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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...
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.
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
Jackson created a white based government which didn't include any non whites or women in the government or
Jackson’s spoils system opened government positions to only his supporters and he had little tolerance for
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
Andrew Jackson was born and raised in the south and his family was never too wealthy. When he became president, his main ideal was that anybody, no matter if they are rich or poor, can become successful. He was a president of the people and he took many measures to ensure that they could and would have a role in government. One of these actions was the creation of the spoils system. The spoils system is an arrangement in which the president
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.
Since the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence became “one of the most important American state papers, cited repeatedly by political leaders, activists, and commentators in the United States and in the wider world” (Kazin 142). It was prepared to create not only a democratic political system independent of the British Empire but also a democratic culture of equal liberty and social equality. “Enlightenment-era natural law” as one of the “major strains of early modern Anglophone political thought” can be observed in the document (144). According to this philosophy any individual possesses rights innately. The Americans based their Declaration on “the violations of their rights and liberties that had occurred in the previous
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.
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).
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...
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...
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.
Before this extensive form of the patronage system, appointments to government jobs were decided on the basis of fitness for office. This was first seen when George Washington included two skilled leaders of opposing parties in his cabinet, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. It was not until the election of Andrew Jackson in 1829 that changed things for the worse for civil service. In his inauguration speech, Jackson declared the need to restore the federal government, which had been controlled by Democratic-Republicans since the beginning of the 19th century. Jackson was motivated by three principles to reform civil servic...