Andrew Jackson’s legacy has proved many things about him, his ambition, talent and ability to get the job done has shaped a future for America although not necessarily in a good way. Along with the highlights of his legacy the downfalls may over shadow them, his actions alone with the trail of tears were detrimental to the Native American people, along with his ill temperament and controversial acts of racism. His inability to follow the guidelines that we still use and respect today, a man who is a poster boy for all those things isn’t fit to personify what it means to be an American. The reason Jackson had supporters has never been unclear he was a lower class orphan who worked his to the top. from a victorious general to a world leader …show more content…
the removal acts were not only unjust but it should constitute as genocide. It’s no secret that in the early 1830s the natives of America weren’t exactly welcomed by most although over time most did their best to adapt to the European American cultures around them and often converted to Christianity, people began to open up a bit more so much so that when Jackson did present the Indian removal act there was push back “thousands of northern white women signed a petition arguing that the Cherokee should not be removed from their land”(vander velede, section 11, slide vocab) and as if his people protesting wasn’t enough he also received push back from the supreme court. “After the Indian removal act only narrowly passed congress, an 1832 supreme court ruling declared it unconstitutional.”( keenan, 2 ) These people had just as much right to be on their land as anyone else it is a part of what America stood for and still stands for …show more content…
Jackson was fully aware of what that land could be used for “he was a slave owner who bought and sold men in bulk” ( Dougherty , 2) the lands were used for white settlements and more slave plantations. Now Jackson being a slave owner is not incredibly shocking for being a man of his time but his cruelty on the other hand was “When one of his slaves showed the Jacksonian temerity to escape his master, Jackson offered a $50 reward "and $10 extra for every 100 lashes a person will give to the amount of 300" — basically a freelance death sentence.”(Dougherty,2) A main cause of this atrocious behavior was for his own personal gain “part of Jacksons personal wealth came through land that had been promised to Indians in a treaty.”(Dougherty,5) For a person who spoke often of being a man of the people it’s slightly too convenient that he got more out of it than anyone. it’s easily arguable that every choice that Jackson made was for his own gain and against the non- white community. “It 's completely justified to say that Jacksonian democracy reflected this same grasping ambition of the newly expanded white voting classes at the expense of slaves and Indians.” ( Dougherty 3) a democracy that is built on personal agenda showing
Throughout Jackson's two terms as President, Jackson used his power unjustly. As a man from the Frontier State of Tennessee and a leader in the Indian wars, Jackson loathed the Native Americans. Keeping with consistency, Jackson found a way to use his power incorrectly to eliminate the Native Americans. In May 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed into law the Indian Removal Act. This act required all tribes east of the Mississippi River to leave their lands and travel to reservations in the Oklahoma Territory on the Great Plains. This was done because of the pressure of white settlers who wanted to take over the lands on which the Indians had lived. The white settlers were already emigrating to the Union, or America. The East Coast was burdened with new settlers and becoming vastly populated. President Andrew Jackson and the government had to find a way to move people to the West to make room. In 1830, a new state law said that the Cherokees would be under the jurisdiction of state rather than federal law. This meant that the Indians now had little, if any, protection against the white settlers that desired their land. However, when the Cherokees brought their case to the Supreme Court, they were told that they could not sue on the basis that they were not a foreign nation. In 1832, though, on appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokees were a "domestic dependent nation," and therefore, eligible to receive federal protection against the state. However, Jackson essentially overruled the decision. By this, Jackson implied that he had more power than anyone else did and he could enforce the bill himself. This is yet another way in which Jackson abused his presidential power in order to produce a favorable result that complied with his own beliefs. The Indian Removal Act forced all Indians tribes be moved west of the Mississippi River. The Choctaw was the first tribe to leave from the southeast.
Under the Jackson Administration, the changes made shaped national Indian policy. Morally, Andrew Jackson dismissed prior ideas that natives would gradually assimilate into white culture, and believed that removing Indians from their homes was the best answer for both the natives and Americans. Politically, before Jackson treaties were in place that protected natives until he changed those policies, and broke those treaties, violating the United States Constitution. Under Jackson’s changes, the United States effectively gained an enormous amount of land. The removal of the Indians west of the Mississippi River in the 1830’s changed the national policy in place when Jackson became President as evidenced by the moral, political, constitutional, and practical concerns of the National Indian Policy.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of America who had a very unique time in office. Jackson advertised as being for the people of the United States but then his actions proved otherwise at later times. While Jackson did things for the people, he was as much of an autocrat as he was a democrat based upon the documents that were formed during his time in office.
Andrew Jackson was a man that people see that he is a good person and others say he is a terrible person. Andrew Jackson can be bad person and a good person it depends what type of person is Andrew Jackson is he going to help out the world or is he going to mess up the world? Democracy is a form of government were the people have a right to assist in the law making process. If Jackson didn’t support the people and wasn’t in the government the bank and the people would be in a huge mess. Andrew Jackson was very democratic and there are political , economic and geographic ways to prove it.
Andrew Jackson has been described as a great hero of his time and a man who was atrocious and would destroy the Union. Andrew Jackson accomplished a great number of things during his life but some of his actions were quite questionable. Looking from the present to the past gives insight into areas where the events can be examined more objectively. However, it is vital when examining past events to keep in mind the mindsets of the past. People had a different point of view and a different perspective than the current one. This must be kept in the forward part of the mind to understand the actions of those in the past. This paper will serve as a guide into the life of Andrew Jackson, his trials and tribulations, decisions and contradictions. From the beginning of his life, he was headstrong and that would lead him straight into the history books.
One reason why Andrew Jackson was not democratic was because of his mistreatment of the Native American. Today, the population of Native Americans are significantly less than when Jackson served as the leader of the free world. From the early 1830’s until 1840, Jackson forced 5 separate Indian tribes onto a small piece of land (Doc L). A likely reason for this sudden move
Andrew Jackson was the epitome of the American Dream. He worked his way from being an orphan and a war prisoner before he was 14, to being the greatest military general America had ever seen. He won the battle of New Orleans and took over Florida with his own army. Common citizens marveled at his war tactics and his record of cheating death. He ran for President in 1824 and nearly won, if not for a “corrupt bargain”. He was the champion of the people, and the common men loved him. Despite all this, Andrew Jackson is infamous as one of the worst Presidents in the history of the United States. As President, he caused the economic crisis of 1837, he implemented the spoils system to reward cronies, and he ordered the genocide of Native
Andrew Jackson was like no other president before him. The previous presidents had one thing in common, they were all part of the founding fathers or in John Quincy Adam’s case was the son of a founding father. However Jackson was a plantation owner from the west who had no connections with the government. He also had different views from other presidents that made his presidency unique. Two things that separated Andrew Jackson’s presidency from previous presidencies were he reached out to the common people and he was disapproving of the Bank of United States.
President Jackson singlehandedly led the destruction of the Native Americans with his aggressive actions and hostile decisions. President Jackson shirked his responsibility to protect the Native Americans of the United States by ignoring the Supreme Court’s decision, promoting legislation to bring about the separation of Native Americans and whites, and his decision to involve the United States Armed Forces against Indian Tribes. If it was not for President Jackson’s actions, the future of the Native Americans would have been different, or at least the American settlers wanted Indian land for many reasons. These reasons include geography and terrain, location, resources, and old grudges. First, the geography was perfect for farmers with fertile land.
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...
The Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress in order to allow the growth of the United States to continue without the interference of the Native Americans. Jackson believed that the Native Americans were inferior to white settlers and wanted to force them west of the Mississippi. He believed that the United States would not expand past that boundary, so the Native Americans could govern themselves. Jackson evicted thousands of Native Americans from their homes in Georgia and the Carolinas and even disregarded the Supreme Court’s authority and initiated his plan of forcing the Natives’ on the trail of tears. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Indians, however Jackson ignored the ruling and continued with his plan. The result of the Indian Removal Act was that many tribes were tricked or forced off their lands, if they refused to go willingly, resulting in many deaths from skirmishes with soldiers as well as from starvation and disease. The Cherokee in particular were forced to undergo a forced march that became known as the Trail of
Jackson achieved all of his successes, such as the Nullification Crisis, The Indian Removal Act, The Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa Act, and the Second Bank of the United States, because he was the perfect anti-establishment president. He was true to who he was, and he earnestly fought for what he believed was right for himself and the common man. His relationship with citizens was unlike any other president’s relationships, and that is why Jacksonian politics is alive in President Trump
Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his people. These sayings contradict his actions because every time he gets closer to gaining more money, he spends it. In the long run, Jackson’s pitfalls did not stop his determination to gain back the regalia and ultimately find his personal identity. Given that he is Native American, the reader might assume that Jackson has a feeling of resentment towards white people due to the displacement of his people. From the beginning of the story, Jackson reveals a protective feeling caused by white people.
Andrew Jackson’s actions could be interpreted both as a defender of the common man or as a powerful ruler that exploited the rights and wills of the people. Throughout this time while America was finding its identity, many people disagreed with the way Jackson was governing the new nation. Some of Jackson’s actions supported the common man, while his other actions manipulated the people’s rights and created a democracy against the people’s will.
Andrew Jackson also known as, “The people’s choice,” was a self made man. He represented the South and the Western frontier expansionism. He was a strong military leader, a superior Court judge, and an Indian fighter. Jackson represented the common man. The United States of America benefitted greatly from the actions of Andrew Jackson.