Andrew Jackson--Tyrant

Andrew Jackson—Tyrant? Andrew Jackson, the common man and seventh president of the United States, was a tyrant. He had a tendency to step over his limits of power when he was passionate towards a cause. However, it could be justified that his actions were in favor of the people. A famous incident Jackson was involved in was the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The act gave Jackson the power to make “treaties” with the “Five Civilized Tribes”—the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole. However, the tribes refused to leave their land, and Jackson resorted to using military force. The Cherokee responded by forming their own Constitution and went to court in 1831 to fight for their land. Chief Justice John Marshall and the other jurors decided that the Cherokee had the right to govern themselves, and the actions of Georgia were considered unconstitutional. Georgia ignored the court decision and President Jackson refused to enforce the decision. It could be argued that Jackson actions were justified because he was looking out for the interests of the Southerners. Another controversial issue Jackson was involved in was the Second Bank of the US. Jackson did not like how the bank supported the industrial North when it did not support expansion West, and that it had too much power—politically and economically. As a result, Jackson explained his case for closing the bank to Congress. Much to his dilemma, Congress declared the Second Bank of the US constitutional. However, Jackson decided to take matters into his own hands and removed all the federal funds from the Second Bank of the US, redistributing the money to state banks, or pet banks. Jackson vetoed the re-charter bill that Congress tried to pass, and the charter for the Second Bank of the US expired in 1836. Something that Jackson was linked with is the creation of the spoils system. The spoils system was the promise of government jobs as a result of political support. Jackson promised exactly that to his