Andrew Jackson: America's Most Popular President

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Andrew Jackson may have been the United States “most popular president” by claiming he listened to the people's voices when he actually only ever drew power to his own position resenting to autocratic ways (BE). Jackson ignored the separation of the branches of government and vetoed any bills he did not like such as the the renewal charter for the National Bank. He kept his supporters and friends in larger roles of government like Samuel Swartout. Lastly he also forcibly removed Native Americans to please many outcries from farmers of wanted land for cotton. Andrew Jackson never considered Native Americans as citizens, even when they indicated their rights. In Jackson’s message to Congress, he was misleading in saying that the Native Americans were leaving because of “persuasion” and that the “ . . . emigration should be voluntary”(Document 8). The Native Americans were forcibly moved from their homelands and traveled great distances to reach their new shared territory in Oklahoma. Jackson continued the removal of Natives favoring with the white people’s cry for more land to plant cotton. Jackson benefited by removing the Indians to please the common farmers making him more popular and well liked. Cherokee’s wished to stay on their homelands with “a perfect and original right to remain . . .” (Document 9). Native Americans wanted rights like white men, even some of them grew accustomed to Americans ways of civilization such as farming and owning slaves. Moving to the west would be an unknown territory to them that supplies little necessities like food and water. Each tribe did not want to decrease their population due to the lack of food and water, or even lose their sacred cultures and languages. Native Americans wished to stay... ... middle of paper ... ..., he was advised by the Secretary of State, Van Buren, he warned Jackson that in the past Swartwout had “criminal tendencies”(Document 7). Andrew Jackson ignored the warning and stuck to patronizing and selecting his supporters like Swartwout to important positions. Years later Swartwout left for England with more than one million dollars from the Port of New York. Jackson’s mortification over that monumental theft was equivalent to his appointing of ordinary men who are not fit for government jobs and can't be trusted. Andrew Jackson was an autocratic president who exerted his authority like the “first king” of the United States. Jackson’s power went from single handedly vetoing the National Bank charter, to ignoring the separation of the branches of government, placing unfit men into important official job holdings and forcing Native Americans off their homeland.

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