Compare And Contrast The Expansion Of Suffrage Dbq Essay

During the “Age of Jackson” in the 1820’s, the argument over whether or not to expand American suffrage was a conflicting one. Those who opposed the expansion of suffrage argued that it was a “dangerous expansion of democracy”, while those who favored the expansion believed it to be morally correct and helpful to the democratic system. Those who favored the expansion of American suffrage believed it to be a natural right that should be utilized by able white men. This expansion of suffrage was believed to lead to a stronger and healthier American democracy. In Document 1, the chairman of a New York state committee explains that the only qualifications to vote should be the morality and integrity of the people. This committee argued to expand suffrage because of the qualities and hard work of the American people. In Document 5, and ambassador

The expansion of suffrage was argued to be burdensome and unwise for the American government. In Document 2, Chief Justice of New York State’s highest court, James Kent, argued that the expansion of suffrage would mean that “ the indolent and the profligate would cast the whole burdens of society upon the industrious and the virtuous.” (Doc 2). Kent believed that the expansion of suffrage to the majority would result in them making uneducated decisions that would burden the rest of society. As described by Frances Trollope in Document 4, the officials of the American government seemed to be unqualified. The election process was simply a popularity contest voted on by both drunk and sober men who wanted a change in leadership. Also, as illustrated in the painting by George Caleb Bingham in Document 6, the expansion of suffrage resulted in dirty, uneducated, and unsophisticated men voting for the country’s next leader. These men made poor and unwise decisions that trumped the ideas of the educated and sophisticated