How Did Andrew Jackson Influence On American Politics

Unlike previous presidents, Andrew Jackson represented the common men. He and his followers did not support the aristocrats, but instead favored the interests of farmers and urban workers. When they gained power, the Jacksonian Democrats brought about great advances in creating a more democratic and economically equal society.

In 1828, Andrew Jackson also called the “common man”, was inaugurated into office and became America’s 7th president. Jackson’s presidential years are known as the Jacksonian Era. During this time, many political, social, and economic issues arise. Tensions grow between the industrial North, agricultural South, and government due to the interpretation of state rights, nullification crisis’, and the removal of Indians. The events that occurred from 1824 to 1836 contributed to the growth of divisive sectionalism during the Age of Jackson.

The Jacksonian Era, also known as the Era of the Common Man, was an era that stretched from 1824-1860. This era consisted of President Andrew Jackson’s democracy, which tended to appeal towards the ‘common man’. However, Jacksonian Democracy during this era greatly influenced social and political sectionalism. Jacksonian Democracy increased political sectionalism by increasing the power of the executive branch and demolishing the Second Bank of the United States, while it increased social sectionalism by allowing tensions between the north and south to foster as a result of The Great Silence and the Nullification Crisis. However, this wasn’t always the case, as a transportation system and a national market created unifying effects.

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

Between 1829 to 1837, Andrew Jackson, a unique and controversial man served as president of the United States, and is known as the founder of the Democratic Party. Before his time in office, Jackson was a well known soldier and statesmen, from the area west of the Appalachian mountains. As President, Jackson was the first to gain office by direct appeal to the majority of voters and sought to further the rights of the common man. Jackson is associated with the shift and expansion of democracy, from wealth elites to ordinary people, through the spoils system, decrease in voters qualifications, and destruction of the national bank. However, Jackson was very unfriendly towards minorities, including Indians, slaves, and women.

U.S. president Andrew Jackson and his followers of the Democratic party created the political doctrine referred as Jacksonian Democracy, which is an expansion of Thomas Jefferson’s previous established democratic principles. Encouraging the strength of the executive branch, Jacksonian Democracy was set at the expense of the Congressional power. Democrats encouraged the idea of the common man and believed in the giving power to all white men rather than the prosperous nobles. Jackson and his followers believed in rotating many common men through office to allow active participation in government. Jackson’s presidency highlighted individualism disregarding persons’ background or education level. Jacksonian democrats viewed themselves as promoters

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

The presidency of Andrew Jackson, 1829 to 1837, was frequently called the Age of the Common Man or the Era of Jacksonian Democracy. It was an era of great growth in population, wealth, and financial productivity. Jackson led the American forces in numerous battles throughout his career, one of the most well-known being the Battle of New Orleans. He used the power of vetoing bills frequently, unlike many other previous presidents. Parties became an important part of the political actions in 1824 to 1844, whether it was in their campaigning efforts or in voter loyalty, which earned the label of “the two-party system.” The one-party system that had once defined James Monroe’s presidency, the Era of Good Feelings, was transformed into a two-party system by Andrew Jackson. The presidency of Andrew Jackson exhibited continuity from the previous era was by maintaining the rivalry between politicians and keeping the precedent of serving only two terms and exhibited change from the previous era by compelling Native Americans to leave their traditional homes and resettle west of Mississippi, the one-party system was changed to a two-party system, and growing federal spending and expenses

Jackson the president that is categorized with the “common man” era changed the former voting system that the Americans were used to. The universal white male suffrage was created, this system allowed all white males to vote despite if they were educated or uneducated. The former voting rights system only permitted the wealthy and educated white males to vote, this would eliminate the rash decisions made by the angry uneducated population. The wealthy and elite were at the top of the class system the middle and class consisted of the “common man”. A presidential candidate could not win an election solely depending on the vote of wealthy and educated man. The suffrage movement allowed the “common man’s” voice to be heard, the “ common men” overwhelmingly voted in high numbers. The way of voting also changed. Prior to the “common man” era there were written ballots that resulted in intimidation toward the voter. The new way of voting now consisted of printed ballots. The printed ballots allowed the voter to feel safe and independent when making his decision. This was a dramatic change because voters could now voice their opinions without feeling

During the 1820’s and the 1830’s, Jacksonian Democrats became more influential in the United States. These Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the protectors of the common man and as a result rose to prominence during this time period. Although, the Jacksonian Democrats can be considered to be the guardians of the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity to a limited extent, they are considered to be the guardians of their own interests to a much greater extent. More often than not, the Jacksonian Democrats used their claims as guardians of the common man to justify their actions on controversial topics.

Although the “Age of Jackson” wasn’t a time era, which brought forth a great political, social, or economic freedom and equality to the U.S., it did in fact put our country through a metamorphosis in our political lives of the nation. The start of a new presidency (Jackson’s presidency) was accompanied by huge numbers of Hickoryites (Jacksonian supporters) and official hopefuls. Many of these hopefuls were granted their desire of holding office, which is one of the changes brought into Washington by Andrew Jackson.

In the early 1800s, the United States was separated. The nation was expanding westward, but moving goods between states was difficult, slow, and costly. There was also corruption in the nation. The nation was run by elites, despite the fact that the majority of the country was a middle to lower class. Then, in 1828, Andrew Jackson became president. The United States, during Jackson’s presidency, expanded economically, became increasingly divided, and grew to be more democratic.

“A government of equal rights must…rest upon the mind; not wealth, not brute force, the sum of the moral intelligence of the community should rule the State […] the common mind [is] the true material for a commonwealth.” Andrew Jackson strongly believed that social cleavages and unfairness were encouraged rather than improved by governmental intervention, he embraced laissez-faire as the central policy that would be most useful to economic equality and political liberty. In national terms, Jackson and his followers favored geographical expansion, justifying it in terms of Manifest Destiny. The Jacksonians ordered elected (not appointed) judges and revised many state constitutions to emulate the new values. As a result, during the mid-1800’s, the Jacksonian Democrats paved a lasting legacy and political importance in America.

During Andrew Jackson’s term as president, many people seemed to be more involved in wanting to change people’s lives and equalize politics. Jackson believed that a common man should have the right to have a voice in democracy. (Grubb) Therefore, once Jackson was elected president people began focusing on the crisis in the American society. Several reformers stated their perspectives on different things that America can improve on whether it was about abolition, mental health care, education, religious reform, or women’s rights.

America’s history is rich and full of countless heroes, scandals, and incredible stories. Perhaps one of the most interesting of those stories is that of Andrew Jackson’s. To some, he was a hero, but to others, he was their worst enemy. Being raised in the mountains of the Carolinas, he became the first “backcountry president” of the United States (Wilentz, 13). His fame, though, began years before his presidency.