hero, he was regarded by many as the spokesman of the common man. He entered the White
House in 1829 after winning the second of two vigorously fought election campaigns. Through
his forceful personality, he restructured the office of the president and helped shape the
democratic party.
Less educated and less schooled in government than many of his political opponents,
Jackson had leaped to national fame in the War of 1812 as the hero of the Battle of New Orleans
and had captured the dedicated loyalty of a vast segment of the American population. He was
widely acclaimed as the symbol of what the new American thought himself to be a self-made
man endowed with virtue and strength. The results of the election of 1824 proved that Jackson
was indeed the champion of a popular majority.
Jackson's administrations were highlighted by the frustration of sectional attempts to
weaken the central government by state nullification of federal law, and by his confrontation
with the Bank of the U.S. Jackson also positively affected the development of the U.S.
presidency. He concentrated power in the office through wide use of the veto and through his
insistence that the chief executive alone represented the will of the whole nation. He committed
the presidential powers to the protection of the people.
Throughout his presidency, Jackson was portrayed as both a states' rightist and as a
nationalist. As a states' rightist, he proteced the states rights so that the federal government
would not fund individual states' rights and favor them over other states. He was a strong
believer in the political ideas of the Jeffersonians. Another example of Jackson being a states'
rightist includes the Maysville Road veto. Jackson had pledged to reduce the national debt and
was opposed to the rising number of bills before Congress that proposed to finance internal
improvements with public money. The Maysville Road Bill gave authorized the use of federal
funds to construct a road between the towns of Maysville and Lexington, both in Kentucky.
Jackson vetoed the bill, calling it unconstitutional because it concerned only the state of
Kentucky.
As a nationalist, Jackson believed in a strong central government in order to unify the
nation. He also believed in a democracy for the entire nation. Jackson also supported the Spoils
System, which rewarded his political supporters with public offices and allowed common people
to take office.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
a. But, he called in loans with unnecessary cruelty and plainly for the purpose of forcing a reconsideration of the charter by Congress…
- 4939 Words
- 20 Pages
Good Essays -
10. Why did Jackson veto the bank? What were some of the effects of this action?…
- 543 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Jefferson was a believer in the Monroe Doctrine which basically said we will mind our own busi…
- 479 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Jackson had many similar views of the constitution as Thomas Jefferson when he became president. None of this was more apparent than with his feud with Nicholas Biddle and the national bank. He believed that there shouldn't be a national bank only state banks, or as his opponents called them “pet banks”. He said that the bank wasn't in the constitution itself and therefor would veto the recharter of the bank in 1832. He then withdrew all of the government deposits from the 2nd national bank and deposited them into the state banks. Although the national bank wasn't in the constitution, his opponents believe that his personal hatred toward the bank drove his reasoning, not the constitutionality of the bank itself.…
- 767 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
During the 1830’s and 1820’s the Jacksonain Democrats viewed them selves as the protectors of the Constitution from other parties who had a loose on the constitution. This statement can be viewed as both true and false as the Jacksonian Democrats did not live up to their promises. With the veto of the bank, Indian Removal Act, Jackson did little to defend the United States Constitution as promised. To add on to Jackson’s inconsistencies many of his decisions were found to have flaws that directly opposed to the Constitution. Andrew Jackson and his followers, although promised to be defenders of the Constitution, were some times anything but that.…
- 596 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
As a result of Jackson, if he didn’t step up and thought of changing this, we might be still living in miserable lifestyle. Also, we would still be continuing the European culture and its traits. Reading the book, Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics by Edward Pessen, one can tell that the change was done for a good cause. Even though many suffered and were treated badly, the change like this was meant to civilize the people of the nation. Looking at other countries today, some of their people are not even trained to live as human beings. The terrorist attacks happening and it causing people to join the terrorist groups is very awful. However, Jackson did a wonderful job on changing the…
- 936 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
During the Jacksonian reign, numerous advancements sped up the growth of the United States. A market revolution occurred as cash-crop agriculture and capitalist manufacturing replaced artisan economy. Despite the prosperity, a split was emerging between the industrializing, urban north, agrarian, rural South, and the expanding West. The Jacksonians passed the Tariff of 1828, which opened opportunity for western agriculture and New England manufacturing, but was damaging to the South. Andrew Jackson believed that the US bank placed too much control into the hands of a wealthy few (Document B). Therefore, Jackson vetoed the bank's re-charter in 1832. In attempt to benefit the lower, working classes, he placed the federal money in "pet" state banks. This attempt weakened the national currency. Like most Jacksonian economic policies, it failed. Jacksonians tried to assist only the whites through economic policies but failed in that also.…
- 703 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
president from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801. He was affiliated with the Federalist Party.…
- 1711 Words
- 2 Pages
Better Essays -
He only served for two terms, He didn’t believe in permanent political parties, and he only vetoed a bill when it questioned constitutionality. Jackson’s Economic Policy broke one of those warnings and enhanced the development of American democracy for generations to come. Jackson believed, and many of his supporters, that the bank was far too powerful. The bank served mainly to private investors, and not the common people. In 1832 when Henry Clay, one of Jackson's political enemies, proposed an early recharter of the Bank of the United Sates he hoped to get rid of Jackson's wealthy supporters if Jackson vetoed the recharter, and if he passed it then the common man would feel betrayed. Andrew Jackson, immediately vetoed the recharter once it passed through congress. His veto of the recharter bill…
- 696 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
like that he was not helping the upper class because he was in favor of…
- 420 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Andrew Jackson was an impactful president whose strategies and actions transformed the country. He was a controversial figure in American politics, due to both his empowerment of the “common” American man, his ruining of the economy, and his deplorable acts he subjected the American Indians to.…
- 285 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Jacksonians had a strict interpretation of the constitution and wanted to follow it as much as they could. This is shown in Jackson’s veto of the national bank. Jackson thought that bank was unconstitutional and only made the rich richer. As he says in his veto message “I can perceive none of these modifications…to make it compatible with justice, with sound policy, or with the Constitution of our country”. Rich foreigners held most of the stock in the bank which hurt the country as he says “more than a fourth part of the stock is held by foreigners” making the bank unconstitutional. The Jacksonians were concerned with the common man and the constitution. The national bank only took from the common man and gave more to the rich.…
- 780 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Duringthis experience Washington losted many war, but he also had many victories thatproves he was indeed capable to take on this role. George Washington was involved in the Constitutional Convention , which hewas concerned the idea of an American mind that had emerged during the war withBritain was about to disappear and the Articles of Confederation poorly promotedthe development of an American character. To Washington there were errors thatneeded to be corrected, he argued that the states refused to comply with thearticles of peace, the union was unable to regulate interstate commerce, and thestates met, but oh so grudgingly, just the minimum interstate standards required bythe Articles. Others, especially James Madison , were concerned that the statelegislatures— dominated by what he saw as oppressive, unjust, and overbearingmajorities— were passing laws detrimental to the rights of individual conscience andthe right to private…
- 550 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
He had a strong personality and if people would not do what he wanted he simply would fired them, as he proved it by changing four times secretary of state and five times secretary of treasury.…
- 162 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Andrew Jackson thought that our country wouldn't support and vote enough for the democrats so when he campaigned he told the people that he will listen to them and do their wishes and wants. He wanted to do this because the people before him in office did a horrific job of this. 1824 was the first election Andrew Jackson ran for but it was decided by the U.S House of Representatives and Jackson didn't gain the title…
- 376 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays