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Why Is Andrew Jackson Called The People's President Dbq

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Andrew Jackson was one of the most popular presidents in the history of the United States, and regarded himself as the “People’s President”. Born on the border between the Carolinas, Jackson had a lot of political experience before taking the role of the president of the United States; however, he gained most of his popularity from his military expeditions during the War of 1812. He viewed his presidency, which occurred from 1828 until 1836, as a marker of a new era of American politics, defined by a fierce democratic spirit and westward expansion. Jackson fought to support agriculture, making him popular amongst farmers and the common people. He believed that the government must listen to and follow the wishes of the People. However, he often …show more content…

Before Jackson’s election in 1828, the primary method of electing presidential electors was by state legislature (Doc. A). During and after his presidency, almost all states allowed citizens to vote directly for the presidential candidate of their choice. Jackson set out to eliminate the “corrupt” elitist class standing between the common man and the government. During the election of 1824, Jackson won the popular vote; however, he failed to take the majority of the electoral votes. This resulted in him losing the presidency, and the election being renamed “the corrupt bargain”. Seeing the electoral college as an unscrupulous threat against democracy, Jackson set out to limit state power in the electoral system. Although this allotted more power to the common man, the presidency became much more powerful. Because of Jackson’s popularity, the people often sided with him politically. Thomas Bailey and David Kennedy attempt to convince readers that the election of 1828 was indeed a political revolution, by indicating that the weakening of the elitist establishment led to a period of mob rule, in which the people we extremely supportive of Jackson and his policies (Doc. B). Through the weakening of state power, he faced less competition, and was able enact many more of his political and economical …show more content…

Born into a modest family himself, Jackson despised the Bank for catering to the wealthy elite who, in his view, “[bent] the acts of government to their selfish purposes” (Doc. F). That such a concentration of power was held by a disproportionate amount of people was antithetical to Jackson’s view of democracy, and abolishing the Bank of the United States was necessary to diluting the power and influence of the elite. When the Bank was due for renewal in 1832, Jackson set out to do just that. Exercising the executive privilege of veto power, Jackson denied the Bank’s recharter bill. The veto was sustained. Although the veto was a victory for Jackson, it was not well-received by many people. Daniel Webster, a whig party leader who was in favor of the renewal of the Bank of the United States, voiced just one criticism of Jackson’s decision when he claimed that Jackson’s message to Congress “[extended] the grasp of (the chief executive) over every power of government” (Doc. G). Similarly, some people viewed Jackson’s decision as an abuse of power, as he used his veto power to overturn a bill that did not align with his personal ideology. Although Jackson, fittingly depicted as a monarch in a political cartoon directed to the people of America against his reelection in 1832 (Doc. E), had the interests of common man in mind, the policies intended to further those interests

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