preview

How Did Andrew Jackson Changed American Politics And Society

Decent Essays

"During his presidency, Andrew Jackson upheld values that were prevalent in American politics and society at the Untied States' founding." This is false. During his two term presidency, Andrew Jackson enhanced presidential authority, established a new ideology on limited government, and created Jacksonian Democracy. With these three aspects, he changed values and ideals that were prevalent in American politics and society.

To begin, Andrew Jackson created a new legacy in how elections are handled. It became known as the Jacksonian Democracy; this was the spread of democracy from established elites to ordinary voters based in political parties. Jackson expanded voting rights and increased the amount of voters participating in elections. He made direct appeals to the public in order to win the election by throwing mass meetings, parades, and barbecues. Also, there was an openness in the selection of the candidates. It wasn't just a couple of elite men choosing who would represent the political parties, but …show more content…

He was infamous for wielding his presidential power to veto bills that he didn't like. For instance, he vetoed four internal improvement bills in 1830, as well as the charter for the Second National Bank in 1832. He vetoed more bills in his first term as president than all other presidents combined. Jackson pushed through bills against objections, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830 against Supreme Court objections. Another example is the Nullification Crisis, a crisis caused by the 1828 and 1832 high tariffs enacted to protect American industry, but threatened southerners economy. South Carolina's act of nullification made Andrew Jackson pass a military Force Bill, which authorized the president to compel South Carolina's obedience to national laws by threatening military force. All of these things changed the way that the presidential position behaved and the powers it was allowed to

Get Access