→ midnight
-17 pointsElections and Transfers of Power
Voting participation expanded among white men while women, Native people, and most Black Americans remained excluded.
Historical review · Sources available
1835 review
Jacksonian Era
Expanded mass electoral politics coexisted with forceful executive power, slavery, and grave denials of Native rights.
Constitutional health45/100
Clock reading9:20 PM
StatusHigh Constitutional Stress
What 9:20 PM means: Broader participation for white men coexists with executive dominance and catastrophic exclusion of Native and Black Americans.
What moved the clock
What changed from the previous review?
Compared with 1800 (Transfer of 1800), the weighted score moved 21 points less healthy.
→ midnight
-20 pointsChecks and Balances
Presidential claims of popular mandate increased pressure on legislative and judicial checks.
→ midnight
-27 pointsRule of Law
Removal policy exposed the weakness of legal remedies when the executive and states resisted limits.
→ midnight
-25 pointsIndividual Rights
Slavery and forced Native removal represented profound denials of liberty, equality, and due process.
Eight measures
How the score breaks down
The same weights are used for every period. You can question any measure on its own.
0115% of total
Limits on Government Power
Could the Constitution still place real limits on government power?
50/ 100
↓ 18 since the previous reviewAdds 7.5 points to the total · ↓ 18 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Could the Constitution still place real limits on government power?
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
0212.5% of total
Checks and Balances
Presidential claims of popular mandate increased pressure on legislative and judicial checks.
45/ 100
↓ 20 since the previous reviewAdds 5.63 points to the total · ↓ 20 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Presidential claims of popular mandate increased pressure on legislative and judicial checks.
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
0315% of total
Elections and Transfers of Power
Voting participation expanded among white men while women, Native people, and most Black Americans remained excluded.
58/ 100
↓ 17 since the previous reviewAdds 8.7 points to the total · ↓ 17 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Voting participation expanded among white men while women, Native people, and most Black Americans remained excluded.
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
0415% of total
Rule of Law
Removal policy exposed the weakness of legal remedies when the executive and states resisted limits.
35/ 100
↓ 27 since the previous reviewAdds 5.25 points to the total · ↓ 27 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Removal policy exposed the weakness of legal remedies when the executive and states resisted limits.
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
0515% of total
Individual Rights
Slavery and forced Native removal represented profound denials of liberty, equality, and due process.
25/ 100
↓ 25 since the previous reviewAdds 3.75 points to the total · ↓ 25 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Slavery and forced Native removal represented profound denials of liberty, equality, and due process.
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
0610% of total
Federal and State Balance
Did federal and state governments keep meaningful authority within their roles?
45/ 100
↓ 20 since the previous reviewAdds 4.5 points to the total · ↓ 20 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Did federal and state governments keep meaningful authority within their roles?
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
077.5% of total
Trust in Institutions
Did enough people accept lawful institutions as a way to settle disputes?
50/ 100
↓ 22 since the previous reviewAdds 3.75 points to the total · ↓ 22 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Did enough people accept lawful institutions as a way to settle disputes?
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
0810% of total
Peaceful Politics
Did political competition remain mostly peaceful?
55/ 100
↓ 27 since the previous reviewAdds 5.5 points to the total · ↓ 27 since the previous review
Why this score?
Why it was scored this way. Did political competition remain mostly peaceful?
Confidence. Historical facts: High; numerical score: Moderate. See the full review and sources below.
Different questions
The clock does not predict major change or civil conflict
A different question
Major change to the system
Could the country's basic governing rules change? This is different from armed conflict.
This needs its own scoring guide. The clock score cannot answer it.
A different question
Organized political violence
Could political violence become organized and sustained? The clock is not a prediction of civil war.
This needs its own scoring guide. The clock score cannot answer it.
Why this matters
Why this moment matters
The period shows that democratic participation and constitutional protection can develop unevenly.
Similar moments in history
Evidence review
Peak Jacksonian governance and Indian removal · 1829–1837
- Evidence confidence
- High
- Score confidence
- Moderate
Expansion of white male participation, executive conflict, slavery, and removal are strongly documented. Compressing those opposing developments into one score introduces substantial judgment.
Findings
- Mass electoral participation expanded among white men while women, most Black Americans, and Native peoples remained excluded.
- The presidency asserted a strong popular mandate in conflicts with Congress and other institutions.
- Federal removal policy dispossessed Native nations and led to forced migrations with catastrophic human consequences.
Evidence pointing the other way
The period broadened one form of electoral participation even as legal equality and enforceable rights remained gravely deficient.
Check the sources
Sources
These links support the facts used here. Their publishers did not create or approve the score.