Jeffersonian vs. Jacksonian Democracy

Jeffersonian vs. Jacksonian Democracy

Both Jefferson and Jackson were fighting for the interests of farmers against the commercial and mercantile interests of the country. Jefferson was portrayed as a man of the people, but he remained a wealthy planter who tended to associate only with other elites. His mannerisms were much more upper-class. Jefferson talked about limited government yet his actual practices as President differed. He maintained the bank of the US, authorized the Louisiana Purchase and pushed for stronger party cohesion, all things that many Democrats opposed. Jackson was also a wealthy farmer, but he had come from a poorer region and did not have “wealthy parents.” He was much more comfortable mixing with people of lower social and economic classes. He was also much more focused on attacking the mercantile classes, particularly his refusal to renew the charter for the Bank of the US.
Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were two influential political figures in two very different eras. Each formed their own democracy that helped shape the way people think about American government. They had their differences and yet they also had their similarities. Viewpoints between the two democracies will be analyzed in political, economic, social, and religious aspects. The Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracies were alike and different to each other in the area of politics and economics. The conditions which a citizen was considered eligible for office holding was similar. In the Jeffersonian Democracy, an eligible citizen was one that was average rather than rich and well born. Jackson declared all ordinary and intelligent white citizens equally qualified to serve. He eventually started what is known as the "spoils system" in which long-term officeholders were removed for rotation. Then how they chose candidates to be President was done differently. In Jefferson's time the two highest voted candidates became the President and the Vice-President of the United States. In Jackson’s time a candidate was chosen by a nominating convention and the President and Vice-President ran for their offices separately. Both men's attitude toward the Bank of the United States was similar. Jefferson encouraged State banks and was originally opposed to the national bank. Jackson and his followers strongly opposed the Second Bank of America. He won the "Bank War" by having federal income deposited in state banks, while he continued to draw money out of the national bank. The political and economic conditions of the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracies were equally related and different. However, the social and religious aspects were quite clear. Each man’s attitude toward minorities (including slaves, women, and Native Americans) were closely related. For example, Jefferson doubted that white civilization and Indian "savagery" could coexist and although he said that men were born to freedom not to slavery he still held many slaves. He felt strongly that women had a single purpose in life: marriage and subordination to a husband. Jefferson saw no reason to let them vote since women were never called upon to discuss politics or anything really for that matter. In the same manner, Jackson turned away from extending egalitarian policies to slaves and women received little betterment, although many reforms were taking place in the time of the Jacksonian Democracy. \ Jackson, who also led an expedition against in Spanish Florida in 1818, forced thousands of Native Americans to march from Georgia to Oklahoma on the infamous "Trail of Tears." Each man viewed education in opposite opinions. One of the many bills Jefferson proposed was the Bill for General Education, which "allowed everyone, without regard to birth or wealth, to have as much free education as each person was fitted for." On the other hand, Jackson and his followers opposed programs such as educational reform and the establishment of public education. He believed that schools restricted individual liberty by interfering with parental responsibility and undermined freedom of religion by replacing church schools. How the separation of church and state was accomplished was different. Jefferson proposed the Statute for Religious Freedom, separating church and state and removing the private right of religious belief from control by public law. Jackson believed that a strong federal government restricted individual freedom and he was against religious reform. The social and religious viewpoints of Jefferson and Jackson had their similarities and their differences.
It is clear to see how distinct the similarities and differences were between the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracies. They are shown in the areas of politics, economics, social life, and religion. Their viewpoints, opinions, and or ideas all helped establish the strong democracy that America has today.