Justin Trudeau once said, “Leadership should be focused on extending the ladder of opportunity for everyone.” A leader is someone who doesn't care about the color of someone’s skin, or how someone’s culture differs from their own. Andrew Jackson was not like this. Jackson did not like that the Native Americans were different from what he was used to, so he ended up not liking them all because of that. He was racist towards them, hating every Native American just because they were part of that group. The policies made by Jackson during his presidency were indeed motivated by racism, and he used them to ruin the lives of Native Americans, eliminate their culture and uniqueness, as well as to drive them out of their homes. One way Jackson’s …show more content…
One piece of evidence which supports this states, “In 1804, Jackson purchased a 425-acre farm, later known as the Hermitage, where he built a plantation and used enslaved people to labor in his fields (President of the People - American Stories Textbook Pages 364-365 - Paragraph 3).” This piece from the textbook explains that Jackson had no issue using slaves for labor, showing his approval of the system. This again plays into his idea of inferiority and heavy difference between the two sides. Although there is no difference between people with different colors of skin, Jackson still felt that he was above those who were darker than him. He supported the idea of using them as slaves and did so on his farm. This proves that he disliked the culture and color of the Native American people, which supports the idea that this idea motivated some of his policies during his presidency. Some people may argue that Jackson could not have been racist toward the Native Americans because he had come from a background more similar to theirs than other U.S citizens. A piece of evidence to support this states, “Andrew Jackson was the first president who didn't come from a wealthy Virginia or Massachusetts family. He was born into poverty in 1767 and grew up in North Carolina. His father died before his birth, leaving his mother to raise him and his brothers (President of the People - American Stories Textbook Pages 364-365 - Paragraph 3).” This piece of evidence raises the idea that Jackson might have been filled with more empathy and sympathy for these people than hatred. He would have known what it felt like to have nothing, which possibly meant that the forced loss of goods and homes was not intended, but rather an accident. He may have meant all the words about friendliness, and