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The causes and the effects of the jackson democracy
The causes and the effects of the jackson democracy
The causes and the effects of the jackson democracy
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Shayna Chenoweth, Mrs. Abrams/Mr. Gazette, 8th Grade Social Studies/English, March 28, 2014
Jacksonian Democracy
“We are beginning a new era in our government. I cannot too strongly urge the necessity of a rigid economy and an inflexible determination not to enlarge the income beyond the real necessities of the government,” Andrew Jackson once said (“Andrew Jackson Quote”). Although Andrew Jackson accomplished many things during his presidency, he should never be considered for the Presidents Hall of Fame. This all started with his abuse of the spoils system. With Jackson as President, he promised “equal protection and equal benefits” for all Americans, well, all white Americans. Jackson had promised his supporters a position in the government in return for political support. Jackson kept his promises by removing about 20% or 919 officials and replacing them with supporters (“Spoils System (Andrew Jackson)”). He kept using the spoils system until the late 1860s when people demanded a civil service system. In the Pendleton Act of 1883, this created a Civil System Commission t...
One of the Jacksonian Democrats’ attempts to reduce the influence of the rich was by vetoing the charter to the Bank of the United States. Jackson stated his reasons in Document B mainly as a precaution of...
Jackson’s spoils system opened government positions to only his supporters and he had little tolerance for
Recognizing the injustices president Andrew Jackson performed, Americans have considered the dispute over the removal of Jackson 's face from the twenty dollar bill. The real question remains why place America 's figures in iconic positions based on fame? Benedict Arnold is famous, yet he was a traitor to America . Why not place figures that contributed to the well-being of the country and upheld humane morals? Jackson 's administration only improved the system, initiating the progress toward a modern democratic government. Under President Jackson, the elimination of voter property qualifications allowed a variety of citizens from different social classes to elect government officials 1. Jackson also ended the national banks that resembled the greedy monopolies of the late 1800's 1.
Jackson was a strong opponent of the unequal and aristocrat dominated economic structure of most of America. He was very against the Bank of America because he believed it to have a monopoly on banking and felt that it was owned and run unjustly by wealthy aristocrats who were not always Americans (B). It must also be noted however, that while the Bank of America was undoubtedly corrupt (Nicholas Biddle is known to have given sums of money to close friends, and was also known to regularly bribe newspapers and similar media.) it also did what it was supposed to do very well. It provided money and credit to many of the lower classes that Jackson defended, and also was the source of much economic growth. As a result of this veto Jackson established pet banks in many Western areas to try to appease his main group of supporters and build up the rivalry between the agrarian South and West and the industrial North (C). Many immigrants found that one of the first things they discovered upon entering America was a sense of economic equality and lack of poverty, which are exactly the things Jackson was working towards (D). The case Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge decided that a charter given a person or group to do a service does not allow that group to have complete rights over this service. This decision supports the Jacksonian Democracy ideas that the rights of the community are more important than the rights of business (H).
Jacksonian Democracy Between the years of 1775 and 1825, the United States government was hypocritical with respect to their Native American policy. The government, at most times, claimed to be acting in the best interest of the Native Americans. They claimed that their actions were for the benefit of not only their own citizens, but for the Native Americans, too. These beneficial actions included relocation from their homeland, murder in great numbers, rape, and a complete disregard for the various cultures represented by the Native Americans. While the nation was still very young, it issued the Northwest Ordinance. This document told the Native Americans that they should not feel threatened by this new nation because good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians. The United States told the Native Americans, with this document, that they were dealing with a just and humane country. Despite these humane intentions, in 1790, Native Americans pleaded with President Washington about the cruel treatment they were receiving. The Indian chiefs wrote to Washington to inquire as to why they were being punished. They referred to the American army as the town destroyer. Obviously the Untied States was not acting in the good hearted manner and just way it had declared it would in 1787. Americans, as they moved westward, tried to rationalize its brutal treatment of the Native Americans. In 1803, Jefferson set two goals in regard to dealing with the Native Americans. His first goal was to convince them to abandon hunting and become educated in the ways of the white man (i.e. agriculture or raising stock). He said that they would see the advantages of this better life. In reality, Jackson wanted to control the amount of land the Native Americans occupied. He also spoke of leading them to civilization and to the benefits of the United States government. Jefferson presented these goals as being advantageous for them. In actuality, these goals put the Native Americans at a sizable disadvantage. In 1811, an Indian chief
Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were two very influential figures in American political history. Even though they both were in two different eras, they shaped the American government and the way people think about it. They both have similarities, but they do have differences as well that includes political rights, religious rights and even economic rights.
Andrew Jackson had many significant contributions to the democratic state of the country. One of those contributions, as stated in document B, was Jackson’s victory of the 1928 Presidential election. What this election did was accelerate the transfer of power from the national elite to the common-man; the universal-white-men now had a larger role in the government. As the graph in document A shows, the methods of electing Presidential electors before Jackson’s Presidency was for-the-most-part dominated by state legislature, it was during Jackson’s administration by which the people were electing Presidential electors. As President, Jackson sought to rid the government of all its corrupt officials. This is backed up by the information in document D, which states that Jackson believed that the offices should be rotated every four years and filled by the people. The same document states that Jackson believed the president should serve a single term of no more than four or six years; the senators should have similar constraints with subjection to removal. All of this was fueled by his theory that there was more to be gained with the rotation of office holders that the long continuance of them and that office were not created to give certain men support rather than help the people, as ex...
Throughout the Jacksonian era the Jacksonians proved to be violators of the United States Constitution and not the guardians they believed themselves to be. Both the Jacksonians and President Jackson went against the Supreme Courts regarding cases that were said to be constitutional. An instance in which the Jacksonian Democrats violated the Constitution was in the "Trail of Tears". The Supreme Court stated that the Jacksonian Democrats' actions were unconstitutional because they had issued the "Indian Removal Act". By doing this, they were in violation of the treaty of New Echota. In the 1832 decision Worcester v. Georgia, Chief Justice Marshall ruled that the Cherokees had their own land and that they did not need to follow Georgia law in their own territory. This ruling of the Supreme Court did not stop Jacksonians from driving the Cherokees off of their land. Jackson used the Constitution to benefit himself when he vetoed the national bank, even after the Supreme Court had already ruled that the bank was constitutional. When South Carolina declared a reduced tariff void and threatened to secede, President Jackson responded in an unconstitutionally. He threatened to send militia to enforce the tariff and the Jacksonian Congress passed a bill approving this military force, if necessary. This was in direct violation of the Constitution. They continued to violate the Constitution by placing censors on the mail and intercepting abolitionist literature or mail into or from the south. This was an infringement on the Constitution because it violated the first amendment.
Jackson created a white based government which didn't include any non whites or women in the government or
Andrew Jackson is one of the most controversial presidents. Many regard him as a war hero, the father of the Democratic Party, an inspiring leader, and a spokesman for the common man. While there is plenty to praise about the seventh president, his legacy is tarnished by his racism, disregard for the law of the land, cruelty towards the Native Americans, and ruthless temper. Jackson was an intriguing man who was multi-faceted. One must not look at a singular dimension, and cast judgment on him as a whole. To accurately evaluate one of the most complex presidents, it is crucial to observe Jackson from all possible angles. Prior lifestyle, hardships in life, political ideology, lifestyle of the time, political developments, and his character
However, critics of Jackson and democracy called him “King Andrew I” because of his apparent abuse of presidential power [vetoing]. These critics believed he favored the majority so much that it violated the U.S. constitution, and they stated he was straying too far away from the plan originally set for the United States. Because of the extreme shift of power to the majority, the limiting of rights of the few [merchants, industrialists] and the abuse of power under Jackson’s democracy, the foundational documents set in the constitution was violated, and the work of the preceding presidents were all but lost. During the construction of the new Constitution, many of the most prominent and experienced political members of America’s society provided a framework on the future of the new country; they had in mind, because of the failures of the Articles of Confederation, a new kind of government where the national or Federal government would be the sovereign power, not the states. Because of the increased power of the national government over the individual states, many Americans feared it would hinder their ability to exercise their individual freedoms.
Andrew Jackson was in fact, an autocrat. He did not listen to the advice of his cabinet, he pushed the Natives off of their homeland to use the land better, and he used Tyranny of The Majority. Andrew Jackson was elected because he argued everyone should listen to the word of the people, even the supreme court. According to Historical Statistics of the United States, part 2, 1975, when new states were being made and the people were voting instead of the legislatures, Andrew Jackson won. This is Tyranny of the Majority. Since Andrew Jackson wanted to do what the people wanted, the people chose him. The legislatures chose what was best for the country.
Political reforms during the Jackson era occurred to stopped corruption, limit the size of government, and to expand as well as protect the rights of the people. During the Jackson era more people were giving the right to vote. The right to vote was extended to all white males. This was one of the first steps Jackson used to fight against corruptions. Jackson wanted the United States of America to move from a Marxist society into a democratic society. The formation of the two- party system protected the rights of the people and fought against corruption as well. With the two-party system the democratic society was quickly forming and was an aid to fight against corruption within the government administration. Jackson also made major political changes in the government system through the spoil system, nullification crisis, and Maysville Road veto. With each change his political control over government was strengthen and ridiculed.
A main characteristic of the Jacksonian Era was the fight for the common man. As the United States grew in size and age, the stratification of society was inevitable. In the 1820's class distinctions became major issues, greatly due to an unchanging and small upper class. This greatly detracted from the American ideal of equality when it came to economic opportunities. The upper class us...
Andrew Jackson had a number of accomplishments the first one being the Jacksonian Democracy. The Jacksonian democracy was a political movement that he and his supporters started. The movement was to make the democracy better for the common men and celebrated white supremacy. This movement was suppose to be a democratic movement to enforce powerful ideals but of course only for white men. Jackson had a lot of supports most of them being farmers. Jackson claimed to want more land for plantation and also wanted to aid hard working farmers, planters and equality for all white males. The movement was for equality of farmers and white men but farmers in South Carolina began to worry that Jacksonians would endanger them because they feared Jackson lacked vigilance to protect their needs. This lead to the nullification crisis and oppositionists were angered by Jackson and said that Jacksonians brought corruption and tyranny instead of democracy.