Andrew Jackson’s presidency included many important events for the development of the country, yet many of the things he has done was controversial to many. Jackson’s democratic views were widely praised. The Indian removal helped America expand but many of the Natives were treated harshly. The National Bank had many mixed views with strong feelings on both sides. Andrew Jackson’s presidency was both successful and unsuccessful. He made the debt of the nation worse, yet he started the Indian removal allowing the country to expand even more. He also pushed equality among Americans by allowing them to vote and have the opportunity to get into office. Jackson supported the ordinary people by giving them more of a chance in the government. He extended the right to vote to many new people also allowing them to be able to run for office; therefore the government did not favor the wealthy and powerful anymore. Jackson's supporters disliked and did not trust the government and banks. They thought the government and the banks favored the rich and powerful. On page 352 it states, “‘The rich and the poor, the educated and the …show more content…
Jackson pushed out the potential threat of the Native Americans. They were getting more advanced with a written language, a constitutional government, and a newspaper in their language and in english The Natives were in American owned territory and if the Americans went around them they could have been a threat later on and one does not want a threat in the middle of their territory. The movements were harsh and many died. When the removal of the Choctaws happened there was a lack of essential supplies. As it states on page 358, “The federal government did not provide enough tents, food, blankets, shoes, winter clothes, or other supplies. Heavy rain and snow caused enormous suffering.” Many did not have shoes and had to walk barefoot through
President Jackson was described as representing the beliefs of the “average” American because at the time most Americans were for expanding the territory of the United States so that their population could grow without being an overpopulated area. They also wanted to remove Indians from their territory so that this would be possible. Some people got the idea that if the Indians were not going to benefit the United States that they were a waste of space. They thought the Indians should be removed from the land that they had owned for thousands of years just so the U.S. could expand. A lot of Americans also saw Indian removal as one less thing that was needed to be done to get the United States to be an all- white nation.
He viewed the Native Americans as, “ conquered subjects who live within the borders of the United States”. Jackson wanted Congress to pass the law, making the Native Americans move west, and eventually in 1830 they passed the Indian Removal Act. Some tribes banded together to stand up to them, but failed, were sent away to the Indian territory, and most died during the journey.(Creating America A History of the United States). Andrew Jackson messed up the economy with the war against the bank. He claimed he didn’t like the bank, and this became an issue, “ Jackson’s war on the bank became the main issue,[..]” .
Andrew Jackson had a strong negative impact on the United States during his presidency. Jackson’s first taste of power was in 1796 when he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, which shortly led to his seat in the U.S Senate from Tennessee. When this position did not satisfy Jackson he ran for president against John Quincy Adams in 1824, which he lost. Four years later, Jackson ran once again for president except he had a successful outcome. During his presidency Jackson had four main principles, white man’s suffrage, the Spoils System, Indian Removal and Opposing the National Bank.
President Jackson portrayed himself as an outsider. Overall his main goal was to encourage Americans to create a smaller government with more involvement from citizens. Jackson had a multitude of effects on the American community. He concentrated on a small government, expanding democracy, and the Indian Removal Act. Jackson worked to shrink the government.
While Andrew Jackson may have believed he was helping the common man and ruling for the majority, his unfair and inconsistent presidency was reflected in his treatment of Native Americans, the National Bank, and the Nullification crisis. Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law in order to move Native American’s out of their own land to move in American settlers. For one, the Natives had no rights and no real way to reason with the US government, making it easy to remove them from any land East of the Mississippi. Jackson wanted to help the majority of Americans, but did not speak for the majority of Native Americans, who he considered savages and uncivilized. Jackson’s role in the nullification crisis was very important, as he helped increase sectionalism in the South.
Is Andrew Jackson a hero or a villain? Throughout history Jackson has been viewed as both. Some see him as a war hero and the people’s president. Others see him as a racist and a political tyrant. To me, Andrew Jackson is more of a hero.
In addition, his time in office led to increased land transportation to support a strong industrial and agricultural economy within the nation. For the most part, all of these helped the American people. They not only allowed the majority to succeed, but they also helped them better understand politics through Andrew Jackson’s
He vetoed many laws that he did not like, and strengthened the central government. An act that many presidents didn’t like was the fact that every state had the right to nullify a federal law whenever they wanted. Andrew Jackson vetoed this. America changes sometimes for the better and the worst. How America changes affects the way the people want to live here, or want to leave here.
Andrew Jackson presidency focused a lot on small government and pleasing the common man. He attempted to shut down national banks to make government smaller. Jackson also enforces things like the Indian Removal Policy, which strengthened the bond between Jackson and the common man. Jackson was the first and only president to make the country debt too. All of these impacted are government today very much as well as other governments around the world.
Andrew Jackson was one of the greatest presidents who made very difficult decisions for our country. Although his choices were not always the popular decision, he made choices that were always promoting democracy. The things that make a good democracy are: giving people a say in government, having a good leader that you can trust to make wise decisions, peace and stability between each country and other states, and having equal power in the government (checks and balances). Andrew Jackson came into office with a popular vote and great support. His supporters viewed him as a man of the people.
Andrew Jackson during his time was considered a very patriotic politician he hated the rich, he hated the Indian, and loved the idea of slavery. It has been said that he grew up not educated and had a bad up bring but still managed to get to a high political suture. Jackson at one point was general and had a very decorated portfolio, which made sense he would become president, Andrew was most well know for “The Battle of New Orleans” where Andrew Jackson, prevented the British Army and General Edward Pakenham, from seizing New Orleans nearing the end of that war.
No living human is either entirely virtuous or wholeheartedly evil. Sometimes it can seem that way, but that’s because most of the time individuals hear want to hear what they want to hear. This concept is entirely true in regard to Andrew Jackson, who people can see as a heroic American war hero who came from nothing and stood by his beliefs or the complete opposite. People could also perceive him as an evil, tyrannical leader who forced thousands of Native Americans out of their homes. I believe Andrew Jackson was not a hero but a villain because of the way he treated Native Americans, the actions he took during his presidency, and the fact he was a slave-owner.
Andrew Jackson has been remembered as a ground breaking president, even being put on the $20. President Jackson was a controversial figure, doing many popular and unpopular things in his time. Although he is remembered as a hero from the war of 1812, he also caused the Trail of Tears and tried to destroy the National Bank. As a result, Jackson should not be put on the $20 bill. His actions have caused many misfortune showing that villains do exist.
In American History, few ideological disagreements have been as important as the divide between Andrew Jackson’s Republican Party and Henry Clay’s Whig Party. Both parties were led by brilliant men whose political arguments would lay the foundation on the nature of democracy and economic development that are ever present in our national discourse. Jackson thought America should remain as it was in its current state and feared improvement whereas Henry Clay felt that America was destined for greatness and change. In order to fully understand and appreciate their national debates, a detailed analysis of the two political leader’s differences on democracy and economic development will be presented herein as well as how this debate overcame the
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States of America and had made several great accomplishments for the country. For example, Jackson got the US out of national debt, responded to the nullification crisis, and was a national hero for his service in New Orleans. Even though Andrew Jackson had accomplish great issues with the nation, he also made many mistakes. For instance, Jackson was a slave owner, disagreed with paper money, and he moved all the Native Americans out of their homes to be pushed West. In general, Andrew Jackson should not judged by the values of today society, since times are different today.