Flaws of Jacksonian Democracy - 2066 Words

After the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson (â€Å"Old Hickory†) first became publicly recognized as a war hero and an Indian fighter. Very few people, if any, probably predicted he would one day become the president of the United States; but he did! In the election of 1828, Jackson campaigned as an authentic man of the people and was elected president by a landslide. During the campaign, Jacksonians created a new political party—the Democrats, the first modern one created, that supported Jackson and his run for office. Upon Jackson entering office, America saw the birth of a new era of mass democracy. Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and†¦show more content†¦In fact, he was the foundation for the formation of the modern Democratic Party. British visitor to the United States Harriet Martineau described this in Document D (Society in America), â€Å"I ha d witnessed the controversies between candidates for office on some difficult subjects, of which the people were to be the judges.† Furthermore, when Jackson first entered office, he used the â€Å"spoils system,† or rotation of major governmental officeholders, as a legitimate use of political democracy. He supported his veto of the Bank charter, although unconstitutional, by pointing out that the Bank directors were not chosen democratically. Instead, as Document B (paragraph 3) illustrates, the government chose five directors and the a few, wealthy citizen stockholders chose the remaining 25. These directors were obviously not chosen in a democratic manner; and when Jackson â€Å"killed† the Bank, he also got rid of this undemocratic election process. Yes, Jackson did make sure to protect white male suffrage, but rather than conferring with the popularly elected officials, he listened mainly to the advice of close friends and unofficial advisers, also kno wn as his â€Å"Kitchen Cabinet,† including Amos Kendall and Francis P. Blair. This almost defeated the purpose of popular elections. Although he protected political democracy in the above manners, JacksonShow MoreRelatedDbq on Andrew Jackson Essay813 Words   |  4 PagesDBQ – Andrew Jackson Jacksonian Democrats believed that they were protecting individual liberty, political democracy, the equality of economic opportunity, and upholding the rights of the Constitution of the United States. In my opinion, the Jacksonians were, to some extent, guardians of the United States. However, the Jacksonians did have their flaws. When it came to protecting individual liberties, Jacksonians favored the white male population, but totally ignored others. They wanted toRead MoreAndrew Jackson, A New School Of Thought Essay1886 Words   |  8 Pagesworld of academics continued to develop and stricter guidelines became more urbanized, a new school of thought under the neoconservatives, a new school of thought based on both democratic and conservative viewpoints. Under the democratic school of Jacksonian historiography is Life of Andrew Jackson, a text written by John Spencer Bassett. In Bassett’s text we continue to look with greater eyes on the shortcomings of Jackson. Bassett argues Jackson’s â€Å"lack of education, his crude judgments in many affairsRead More Second World War Essay2954 Words   |  12 PagesThe Jacksonian tradition steered the United States to victory in the Second World War. Once lulled from the comfort of its isolationism, the Americans sealed the fate of the Axis powers. B ut had the Wilsonian tradition, a formidable current here at Swarthmore and among today’s democrats, directed American foreign policy leading up to and during the war, it seems likely that history would tell a different tale. As it stood in 1941, the United States was undoubtedly entrenched in the Jacksonian campRead MoreThe Evolution Of Democracy And The Early Republic Essay1175 Words   |  5 PagesThe Evolution of Democracy in the Early Republic President Jefferson and President Jackson were two complete different people. Though each one had their flaws, they also had some good intentions throughout their presidency. The government was different under each president because each one had their own ideas for America. There is a chain of causes that made America the way it was under each president. 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I will be talking about the different types of democracy in the United States, how democracy has changed for the United States, and even go into detail about how democracy can benefit a country hasRead MoreThe Road Of Success : Andrew Jackson2141 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"people’s will†, and he was the first to support these radical ideals like defeating the money-based class system and dismantling the economic market instability, and it now remains as a foundation of our great country today (â€Å"Presidency† and â€Å"Jacksonian Democracy†). Jackson understood these men and their wants because he was a common man, working his way up out of poverty and bec oming a lawyer, all to make sure that everybody else could do the same. These ideals put in place by Jackson inspired theRead MoreEssays for the American Pageant, 14th Ed.11068 Words   |  45 Pagesthe Embargo Act of 1807, which aimed at preventing trouble with European countries by stopping all Americans exports. This unpopular and economically disruptive law was repealed in 1809. 2. Analyze the social changes that gave rise to mass democracy in the United States between 1820 and 1840. Include the roles of three of the following in this process. John Marshall Henry Clay Andrew Jackson William Henry Harrison Essay A (Strong) By 1840, the process for attaining high office