A Step Towards Democracy: The Jacksonain Era

The years between 1825 through 1850 were filled with reforms ranging from political reforms to religious reforms. This era is commonly known as the Jacksonian Era. Prior to the Jacksonian Era, the early 19th century was classified to be a period of extreme instability. The Jacksonian Era involved many new ideas such as King Mob, the spoils system, expansion towards the West, and the Bank War. These characteristics of the Jacksonian Era brought stability and set a foundation for which its people could start reform movements. Even though not all these reforms were successful, they all had the goal of expanding democratic ideals.

The first democratic ideal that was tried to expand was the right to individuality. The United States of America is very for everyone having a voice, after steering away from the monarchy committed by Britain. Clearly, democracy is all for everyone having their own voice and say, so individuality is clearly a democratic ideal. William H. McGuffey in 1836 wrote about a boy who represented the idea of individuality. The boy says, “I have been told, and I have read, that it is God who makes some poor, and others rich; that rich have troubles which we know nothing of; and that the poor, if they are but good, may be happy.” The good boy goes against the mainstream idea of being rich is better than being poor. He says that if anyone is just a “good” person, they will be happy. So in his mind, he is the happiest person alive. Along with the boy, the Brook Farm Association practices their right to be individual. They said they will solve conflict by, “making the acquisition of individual property subservient to upright and disinterested uses; to guarantee to each other forever the means of physical support, and of s...

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...hey are essentially attacking the government asking how idiotic men who have no education can vote while educated women can’t. She says that the existing laws “give man the power to chastise and imprison his wife.” There are too many laws that only benefit the male population, while bringing down women’s rights at the same time. Attempts to abolish slavery and to give women equal ground weren’t successful until after the Civil War, these reforms tried to expand the idea of equality for all.

Ultimately, the Jacksonian Era was filled with reform movements that sought to expand democratic ideals. Starting with the prison reforms in 1829 to women’s rights in 1848, all these reforms were very democratic. However, all of these reforms looked toward a brighter future; a future which democracy would be the framework in which the United States of America would function under.