In the article “Abuse of Power: Andrew Jackson and the Indian Removal Act of 1830,” the author, Alfred A. Cave, writes about President Jackson’s abuse of power. He is arguing that Jackson abused his power when he was enforcing the Indian Removal Act. He argues that Jackson broke guarantees he made to the Indians. He uses a political methodology and uses secondary sources.
Even having a whole age named after him, Andrew Jackson’s decisions darning his presidency caused divide between the American people; ether they commended him on his impulsive behavior or despised it. Many American’s felt this radical change of their nation as a betrayal to the goals of the Jeffersonian Republicanism. The demolition of the national bank, though Jefferson was against it, in turn destroyed trust with in the elite. The total disregard to the Supreme Court leading to the “Trail of Tears” represented un-democratic ideals.
The rise of Jacksonian democracy have influenced the United States in the years of 1820s to 1830s. As a veteran of the war of 1812 and also known for being a common man his popularity has given him a spot in office. With the use of the spoil system he has given government jobs to loyal supporters which has also lead to the creation of the kitchen cabinet. Making extreme decisions like the Indian removal act, many have question his authority but are unable to do anything. Jacksonian democrats viewed themselves as guardians of the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of opportunity.
By a close shot, Andrew Jackson won the election. While under his power, Jackson began the Spoils System - also known as the Patronage System- where his political supporters were given positions in the public office. To which William Marcy remarked, “To the victor belong the spoils of the
Also he wanted the offices that are solely to benefit the people so that no man has more rights than another. Finally, Jackson was not democratic because he wanted the Indians to move out of his land. So he decided to have the U.S. Soldiers move them west into the Indian territory.
He was known as “ The Common Man” because he rose and became a war hero and he appealed to the common man. The participation of people in this campaign changed during this election because it was the first time a large group of people got involved. Also, when Jackson became President of the United States, he adopted the “Spoils System” which was a system where the president chooses who gets to work in the “Kitchen cabinet” (Document D). This document clarifies how the change from the cabinet to the kitchen cabinet influenced the votes. This way of governing as president was different than how it was in Document B.
The image illustrates Andrew Jackson’s creation of a “spoil system”, which gave government positions to individuals who supported him and who he believed would act in his interests. Jackson originally fabricated this system to push individuals to back him in the presidential election.. This visual asserts the popular opinion by the losing party in this election of the corruptness the system and the hunger for power and greed that fueled it.
Andrew Jackson was known as the hot-head president of the 19th century. His controversial attitude surrounding racial bias and equality was quite prevalent in his eight years of office. Although he was well respected among the common man, he was faced with several acts of criticism from the upper class and American Native citizens. The political cartoon, “King Andrew” portrays Jackson as a demanding and controlling figure, as he grips a staff in his right hand. He is also pictured with luxurious regal robes, to symbolize the authority that he held during his time of presidency.
Because of these infringements on the rights of the people, Andrew Jackson was not a champion of the common man; the nickname “King Andrew,” from his opponents was accurate. When he was elected president, Andrew Jackson felt that he needed to remove John Quincy Adams’ appointees from office. To him, the clear answer was to replace them with his own followers and friends, creating a government where only one political party was effectively represented by presidential appointments. This use of the spoils system put people who were not qualified in powerful positions simply as a reward for supporting Jackson. He also had thirteen unofficial members in his cabinet to advise him.
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, being a tyrant, abused his power in his time of presidency. He was the 7th president, but before Jackson’s presidency, he had no political experience. One of the only things that really qualified him was the hardships he went through when he was younger. His father had died while Jackson was young and Jackson received the reputation as a “self-made man”, or an independent man.
He would fire elected federal workers and replace them with people who supported him (Appleby. Page 340). It is not fair that unelected officials should carry out laws. The fired employees charged Jackson for being a tyrant, Jackson just told them that it was best for democracy, which was a lie (Appleby, Page 340). The replacement of government officials with the election winner’s supporters is called the Spoils System (Appleby, Joyce Oldham.
One of the biggest thing that Jackson had done as a president was in 1832. Jackson vetoed a bill that would renew the second bank charter early. Jackson stated “I will kill it!”. He said this because he didn’t like the bank at all and he believed that it made the rich richer and the poor poorer. He said in his veto message “It is easy to conceive that great evils to our country and its institutions might flow from such a concentration of power in the hands of a few men irresponsible to the people.”
Throughout the 1820's and 1830's, America was enduring some massive changes. Andrew Jackson originated a whole new era in American history. Amongst his greatest accomplishments were inducing the "common man" to be involved in government and modifying democracy to satisfy the same "common man's" needs. Jacksonian Democrat, were Jackson’s supporters and they were great in number during the 1820's and 1830's. They held themselves very greatly because they acknowledged their responsibilities as American citizens.
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
