whether Andrew Jackson’s presidency was an age of democracy
This paper will discuss whether Andrew Jackson’s presidency was an age of democracy and if his actions reflected that of an absolute monarch or one who cares for the people.
Andrew Jackson served as the American president from 1829 to 1837. While previous presidents ascended to power courtesy of their family background, wealth, and education, Jackson’s humble background was a powerful statement for the “common man.” He believed that hardworking men should be allowed to achieve the level of financial and political success as those who inherited wealth (Inskeep 2016).
Most states had ended the property requirements for voting for white males by the late 1820s. There was an increase in literacy and productive political advertising, which doubled the number of voters in 1828. This expansion was dubbed “Jacksonian Democracy.” Furthermore, Jackson believed that Industrialization was crucial in the development of American industry.
Jackson, however, had his fair share of controversy. The passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, authorized the president to negotiate with Southern Native American tribes for their removal to federal territory in exchange for white settlement. This lead to the death of 3000 Indians (Bowes, 2016). In 1833 he announced that the government would no longer use the National Bank. He portrayed the bank as a “hydra-headed” and believed that the planter, farmer, mechanic, and laborer were in danger of losing their equitable interest in the government.
As a self-made man, Jackson created policies that made it easier for the lower and middle class to obtain land. He opposed any signs of aristocracy in the nation and believed that expanding economic and political opportunities for the common man would make America more democratic.
References
- Inskeep, S. (2016). Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab. Penguin.
- Bowes, J. P. (2016). Land too good for Indians: Northern Indian removal(Vol. 13). University of Oklahoma Press.