The Pros And Cons Of Jacksonian Democracy
The changing politics of the Jacksonian years paralleled complex social and economic changes. Between 1824 and 1840, polices moved out of the fine homes of rich southern planters and northern merchants who had dominated government in past eras. This time period is when the white middle and lower classes started to vote in larger numbers. As a result of Jacksonian Democracy, the amount of votes jumped from 350,000 to 2.4 million in 1840. This was by far the biggest advantage of Jacksonian Democracy because nothing is better in government than a much involved group of citizens who know what their voting for and have strong opinions. Another advantage to Jacksonian Democracy was the fact that he started a revolution in politics. There was no
democratic party before Jackson created it, which is very instrumental in American history. The rise of the “common man” was another huge advantage to Jacksonian Democracy. He was looked at as a common man who rose up the proverbial food chain. He gave hope to all of the common men and women out there and that was very moving in his term and thereafter. The reason why the amount of votes grew so high was a result of the “rise of the common man”. Some other huge advantages to the Jacksonian democracy was the slow, but sure destruction of the Bank of the United States and Jackson’s reforms. The reforms were so vital and advantageous because it created labor laws for factory workers and the people really liked that. Andrew Jackson was referred to as the “Peoples President” and the day he was elected was known as the “Peoples day”. That is exactly how Jackson bettered the government because he put hope in the people. Finally, he eliminated qualifications for voting which led to nationwide suffrage among whites. Although, Jacksonian Democracy had many advantages, there were the disadvantages too. When it comes to the Unites States Constitution, Jackson attempted to act as a guardian; but he only protected its content when it benefited his popularity or ran parallel with his stances on governmental issues. Jackson was most definitely disappointed with his vice president, John Calhoun, when he emerged as the leader of the states’ rights uprising in South Carolina. They were ready and willing to deny enforcement of any federal law or the upholding of any constitutional right that negatively affected their state. Most Jacksonians denounced South Carolina’s demand for the right to nullify federal laws as treasonous. When South Carolina mentioned nullification of the “tariff of abominations,” Jackson tried to appease the Southerners, by loosening the tariff so as to make it more favorable for the South, in order to avoid their future use of nullification. This illustrated his attempt to uphold the federal powers outlined in the constitution and prevent individual states from claiming rights not granted to them. In addition, Jackson followed strict construction of the constitution when he vetoed a major internal improvements bill in 1830, denying federal funds for the building of Maysville Road in Kentucky. But when it came to Indian removal and the “killing” of the Bank of the United States, Jackson and his followers disregarded the constitution. Jacksonians were strongly in favor of the speedy removal of all Indians to reservations west of the Mississippi. The constitution states that dealing with Indian relations is a responsibility of the federal government; however, when Southern states began removing the Indians with their own “state sponsored” programs, Jackson failed to halt these actions or punish the state administrations for their actions. He even overlooked Georgia’s defiance of the Supreme Court decision in Worcester vs. Georgia that denied state jurisdiction over tribal land All of the previous presents the advantages and disadvantages to Jacksonian Democracy and the new politics that Jackson brought to the table. His politics were very debatable and many took strong stands for him and against him, but it is safe to say that Andrew Jackson was a very good President and he ushered in new ideas and more involved people with his politics.
democratic party before Jackson created it, which is very instrumental in American history. The rise of the “common man” was another huge advantage to Jacksonian Democracy. He was looked at as a common man who rose up the proverbial food chain. He gave hope to all of the common men and women out there and that was very moving in his term and thereafter. The reason why the amount of votes grew so high was a result of the “rise of the common man”. Some other huge advantages to the Jacksonian democracy was the slow, but sure destruction of the Bank of the United States and Jackson’s reforms. The reforms were so vital and advantageous because it created labor laws for factory workers and the people really liked that. Andrew Jackson was referred to as the “Peoples President” and the day he was elected was known as the “Peoples day”. That is exactly how Jackson bettered the government because he put hope in the people. Finally, he eliminated qualifications for voting which led to nationwide suffrage among whites. Although, Jacksonian Democracy had many advantages, there were the disadvantages too. When it comes to the Unites States Constitution, Jackson attempted to act as a guardian; but he only protected its content when it benefited his popularity or ran parallel with his stances on governmental issues. Jackson was most definitely disappointed with his vice president, John Calhoun, when he emerged as the leader of the states’ rights uprising in South Carolina. They were ready and willing to deny enforcement of any federal law or the upholding of any constitutional right that negatively affected their state. Most Jacksonians denounced South Carolina’s demand for the right to nullify federal laws as treasonous. When South Carolina mentioned nullification of the “tariff of abominations,” Jackson tried to appease the Southerners, by loosening the tariff so as to make it more favorable for the South, in order to avoid their future use of nullification. This illustrated his attempt to uphold the federal powers outlined in the constitution and prevent individual states from claiming rights not granted to them. In addition, Jackson followed strict construction of the constitution when he vetoed a major internal improvements bill in 1830, denying federal funds for the building of Maysville Road in Kentucky. But when it came to Indian removal and the “killing” of the Bank of the United States, Jackson and his followers disregarded the constitution. Jacksonians were strongly in favor of the speedy removal of all Indians to reservations west of the Mississippi. The constitution states that dealing with Indian relations is a responsibility of the federal government; however, when Southern states began removing the Indians with their own “state sponsored” programs, Jackson failed to halt these actions or punish the state administrations for their actions. He even overlooked Georgia’s defiance of the Supreme Court decision in Worcester vs. Georgia that denied state jurisdiction over tribal land All of the previous presents the advantages and disadvantages to Jacksonian Democracy and the new politics that Jackson brought to the table. His politics were very debatable and many took strong stands for him and against him, but it is safe to say that Andrew Jackson was a very good President and he ushered in new ideas and more involved people with his politics.