Andrew Jackson, The Man On The Twenty Dollar Bill

Personally , I don't think Andrew Jackson should be on the twenty dollar bill. He was our president , but he shouldn't be “ honored” the way he is , here is why. Jackson discriminated against blacks , he abused his power as president , he owned a huge plantation and profited off of 150+ slaves. Lastly he sparked a war trying to return slaves back to their owners known as the “ first seminole war “.

As the world of academics continued to develop and stricter guidelines became more urbanized, a new school of thought under the neoconservatives, a new school of thought based on both democratic and conservative viewpoints. Under the democratic school of Jacksonian historiography is Life of Andrew Jackson, a text written by John Spencer Bassett. In Bassett’s text we continue to look with greater eyes on the shortcomings of Jackson. Bassett argues Jackson’s “lack of education, his crude judgments in many affairs, his occasional outbreaks of passion, his habitual hatred of those enemies with whom he had not made friends for party purposes, and his crude ideas of some political parties.” Bassett continues to say, “All lose some of their infelicity in the face of his brave, frank, masterly leadership of the democratic movement which then established itself in our life. . . . Few American Presidents have better lived up to the demands of the movement which brought them into power.”

Jackson not only menaced the Native American community, but defied the nation he served. On several occasions, Andrew Jackson acted rebellious to United States laws and orders. In 1813, Jackson disregarded Article IX of the treaty of Ghent , which demanded the return of Creek territory acquired in the treaty of Fort Jackson 2. Andrew Jackson, a general at the time, existed in no position to dismiss treaties that the U.S. claimed as “laws of the land”. Fueled with the American hatred toward Native Americans, Jackson stubbornly refused to acknowledge Creek ownership of any land. Jackson 's unruly attitude brought him close to making hazardous international mistakes. Believing British officers were assisting local natives, Jackson “without any specific orders” invaded Spanish Florida and killed every Spanish-British officer at a central military fort 1. His actions angered President Monroe because Jackson created tension between the U.S. and Western Europe . Exhibiting disobedience to his superiors, Jackson 's actions served as a precursor to his oppressive authority.

Jackson’s reputation was established during the War of 1812, namely from the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson’s victory in New Orleans was described by Robert Remini in his book entitled, “The Life of Andrew Jackson” as a “ stupendous victory. It was the greatest feat of American arms up to that time. It was a

In 1828, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams were engaged in an intense election. Jackson will win the presidency this time around. Why? Jackson is seen as a symbol of the working man, and ran his campaign as such. America was looking for a new start, a lack of trust in the capability of leaders, caused by the financial panic of 1819, and a brewing dispute over slavery policies plagued everyday conversation. The democratically structured society, the western frontier, which Jackson was raised in, will allow him to take the leadership role, as president in the future, and spread the fruit of democracy. This new and refreshing promulgation of democracy is shown through universal-manhood suffrage, the spoils system, and the institution of a laissez faire style regulation of the economy

What the Americans did not have in numbers, they made up for with “Andrew Jackson, whose courage, energy, and determination were vital to the victory.” From this defensive position they were able to hold the British and inflict heavy casualties upon them. Fighting a losing battle, the British retreated, boarded their ships, and fled the country. The irony of this battle was that it was unnecessary: the war had ended before the first scrimmage was fought. The defeat of the British under Jackson’s leadership boosted his reputation and made him a household name. Some even compared Andrew Jackson to the last American hero George Washington. With his reputation elevated to that of a hero, he became a symbol of nationalistic pride. With the American Revolution still fresh in people’s minds, the defeat of the British was celebrated. In one battle` Jackson had accomplished the best action possible to further his career.

Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767 in the Waxhaws region of the Carolinas. His father, Andrew Jackson died shortly before he was born, whom he was named after. Jackson’s two older brothers, Hugh and Robert died due to the American Revolutionary War. Jackson's mother, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson raised him until she died when Jackson was only 14 while she was caring for injured and sick soldiers. Jackson’s parents’ death left him an orphan and so his uncles raised him. He began studying law and by the time he was 21 he was appointed prosecuting attorney in the western region of North Carolina or present day Tennessee. In 1788 Jackson moved to Nashville where later, in 1796 he was elected first representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. The following year, he served eight months in U.S. Senate.

Our seventh President, Andrew Jackson is recognized as the common man’s President, coming from an underprivileged background, with little education, who gained popularity for his heroic leadership in battle. Regardless of how popular he may have been with the common people, it does not diminish the selfish and cruel acts that he so staunchly enforced. For instance; his malicious removal of Indians from the land they lived on for centuries, his barbaric treatment of slaves, how he threatened South Carolina with war, and eventually pushed the United States into the worst depression of its time. Although Jackson painted a picture of a man that cared about the nation as a whole, his actions substantiated he was nothing more than a mere bully who fooled many into giving him the power that he so

claiming his right as a prisoner of war not to be treated like a servant. The

Andrew Jackson was an American hero. He helped fight in wars, such as the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson was the seventh president of the United States and many people liked him because he helped average americans. Jackson was a slave owner and did not believe that blacks had rights. He also took away rights of Native Americans. I do not think that Jackson should be on the twenty-dollar bill for several reasons.

Throughout the early 1800’s, presidents shared various opinions respecting slavery, but every president’s ambition included producing a successful, united country. Andrew Jackson reflected that goal in 1835 during a post office mob in Charleston. Abolitionists dispersed antislavery propaganda throughout the South, which infuriated Southerners, motivating a conflict at a post office in which slavery adherents plundered and destroyed abolitionist material. Jackson’s reaction displayed the necessity of an undivided union by advising his followers to remain calm (Latner 29-32). James Madison demonstrated comparable actions by predicting that slavery would induce United States’ downfall as a whole. Madison, therefore, emphasized the importance of staying attached and not allowing slavery to tear the country apart, suggesting free blacks colonize in Africa to promote a gradual termination (“Posterity” 3-4). The urgency to maintain a cohesive unit affected decisions made by both Andrew

Andrew Jackson was considered the most modern president. He has many qualifications to be modern. Other candidates had the qualifications to be the first modern president as well. For reasons soon to be mentioned in the proceeding paragraphs he was considered modern. Those other modern candidates did not win the election.

To the common man, Jackson could have easily been a brother or an uncle, a friend at the bar, or the frontiersman. When Jackson, the common man, gained political power the common man felt that he gained a voice. Once the common man believed that he had an ally in government, the prevailing culture of elitism began to come under attack. These attacks on elitism by “Old Hickory,” although supported by the common, were not caused by an allegiance to these people but rather an absolute hatred of the elitist rule. His contempt of the British and the aristocratic tendencies they left behind fueled not only the legislation he passed, but also the legacy he left for the Presidency. American politicians could no longer openly express contempt at the majority, a la John Quincy Adams, because the common man began to believe that he deserved a voice and respect. Not only were the values of individualism and political participation strengthened by Jacksonian legislation, but also by Jackson

It can be argued that the epitome of the “American Dream” had been born during the American Revolution. There is no doubt that the battles fought and lives lost had weighed on the American people and influenced perseverance in the face of adversity which manifested what it had taken to become the Nation we are today. However, that dream had only been made a reality through the actions of our ancestors, immediately following the American Revolution. One particular person stands out, Andrew Jackson, our nation’s seventh president, and the face of our twenty dollar bill today.

Not only was Jackson a great president, he was also a great general of the militia. As commander of the Tennessee militia, he led his men to a stunning victory over the “Red Sticks” at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend which opened up more of the Mississippi territory for American settlement. As president, Jackson reversed the alternately benign of Indian affairs and engaged in the forced removal of Indians from the South, resulting in the “Trail of Tears.” He also set himself to destroy the Second Ban of the United States in a Jeffersonian Rage. Jackson was very fearsome in defending the tariff policy. Dougherty states that when South Carolina began threatening secession, Jackson told a man, “If a single drop of blood shall be shed there in opposition to the laws of the United States, I will hang the first man I can lay my hand on, upon the first tree I can reach.” (CITING??) Dougherty also writes “Jackson put the executive branch on a tilt that eventually made it superior to Congress, the American nation has suffered from infantilized Congresses, cowardly Judiciaries, and “great presidencies” ever since.