How Democratic was Jacksonian Democracy? When describing democracy, it can be related to ideals that empower the people, such as: fairness, representation, equality, opportunity, and freedom. In the early 1800’s, these democratic ideals began to transform American culture and politics as they seemed to suffuse every aspect of society. By the 1820’s and 1830’s, America even attracted the interest of many foreigners who were impressed by the democratic character of life. They were surprised by the equality of conditions and saw American society as far more egalitarian than any society in Europe (Keene, 228). This new wave of democracy also thrived through politics and by 1828, almost every single state chose their presidential elector by letting …show more content…
Along with the new way of choosing presidential electors, there was a dramatic move towards the expansion of suffrage with the hopes to expand the right to vote to all white men, and by the late 1820’s most voting restrictions for white men had been removed. One political figure whose career flourished from this was Andrew Jackson as he appealed to the people’s interests and ideas to win the presidential election of 1828. He had campaigned his commitment to democracy to the public by insisting that he was for the common man, displaying himself as one of them, and promising that he would be a voice for the people. By playing this democratic game, Jackson was seen as a symbol of the new age of democracy, but in reality, the democratic ideals of his presidency were not as democratic as he campaigned. Referred to by many as “King Mob”, Jackson had a domineering, undemocratic way of ruling and he failed to include groups such as African Americans and …show more content…
Although, rather than act on the interests of the people during his presidency, Jackson seemed to only act on his own interests as he exhibited a “my way or the highway” mentality that led to undemocratic actions. This mentality can be seen through his spoils system where Jackson replaced government officeholders with people who were his political supporters and who were loyal to him. His appointments did not really take into consideration the qualifications or the skills of the new officeholders, but he only really cared about their loyalty to him and 20 percent of the original officeholders lost their jobs due to this new policy (Keene, 237). Jackson’s controlling mentality was also demonstrated through the bank war as he vetoed Congress’s bill to recharter the National Bank. Although the veto was popular to many as it attacked the rich and powerful and appealed to the humble members of society, he had to be sure the bank could not be revived by withdrawing all federal funds (Keene, 250). This was a rash move that could seriously damage the economy, and Jackson had to fire two people until he found someone who was willing to become secretary of the Treasury and follow his orders. Many people viewed Jackson’s actions in the Bank War as tyrannical and the political cartoon titled King
In addition to creating a more democratic country, Jackson also tried to establish equal economic opportunity for the people of America. The best example of this is the vetoing of the charter of the Bank of the United States. The bank was a huge monopoly. It was ran by aristocrats, most of which were from England. Nicholas Biddle, who was the president of the bank, often used funds from the bank to lend money to the members of Congress, thus wining their support.
The Jacksonian democracy of the 1820s-1830s is often associated with an expansion of the political influence, economic opportunities, and social equality available to “the common man,” a concept of the masses which President Andrew Jackson and his newly founded Democratic party came to represent. The new administration certainly saw gains for the majority; namely, public participation in government increased to unprecedented levels, and several economic decisions were made to favor the people over monopolies. Beginning with their exaggerated portrayal of the “corrupt” 1824 election however, the Jacksonian democrats also left a legacy of substantial miscalculations
The Jacksonian Democrats were very important in the revolutions in political democracy that took place during this period. During this period universal white male suffrage took place and was the first step towards the revolution of the common man in politics. Also, Jackson's acceptance and support of the two-party system helped create a more democratic America in which people with similar views could unite in their support of a singular candidate. Many "working men" of this time period had felt they had been taken advantage of and misrepresented by tyrannical aristocrats who treated them poorly (A). Jackson used this to his advantage with emotionalized speeches exploiting class differences. However, it should be said that during this time period the amount of voters increased dramatically which means that more Americans were involved in American politics (D). Jackson's use of the "Kitchen Cabinet" kept his knowledge of critics and the wants and needs of the people up
Was Andrew Jackson the democratic figure our great nation needed in the mid 1800’s? From 1828 to 1836, Andrew Jackson served as president in the United States of America. During that time, the country was torn in half due to controversies such as the eviction of the national bank, the Indian Removal, and the spoils system. Although some people believed Jackson was fair to the common man, Jackson acted undemocratically during his presidency because he was not fair to everyone and only listened to his supporters.
In addition to creating a more democratic country, Jackson also tried to establish equal economic opportunity for the people of America. The best example of this is the vetoing of the charter of the Bank of the United States. The bank was a huge monopoly. It was ran by aristocrats, most of which were from England. Nicholas Biddle, who was the president of the bank, often used funds from the bank to lend money to the members of Congress, thus wining their support.
During the administration of Andrew Jackson, the United States was a nation of change both politically and socially. American society was a society of opportunity. Americans felt that, given a chance, they could make a better life for themselves. This was the era of the common people, the era of democracy. Andrew Jackson appealed to the American people because he stood for values many regarded with favor. However democratic Jackson may seem, he was more tyrant-like than any of his predecessors. His major offerings to the nation included majority rule and a popular presidency, however offered no benefits to women, African Americans, nor Native Americans. Jacksonian Democracy was
As America’s most influential political figure during the 1830s, Andrew Jackson left a permanent imprint upon American politics and democracy. Born on the border of North and South Carolina, Jackson was left to confront the world on his own after the death of his parents. By the age of 29, he involved himself in law and politics as he was elected as Tennessee’s first representative in the U.S. Senate. Jackson’s first success came from war, specifically when he commanded American forces in the defense of New Orleans against the British in 1815. Soon after, Jackson decided to make his first run for the President of the United States and won both the electoral and popular vote in 1824. Jackson is often connected to a new spirit of democracy
When Andrew Jackson was denied presidency in 1824 due to “the corrupt bargain” between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, he was furious at the lack of democracy in the election system. He became determined to institute a new age of genuine democracy in America where the voice of the people wouldim being monarchal, Andrew Jackson was a very democratic president evidenced by his drive to give the people more representation and also his attempted transfer of power from the few to the many.
Voters in 1828 celebrated election day because all white males, no matter how much money or education they had could vote. His campaign told people to vote for him if they believed the people should govern. (Document 1) This evidence helps explain how Andrew Jackson is a democratic supporter of the people because this document shows how Jackson taking away property requirements for voting made there be more voters, the vote being given to the “common man”. Jackson believed in the type of government where the people
Although the “Age of Jackson” wasn’t a time era, which brought forth a great political, social, or economic freedom and equality to the U.S., it did in fact put our country through a metamorphosis in our political lives of the nation. The start of a new presidency (Jackson’s presidency) was accompanied by huge numbers of Hickoryites (Jacksonian supporters) and official hopefuls. Many of these hopefuls were granted their desire of holding office, which is one of the changes brought into Washington by Andrew Jackson.
Jackson’s version of democracy was in fact a democracy. He was not a very wealthy man, he owned a home and some land. Which was more than could be said about most Americans at the time. About ten percent of the Americans living there at that time owned enough land to vote. There was a law, stating that only white males with a good portion of land could vote in the presidential election. Andrew Jackson thought this system was so unfair, he created a new way to govern the citizens of the newly formed United States.
Andrew Jackson wrote a letter to Congress on July 10, 1832, saying the “rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes" (Doc. F). Jackson is talking about the national bank in this letter to Congress and it was very well known from his close friends that he had “always been afraid of banks... [and called bankers} ‘“vipers and thieves’” (Shi, Tindall, 324). He thought that the national bank caused the government to have too much control over the people, but the way
Jackson conversely championed, as Edward Pessen put it, the common ‘white’ man and was distrustful of the Jeffersonian natural aristocracy. Jackson was known to have had a simple rural background, the first president to be known by a nickname and the first President to have achieved the most prestigious office in America without rising through high office at Washington. All these factors strengthened the idea that his democracy favoured the common man, something the Jeffersonian could not claim. To Jacksonians, the country’s future lay in the hands of the common ‘white’ man, an idea supported through the fact that “the percentage of [the] eligible population that voted...[averaged] sixty-nine percent…Hence, from Jackson forward presidents could claim…they were the representatives of the people”. Countering the claim that Jackson favoured the common
Jacksonian (Democracy, Society, etc.) is a term used to describe reform during the time of Andrew Jackson’s Presidency. Specifically Jacksonian Democracy refers to “the general extension of democracy that characterized U.S. politics from 1824 to 1828.” Jacksonian Democracy and its support came primarily from the lower classes as a rebellion of sorts apposing the aristocracy. Even though it stressed equality, it was pro-slavery and anti-Indian (not unlike Andrew Jackson). Also there was change in both the political parties and the social reforms. Jackson was seen as a westerner (even though he was from Tennessee) and a president of the common man. This we can see when he married women
Democracy in the United States became prominent in the early to mid 19th century. Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, was inaugurated in 1829 and was best known as the person who mainstreamed democracy in America. Because he came from a humble background, he was the “genuine common man.” (Foner, pg. 303) He claimed he recognized the needs of the people and spoke on behalf of the majority [farmers, laborers]. However, critics of Jackson and democracy called him “King Andrew I” because of his apparent abuse of presidential power [vetoing]. These critics believed he favored the majority so much that it violated the U.S. constitution, and they stated he was straying too far away from the plan originally set for the