Andrew Jackson
Was Andrew Jackson the American hero that we make him out to be? Do his accomplishments as President of the United States merit the recognition they receive? During his two terms in office, from 1829 to 1837, Andrew Jackson managed to remove the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeastern United States and kill the most stable financial institution in the country, causing the largest financial crisis in American history up until that point. He trampled on the most sacred of American civil liberties by burning the mail of abolitionist groups. Are these accomplishments we can be proud of or is the portrait of Andrew Jackson on our $20 banknotes the greatest national embarrassment? The Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeastern United States tried to assimilate into White American culture. They owned slaves and plantations, wrote constitutions, and largely spoke the English language. But when gold was discovered on the ancestral lands of the Cherokee in Georgia, the greedy Jackson expelled them and sent them to undesirable land on the other side of the Mississippi. This move was in direct contradiction to a ruling made by the United States Supreme Court. What would happen today if the president acted against the rulings of the Supreme Court? Surely chaos and disorder rule our government. The chief executive would weald greater power than is appropriate in our democratic society. The Second Bank of the United States was the most important financial institution in America during the Era of Good Feelings. It prevented the smaller state banks from issuing bad loans to people that could not pay them back. The Bank of the United States was successful in establishing sound monetary policy and creating an economic climate that was favorable for substantial growth. Andrew Jackson, felt that the best course of action would be to reject an extension of the bank charter and to withdraw federal deposits in the bank. Without the strong financial policies of the Bank, the