constitutionality of the national bank.
  3. The veto of the bill to recharter the Second Bank of the United States on constitutional grounds.Answer
  4. D
    The federal funding of infrastructure projects to connect regional factory economies.

Answer

The veto of the bill to recharter the Second Bank of the United States on constitutional grounds
The correct answer is the veto of the bill to recharter the Second Bank of the United States on constitutional grounds. Andrew Jackson's 1832 veto message argued that the bank was both unauthorized by the Constitution and dangerous to the liberties of the people. This action directly aligned with the Democratic Party's platform advocating for strict construction of the Constitution and limiting federal power to only those actions explicitly granted in the document.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided text from the Democratic Party Platform of 1840 to identify its core argument.
The platform advocates for strict construction of the Constitution, limited federal power, and opposition to federal funding for internal improvements.
Understanding the ideological stance of the source document is necessary to match it with historical actions.
2
Evaluate the options to identify which Jacksonian action reflects the ideology of strict constructionism and limited federal power.
Andrew Jackson's veto of the Second Bank of the United States in 1832 was justified by arguing that the bank was unconstitutional, demonstrating strict constructionism.
This connects the platform's stated ideology of strict construction to a concrete policy implementation by the Jackson administration.

Key Concept

Jacksonian constitutional ideology and opposition to the national bank
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Topics

Jacksonian Democracy and the Second Party System

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