Jacksonian Democracy Dbq Analysis
Alexandra Harris
DBQ
January 8, 2013
Between the 1820’s and 1830’s the Jacksonian Democrats played a huge role in shaping the United States, as we know it. During this time Jacksonians viewed themselves, not only as guardians of the Constitution, but also of political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. From my knowledge of the Jacksonian Democrats, they did just the opposite. Jacksoinan’s viewed themselves very highly in regards to the United States Constitution, but looking back their influence and what they stood for was exactly opposite from what they claimed. In “The Working Men’s Declaration of Independence” (Doc. A), George Henry Evans states “We hold these truths to be self evident, that
all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…” From this passage, you can get a glimpse of the things Jacksonians eluded towards being for. When creating the Working Men’s Declaration of Independence, the Jasksonians compiled all the best things onto one document. Men being equal, and just because they are living they are granted the right to live, to have liberty and to pursue happiness. Usually, new found concepts like these were easier said than done, as the Jacksonians probably soon found out. By the 1830’s everyone had their own parties and beliefs and no one was getting along. If you weren’t careful you would find yourself in the middle of a riot very easily. As Philip Hone states in “The Diary of Philip Hone” (Doc. E), there were dreadful riots everywhere. No one thought of their fellow man as equal to himself. Immigrants were treated with much distain and hatred. Buisiness men were of a higher class than farmers and it was rightfully seen. You were only able to pursue happiness if you were of a higher, wealthier class. If you were an immigrant you were only able to work in the factories, not higher paying jobs. What the Jacksonians thought was a good way to run a country soon was not even thought about. In 1834 a British woman came to visit the United States for the first time. In her documentation of it, Society in America (Doc. D) she states how there was a complete lack of poverty, everything seemed beautiful and peaceful and right. She had so many positive things to say. But she concludes here report with this statement, “… I was thrown into painful amazement by being told that the grand question of the time was ‘whether the people should be encouraged to govern themselves, or whether the wise should save them from themselves.’” She was genuinely amazed by the fact that in such a great nation. THIS was the question we were struggling to answer. With that being said, we continue on to the Native Amercans. The trail of tears was NOT an example of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. There is a painting of the Native Americans along the trail of tears (Doc. G), you look at it and you do not see a group of joyful people. You see a huge mob of sad, distraught, confused individuals who are being forced out the land they love into a completely undesirable state because the Whites find them an inconvenience and nusance, taking up ‘their’ land. The Jacksonians like to call themselves “guardians of the Consitution” but they are just the opposite. They placed themselves as rulers over the people (Doc. I), the one thing they were trying to enforce, all men being equal, they were creating a problem for. They were not the guardians, but rather the destroyers.
DBQ
January 8, 2013
Between the 1820’s and 1830’s the Jacksonian Democrats played a huge role in shaping the United States, as we know it. During this time Jacksonians viewed themselves, not only as guardians of the Constitution, but also of political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. From my knowledge of the Jacksonian Democrats, they did just the opposite. Jacksoinan’s viewed themselves very highly in regards to the United States Constitution, but looking back their influence and what they stood for was exactly opposite from what they claimed. In “The Working Men’s Declaration of Independence” (Doc. A), George Henry Evans states “We hold these truths to be self evident, that
all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…” From this passage, you can get a glimpse of the things Jacksonians eluded towards being for. When creating the Working Men’s Declaration of Independence, the Jasksonians compiled all the best things onto one document. Men being equal, and just because they are living they are granted the right to live, to have liberty and to pursue happiness. Usually, new found concepts like these were easier said than done, as the Jacksonians probably soon found out. By the 1830’s everyone had their own parties and beliefs and no one was getting along. If you weren’t careful you would find yourself in the middle of a riot very easily. As Philip Hone states in “The Diary of Philip Hone” (Doc. E), there were dreadful riots everywhere. No one thought of their fellow man as equal to himself. Immigrants were treated with much distain and hatred. Buisiness men were of a higher class than farmers and it was rightfully seen. You were only able to pursue happiness if you were of a higher, wealthier class. If you were an immigrant you were only able to work in the factories, not higher paying jobs. What the Jacksonians thought was a good way to run a country soon was not even thought about. In 1834 a British woman came to visit the United States for the first time. In her documentation of it, Society in America (Doc. D) she states how there was a complete lack of poverty, everything seemed beautiful and peaceful and right. She had so many positive things to say. But she concludes here report with this statement, “… I was thrown into painful amazement by being told that the grand question of the time was ‘whether the people should be encouraged to govern themselves, or whether the wise should save them from themselves.’” She was genuinely amazed by the fact that in such a great nation. THIS was the question we were struggling to answer. With that being said, we continue on to the Native Amercans. The trail of tears was NOT an example of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. There is a painting of the Native Americans along the trail of tears (Doc. G), you look at it and you do not see a group of joyful people. You see a huge mob of sad, distraught, confused individuals who are being forced out the land they love into a completely undesirable state because the Whites find them an inconvenience and nusance, taking up ‘their’ land. The Jacksonians like to call themselves “guardians of the Consitution” but they are just the opposite. They placed themselves as rulers over the people (Doc. I), the one thing they were trying to enforce, all men being equal, they were creating a problem for. They were not the guardians, but rather the destroyers.