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The Jacksonian Era
The Jacksonian era marks the period between 1829 and 1841, in which Andrew Jackson influenced American politics. The Jacksonian era is largely referred to as the era of the common man or the age of Jacksonian democracy in which the interests of the urban workers and farmers were favored over the aristocrats. The Jacksonian era brought about economic and democratic equality in society. Under Jackson’s rule, American society became a society of great opportunity both socially and politically, and great gains were realized. However, the era has also been criticized as a contradiction of the democracy it purported to promote. The era is said to have been connected to slavery, white supremacy was celebrated, and the natives were subjugated. In essence, the Jacksonian era had both positive and negative impacts due to the fact that it promoted equal economic opportunity for all and increased political democracy but, at the same time, also curtailed individual liberties in various ways.
One of the positive implications of the Jacksonian era was the expansion of suffrage. During Jackson’s time, only the white men who owned property were allowed to vote. America’s founding fathers had made it so that the common man could not easily vote because the aristocrats did not want to place too much power in the common man’s hands. When Jackson received most votes in the 1824 election but did not get a majority vote in the electoral college, he viewed it as a suppression of the people’s will. As a result, after he won the next elections, he sought to expand suffrage. By expanding suffrage, Jackson was able to bring about an electoral process that reflected American democracy and the people’s will. Under his rule, the white men who did not own property were allowed to vote, thus laying the ground for the democratic principles in which America stands. Under this democratic ideology, the common white man in America was able to take part in elections and the democratic process as a whole, which was contrary to what the founding fathers had envisioned (Ennals and Bell 350).
The Jacksonian era also allowed America to expand its territory westward. Jackson was the founder of the democratic party, and his democratic principles and policies were followed and implemented by Democrat presidents that preceded him. One such president was James K. Polk, who became president between 1844 and 1845, annexed Texas, in 1846, he divided the territory of Oregon through a signed treaty with Britain and claimed the Southwest and California after waging a war against Mexico. Polk’s expansionists policies were as a result of the democratic principles that Jackson had put in place to provide more territory and resources to the nation. Through expansion, America had new resources like gold in addition to expansive lands in which both the aristocrats and the common man could settle (Ennals and Bell 350). Through the Jacksonian policies, Polk was able to avail more land and resources to the common man to bring about the kind of equality that the democratic principles of the Jacksonian era envisaged.
The Jacksonian era also brought about the spoils or patronage system in which loyalists were rewarded regardless of their skill level. The spoils system was popular among both the democrats and the republicans and ensured that those loyal to the president were well rewarded with cabinet and other posts in the administration. Jackson’s time as president saw his allies promoted while his critics like John C. Calhoun were fought at every instance (Jackson 363). Later, the patronage system was to cause divisions due to the fact that some supported meritocracy while others thought patronage was a fair system. In 1881, President Garfield was assassinated by a rival who had been overlooked for a government job under the spoils system. As a result, the spoils system became the system in which those in power got promotions or appointments and it described the state of affairs and character of American politics even to this day. It is through the patronage system that Jackson and other democrat presidents after him were able to develop and implement their democratic policies and ideals some of which are still in existence and are practiced to this day in the American and other democratic societies.
One of the most notable negative implications of the Jacksonian era was the violation of the civil liberties of the natives especially the Cherokee. Jackson had a plan and desire to expand America’s territory westward which meant that land needed to annexed or acquired by any means necessary. In his pursuit of expansion, Jackson greatly encouraged and facilitated the relocation and forceful removal of the native tribes that were an impediment to his expansionist policies. In 1836, President Jackson forced the Cherokee to move from the Southern areas of North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia to the state of Oklahoma. This incident was referred to as the Trail of Tears as the Cherokee lost their lands due to the fact that the whites had discovered the areas while rich in natural resources like gold and were good for agricultural practices (Jackson 370). In addition, Polk’s expansionist policies also forcefully removed and displaced the native Americans who had the right to occupy the lands they had been removed from. In essence, in as much as the Jacksonian era was able to expand American territory, it also displaced and violated the rights and liberties of various native Americans.
In his quest to fight for the common man, Jackson opposed the creation and establishment of a national bank which later led to economic panic and recessions. One of the founding fathers of the American nation, Alexander Hamilton believed in and advocated for a centralized economic system which would be facilitated by a national or central bank. According to Jackson, a centralized banking system would only benefit the wealthy aristocrats over the common man of which he advocated for and sought to obtain equality for in every aspect of society. In 1832, Jackson rejected a proposal to renew the bank and as a result, unstable economic conditions ensued. In 1837, an economic panic was gradually followed by a recession which reoccurred in 1873 and 1896. The recession was largely blamed on the lack of a national bank among other policies that could have been able to mitigate the unstable economic conditions and provide relief to the economy (Ross 385). In essence, the quest to ensure equality for the common man made Jackson adopt policies that were unfavorable to the economy and which caused adverse effects even to those who followed his Jacksonian and democratic principles.
The most notable negative implication of the Jacksonian era was President Jackson’s and his allies disregard for the African Americans that were living in America at the time. In as much as Jackson advocated for political and social equality, it was always within the parameters of the white American population and did not extend to the blacks. In his time, Jackson was an ardent supporter of slavery and the slave trade and even considered the slaves as property. He believed that the white slave owners had individual rights over the slaves they owned. In addition, he was also opposed to and declared himself an enemy to the minorities. Also, he ignored the various women rights movements that advocated for equality for women, especially the white women rights to vote. He believed the common people deserved equality but he did not believe that the blacks, the minorities or the women were part of the common people. His focus was mostly on the white American men whom he sought to empower mostly due to the fact that they could vote for or remove their leaders and participate in other natonal democratic processes which he favored and advocated for (Trollope 371).
In conclusion, the Jacksonian era has had both positive and negative implications in both the history and future of the American nation. It was in the Jacksonian era that democracy and the democratic principles that govern the American nation were established. In addition, the democratic ideal of universal suffrage also cropped out in this era when the white men who did not own property were allowed to vote which led to women and blacks being allowed to vote. On the other hand, the Jacksonian era also led to an economic panic and recessions in addition to the violation of the rights and liberties of the African American slaves and the native Americans who were forced out of their lands. The Jacksonian era was not only the era of the common man and of democracy but also of various injustices, inequality and economic recession in America.
Works Cited
Ennals, Samuel., Bell, Philip. “An Address to the citizens of New York (1831).” Primary source reader for world history: Volume I: To 1500, 1st Edition. Nystrom Elsa.A. Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.
Jackson, Andrew. “The president’s nullification proclaimation (1832).” Primary source reader for world history: Volume I: To 1500, 1st Edition. Nystrom Elsa.A. Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.
Ross, John. “The chief’s annual message (1831).” Primary source reader for world history: Volume I: To 1500, 1st Edition. Nystrom Elsa.A. Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.
Trollope, Frances. “Domestic manners of the Americans (1830).” Primary source reader for world history: Volume I: To 1500, 1st Edition. Nystrom Elsa.A. Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.