After the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson was publicly recognized as a war hero. In the election of 1828, Jackson campaigned as an outsider of the town and was elected president unanimously. During the campaign, the Jacksonians created a new political party, the Democrats. Jackson's Democrats saw themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, and individual freedom. Most of the Jacksonians denounced South Carolina's claim for the right to overturn the federal laws as treacherous. Jackson tried to appease the Southerners in order to avoid future conflict with them. This illustrated his attempt to defend the federal powers described in the constitution. But when it came to the removal of the Second National Bank, Jackson and his followers ignored the constitution. Second National Bank had a charter, therefore, was protected by the Constitution. Jackson asserted that the Bank's charter, which was previously designated by Congress as constitutional, was not compatible with the constitution from United States. This led to Henry Clay, Jackson’s political opponent in the election of 1832, to establish the Whig Party. The Jacksonians …show more content…
Jackson was a strong advocate to eliminate restrictions on land ownership. He also encouraged the spoils system. He felt that this system better incorporated public opinion into government policy. He believed that because each party had to compete for public support in meeting their wants and needs, the public would become more active in elections. Although he protected political democracy, Jackson did not grant everyone the right to vote, which would make a truly democratic president. The common people were denied the right to vote in national elections. African Americans could not cast their own votes, but counted as three-fifths of a vote for whoever voted for its owner. In addition, white women could not even vote for a