Essay on Jacksonian Democracy

Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. However, the Jacksonian Democrats were in a catch 22. In order for them to protect the interests of the common man, they at times had to violate the very things for which they stood. By doing this, the Jacksonian Democrats stressed the importance of the power of the common man, at times by violating their own principles.

true liberty and equality, the millions of women. Blacks, Native Americans, immigrants, and other minorities in America continued to languish in a society that ignored their rights. Furthermore, during the Age of Jackson, enslavement of Blacks, the ultimate form of inequality, was at a new high in America. At the same time, enormous disparities of wealth existed between rich merchants, industrialists and planters, and their lowly workers: immigrants. Blacks, and the common man. While these contradictions typified America, Jacksonian democrats viewed themselves as guardians of the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of opportunity. But how could anyone be a successful guardian of these ideals while contradictions such as those previously mentioned exist? The answer is that Jackson and his followers must have been what they said they were only to a certain extent. The Jacksonian Democrats were, to some extent, champions of the Constitution, democracy, liberty, and equality.

In the span of 20 years, 42 states elected by the people, and 27 states elected by the legislature. (Document 1). The election of Jackson was considered a “revolution,” because of its peaceful transfer of power. This revolution was different from any other, because it was achieved by ballots rather than bullets. Jacksonians cried, “Shall the people rule?” and the answer was, “The people shall rule!” Andrew Jackson was so notable that people have come 500 miles to see him and think that the country is rescued from some dreadful danger. It is said Jackson’s victory accelerated the transfer of national power from the country-house to the farmhouse, from the East to the West, and from the snobs to the mobs. If Jackson was a hero of the gentleman farmer, he was surely a hero of the dirt farmer. Jackson was democratic because he granted all men equal rights, and believed that the common man is just as good as the wealthy. This is how he got all his support, most of which came from the common man. We must also consider that he was a common man who became successful as president. He disagreed with the wealthy, who tried to empower the common man/farmers, and was a large supporter of wester farmers, low tariffs, and pet banks, rather than a national bank. (Document 2).

Jackson’s version of democracy was in fact a democracy. He was not a very wealthy man, he owned a home and some land. Which was more than could be said about most Americans at the time. About ten percent of the Americans living there at that time owned enough land to vote. There was a law, stating that only white males with a good portion of land could vote in the presidential election. Andrew Jackson thought this system was so unfair, he created a new way to govern the citizens of the newly formed United States.

Andrew Jackson was like no other president before him. The previous presidents had one thing in common, they were all part of the founding fathers or in John Quincy Adam’s case was the son of a founding father. However Jackson was a plantation owner from the west who had no connections with the government. He also had different views from other presidents that made his presidency unique. Two things that separated Andrew Jackson’s presidency from previous presidencies were he reached out to the common people and he was disapproving of the Bank of United States.

The Jacksonians viewed themselves as guardians of equal economic opportunity; this was somewhat true. By killing the Bank, Jackson did indeed spread equal economic opportunity by taking away privileges from the wealthy classes.  Harriet Martineau recalled “the absence of poverty, of gross ignorance, of all servility, of all insolence” and that “every man in the towns an independent citizen; every man in the country a landowner.” (doc. D). This quote showed the newly available equal economic opportunities that Jackson helped to bring about. Another person who believed that there were more economic opportunities was Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. He felt that the Supreme Court case of Charles River Bridge vs. Warren Bridge in 1837 helped spread equal economic opportunity (doc. H). This case prohibited the Charles River Bridge company from establishing a monopoly over the bridges in that area. However, the “The Working Men’s Declaration of Independence” showed that some men believed that the government was not promoting equal economic opportunity. This document reestablished that fact that the commoners could reform and bring changes to the government should it fail to protect “certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (doc. A).

Jacksonian Democrats help create a more democratic America and because of this, believed themselves to be many things, real and fictional. In most cases they perceived themselves as defenders of equal economic opportunity, even though they sometimes put their own interests before those of the people. They also thought of themselves as guardians of political democracy, while at the same time using class differences to their advantage and emotionalized speeches, lacking real intellectual merit, to stir support. Jacksonian Democrats felt that they were the protectors of the Constitution and of individual liberties but many times they put their rivalry with the Northeastern industry and Whig politics before these things. While Jacksonians

Similarly, the Jacksonian age affected the economy both in accordance with the Jacksonian ideal of equal economic opportunity and against it; an executive branch act and a judicial branch decision were made with the intent of favoring the people, but substantial opposition highlighted the negative side effects that undermined the Jacksonian goal. President Jackson represented the executive branch with his bold move of vetoing a bill which proposed a rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States.

Along with rotation, the Jacksonian Democrats reestablished the spoils system. Jackson fired any previous office holder who was not a loyal Democrat. He would then appoint a Democrat to that position. The spoils system and rotation were advances toward greater political democracy, because they showed that one man is just as good as another is.

Citizens were becoming more involved with their politics. This was mostly due to Jackson being more like the working class voters and sharing many of their same views and getting them involved through various rallies and other get together's. They greatly accepted his theory of democracy and that it should offer “equal protection and equal benefits” to all white males and favor no region or class.

     During the administration of Andrew Jackson, the United States was a nation of change both politically and socially. American society was a society of opportunity. Americans felt that, given a chance, they could make a better life for themselves. This was the era of the common people, the era of democracy. Andrew Jackson appealed to the American people because he stood for values many regarded with favor. However democratic Jackson may seem, he was more tyrant-like than any of his predecessors. His major offerings to the nation included majority rule and a popular presidency, however offered no benefits to women, African Americans, nor Native Americans. Jacksonian Democracy was

Along with rotation, the Jacksonian Democrats reestablished the spoils system. Jackson fired any previous office holder who was not a loyal Democrat. He would then appoint a Democrat to that position. The spoils system and rotation were advances toward greater political democracy, because they showed that one man is just as good as another is.

The “Jacksonian” Democracy’s meaning originates from the political philosophy of the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. The philosophy stated intentions was to strengthen the power of the poor lower class while weakening the influence of the rich upper class. As stated in “Jacksonian” democracy was intended to elevate the political process of the “common man”. Their efforts failed. Even though the term was intended to strengthen lower class people, Jacksonian democrats only advanced the interests of middle class white men. The Jacksonian democracy also was against centralized banks and believed that the economic stability of the nation did not rest upon the wealthy. The Jacksonian democracy divided the United States and favored sectionalism, which means favoritism based on region and not country as a whole. The Jacksonian democracy ultimately damaged the stability and union of the nation.

Jacksonian Democracy is often criticized by its thinking toward the classes in the United States. Arthur Schlesinger Jr. states, “The Jacksonian revolution rested on premises which the struggles of the thirties hammered together into a kind of social philosophy. The outline of this way of thinking about society was clear… The Jacksonians believed that there was a deep rooted conflict in society between the producing and non-producing classes-the farmers and laborers on the one hand, and the business community on the other” (Schlesinger Jr. 693). This is what Andrew Jackson and the party was trying to curtail.

The Jeffersonian era and the Democratic-Republican Party lasted from the early 1800’s to the late 1820’s; this era was known as the Era of Good Feelings because of the single-party domination by the Democratic-Republicans, which resulted in political cooperativeness. Following the Jeffersonian era was the Age of Jackson. The Jacksonian era, also referred to as Jacksonian democracy, lasted from the time the Jeffersonian democracy ended to about 1840. During this time, though, there was a two-party system, consisting of the Democrat Party and the Whig Party. Jackson personally believed he was carrying on Jeffersonian tradition through his ideals and actions (GetAFive 2017); although there were some noticeable changes from Jeffersonian democracy to Jacksonian democracy, Andrew and his successors ruled with many of the same ideologies from the preceding democracy. Jacksonian democracy, including both ideologies and actions, was a continuity of Jeffersonian democracy socially, through the treatment of Natives and slaves, economically, through the emergence of industrialization and attitudes toward the National Bank, and politically, through the representation of the lower classes.