Who Is Andrew Jackson Autocratic

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A crucial question that was well discussed during the time of Jackson’s presidency was whether or not he was democratic, meaning he supported the people having control over government, or autocratic, meaning he had absolute power over the country. Because of the “Kitchen Cabinet” and the National Bank Controversy, it is evident that Jackson was more autocratic rather than democratic During Jackson’s presidency he stated that the government jobs were so easy, that there was little to no intelligence needed to perform it. Therefore, Jackson fired all the existing workers and replaced them with new ones. The cycle would then renew every four years, the same length of time as one term in office. How does this show that Jackson was autocratic? …show more content…

The reasoning behind this is usually because the law is unconstitutional. Jackson was a president who wished for the average person to have more power rather than the rich whites who had it for many years. When the National Bank act passed through again Jackson vetoed it. However, this was not because it was unconstitutional. Using words such as “great evils” and “to make it compatible with justice…” Jackson basically said the National Bank evil towards the everyday people for it was controlled mostly by the rich stockholders. Vetoing a law for it being something other than unconstitutional had never been done before. In response to this congress and the senate passed a two-thirds vote overriding the veto. Did this stop Jackson from getting his way? No. Jackson ended up by taking all the money out of the National Bank and moving it somewhere else causing it to collapse Because of the “Kitchen Cabinet” and the National Bank Controversy, it is evident that Jackson was more autocratic rather than democratic. Instances like this change the thought of some, causing them to wonder if Jackson really did listen to the people or if he controlled the government for himself. While some say that the actions of Jackson were just because the people said so, there are many cases such as these that prove that statement

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