How Democratic was Andrew Jackson? Old Hickory never backed away from a fight. Even at seventy-five Andrew Jackson was still fighting and leaving a trail of card games, busted up taverns, liquor bottles, and bloody noses in his wake which earned him the nickname Old Hickory. Jackson became a lawyer on the North Carolina Frontier at age twenty-one and later moved west to Tennessee where he settled down with his wife. In 1815, Jackson was made an American hero because he and his troops were victorious as they held off a British attack known as the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson was elected president in 1828 and reelected in 1832. Jackson felt strongly that the common man was the power behind the government, which is why he extended the …show more content…
Martin Van Buren specifically advised Jackson not to appoint Swartwout because he had criminal tendencies and would be dealing with large amounts of money. Jackson ignored Van Buren and would be humiliated for his selfish decision. Jackson made many poor decisions in his own self-interest that were undemocratic and put a blemish on his presidency. Jackson mistreated and harmed the Native Americans which was oppressive and undemocratic. In Andrew Jackson’s message to Congress, he lied when he stated that, “This emigration should be voluntary… (but) if they remain within the limits of the states they must be subject to their laws,” (Doc 8). The Native Americans had adapted and begun to resemble a civilized society with town meetings, public education, and an alphabet. Less than six months later, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act and would soon take military force to push the Native Americans west into a reserved territory for them in what is present day Oklahoma (Doc 10). It was very undemocratic of Jackson to lie to the Native Americans and oppress them by forcefully moving them to the reserved Indian Territory. The Cherokee however, did not give up easily and took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Their plea to remain on the land of their ancestors without interruption was upheld and clarified that the Cherokee had the right to establish their own nation within the state of Georgia (Doc 9). Jackson ignored the ruling of the Supreme Court and ultimately
Andrew Jackson should be remembered as a president known for creating crises because he was the reason for the Trail of Tears and killing the B.U.S. In 1820 thousands of Native Americans were peacefully living east of the Mississippi River. That was until white settlers wanted to expand by taking over Native American land. The Worcester v. Georgia Supreme Court was a discussion of the Cherokee’s land. Andrew Jackson and the Supreme Court differed on the Cherokee’s claims of their lands. According to Document B; “John Marshall has made his decision… now let him enforce it”, John Marshall was supporting the Cherokees to keep their lands. This quote refers to Jackson ignoring John Marshall’s ruling and sending troops anyways. In 1830, Congress
Throughout Jackson’s presidency, Jackson was prone to making questionable decisions. One of Jackson’s most monumental blunders was when he decided to relocate tens of thousands of innocent Native Americans. Jackson was a huge fan of the idea of Americans moving westward to unsettled areas. The Native Americans occupied the areas that Jackson wanted to transform into American cities. That did not halt Jackson from doing what he desired. Jackson displayed his egocentric behavior and called for the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Jackson wanted to move the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations from their southeastern homes to Oklahoma. The Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations all somewhat cooperatively deserted their homes at the request of the Americans with little fight. These nations forfeited their land, homes and possessions to walk the Trail of Tears, an 850-mile path from the southeastern states to Oklahoma. American soldiers forcefully kept the Natives moving without breaks. Throughout the trek, thousands of Natives died from sickness and starvation. One tribe, the Cherokees from Georgia,
Jackson declared his first statement of removal on December 8, 1829. His motivation behind this was to persuade Congress to pass the act to start his plan to remove all Indians from the white pioneers desired territory. In this, he addressed that the movement of Indians from this land must only be by their own personal choice because, “it would be as cruel as unjust to compel the aborigines to abandon the graves of their fathers, and seek a home in a distant land”. Although, Jackson’s own draft of of his 1829 message to congress contains no reference to voluntary removal, this would not be the first time he lied to the Native Americans. The Jackson administration concluded that the treaties that Jackson previously made with the Indians were merely “a stately form of intercourse” that were most useful in gaining their agreement without opposition. These treaties mainly entailed regulations on peacemaking and the ownership of land. While they were viewed as vital to the indians, but to Jackson and his colleagues they were nothing more than meaningless documents. He only created these treaties to trick the Indians into thinking they have power in the United States government just so that he can later manipulate them into
Jackson's democrats were committed to western expansion, even though this expansion inevitably meant confrontation with the current inhabitants of the land. More than 125,000 Native Americans lived in the forests and prairies east of the Mississippi. Although many tribes strongly resisted white encroachment on their land, other tribes such as the Cherokees made remarkable efforts to learn the ways of the whites. The Americans were once again sticking to their imperialistic style, and leaving a lasting impact on these small counties which they wished to control and push off their own land. Although certain tribes did seem to be embracing their new ways which the whites had taught them, this was apparently not good enough for whites. In 1828, Georgia legislature declared the Cherokee tribal council illegal and asserted its own jurisdiction over Indian affairs and Indian lands. President Jackson, who clearly wanted to open the land for white settlement refused to recognize the Court's decision, and simply stated that John Marshall had made his decision and it was his job to
Did Andrew Jackson support the people and their rights? Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He vetoed the National Bank because he said that it only supported the rich and was unconstitutional. Also Andrew Jackson set a land territory west of the Mississippi River for the Indian tribes and adopted a little Native American boy who was left from his tribe. How democratic was Andrew Jackson? Democracy is a form of government where the people have a right to assist in the law making process. Andrew Jackson was democratic in many political, economic, and geographic ways.
Most Famous for his military career he would first serve at the age of only 13 in the Revolutionary War, where he would join the Patriots and be captured by the British. Jackson would be the only survivor of his family after the Revolutionary War, but that wouldn’t stop him. After the Revolutionary War Jackson would go to North Carolina to pursue a career in law. Andrew Jackson greatest military accomplishments would be during the War of 1812. During the war of 1812 Jacksons army would give him the nickname “Old Hickory” for being as tough as an old hickory tree. Jackson would engage in a few battles with the Creek Indians, allies of the British with a final victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Jackson would be named a war hero with the victory over the British, at the Battle of New Orleans, which forced the British to withdraw from the war.
According to several historical documents, President Andrew Jackson was not democratic because he used the “spoils system”, ignored other government officials input, and refused to recognize certain groups, such as the Native Americans.
With the unconstitutional Indian Removal Act, Jackson forced more than one native american tribe to move from their land. He had done this because he says he was looking out for them so the white people and natives didn’t fight anymore. The Native American tribes hadn’t done anything wrong but Jackson still forced them to move. The Cherokee tribe was considered one of the “civilized” tribes since they had a president, dressed like normal people in that time, and had a government like our own. The Cherokee tribe had been forced to move because some wealthy lawyers had signed the treaty and Jackson took the treaty knowing that the president wasn’t the one who had signed it (“Treaty of New Echota”). It wasn’t just the Cherokee tribe that had been forced to move but also the Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole,
Andrew Jackson the seventh president of the United States who was beloved by many. He was born between North and South Carolina in 1767. He grew up poor. Democratic means that the people determine the President, Congress and all public offices. People does not include Native Americans or slaves. Andrew Jackson was Democratic. Andrew Jackson was democratic because of government equality, the Indian Removal Act, and because he was a common man.
Surprisingly, even though many Americans wanted the Indians’ land, some Americans disagreed with the government’s decision over the Indians removal. This can be seen though an account made by John G. Burnett, “I saw helpless Cherokees arrested and dragged from their homes, and driven at the bayonet point into the stockades. And in the chill of drizzling rain…. loaded like cattle or sheep into… wagons and started toward the west. One can never forget the sadness and solemnity of that morning,” (Doc. M). This was considered the lowest point of Jackson’s career (Shi and Tindall, 330). Jackson’s administration completely ignored the Indians’ rights as people and forced them to leave everything they’ve ever known, which completely ignores basic human rights much less the basics of a democracy.
Andrew Jackson was born in Waxhaws border of the Carolinas into a family of poverty. His father died before he was born. His mother and brothers died from diseases, which were contracted from the British during the Revolutionary War. Jackson wanted revenge on the "red coats." The War of 1812 was his perfect opportunity. In a brutal battle to keep New Orleans, he defeated the British and became a national hero. In 1828, he became the seventh president of the United States. Although Jackson was a national hero from the Battle of New Orleans, his presidential administration was flawed due to creating the spoils system, sending troops to states that disagreed with him, and the demise of thousands of Native Americans.
When Americans expanded their country west, they interfered with many American Indian Tribes. In a letter he wrote to congress, he explained “This emigration should be voluntary… (but) if they remain within the limits of the states they must be subject to their laws” (Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress December 7, 1829). Andrew Jackson offered to let the American Indians stay if they followed their laws. But in 1831, Jackson forced the Native Americans out of their homelands starting the Indian Removal. According to a reprinted in Niles Weekly Register, the Cherokee’s said “We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have a perfect and original right to remain without interruption or molestation”. Jackson lied to the American Indians about allowing them to stay. Jackson did not act democratically because he did not allow the American Indians to stay and forced them to move west. Jackson was fair to his supporters, but not to
Jackson based his decisions upon what he thought would most benefit himself, not the country. His cabinet was often called a “kitchen cabinet” because he appointed friends with the same political views as him to fill
President Andrew Jackson is known as Old Hickory, was born in 1776. At age 13 he joined the South Carolina Militia to fight the British during the American Revolution. He was captured by the British and became a prisoner-of-war. As a young man, he worked as a lawyer in Tennessee. In the war of 1812, Jackson served as a Major General, leading the fight against the British in New Orleans. In 1828, he was elected President, and in an earlier address to congress he suggested eliminating the electoral
If I lived back in the Jacksonian Era, my view of the man would be very unpleasant. These actions are something that a tyrant would do, like King Louis XIV or Muammar Gaddafi, who totally ignored their nations’ rights. I believe Andrew Jackson ignored two branches of the United States government; the legislative and the judicial branches. He vetoed laws that he believes that hurt the country, but in my eyes, the Bank was always needed, especially in their time of economic crisis. He also ignored the decision of the Supreme Court in the Cherokee vs. Georgia case, something that a President should not do. I do acknowledge Andrew Jackson’s protection of democracy and