Analysis Of Liberty And Power: The Politics Of Jacksonian America By Harry L. Watson

A time of immense change and political involvement, the antebellum years of the early 1800s is one of the most intriguing time periods of America’s history. Harry L. Watson’s incredible book, Liberty and Power: The Politics of Jacksonian America, details the ups and downs of politics during Jacksonian America. Watson does a great job on explaining how the eighteenth century concept of republicanism transformed nineteenth century America in the form of a ‘market revolution.’ Social, political and economic changes were the center of life during Jacksonian America. Watson’s synthesis is a must-read for anyone interested in Jacksonian politics.
Despite the young age of the country, the United States was surprisingly democratic. Americans of

Despite the financial troubles, most American’s still believed that American needed to commercially advance. Watson explained that Henry Clay’s American System, which was the Whig’s main platform, comprised of three main parts: economical protection via tariffs, transportation infrastructure and a banking and credit system that encourages the use of paper money. Clay believed that with the implementation of his economic system, citizens’ independence and individual prosperity would be improved. He believed that the improvement is a key idea in the republicanism ideology. On the other hand, Jackson preferred a simple agrarian society that had no place for a strong financial sector. Jackson thought that if charters were favored towards one area of society instead of another, then some people would view it as favoritism towards an elite society. Jackson believed that that was a direct violation of equal liberty of republicanism so he didn’t re-charter the Bank of the United States. The market revolution involved the creation of canals, roadways and railways, foreign investment, new technology, and industrialization. The fact that Jackson didn’t re-charter the Bank of the United States led to the Panics of 1837 and 1839, both of which occurred after he left office. Watson argued that Jackson was extremely self-confident. Jackson believed that since he was voted president by the people of the United States that he was the most legitimate represented of the