Development of American Society During Andrew Jackson's Presidency

The Jacksonian Democrats also viewed themselves as protectors of individual liberty. However, if it interfered with the agenda of the common man, peoples' individual liberty was disregarded. Again, the "Trail of Tears" and the "Indian Removal Act" are examples of times when Jacksonian Democrats were not protectors of individual liberty. Even though the courts ruled that the Indians had their own land and didn't need to follow the state laws in their territory,

Throughout presidential history, one easily concludes that most presidents bear a fairly similar purpose in their campaign. They strive for financial prosperity, unification of political outlooks, and overall steps in development in the quality of life. However, Andrew Jackson was an outlier in these terms.

Although there are many reason the Jacksonian period of 1824-1848 has not always been celebrated as the period of the “common man,” because it didn't live up to certain expectations such as women, Indians and slaves not having rights. Yet, the period should still be celebrated as the era of the “common man” because it lived up to its expectations by the significant impact it had on America's economic development, politics and reform movements.

Between the years 1825 and 1850, the US underwent a series of social and political reforms which attempted to democratize American life. The Age of Jackson was a time of tremendous reform with American society and politics. Andrew Jackson’s position as president lasted from 1829-1837, therefore the fact that many writers and historians have attached his name to the time period between 1820 and 1850 indicates the high importance of his spirit of the reform. During this period, known as Jacksonian Democracy, social and political reform movements and equal rights dominated the American landscape. Many of these reforms were supported by religious ideals over democratic system, but in this period the democratic ideals in America came to greater results than ever before.

While Jackson has done wonders for America, he was not perfect. One of his flaws would be the Indian Removal Act of 1830. While the Cherokee’s march did not happen until after Jackson’s presidency, this can still be traced back to Jackson not upholding the rights of Native Americans during his presidency. This Act forced the Cherokee nation to give up their lands and travel to present day Oklahoma. During this journey, the Native Americans were faced with hunger, diseases and exhaustion because of these problems around 4,000 people died. This brutal movement of the Cherokee would become known as the Trail of

Andrew Jackson, The United States seventh president, was possibly one of the worst human beings to be president and treated the Native Indians horribly. He, was a bully and used his position to get acts and petitions like the Indian Removal Act passed, to help push Native Indians around so he could get his own way. The Indian Removal Act in and of itself seemingly doesn’t contain that much power, however it was all the power Jackson needed. The circumstances of Jackson’s character and the debates surrounding the Act also lend and interesting lens to examine what Jackson intentions were. When looking at Jackson and how he managed to relocate the Native it becomes substantially more integral to examine all the documents with a wide scope to see how he even managed the relocation of Natives.

When Americans expanded their country west, they interfered with many American Indian Tribes. In a letter he wrote to congress, he explained “This emigration should be voluntary… (but) if they remain within the limits of the states they must be subject to their laws” (Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress December 7, 1829). Andrew Jackson offered to let the American Indians stay if they followed their laws. But in 1831, Jackson forced the Native Americans out of their homelands starting the Indian Removal. According to a reprinted in Niles Weekly Register, the Cherokee’s said “We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have a perfect and original right to remain without interruption or molestation”. Jackson lied to the American Indians about allowing them to stay. Jackson did not act democratically because he did not allow the American Indians to stay and forced them to move west. Jackson was fair to his supporters, but not to

The Jacksonian democracy of the 1820s-1830s is often associated with an expansion of the political influence, economic opportunities, and social equality available to “the common man,” a concept of the masses which President Andrew Jackson and his newly founded Democratic party came to represent. The new administration certainly saw gains for the majority; namely, public participation in government increased to unprecedented levels, and several economic decisions were made to favor the people over monopolies. Beginning with their exaggerated portrayal of the “corrupt” 1824 election however, the Jacksonian democrats also left a legacy of substantial miscalculations

The second incident where Jackson stood by his solicitude for state rights was in the removal of the Indian tribes. Jackson has been associated mainly with his decision to support Georgia in its efforts to remove the Cherokee from their land, despite a Supreme Court ruling against the state. However his enthusiastic support for Indian removal was "undoubtedly one of the reasons he swept the southern states in the 1828 election" . Jackson had Native Indian policy on his mind from the beginning as he saw that Indians were subject to American sovereignty and that national security demanded they be removed. Removal to the West would increase the security of the US from outside attacks. Upon

In Harriet Martineau’s Society In America, she states that she saw every man in the town as an independent man, and she noticed that the towns were very civilized and organized (Document 4). Political democracy was one of the many liberties that were introduced by the Jacksonian Democrats. The topic of removing Indians from United States land became a popular and important topic during the presidency of Jackson. Jackson’s Native American policy was that they should not be living on American lands that contained Americans. In 1830, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. The Indian Removal Act was a policy to move Native Americans out of American territory, and into Indian reservations West of the Mississippi River. Even though the Cherokee nation was as civilized as any other American city, Jackson persisted on forcing them out of their lands. Jacksonian Democrats also allowed slavery, which was very important for Jackson’s support from the south. In the Acts and Resolutions of South Carolina, it is stated that the right to own slaves is protected by the government, and it is an individual liberty (Document 2). During Jackson’s presidency, abolitionist movements began coming up. This became a big problem for the South because the South’s economy was still based on the need for slaves to work on

When we look back into history, we are now able to fully comprehend the atrocities the Indians faced at the hands of the historic general and President, Andrew Jackson. It can be seen as one of the most shameful and unjust series of political actions taken by an American government. However, as an American living almost 200 years later, it is crucial to look at the motives possessed by Andrew Jackson, and ask whether he fully comprehended the repercussions of his actions or if is was simply ignorant to what he was subjection the natives to. We must also consider weather he truly had the countries best interest in mind, or his own.

Harry L. Watson’s book, “Liberty and Power, The Politics of Jacksonian America”, takes an analytical look at America and her politics during the Age of Jackson. Watson uses the economy and the ideological mindset of the people, to support a powerful argument about the beginning of American political parties and their importance in defining the political direction of the country. Watson argues that economic inequalities caused by the “Market Revolution” and a threat to American liberty caused Americans to organize politically in support of a

In his mind, a citizen could never achieve liberty if they were dependent on another for what they needed to thrive. Similarly, a nation can never be independent if it relies on trade from a foreign country. In order to be self-sufficient, Jackson decided that the nation needed land for farming and providing itself with raw materials. He obtained this land for his nation by his Native American removal policy. “The Indians were sitting on excellent cotton soils.” (Watson, 106). Jackson believed that the American people had a right to the lands of the Native Americans than the tribes who had inhabited them. “...he believed that the tribes were not sovereign nations....the states had the right to seize all Indian lands...treaties or no treaties.” (Watson, 107). In order for the United States to be independent of the countries that it traded with, it needed to be able to provide raw materials for itself, and the solution Jackson devised was to take the Native Americans’

There were many presidents that changed the path of America. Andrew Jackson was one of them. He was the seventh president of the United States, and he helped create the way of democracy. There are certain ways to follow for a good democracy and some of that is everyone have an equal share of rights, all should feel confident to have a say in things they agree or don’t agree on. It’s also up to the people’s responsibility also to help keep peace and stability, not only the president.

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president, serving from 1829-1837. Nicknamed "Old Hickory," he left an indelible imprint on the nation that extends beyond his face adorning the twenty dollar bill. Jackson split the preexisting Republican Party into the Whig and Democratic Parties, establishing the dual-party structure that exists today. He was the first president who came from a rural, deep Southern background (he was born in the rustic woods of South Carolina) and his impoverished country upbringing informed his presidential policies. As someone who also captained the premier national political position, Jackson is responsible for bringing the experience and voice of the common man to the federal government. This essay will explore three of the most salient aspects of Jackson's presidency: the Nullification Crisis of 1832, the National Bank episode of 1833-34, and the treatment of American Indians and slaves.