How Did Andrew Jackson Abuse His Power

Andrew Jackson

With a desire to free themselves from the shackles of Monarchial rule, our nation’s Founding Fathers established a system of checks and balances, which would limit the power of each governmental branch. In the history of the United States, each president has tried to use his power in order to effectively govern the people of the country. Some times, the president oversteps his boundaries and makes use of his power for the better. Through the years of 1829-1837, the seventh president of the United States of America did not comply with either of the governmental branches (the judiciary branch or the legislative branch), but also abused his own power in the executive seat. For this reason I believe that Andrew Jackson was a bad

president. A great president is someone who is a leader, who is tough, smart and driven.
Despite knowing what the executive branch’s power is limited to, Jackson tries to gain more power by abusing his power to intimidate the Supreme Court.

Jackson signed over ninety treaties with the Indian tribes but did not honor them. He also instated the Indian Removal Act; this Act moved thousands of Indian families from their homes to lands designated for them in Oklahoma, even after the Native Americans had made so many advances in becoming civilized, so they would be accepted by the government and by other American citizens. The natives who were evicted from their homes were forced to walk all the way from Southern United States to west of the Mississippi River in the cold winter, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. This walk was responsible for the death of nearly four thousand Native Americans. A good president would not have jeopardized the lives of innocent people, or have tried to steal power to make himself the center of the government. Referring to his intention to move the Native Americans towards the Mississippi, despite the Supreme Court rulings, Andrew Jackson says, "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce

it.”
Jackson also defied the legislative branch when the bank's open involvement in the presidential campaign convinced him of its inherent corruption. After deciding to draw money from them until its charter ran out in 1836, he determined to withdraw the federal government's own deposits from the Bank and place them in selected state-chartered banks. Even many congressional men of the Bank could not countenance Jackson's proceedings against it. He had defied Congress's intent, rode roughshod over the treasury secretary's statutory control over the public purse, and removed the public funds from the lawfully authorized, responsible hands of the Bank of the United States to an unregulated, and perhaps wholly irresponsible collection of state banks. He told Matin Van Buren “The bank is trying to kill me, but I will kill it.” Another time Jackson goes against the senate is when the senate rejects Matin Van Buren as the minister of England. Instead, Van Buren is made the vice president and he becomes the eight president of the United States.
Andrew Jackson’s presidency also shows the abuse of executive power.

An example is that Jackson's presidency marked the beginning to the ascendancy of the "spoils system" in American politics. As President, he initiated sweeping removals among high-ranking government officials—Washington bureau chiefs, land and customs officers, and federal marshals and attorneys for his own gain. Jackson claimed to be purging the corruption, \ and arrogance that came with long tenure, and restoring the opportunity for government service to the citizenry at large through "rotation in office." Many offices were distributed out as rewards for political services. Newspaper editors, who had championed Jackson's cause, came in for special favor. An old army comrade and political sycophant named Samuel Swartwout was his most appalling appointee. Against all advice, Jackson made him collector of the New York City customhouse, where the government collected nearly half its annual revenue. Swartwout absconded with more than one million dollars in the year of 1838, an astounding amount for that day. The end result was that Jackson was surrounded in the government by people he knew liked him as their president; they all trusted him and he trusted

them.
Some people argue that Andrew Jackson was a great general and president. He forever changed the way presidential campaigns are held. He held huge rallies and made several appearances. By doing this, Andrew Jackson got people more involved with the presidential elections and won their votes with all of his public exposure. To this day, presidential campaigns are held much like Andrew Jackson’s campaigns, making him the first modern president.
A great president is someone who is a leader, makes choices for the betterment of our country, and does what is best for the people of the United States of America. Andrew Jackson made choices, which he thought was better for the American population, but he went through with his intentions the wrong way. He was a man who would do anything for his own power and even defy the system of the American government. In many instances, he did not regard or respect the decisions of the Supreme Court, the judicial branch of government. In other cases, the legislative branch, the Congressional houses were offended and ruled over. Also, he abused his own power of the executive branch. Andrew Jackson, ironically commenting on the gaining of power, states, “It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.”