Since his debouchment into American politics in the early 19th Century, nearly every American has had an opinion about Andrew Jackson. His legacy defined an entire age of American history and has resided with us in our wallets for nearly nine decades. American identity has rapidly changed throughout the last few years. Naturally, the meaning of Andrew Jackson in American history is the topic of many of these discussions. I believe that while Old Hickory was one of the most important presidents in our history, it is time to leave that legacy behind. We as Americans are gradually reaching out to the margins of our society. Diversity and inclusion are now among our most sacred values. A reasonable next step in the definition of contemporary American identity would be to reevaluate who we honor on our currency. That being stated, one should not simply undermine the prominence of Andrew Jackson’s legacy. This can be summarized into two terms: democracy and federal authority. Jackson was a man of simple beginnings who brought a powerful personality to the White House, along with a defiant repertoire. He promoted himself as the claimant champion of the common people, unlike the many other ‘aristocrats’ of the age. Farmers and laborers were now offered a seemingly equal say in their own circumstances. This …show more content…
Yet it is hard to let go of the great ideas that the Jacksonian Era left us. The ideas that wealth should not rule numbers, that in a democracy every citizen, regardless of circumstance, should have an equal say in government. Perhaps Harriet Tubman could represent the progressive America, which values diversity and inclusion, and Andrew Jackson could represent the traditional America, which upholds democracy and
It is agreeable that the Jacksonian Democrats perceived themselves as strict guardians of the United States Constitution. It is not agreeable with how they went about preserving the political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity they stood for. While trying to create this balance, Jackson used tactics favorable only to his opinion. Jackson’s main idea was to rid of aristocracy, giving the power to the poorer classes, standing against rich white men. The flaw in their scheme was that the people who came up with this idea were all rich white men.
Andrew Jackson, revered as the first common man to become President, symbolized the average citizen having the opportunity to climb the ranks within America 's democratic system. However, the profits of Jackson 's administration succeed in concealing his immoral procedures and behavior. Jackson 's methods worked accordingly to the reasoning of the father of political science, Machiavelli, who said, “The end justifies the means”. He achiev...
Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States. He would serve two presidential terms. Jackson became a famous figure because of his efforts in the war of 1812. For his time in office from 1829-1837, Jackson created many enemies and was considered a tyrant. Today not much is mentioned about Andrew Jackson. However, a picture of him has been found in most American’s pockets since 1928. The act to remove the former president has caused people to discuss why he should remain and why he might even deserve to put on the bill. This issue has also caused intensive study about this man on the 20-dollar bill. Andrew Jackson does not deserve to be on any currency and was a negative character in our nation’s history. He was a strong advocate for slavery. He removed the Native Americans from their land off
The Jacksonian Era, in the 1820’s and 1830’s, was a very critical period in American history. Many historians have different views on whether the Jacksonian Democrats, Andrew Jackson’s followers and supporters, were guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty and the equality of economic opportunity. Although Jacksonian Democrats view themselves as guardians of all these, they were wrong about most of it. The Jacksonian Democrats did a good job protecting and expanding political democracy and protecting equalty of economic opportunity, but failed to be guardians of the constitution as well as individual liberty.
Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, held power from 1829 to 1837. During this time, Jackson launched a new era in which he claimed to value and represent the common man. A shameless opportunist, Jackson, pandered to the masses for support by claiming to be a man of the people and thus rose above previous president John Quincy Adams in the 1828 election. However, how can a Jackson be considered a man of the people when he is responsible for hurting more people than he helped? Andrew Jackson should be considered a villain who abused his power based upon his inadequate choices as president in regards to the Bank War, spoils system, and the Indian Removal Act.
On December 23, 1814, Andrew Jackson rode his way into history. His victory over the British on that day made him into a national hero. Jackson used this popularity to ensure his victory over John Quincy Adams in the election of 1828. But who was the real "Old Hickory?" Was Andrew Jackson the courageous, honor bound "man of the people", or, as his opponents liked to think, was he a hot tempered, poorly educated farm boy? This essay will present both sides of the case and try to reach a conclusion.
Shortly after the American Revolution, the United States entered an era of profound economic and social change that was dominated first by the Market Revolution and subsequently by Andrew Jackson’s skillful use of the power of the presidency to crack down on capitalist exploitation. Jackson’s first biographer, James Parton, however, describes the legacy of the seventh President’s administration as one fraught with controversy, “Andrew Jackson was a patriot, and a traitor. He was the greatest of generals, and wholly ignorant of the art of war. He was the most candid of men, and capable of the profoundest dissimulation. He was a democratic autocrat, an urbane savage, an atrocious saint.” Many people argue that Jackson, having turned the federal
The Jacksonian Period from 1824 to 1848 has been characterized as the era of the “common man.” Jackson’s election to presidency was based on the fact that he himself did not come from a wealthy background so in return, during his presidency he openly advocated for the rights of the “common man”. Although the era did not always stay true to its name, both economic aspects and reform movements caused the Jacksonian period to mostly live up to its characterization as "the era of the common man.”
To some people Andrew Jackson is remembered as the, metaphorically speaking, “People’s King” and is accused of dictator-like political moves. However, Andrew Jackson was quite the contrary, he was exalted amongst the people for being the new era of democracy: instilling a political revolution, the protection of the American people, and social equality among the masses. Therefore, Andrew Jackson was a precedent of democratic rule in the United States.
An extraordinarily ordinary man, a “democratic autocrat, an urbane savage, an atrocious saint” Andrew Jackson provided the means for Americans to better understand themselves (Parton PBS). Over time the perception of Jackson and his demeanor has been changed. As one historian stated, “at one time, [when they looked at Jackson] they saw the frontiersmen, the poor boy made good, the classic self-made man” (Feller PBS). In modern times, Jackson has become a more unsavoury figure; namely due to his reputation for displacing Native American tribes and repurposing their land for American settlements and communities. Still, the debate over who Andrew Jackson was, or perhaps is, can be described as a contemporary one. Nonetheless, his actions, and vociferous reactions, make Jackson a very divisive figure in American politics. Cogently stated by historian “He is an inescapable American, but of what kind?” (Feller PBS).
Andrew Jackson began a whole new era in American history. Amongst his greatest accomplishments were evoking the "common man" to be interested in government and tailoring democracy to satisfy the same "common man's" needs. Of course, Jackson could not go about making such radical changes without supporters, but that never surfaced as a problem. Jacksonian Democrats, as they came to be called, were great in number during the 1820's and 1830's. They advocated all of the issues that President Jackson did, and did so with great vigor. They thought of themselves very highly because they recognized their responsibilities as American citizens. They realized that as political leaders they had a true purpose- to protect and serve the American people. The Jacksonians justified their view of themselves in their sincere attempts to guard the United States Constitution by both promoting equality of economic opportunity and increasing political democracy, but they had their downfalls with issues of individual liberties.
By the time Jackson came to power, the nation had been drastically changed by the Industrial Revolution. The simple, pastoral, agricultural lifestyle was being replaced by the manufacturing world, of cities and factories. Politically, the nation was in great turmoil. There was still an everlasting debate among men in power, over what should prevail, the rights of the states, or the rights of the Federal Government. If not for several personal reasons, Jackson would have been a staunch advocator of states rights. The right to vote was still a major issue, the middle class feeling robbed of power in governmental decisions, the upperclass feeling threatened by the growth of the middleclass. However, Jackson brought with him many new ideas and principles. Since he himself had very modest roots, he sympathized with the middle and lower classes. He had worked for everything he had of value in life, and he acknow...
A number of the decisions and actions undertaken not only during the course of Jackson’s presidency, but also as a pre-political individual alone, depict a man certainly capable of a villainous description. While one could attempt to describe Andrew Jackson as a hero, one would be required to ignore repeatedly documented events and personal accounts to the contrary. However, a successful counterargument resides in the fact that, in trivial terms, history is not black-and-white. Oftentimes, history is perceived through two viewpoints. The first observes history where morals and beliefs are not entered into the equation. To use American history as a template, many historical figures, such as Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln, are represented as unblemished and faultless; the focus is primarily placed on intelligent, influential quotes and political achievements. The second viewpoint represents the same individuals as flawed and human, straying far from the untarnished and blameless leaders of the first example; through the second point-of-view, personal dealings and character reside at the core. Neither of these methods of studying history is necessarily false, as neither promotes false information. However, within itself, history is unbiased, and the legacy of America’s seventh president lies in between these two often-employed viewpoints. As
The Age of Jackson, from the 1820's to the 1830's, was a period of American history full of contradictions, especially in regard to democracy. The period saw an increase in voter participation, nominating committees replaced caucuses, and electors began to be popularly elected. Yet, all of these voting changes affected only a minority of the American people: White, Anglo-Saxon males. So, though one can easily tell that White, Anglo-Saxon males were gaining
Jackson’s inauguration was extremely different from any past presidencies. A rowdy mob of office seekers went insane on the day of the inauguration. Many people wanted to call it enthusiasm, but the real truth was that Jackson’s supporters had been promised high political positions in return for their support, or the “Spoils System”. These promises were honored right after Jackson entered is presidency. 919 officials were removed from government positions, taking away nearly 10 percent of all government positions. The hardest changed organization in the federal government was the post office. It was the largest department in the federal government, and in one year, 423 workers were deprived of their positions, and many of them had records of good service (American 1). This shallow effect in order to achieve presidency would be considered clever and witty, if it weren’t for the fact that Jackson was employing his supporters, who were mostly lower to middle class (considering that he was “the common man”, and so were his supporters). If the Spoils System had taken place with people of a more educated rank, then Jackson could’ve had a support system, while employing his political friends to higher ran...