The Jacksonian Democratic Party And The Whig Party

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.

There were no sectional differences between the Democratic Party and the Whig Party, but there were some cultural differences. Whig party operated from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s. The Whigs approved the authority and the power of the Congress over the presidency, favored a program of economic protectionism and modernization; they also supported active social reform. According to the Johnson County Community College’s historians, the name "Whig," which Revolutionary patriots also used to signify their

uring the 1830’s to the 1850’s, two seemingly contrasting parities displayed various forms of similarities. Examining ideals, the Democratic party and the Whig party were generally opposed to each other. The Jacksonian Democratic Party and the whig party were generally opposed to each other in their ideals. The democrats were devoted to jefferson's idea of an agrarian society run by the common man, whereas the wings promoted the industry and manufacturing of the north'd states. presidency, however, birthed a common ground between them. While the practices between the political parties remained constant, actual ideologies varied between Whigs and Democrats.

The creation of the Democratic Party and the abolishment of the national bank are a few of the several decisions Andrew Jackson made that benefited the U.S. Using the time between elections, Jackson’s supporters created the Democratic Party which would represent common people, such as ordinary farmers, workers, and the poor (Hart et al 259). The creation of this new political organization gave common people the right to

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

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

In the two-party system, supporters of Jackson were Democrats and supporters of his rival, Henry Clay, were the Whigs. The Democratic Party resembled the old Republican party of Jefferson, while the Whigs represented the Federalist party of Hamilton.

Jacksonian democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity." In light of the documents and your knowledge of the 1820s and 1830s, to what extent do you agree with the Jacksonians' view of themselves?

Andrew Jackson, whose presidential term lasted from 1829-1837, was the first president to ever be chosen by the people to lead. Because he was not born into a rich family, people felt that they could relate to him better. He too preferred supporting the common public over the wealthy aristocrats. During Jackson’s period in office he was able to shift the majority of power in the United States to farmers and small businesses in the western part of the country. Jackson vetoed many bills in order to benefit common people and also created the spoils system to balance out his cabinet. Like Jefferson, Jackson was extremely opposed to the Bank of the U.S., believing that it would only make the wealthy even

Andrew Jackson started the Democratic-Republican Party. Many of his followers were from the East Coast. He was probably the most popular president to date because he thought of himself to be a friend of the “common man”. The newly created Democratic Party reached out to the common people and in return they got involved in the party. Jackson like Jefferson believed too strong of central government would jeopardize the people’s freedom and liberty. He continued Jefferson’s fight against the Bank of the United States. A bank ran by the Federal government would hurt the East Coast at the expense of the rest of America. Issues like the Bank of the United States created sectionalism in America. Most policies Jackson issued made sectionalism more evident.

The “corrupt bargain” presidential election of 1824 led the entire nation to become increasingly political which led to the rise of the two-party system. The split between Clay and Adams on the hand and Jackson on the other hand was a key step in the development of the two-party system. By 1824, the followers of Jackson called themselves the Jacksonian and they advocated a strong executive branch, and favored continuous westward expansion. Clay and Adams chose the name National Republicans which they later change to Whig, in honor of Britain’s Whigs who had protested the authoritarian actions of the king of England (thus insinuating that Jackson desired to be a dictatorial King). Clay and Adam advocated a strong legislature, and government-funded internal improvements. The expansion of these various political parties saw the public interest toward politic rose. Because of this rise Political Candidates had no choice but to mingle with the masses and earn their respect and

The Second American Party System was between the Democrats and the Whigs. The Whigs were organized to oppose Andrew Jackson in the early 1830s. The Whigs were the heir to Federalism, favoring a strong national government in the economy like the American System and supported active social reform. Its power was in the North and Old Northwest, voters who would benefit from increased commercialization. The Whigs wanted to

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 conflict between the Democrat party and the Whig party was based around California's admission to the union as a free state. This would upset the balance of power between free and slave states in congress, resulting in a legislative battle between the North and the South. The south had argued that Congress and the states did not have the authority to legislate against the territorial expansion of slavery. The Democrats and the Whigs realized that this was a very delicate topic which could split the country. Eventually the Whigs and the Democrats came to a compromise, which they hoped would prevent a secession. This was known as the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to be admitted as a free state, but it also

The Democrats wanted to limit the role of government in the market and wanted to resolve the tensions among the Northeast, West, and South. Also they wanted to do away with the national bank (Jackson put a lot of money into city and state bands as a result) and sell land at low rates and leave internal improvement basically to the states to deal with. The proposed government of the democrats was one centered in local affairs (one of the most important was slavery). Jackson therefore wanted weak central government within a permanent union. However soon came up the issue of Nullification with South Carolinas attempt to nullify the tariff of 1828.