Zinn Chapter 10 Summary Essay

Jackson is very important because he created or instigated the two dominant political parties we use today (democratic and republican). The beliefs in these parties switched several times in history but initially Jackson was a democrat. The major beliefs in democrats in the 1820s-1850s were the beliefs in a small national government, pro states’ rights, and a strict interpretation of the constitution. The republicans (initially known as the Whigs) essentially opposed all of Jackson’s beliefs and therefore had more or less the complete opposite beliefs of the democrats. By starting these two political parties, he started the way people would categorize political candidates throughout the rest of American history.

1. According to Zinn, the root of racism is slavery because it created a separation between whites and blacks for about 350 years. The whites were superior and the blacks were inferior.

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).

Columbus has always been portrayed as an enlightened, peaceful explorer who “discovered” a new world, and became friends with the native people. Howard Zinn’s view on Columbus’s encounter with the natives is an entirely different perspective. Zinn describes Columbus as a man who is willing to torture and kill others to be able to accomplish what he wants; in this case he wanted to obtain gold and other resources to take back with him to Spain.

Jackson was willing to make the unpopular decision of vetoing the renewal for the national bank and withdraw all the money to get our nation out of debt. Doing this made him very unpopular but Jackson was willing to take the risk to get the nation out of debt. Also when President Jackson became president he brought all of his friends with him, and gave them jobs, even me, using the spoils system. Incase you didn’t know the spoils system is when a president gets elected and he gives all of his friends and associates positions in office. As one of our best presidents Andrew Jackson also paved the road for us to continue on with manifest destiny by moving the Native Americans into Oklahoma so we could move farther west. While this may seem cruel to some he was doing what was best for our people and what he felt was best for the Native American population. President Jackson caringly thought of how the Native Americans would feel about themselves if they were surrounded by civilized people with foreign traditions to them. He was moving them for their own good, seeing as they never wanted to assimilate to our culture. Also, he feared that they would see themselves the way that they are truly seen, as savages, and he did not want to have to force that

Andrew Jackson, unlike other politicians, didn’t grown up prestigious and wealthy from a political family. He gained his political status all on his own. Andrew Jackson, before his run in office, became a lawyer and later a planter;. He entered the War of 1812, and was considered a hero. After this, he dedicated a large part of his life to politics. He believed in things like majority rule, and equality among commoners. Andrew Jackson believed in ideas such as strong states, less of a federal government, and staying out of slavery issues. These characteristics were what set him apart from other aristocratic politicians during his time.

Many have different perspectives on if Andrew Jackson changed politics for the common man, or if it just happened to be a simple trend meant for greater voter participation. Although we may have different ideas I would have to say Andrew Jackson was like most presidents who had their own conflicts. He was just a president who kept somewhat of the same trend just did a couple different tricks.

Andrew Jackson appealed to the common man as being a military hero, frontiersman, and a populist. Though Jackson challenged the political, social and economic upper class. Jackson and the democrats reinforced this image because they fought for white individual liberty, equality of economic opportunity, political democracy and he went with his better judgement despite the supreme court's decision.

The Jacksonian Democrats were very important in the revolutions in political democracy that took place during this period. During this period universal white male suffrage took place and was the first step towards the revolution of the common man in politics. Also, Jackson's acceptance and support of the two-party system helped create a more democratic America in which people with similar views could unite in their support of a singular candidate. Many "working men" of this time period had felt they had been taken advantage of and misrepresented by tyrannical aristocrats who treated them poorly (A). Jackson used this to his advantage with emotionalized speeches exploiting class differences. However, it should be said that during this time period the amount of voters increased dramatically which means that more Americans were involved in American politics (D). Jackson's use of the "Kitchen Cabinet" kept his knowledge of critics and the wants and needs of the people up

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.

Jackson also gave government jobs to regular people. This was called the spoils system. He appointed people to federal jobs depending on whether they had campaigned for the Democratic Party. Anyone currently in office who was not a democratic was replaced with a democrat. This was called the spoils system because it promoted a corrupt government. He also believed in rotation in office. He wanted to make it possible for more democrats to have government jobs, so he limited a person's time in office to one term. The spoils system showed how one man was no better than another and helped build a strong two-party system.

Andrew Jackson was probably one of the most powerful and influential presidents during his time at the white house. He was hated, yet loved by many. Jackson was an American soldier, who gained fame as a general in the U.S and served in both houses of Congress. He was soon elected the seventh president of the United States. After Jackson took charge, he wanted immediate change as to how the government was being run. For starters, he came with a new idea of voting. Allowing the common people to vote for whom they believe was the right person for the job. Before the introduction to

Jackson, uneducated as he was, was a very shrewd man. Using the spoils system, he all but totally replaced the cabinet from the previous administration. By rewarding the men who had helped him reach his current state, he made it clear that the middleclass could improve their condition. The cabinet was no longer filled with wealthy men of status, but instead of more every day people.

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

Jackson was the most democratic of any president at that time to come to power. In practically all areas of political application there was the existence of liberal thinking. This was especially apparent in his previously mentioned appointment of officials. Jackson considered the roles of officials fairly simple and could and should be carried out by all people not just the members of the socially and intellectually elite. The belief of complete equality is with out a doubt Jacksonian. Despite this already democratic view, Jackson took it one step further and appointed the illiterate and plain incompetent members of society to office.