John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States and served from 1825 through 1829. He lost reelection to Andrew Jackson, who served as president from 1829 to 1837. Each president came from a distinct background and dealt with similar issues such as the expansion of the U.S. in their respective way. They had a number of achievements, although Andrew Jackson had more for several reasons, including running for two terms. While each president made important decisions that would impact the United States immediately and the lasting effects were felt after their presidency, they each made mistakes that affected the rest of their presidency or that showed their true character. Their legacies are well known in history, with Andrew Jackson …show more content…
At the time, many large portions of land in Eastern US states were under the direct control of indigenous communities. Jackson wanted to open these lands for economic development by white settlers, including some who wanted to join the ongoing gold rush in Georgia (Badertscher). John Quincy Adams served the term before Jackson during the years 1825 through 1829. During this time, the main events going on in the United States were also the growing desire for westward expansion. He supported the development of geographical science through scientific explorations of the West. He also proposed a nationally planned network of railroads, canals, and roads to tie the nation together that would be financed by the sale of Western lands (Underdal). Although both presidents supported the nation’s interest in expanding beyond the borders and could both be described as frontiersmen, their difference would be in the attitudes toward the indigenous peoples of those lands. While Jackson supported the removal and relocation of these peoples, Adams suggested that Indians should be treated more fairly, perhaps to be assimilated instead of being robbed of their lands