Andrew Jackson’s presidency was a turning point of sorts for the United States. For the first time ever there was a president “of the common man”, as he was referred to. Prior to him getting into office, the United States a fledgling nation, had yet to see anyone other than high-ranking, old money aristocrats in office. It can be hard to feel fully represented and provided for when your government is unfamiliar with your problems and needs. These was not an issue that was unfamiliar, in fact the problem of illegitimate representation was what the colonists had sought to escape when under Britain’s rule. With Jackson in office it seemed as though the United States was taking a step in the right direction. Andrew Jackson was the first president …show more content…
The word 'spoils' means incidental, secondary, benefits reaped by a winner. The people Jackson put in place of those he removed were those who were secondary to him, like his right hand men that upheld the same policies as he and who similar to him had the interests of the common man in mind. They were like extensions of himself that made things more efficient. Jackson removed the initial people so that he could reach his goal of really making a change for the common people, and show them that the government wasn’t dominated by greedy rich people that only represented a select handful. These motives stemmed from his humble beginnings one could say. It is true that maybe he could have gone about “purging corruption” in the White House in a way that seemed less like nepotism however he did show himself in this instance to be a president of the common people as did the democrats as a …show more content…
In fact the common man of the time—whether he was a powerful blueblood or a humble Christian—didn’t believe that the Native Americans should be able to keep their land for quite a few reasons. They felt that Native Americans were prohibiting the United States from truly expanding to its fullest potential not to mention they also felt threatened by the Natives being so close. So, Jackson signed into law the Indian Removal Act in 1830. However, there were American Indians that refused to leave their home lands for the lands promised to them further west in what would now be Oklahoma. Eventually they were forcibly removed by American troops. During their exodus many died of sickness, cold or starvation and the migration became known as the “trail of tears”. Although it seems like a terrible thing to sign to now, back in that time it was something the common man supported which just further reinstates the fact that Jackson’s goals in office aligned with the common man’s interests. In fact Jackson was so supportive of the common man’s interests that he supported them even when they weren’t always the most morally
When Andrew Jackson became president, he introduced the spoils system. This practice replaced government officials with the winning political party’s supporters. Jackson thought that the spoils system was democratic because it prevented government officials from the opposite party from becoming a powerful aristocracy. The spoils system was made famous from the speech given by Senator William L. Marcy of New York. To criticize Jackson’s political appointments, Senator William replied, “To the victor belong the spoils of the enemy.”
“One can never forget the sadness and solemnity of that morning of that morning… Many of the children rose to their feet and waved their little hands good-by to their mountain homes, knowing they were leaving them forever.” - John G. Burnett, US military interpreter during the Trail of Tears. In one of the blackest marks made in history by the United States, the Trail of Tears was the brutal removal of the Cherokee and many other tribes from their homes. While the Supreme Court had ruled that the Cherokee Nation had the right to the land, Andrew Jackson had forced nearly 1,600 Native Americans to march to Oklahoma from Georgia and surrounding areas instead, ignoring the court ruling. The Indian Removal Act was a step in the wrong direction for our
President Jackson was described as representing the beliefs of the “average” American because at the time most Americans were for expanding the territory of the United States so that their population could grow without being an overpopulated area. They also wanted to remove Indians from their territory so that this would be possible. Some people got the idea that if the Indians were not going to benefit the United States that they were a waste of space. They thought the Indians should be removed from the land that they had owned for thousands of years just so the U.S. could expand. A lot of Americans also saw Indian removal as one less thing that was needed to be done to get the United States to be an all- white nation.
The man many Americans adored and followed has been taking his presidency too lightly. Andrew Jackson was a vision of a common man, a stubborn one. He never listens to anyone in his cabinets or any of his secretaries, and instead seeks the advice from local friends. Jackson brought nothing but death,stress, and corruption to America. The Indian Removal Act caused death and proved Andrew’s ignorance, as the Spoil System brought corruption and the Panic of 1837 caused depression throughout common people(study.com).
Andrew Jackson was the first president to be born in a log cabin, similarly to other colonists at the time. Throughout his lifetime, he took upon several occupations before his presidency including serving as a general during the Revolutionary War and becoming an attorney in Tennessee. After winning the election of 1828 by a landslide, Jackson continued his career by serving two terms as President of the United States. While Jackson advanced democracy in various ways during his presidency, he also obstructed the democracy in many other ways. Jackson saw himself as a representative to “the people.”
Andrew Jackson was considered a favorite amongst Americans during his time. He had strong ideas and opinions. During his presidency, the frontier was becoming more and more popular, and his presidency exemplified that. Jackson was considered to be a man of the people by many due to the fact that he filled official positions with people who supported him, more people were allowed to vote for him due to changes in voting laws, and because he believed in limiting the federal government.
Jackson caused Jacksonian Democracy to increase the power of the common man because he was seen by the people as one of them and used his power to give the people what they
“Andrew Jackson's election in 1828 is described as The Revolution of 1828. It brought to power the first American President not rooted in the Eastern aristocracy. He was elected by the "common" man and acted within that mandate. Jackson's Presidency is the beginning of the modern Presidency, one in which the powers vested in the office of the President grew immensely” (Andrew,
Andrew Jackson contributed many conspicuous matters to the United States throughout his presidential term. Many debates remain active concerning the intention of the seventh president of our nation. When some retrospect the essence of Jackson, they would confirm that he is accurately known for representing the rights of the common man, and for being at the forefront of our modern democratic party. On the contrary, others will condemn this once so ordinary, “common” man for possessing an insatiable crave of power that was occupied within this insidious prime minister. Jackson revealed his underlying intentions through his colossal aggregate of slaves, serving as the basis of the Trail of Tears, and his overabuse of the Spoils System.
Jackson developed the economy in a way that no man had too much but every man were financially stable. Jackson built new roads and made other infrastructural improvements especially in the south that were of benefit to the more working class “common man”. Jackson also introduced many Acts and Movements that would help to improve the United States and improve the lives of all US citizens. Andrew Jackson, a former orphan and a war hero, was a popular choice when he was elected seventh President of the United States in 1828. This was based on the fact that Jackson did not hail from a wealthy or “elite” background but from the working class western state of Tennessee.
The founders of the United States did their best to create a government that would not allow erroneous decisions to greatly harm the nation. They set a percent of presidents being politically sound and well-known; their beliefs for how the nation should be handled were essential to their campaign. President Andrew Jackson, however, did not follow this system, instead winning primarily by his personality and popularity amongst the common American. While his actions in office often appeared to be for the people, most had a hidden selfish side to them that he easily covered up. With the election of 1828, Jackson radically changed American politics, focusing them more on public appearance and personal character than on intelligence and political views, making personality just as, if not more important than the actual politics of a political term.
Andrew Jackson was seen as a common man the voice of the people by some. By others he was King Andrew, trampling the constitution and instigating tyranny. Jackson’s presidency impacted democracy, through his use of the veto power, and his claim of Clay creating a “corrupt bargain”, which is not a turning point for a rise in democracy despite him giving white male suffrage. During Jackson’s use of executive power weakened voice of the people.
No living human is either entirely virtuous or wholeheartedly evil. Sometimes it can seem that way, but that’s because most of the time individuals hear want to hear what they want to hear. This concept is entirely true in regard to Andrew Jackson, who people can see as a heroic American war hero who came from nothing and stood by his beliefs or the complete opposite. People could also perceive him as an evil, tyrannical leader who forced thousands of Native Americans out of their homes. I believe Andrew Jackson was not a hero but a villain because of the way he treated Native Americans, the actions he took during his presidency, and the fact he was a slave-owner.
He started by replacing many government jobs to officials with his supporters”. This is a major reasons why Jackson was bad. He would be considered an absolute Monarch or King. An example of this is when the Supreme Court sides with the Indians against the state of Georgia, and jackson ignores the supreme court’s ruling. The “spoils system” corrupted the government because no one had a chance to get good at their
The time has come to make a judgement of the great Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States from 1829~1837. Although some people didn’t like Jackson very well due to very few of his decisions, he made many good decisions during his presidency. Andrew Jackson should be remembered as a hero of the common man due to his unifying leadership, generous approach of governing, and concern for economic equality. The first reason that Andrew Jackson should be remembered as a hero is because of his unifying leadership.