Andrew Jackson Dbq Essay

Andrew Jackson was one of the greatest presidents who made very difficult decisions for our country. Although his choices were not always the popular decision, he made choices that were always promoting democracy. The things that make a good democracy are: giving people a say in government, having a good leader that you can trust to make wise decisions, peace and stability between each country and other states, and having equal power in the government (checks and balances). Andrew Jackson came into office with a popular vote and great support. His supporters viewed him as a man of the people. Andrew Jackson promoted democracy well. This is true because he kept peace and stability between the nation and he provided people equal rights.

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 had many ideas about what could make democracy in America greater, which gained him a large group of supporters from all around the nation. The people saw Jackson as many things from the “Frontier Aristocrat” for his vast life experience to “Old Hickory” because of his toughness. The people loved his jack-of-all-trades persona, which many thought made him the personification of the west. He commanded fear and respect from his subordinates, and was known for his unflexing ways when it came to achieving what he wanted. The era of Jacksonian Democracy demonstrated the extensive power of the "common man" through the leadership of Andrew Jackson, a self proclaimed “common

When Jackson chose to eliminate the National Bank he had what was best for him on his mind and not what was best for the United States. The second National Bank was established in 1816 and had a charter set to expire in twenty years. The bank became very powerful and was good for the U.S. economy, “...it was the only bank permitted to have offices across the nation...The Bank of the United States also printed the country’s paper money” (Ember). Having these responsibilities, the bank became a very important part of the economy. However Jackson believed that the bank was unconstitutional. He was not very fond of the fact that the wealthy people in the country benefited from the bank, while the people in poverty did not. Like many other Americans at the time, Jackson strongly believed that the National Bank had too much power, however he also believed that the bank was bad for the economy which was not true. The National Bank strongly backed the United States economy. Many knew this, including Henry Clay, who knew that if the bank no longer existed the economy would soon fall apart. Knowing this, Clay thought to renew the Bank’s charter early in 1832 instead of 1836. He did this because he knew that Jackson was going to run for reelection in 1832 and he thought for sure that Jackson would never vote down a bill that would help the country dramatically if he was trying to win over the people of the United States. Jackson detested the bank so much that he vetoed the bill for an early renewal of the bills charter, “but renewal was still possible when the charter expired in 1836; to prevent that from happening, he set out to reduce the bank’s economic power”(Foner, Garraty). To diminish the banks power Jackson made an executive decision that he had

In fact, the reason he took apart the bank was to defend the common people and their profits. For one thing, the bank would give loans to the rich with intention to help their company flourish, but refused to loan the farmers more land to grow crops in which is their source of income. Therefore, the common people would be deprived of food and would constantly struggle to feed their family while the affluent who already have heaps of money are given more to purchase luxuries. Clearly this disparity was unjust, due to this Andrew Jackson ordered the secretary of treasury to transfer all federal deposits from the bank and put the money into the state banks during 1833. Another essential point is that Andrew Jackson exemplified strong leadership qualities as he frequently listened and understood the people's concerns. When South Carolina created a petition to lower the tariffs on imported goods and nullify the tariffs, Jackson acknowledged their concerns and lowered the price of the tariffs. After they continued to protest for further reduction on the tariffs even threatening to secede, Jackson finally put it to an end by advising them to cease or he would send troops to stop the ongoing disputes. ¨I feel in the depths of my soul that it is the highest, most sacred, and most irreversible part of my obligation to preserve the union of these states, although it may cost me my life.¨Andrew

As the first president to be elected that came from a humble beginning and did not lose the values that he had from his roots. Andrew Jackson was seen as a common man by the people and was looked to as a role model of building wealth. When he took office in 1829, the time that Andrew Jackson was in office was known as the "Era of the Common Man." Jackson was seen as the people's president and his policies matched the values of his supporters. In a time where there were no split political parties, Jackson was trying to be a president of the people. The "Era of the Common Man got its name from the origins and policies of Jackson, the support of the people, and the lasting legacy.

Andrew Jackson had a very forceful personalities and didn’t stop for nothing to get what he wanted. This created many political opponents throughout his lifetime. One of the most significant political rivals would be Nicholas Biddle, the president of the Second Bank of the United States. Biddle had accomplished a lot while being in charge of the bank, however he watch all of his success crumble down when Andrew Jackson refused to recharter the bank. Jackson vetoed the bill to recharter the bank as well as causing an economic depression. To take away the bank's credibility that Nicholas Biddle worked so hard establish, Jackson withdrew all of the government’s deposits causing repercussions throughout the nation's economy. The issue over the national bank alone was enough to fuel another political party itself. Many were displeased by Jackson’s veto, however, Henry Clay sided with Andrew Jackson over the issue. “I believed a bank of the United States not necessary, and that a safe reliance might be placed on the local banks, in the administration of the fiscal affairs of the Government.” - Henry Clay. This

currency. This was caused by the Second National Bank opening. Eighty percent of the bank was controlled by private corporations. This wasn’t good because the private corporations only wanted to use the bank to benefit themselves. In response, Jackson sent a veto letter to Congress about the Second National Bank and even destroyed his chances of re-election. In this veto letter against the new bank, he states,”It is regretted that the rich and powerful too often bent the acts of government their selfish purposes” (Jackson, 1832). This proves Jackson’s worries for the national money because of what the private corporations would do to with bank’s money. This was because they owned more than the majority of the bank. He also shows that he is worried about the national money. As stated before he said that the rich and powerful which are the corporations often bend the rules to benefit only themselves but not to the nation. This is important to why Jackson should be on currency is because it expresses Jackson's intentions to secure the national money from the powerful corporations that will destroy the economy. This proves why he vetoed the bank and shows the good he does. Another excerpt from the bank veto letter that shows Jackson’s good intentions is that he states,”Of the twenty-five directors of the bank five are chosen by the government and twenty by citizen stockholders” (Jackson, 1832). This indicates how he is concerned again that eighty percent of the people in control of the second national bank were wealthy. This resulted in the states having no control of their own money. This is bad for the national economy as stated in the previous reasoning from Jackson’s veto letter due to their selfish mindsets. This is relevant because it illustrates how the bank is in danger and Jackson had to veto it to protect the economy. This shows

The National Bank opened in 1816 was created to serve as a repository for federal funds. This was five years of the First National Banks charter had expired. The bank allowed less debt to be owed in the United States. But Jackson decided that the National Bank was unconstitutional and did not follow the lines of the constitution. Therefore President Jackson decided that he would cancel the National Bank. This meant that there would be more debt put onto our government and our taxes would increase. This shows that Jackson was a bad president by canceling and removing one of our most needed financial

He was a hot-tempered man who was interested in fighting, dueling, and not education as he was hardly educated himself. In reality, Jackson was not a “common man”, but he still pretended to be. At his inauguration, many came to view, and Jackson actually opened up the White House to the people and a party erupted inside. Andrew was also associated with the spoils system during his presidency, which basically claimed those who received jobs in the government had a loyalty to Jackson which made some angry because they felt that was unfair, but others liked the system because they would get jobs for their loyalty. Eventually, tariffs were set into place that angered the south. South Carolina threatened to succeed from the nation due to tariffs they did not agree with. Jackson actually did not support the tariff, but he still was not okay with the defiance from South Carolina. To halt the rebellious behavior from going any further, Henry Clay created a compromise to reduce the tariff over eight years. Jackson then had the authority to use troops to enforce federal law through the Force

Andrew Jackson wanted and even gave everyone equal economic opportunity by lessening monopoly with his bank veto. However, the financial panic of 1837 was caused by two of his plans, these include pet banks and Specie Circular. People in favor of the national bank proposed a renewal bill for the Second National Bank's charter. Jackson was not necessarily opposed to central banking as much as he was to the idea of the Second National Bank. By opposing the bill, the Second Bank expired and the US would be without an official bank for many years. Jackson didn't do this out of purely selfish reasons, he wanted to stop a monopoly or lessen the chances of one. However, when he vetoed the renewal of the Bank of the United States he withdrew funds

Andrew Jackson made a lot of correct decisions. Document 2 ( Primary Source) talks about Jackson’s message explaining his veto of the national bank on July 10, 1832. In the document it says “ it is to be regretted

His actions impacted many people’s lives, affecting them in a negative way. Though he had intentions of helping the country, the after effects always resulted in failure. Jackson forced the Natives from their homes and uprooted their lifestyle and culture. He pressured congress to pass the Indian Removal Act. The country experienced the Panic of 1837 at the hands of his banking policies and his failed plans to curb inflation. Andrew Jackson was also a violent man who held grudges and hatred towards others. For example, he didn’t hesitate to challenge Charles Dickinson to a duel when Dickinson called his wife a bigamist. Instead of having a reasonable response, he became angry and lashed out. This event proves his hot temperedness was and how far he could go in hatred of

Andrew Jackson grew up as an agriculturalist and joined the armed force. He battled in the war of 1812 and was viewed as a war hero for his accomplishments in New Orleans. As a government official, Jackson had a foundation of being a normal man, in this manner he comprehended what battles they experienced and could suit for them. Jackson indicated sympathy toward issues such as agricultural and mechanic development, and democratic values. It was these concerns that supported Jackson to endure in a common man morals. Agriculturalists had no utilization for credit and the coins or paper in the long run the best. Jackson set out on a campaign against the Bank of the United States. He alleged that the bank only benefitted the rich

When America’s political system was developing, Jackson became the face of the new Democratic Party (History). Jackson was elected by prominent vote due to his ability to reach the masses, and support for the common man (White House). During his presidency, Jackson had managed to further strengthen the power of the president (Inside Gov). Jackson was the first and only president to be able to completely pay off the nation’s debt. (Inside Gov) Instead of favoring the majority vote or minority vote, it seemed as though he favored his vote, during his presidency he had used his power to veto twelve bills, which was more than the six presidents before him combined (Millercenter). Although those who were against him often considered him “King Jackson”, he still believed in the common man and did everything to try and support the people. During his presidency he was strongly against the idea of acquiring a national bank due to his belief that the bank would be ran through the rich, which would harm the common people of his nation. (Inside Gov) During Jackson’s presidency, he managed to lift the landowning requirement for