Jacksonian Era Research Paper

The Jacksonian ERA After losing the election of 1824 to president John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson returned in the next election of 1828. Jackson defeated Adams and became the seventh president of the United States. Andrew Jackson gained popularity from his role in the war of 1812. He quickly became a leader in the new Democratic Party. During his presidency he supported slavery and states’ rights. He fought against the National Bank and opposed the form of currency currently in place. However, what is remembered most for was his part in relocating the Native Americans in what was named the “Indian Removal Act”. Andrew Jackson served in office only two terms and did not seek a third. Vice president Martin Van Buren became the eight president

This was because most of his family had been lost in the War of 1812, where Natives were allies with Brittan. The Washington government in the 1790’s, policy in the United States was mainly used to give Indians their rights, this was violated by Jackson soon after he was elected president. Andrew Jackson, who was in favor of Western expansion, forced Indians to move from their homeland. From the beginning of the United States’ government, Indian tribes were given rights to be treated as nations, and their rights had to be respected by the Constitution. For example, Henry Knox, Secretary of War in 1789, wrote to President George Washington that, “The Indians being the prior occupants, possess the right of the soil. It cannot be taken from them unless by their free consent, or by the right of conquest in case of a just war” (Document B). Which means that the Native Americans were protected of their rights of staying on American land, since they were the first to be on the land, and they could only be removed if they agreed or lost by war. However, the US government would trick Native American Tribes to agree to unfair treaties and this would be major mistakes that were being made, because it was still unfair to them, but was constitutional since they were willing to agree to these treaties. Soon after Andrew Jackson, achieved his political goals of expanding into the west. In his First Annual Message to Congress on 1829, Andrew Jackson agreed that “It has long been the policy of Government to introduce among them the arts of civilization” (Document O). He also hinted the forced removal of Indians by saying that the US government “at the same time lost no opportunity to purchase their lands and thrust them farther into the wilderness” (Document O). By the end of the Message, he showed his determination of expansion by forcing the Indians to move west of the Mississippi river, and into the