The Characteristics Of Andrew Jackson: A Man Of People

Kieran Wood
Andrew Jackson
The idea that Andrew Jackson was a man of the people and thus the first people’s president is positively accurate. Born in a log cabin, and the child of two Irish born immigrants, Andrew Jackson was the first president to come from humble beginnings. He became an orphan at a very young age and earned everything that was ever given to him, including a scar on his face from a British soldier that epitomized his character for the rest of his life. After becoming a prominent lawyer and moving down to Nashville, Jackson became involved in politics and was part of the group that drafted Tennessee’s constitution. Following that, Jackson was the U.S. representative from Tennessee, and later one of the first senators to represent

His integrity distinguished him from all other politicians and would come to be one of the traits the common man idolized. He earned the nickname “Old Hickory” from his troops in 1813, because of his unmeasured determination and resiliency, along with his compassion for his troops that was unheard of. All of these attributes and qualities helped him gain the support of the people and made the common man feel like Jackson was really going to give him a hand up. Unlike many of his successors, Jackson’s character did not change as he finally entered the white house in 1828. In fact, he embodied the title as “the people’s president”, by being for the first president to openly invite the public to intend his inauguration reception at the white house. Furthermore, throughout his presidency, Jackson side stepped congress and created a direct connection with the voters. It was the first time a president pushed aside special interests and political ploys, to do what he thought was best for the people. These actions and Jackson’s two terms as president is characterized by a term

He ran on a platform that paralleled Trump’s modern day campaign; depicting Washington as a “swamp”, ruled by the elite. Unlike like Trump though, Jackson believed in a country ruled by the majority. His movement rallied nearly sixty percent of the population to participate in the election, an unprecedented amount. Jackson changed the government to be more economical, simple, and accessible to the people who it was governing. He also favored the working class, while openly calling out financiers who made money off of the toils of the working class. This led to Jackson famously vetoing the re-chartering of the national bank in his first term, not fearing the consequences. He believed the national bank stood for everything he despised. Jackson thought the bank was overly and unconstitutionally powerful, and at its core benefited the elite, instead of the common people. Through similar actions Jackson demonstrated that the presidency was more than just elites enforcing laws, he was essentially the lone representative of the people and exercised the power to carry out their