Andrew Jackson’s victory in the presidential election against John Quincy Adams in 1828 would bring about the “common man era” in America. This was a time during the Jacksonian Democracy that promoted the common man, states’ rights and strict construction. For the first time in the United States history, a man born in humble circumstances (who did not have a college education) from west of the Appalachian Mountains, was now President. In the past, politicians had been elected because of their social status due to their family background, wealth and education. Jackson’s election as president marked an end to the wealthy politician’s steak. People viewed Jackson as the representation of the up-and-coming middle and working class of America. Therefore, Jackson embraced the role of protecting the “common men”. …show more content…
To the people, Jackson represented the common man and looked up to him in beliefs that he would thus help their way of
Andrew Jackson is widely recognized as a supporter of the common man. Jackson voiced for representation among ordinary citizens, and often spoke against the elite; His distinction among other candidates gained him loyal followers. However, his support for the common man differs by one 's interpretation of what a common man is. A common man is the ordinary citizens of a society; lacking class or rank.
When America’s political system was developing, Jackson became the face of the new Democratic Party (History). Jackson was elected by prominent vote due to his ability to reach the masses, and support for the common man (White House). During his presidency, Jackson had managed to further strengthen the power of the president (Inside Gov). Jackson was the first and only president to be able to completely pay off the nation’s debt. (Inside Gov) Instead of favoring the majority vote or minority vote, it seemed as though he favored his vote, during his presidency he had used his power to veto twelve bills, which was more than the six presidents before him combined (Millercenter).
Howard Zinn’s unique perspective on American history and the beloved American heroes makes for an interesting story. His book, A People's History of the United States, paints history in a whole new light. While most teachers tell the story of the Jacksonian “era of the common man”, the other side is rarely looked at, the side that Zinn shows in the 10th chapter of his book “The Other Civil War”, and the era of the elite using the middle class to push the lower, working classes down. He also uses other like-minded historians like Christman, Miller, Myers, and Horwitz and historical events to support his claims. These claims are that throughout the 1830s and 1860s there was a class struggle going on between the poor workers of the nation and
“The Birth of Modern Politics” is about the 1828 presidential election, which pitted Andrew Jackson vs. against John Quincy Adams. Parson’s book also discusses the events in Andrew Jackson’s and John Quincy Adams’ lives leading up to it as well. The book opens by giving background information about Andrew Jackson and his achievements. Specifically, his success in conquering the Native Americans at the battle of New Orleans and his humble origins made Jackson America’s first “man of the people” candidate for the 1824 election. However, during the 1824 election, Jackson had lost to Adams to which his followers claimed he was denied and should have won.
Watson’s book further describes that Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay mainly had political differences, morals, and characteristics. Although Andrew Jackson- like Henry Clay- was a supporter of increased democracy and economic development, he and his supporters still tended to believe that the growing wealth and power of
According to Thomas P. Abernethy, Jackson was “a frontier nabob who took sides against the democratic movement in his own state…an opportunist for whom democracy was good talk with which to win the favor of the people and thereby accomplish ulterior objectives.” Different views of Jackson continued the debate about who he really was as a leader. It was not until historian Arthur Schlesinger, took a different look at the study of Jackson. He believed that Jackson’s presidency was designed to suppress the power of capitalists, and try to help those of the lower classes. Other historians continued to disagree with Schlesinger, while others supported his idea or enhanced it, saying Jackson was almost similar to a Marxist.
The era of Andrew Jackson which was nicknames the era of the “common man” certainly lived up to its name. As the seventh President of the United States, Jackson had a major effect on the life of the common man, in such a way that the life of the common man would never be the same again. Jackson’s aim, after the manner in which he was defeated in the Presidential Election of 1824, despite receiving more popular votes than John Quincy Adams who took on the office, was to reduce the power and the authority of the elite. When he came into power after the 1828 election Jackson began to carry out his proposals. Jackson expanded the voting right to all men, in accordance with the Declaration of Independence of 1776 which declared that “all men are created equal” instead of just the elite.
The founders of the United States did their best to create a government that would not allow erroneous decisions to greatly harm the nation. They set a percent of presidents being politically sound and well-known; their beliefs for how the nation should be handled were essential to their campaign. President Andrew Jackson, however, did not follow this system, instead winning primarily by his personality and popularity amongst the common American. While his actions in office often appeared to be for the people, most had a hidden selfish side to them that he easily covered up. With the election of 1828, Jackson radically changed American politics, focusing them more on public appearance and personal character than on intelligence and political views, making personality just as, if not more important than the actual politics of a political term.
The Jackson era refers to the years in between 1824 to 1840 when Andrew Jackson was president. It was also during this era that the economy of the country experienced a shift due to the change in the way production was being done. This shift then led to social inequalities that were previously unknown. Settlements for freed slaves soon become crowded with the arrival of immigrant workers with some of the settlements becoming slums.
Andrew Jackson was from the west, and not a politician making him more of a common man than previous presidents. Serving in the military, being manly, and having a nickname “Old Hickory” made him relatable to the people. Presidents like George Washington, in contrast, came across as other worldly with their wealth, and education. The similarities to Jackson encouraged civilian participation in government. Coinciding with universal white male suffrage that came about in the 1820’s, the percentage of eligible voters that cast a ballot was higher in the 1828 election than any previous election.
This essay discusses how Andrew Jackson emphasized the importance of everyday people having the same advantages as wealthy people. The Bank Veto of July 10, 1832 demonstrates a bold example of what Jackson did to show he
Andrew Jackson, being a tyrant, abused his power in his time of presidency. He was the 7th president, but before Jackson’s presidency, he had no political experience. One of the only things that really qualified him was the hardships he went through when he was younger. His father had died while Jackson was young and Jackson received the reputation as a “self-made man”, or an independent man.
He showed unifying leadership during the Nullification Crisis and the Tariff laws of 1828 and 1832, he showed a generous approach of governing through the “Kitchen Cabinet” and the “Spoils System”. Lastly, his concern for economic equality was shown through the veto of the Second Bank of the United States Recharter and his concerns for the common men. All of these qualities that Jackson had shown during his presidency are why Andrew Jackson should be remembered as a hero of the common
The Jacksonian Era was the time period of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. This began in 1828 when Jackson was elected president. The era is sometimes described as a time when the United States experienced the “democratization of politics.” In a democracy every citizen has an equal say in the government's decisions and actions. Some people of this time period believed that Jackson is notable for democratizing the United States during the Jacksonian Era.
Born into a non-aristocratic poor family, somewhere in the Carolina’s on March 14, 1767, was a man named Andrew Jackson. Jackson, also called “Old Hickory” was a very bold proactive man in American history. From being a military hero and founding the democratic party to enacting the trail of tears and dismantling the of the Bank of the United States, the man and his legacy are a prominent topic for scholarly debate. Some believe he was a great president and some believe he was the worse president. But if you look at it from a moral perceptive or in the eyes of a foreigner, Jackson’s legacy was far more villainous than heroic.