Andrew Jackson: The Age Of The Common Man

As Andrew Jackson ascended the throne to be our seventh President, the era became known as “The Age of Jackson.” However, it wasn’t so much known to the people back then as “The Age of the Common Man.” Despite being far from the common man, Jackson still portrayed himself to be a humble and relatable guy. He was born as an orphan without wealth but eventually worked his way up the social ladder and became a successful lawyer and military hero. After being elected president, he was able to reform the nation and led the government through radical change. Jackson narrowly lost to Quincy Adams in the election of 1824 but came back with redemption in the election of 1828. He was so popular and loved by the people that crowds would gather just
The Nullification Crisis also raised the question concerning how local interests, states’ rights, and government power should be balanced. Henry Clay’s “American System” included a tariff on goods and a national bank to build the national economy. Despite Jackson’s disapproval, Congress passed the Tariff of 1832 to retain taxes on many luxury goods that the South favored. This angered the south to the point where South Carolina wanted to secede. Jackson had no choice but to use military force to solve the crisis. Even though nothing was done, this scared the other southern states to not follow South Carolina’s lead. It was a sly and divisive move by Jackson to sacrifice southern interests in exchange for national
He supported the “agricultural republic” and the bank was helping make the rich even richer. The bank held too much of the nation’s financial strength and favored the Northeast more than the South and West. Jackson was also scared that the money may be used against him to prevent him from getting re-elected. He strongly vetoed the Bank Bill and refused to renew the Bank’s charter. The end of the Bank created a new economic policy called laissez fair, where the government had limited involvement. This also created a whole new party consisting of people who were infuriated by Jackson’s decision. Jackson’s opponents became known as the Whigs Party. Jackson’s strong democratic beliefs spoke for expansion and freedom. Even though he wasn’t honorable all the time, he only had the people’s interest to drive him forward. In a way, he was a villain with a noble cause. He just didn’t always follow the heroic path to achieve what he wanted. Killing the bank was probably his worst move but he’s only human and feared for his future. Nobody wanted to keep the nation’s unity more than he did. His sentiment breathed liberty and