Andrew Jackson was known for many things; from changing the way America votes, to forcing the Native Americans into Indian territory. Many people have mixed feelings about whether he was democratic or not. No one is just one color, they can be an entire rainbow, and that is what Andrew Jackson is.
There are many incidents where he is more democratic than undemocratic. Take his election for example. According to an excerpt from “ The American Pageant”, it claims that some people who came to Jackson's inauguration came from over 500 miles away! This creates the impression that people really thought that Andrew Jackson could really change the United States for the better. That he was a leader for the people and he would never let them down. Another place where he was being more democratic is with the spoils system. “Jackson’s December 8, 1829, letter to congress,”
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Take one of his biggest “projects”, the Indian Removal act, for example. According to “Jackson's December 8, 1829, Letter to Congress”, he wanted the Native Americans to move out west. Jackson said, “... I suggest for your consideration... setting apart an ample district west of the Mississippi… to be guaranteed to Indian tribes as long as they shall occupy it.” Makes him sound kinda democratic right? Well… none of the Native Americans wanted to move. According to “Memorial to the Cherokee Nation”, the land was bad out west. One of the Cherokee even saying,“The far greater part of that region is… badly supplied with food and water” This means that Jackson wanted to move the native Americans somewhere where they would not be able to thrive. And according to the “Indian Removal Map”, it shows that some tribes had to travel hundreds of miles, and some even cross large bodies of water. Jackson knew they would have to do this. Not only is this plain mean, it also shows that he doesn’t care about all
It is clear from the documents that andrew Jackson was hero of the common man. Andrew jackson was a very popular person. Andrew Jackson was elected to presidency two times. In document 1 it states that Jackson had an increased amount of votes during the time of his election he was also the first president who had people voting from west of the Appalachian mountains. He had almost more than double the popular votes than Henry Clay.
He mapped out an area of the west that he was willing to give them as long as they moved out of Georgia. Jackson, being the war hero that he was, could have easily decided to slaughter the Indians to eliminate the issue. Instead, he gave them a coveted opportunity to move to land set up especially for them to live on. The Indians were a people who lived off the land for years. They were accustomed to and appreciated the struggles that emerge from that type of culture.
Andrew Jackson's Life Andrew Jackson was a brave and violent man that faced his problems head on. I think he was a indian hating man that did do some good things for the U.S. He grew hate for the british when they took his mother and made him clean a soldier's boots. Andrew refused to do it and the soldier got mad and swung his sword at his head, but caught the blade with his hand. He never really said he didn’t really like indians but, his actions showed it.
A strong nationalist, Andrew Jackson did not prove to be a true democrat due to his exclusion of the Indians from the era’s democratic nationalism. Jackson’s vision of democracy excluded any role for Indians, who he believed should be pushed west of the Mississippi River (Foner, 379). He
In the journal article “ Andrew Jackson versus the Historians”, author Charles G. Sellers explained the various interpretations of Jackson, from the viewpoint of Whig historians and Progressive Historians. These interpretations were based on the policies of Jackson. The Whig historians viewed the former president in a negative way. They considered him arrogant, ignorant, and not fit for being president. Sellers pointed out that it was not just because of “Jackson’s personality…nor was it the general policies he pursued as president”
He thought they were animals and that Native Americans were in the way of advancement ("Andrew Jackson Speaks: Indian Removal Policy). He forced 5 tribes of Native Americans to move which was called the Trail Tears. By 1842 almost all of the Native American where across the Mississippi River. Andrew Jackson wanted the growth of the American people and he needed more room, as the population grew. He wanted the growth of the people and the advancement in technology and the Native Americans did not, they wanted it to stay the way it was but America grew large enough to support our country today.
With everything historians have studied, Andrew Jackson is pointed towards being very democratic. He let the people expand westward to have more land, gave more power to the people in the government and gave the right to vote for a lot of people. Andrew Jackson is considered to be an unruly is some people’s eyes but all he wanted was the advancement in the peoples culture. He let the common people expand westward. Although it seemed harsh for him to remove the Indians from their ground he stated that it would be a horrible and dreadful thing if the American government forced the Native Americans off of their homelands.
One example of this is that he believed the people should be the ones to directly elect the president. As stated in the source: Robert Remini, Andrew Jackson and The Course of American Empire, Vol. III, 1984 “He proceeded from the idea that all offices - whether appointed or elected - must ultimately fall under the absolute control of the people. Appointed offices should be rotated, preferably every four years. Elected offices must be filled directly by the people.
How Democratic Was Andrew Jackson? Jackson was born in the year 1767 to a poor family. When he was only 13 years old he was captured from the British during the revolutionary war. As he got older he found himself in the military and he was called a national hero when he fought in the battle of 1812. He served for two terms as president and Jacksonian or is followers say that he was democratic where the people are heard.
He also thought that the National Bank stood in the way of opportunity for capitalists in the west and other regions. This clearly shows that Jackson had the interest of all people, the cornerstone of democracy. The article “Jackson’s Inauguration”, is another document that shows how democratic Andrew Jackson really was. This article shows how Andrew Jackson opened up the White House in celebration of his upcoming presidency. Some people saw this as a bad thing.
Andrew Jackson during his time was considered a very patriotic politician he hated the rich, he hated the Indian, and loved the idea of slavery. It has been said that he grew up not educated and had a bad up bring but still managed to get to a high political suture. Jackson at one point was general and had a very decorated portfolio, which made sense he would become president, Andrew was most well know for “The Battle of New Orleans” where Andrew Jackson, prevented the British Army and General Edward Pakenham, from seizing New Orleans nearing the end of that war.
President Andrew Jackson was a very popular president and did a lot of things during his presidency. But in my opinion, I think he was not democratic because he wanted everything done his way or no way, like during the Indian Removal act in Document 10. He wanted the Indians land so he had his soldiers move them \west into the Indian territory. One way that President Andrew Jackson was democratic was his Bank Veto Message to Congress in Document 4.
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.
Others, on the other hand, believe he was far from accomplishing that. Politics are a way that expresses how the Unites States was not democratized during this time period. Jacksons animosity towards the Indians exposed his undemocratic actions during his first years of his presidency. However,
Also, Andrew transformed the very conception of the U.S. presidency during his two terms by increasing the number of people eligible to vote, break the power of the congressional "King Caucus" to control nomination of candidates, and to promote many democratic reforms. Jackson believed in