...One may ask: what makes the Jacksonian Period so special? The answer was: it was first time the “common man” was celebrated rather than looked down upon. During this era, Andrew Jackson was one of the first presidents who advocated for the the masses. And education and women reforms helped the average person. The Jacksonian Period lives up to its characterization as the era of the “common man” due to the political changes and the reform movements during the time period. There were many political changes that worked in favor of the common man. Andrew Jackson was a spokesperson for the masses, and advocated for many reforms that would benefit the poorer farm owners rather than the rich aristocrats. Therefore, his election in 1828 showed...
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...The era of the “common man” is described as the era of prosperity and power of the American, every day people; which occurred before, during, and after Andrew Jackson’s presidency. This name suits the time period fairly well if one is to consider the economic development, changing politics, and various reform movements, that took place within 1824-1848 in a thriving American nation. It was not perfect, yet it was a time of various alteration. Nearing the end of John Quincy Adams’s presidency, the Tariff of 1828 severely crippled the Southern economy. This “tariff of abominations” earned Adams a bad reputation amongst the southerners. It allowed for the Northeast to prosper by protecting them from foreign competition, while the South was stuck...
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...Andrew Jackson is noted for the creation of a whole new democratic era with in American history. Amongst his highly regarded accomplishments were arousing the "common man" to be intrigued by governmental affairs and effecting democracy to satisfy the same "common man’s” desire. Jackson could not make such foundational changes without he nations support. Jacksonian Democrats, as they progressively became know as, carried a significant number of fellowship during the 1820’s and 1830’s. They encouraged most of the issues that President Jackson saw importance in. Men of Jacksonian stature regarded themselves highly because they recognized and realized their responsibilities as American citizens and founders. They realized that their political leadership had a true divine purpose to enhance our nation as well to protect and serve the American people under the ideal of popular sovereignty. The Jacksonians condoned their self-view of one another in their genuine attempts to guard the United States Constitution. Such was done in two separate significant ways, one advocating equality of economic opportunity and advancing political democracy. A headlining characteristic of the Jacksonian Era was the support for equality of the common man. As the United States established its dominance in size and age, the stratification of society was assuring. In the 1820’s class division became a major dilemma due to an unchanging society. This greatly defaced the American ideal of equality and economic...
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...Sandoe AP U.S. History 12 November 2014 A New Age for the Common Man The United States, throughout its history, has always had a perceived reputation that anyone, regardless of their current financial standing, could thrive and achieve great prosperity through the many opportunities available to all of its inhabitants. However, this was not entirely true at least until the early 19th century in America, specifically from 1824-1848. This time period is better known as the Jacksonian Era because it marked a turning point for the so called “common man” economically, politically, socially, and religiously as a new age of thinking that accompanied the second great awakening completely revolutionized this epoch. Many economic...
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...and President Jackson was the seventh president from the years of 1829 to 1837. Both are in favor of common man and both feel that it is common people who should have the biggest impact on government. President Jefferson was in favor of the Democratic Republican party, while Jackson favored the Democratic Party. In this essay, I will explain the evolution of democracy from the time of President Jefferson to President Jackson. During President Jefferson’s term, he advocated rights of national organizations, as well as purchased Louisiana territory from France. By doing so, Jefferson expanded the size of the United States. President Jefferson reduced National debts, as well as reduced the spending of his administration and the armed forces. When President Jackson entered office, things were noticeably different. Things such as his whole aura consisting of economic policy. He was the first president to pay off the Nation’s debt, which is a great accomplishment for him during his term. After the American Revolution was over Jefferson was still determined to preserve the liberties of the people. His goal was to create circumstances where the fight for those liberties could continue, if not the republic risked the chance of falling. Both presidents had their own beliefs when it came to the republic. President Jackson’s equal political policy was later known as the Jacksonian democracy, during his time period he promoted the strengths of branches as well as sought the participation...
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...years of 1815 and 1840, politics in the United States changed drastically. After the War of 1812, an “Era of Good Feelings” emerged, characterized by the presence of one dominant political party, the Democratic-Republicans. Throughout this time period and the ensuing events that led to the formation of the two-party system, participation in political campaigns and elections drastically changed due to an overall increasing interest in politics from American citizens, as well as more politicians attempting to appeal to the “common man”. The percentage of eligible voter participation and the percent of states allowing voters to choose presidential electors rose dramatically...
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...During the Jacksonian period many events took place that were advantageous to the common man. There is evidence of this in the political aspects, economic developments, and reform movements of the 1820s and 1840s. Up until the 1820s very few Americans had been allowed to vote, in order to qualify one had to be a white man that either owned land or payed taxes. In the years leading up to Andrew Jackson’s election things began to change. Ohio was the first state to expand suffrage to all white men. The recently added states in the West soon followed suit, causing many people in the East to want to move in order to have a say in who ran their country. This caused the older states to change their voting requirements as well because they were...
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...rapidly setting the course of modern democracy. There were some major changes within the government and within the culture that caused the changes that are seen in this era. The changes that occurred in the period caused significant long-lasting effects that played a critical role in our country's development. This was an important time within our country's history. The American Republic developed...
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...The Impact of Jacksonian Democracy When Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1828, the Democratic Party began to shape a new era. Unlike many presidents before him, he appealed to the masses, or the “common man”. The mission of the Jacksonian Democrats was to amplify the strength of the poor, and decrease the influence and power of the wealthy. Economically, the Jacksonian Democrats benefitted because during this time, transportation was beginning to improve, and therefore commerce was boosted. However, President Jackson was forced to deal with the issue of the National Bank, which he believed held too much power and control over national economy. He also was forced to handle other important issues such as slavery, westward expansion, and sectionalism, and many people would come to dislike him for his opinion on these topics. For these reasons, Jacksonian Democracy impacted politics, national economy, and the status of the Union in both positive and negative ways. Previous to 1828, most of the men who held a high office were wealthy, aristocratic men who were brought up by established parents. These men were always educated, usually having completed college. Jackson was only the second president to take office without a college education, and this is one of the reasons why he appealed so much to all kinds of people, particularly the middle and lower classes. Jackson’s inauguration changed the way people looked at the government. People came from all around...
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...During the 1820’s and 1830’s the introduction of Jacksonian Democracy brought in new era in American history. Followers and supporters of Andrew Jackson viewed themselves as the moral guardians of the U.S. Constitution, political, democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. Their main focused were aimed at the common people and states’ rights. But didn’t tolerate foreign immigrants and the Indians. Jacksonian era fought for the common man. Many of the common (working class) people was very satisfied with Jackson’s attempts to protect their equality of economic opportunity from the wealth. He was true person to many of the common people mention in the “The Working Men’s Declaration of Independence”. The author claims that “all men are created that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights…” (Doc A). Working men viewed Jackson as a true representative to his ideals. There was a lot of support to Jackson as a true democrat for the common people. In 1837, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, handpicked by Jackson, demonstrated that Jackson stayed true to his ideals. Such as the case of Charles River Bridge V. Warren Bridge of 1837 brought equality of economic opportunity (Doc H). The case involved a monopoly of the Charles River Bridge crossings resolved by a new enterprise and couldn’t be restrained by implied privileges under the old charter. As Taney’s stated, “While the rights of private property are sacredly guarded and not forget about...
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...The Jacksonian Democracy was a time in American history that lasted from Andrew Jackson’s presidency in 1828, until around the 1840s. The lasting effects of this time period would extend well past this time frame. The policies put into place during this era covered the expansion of voting rights and the expansion of our nation’s borders, but also put into place a spoils system. Perhaps the largest policy of the Jacksonian Democracy was the expansion of voting rights to all white men over a period of time. This was set into place to reflect Andrew Jackson’s belief of including the common (white) man in the democratic process. This was completely against what the founding fathers had set in place, a complex electoral process that would...
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...There has been much controversy about whether Andrew Jackson should remain on the $20 bill or should be replaced. Andrew Jackson should remain on the $20 bill because of many reasons. He deserves to stay on the $20 bill as a symbol of the Era of the Common Man. Some of these reasons include the destruction of the Second Bank of the United States, the prevention of nullification of South Carolina, and the Indian removal act. The Second Bank of the United States was created in 1816. It was the successor of the First Bank of the United States, and it was “America’s premier financial institution,” as stated in the document ‘Old Slickery. Jackson aimed to destroy the bank because it enabled the rich to get richer, while the poor stays poor. According...
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...Undeniably, all of these unpopular policies just reinforced the already popular push towards Jacksonian democracy in the south. It was a party that appealed to the needs of the common man and emphasized the need to abolish the elite and their will out of government. Its roots can be traced back to republicanism as it seeked to promote the public's participation in politics and also supported the idea of expansionism through manifest destiny. Jacksonians preferred a laissez faire approach to the economy and a strict interpretation of the constitution. They also displayed a lack of trust for national banking with Jackson accusing them of being instituted to cheat the common people. He spoke out against nullification and successfully stopped the...
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...1767 in the West, specifically Waxhaw between South Carolina and North Carolina. Jackson grew up in poverty and received minimal education before the Revolutionary War but declared “Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” Andrew Jackson was elected into the Presidency office on March 4, 1829 until March 4, 1837 and became known as the “people's President”. Over the course of eight years the distinctions that separate Jackson from the other President's become evident along with the similarities. Jackson’s influential position as the President set a precedent for the future presidents to come. Jackson's early life depicts his desire to put the people’s input as a priority because he was a common man himself. Jackson was sixteen years old when he became orphaned and lacked a formal education resulting in Jackson becoming the first president to be born in poverty. Moreover, many of the previous Presidents were from the Virginia aristocracy such as George Washington and Thomas...
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...Discuss the cultural shift in America during the Jacksonian era, including the rise of the middle class/"common man." What was Andrew Jackson's philosophy of government and how did this impact the office of the presidency. How would you describe the meaning of "Jacksonian Democracy," and Andrew Jackson's relationship to it? In addition to the class readings, please watch the posted video clip (The Presidents) on the course homepage and discuss it in your response. Question 2 Andrew Jackson left a permanent imprint upon American politics and the presidency. Within eight years, he melded the unstructured coalition of personal followers who had elected him into the country's most durable and successful political party, an electoral machine whose organization and discipline would serve as a model for all others. At the same time, his controversial conduct in office galvanized opponents to organize the Whig party. The Democratic Party was Jackson's child; the national two-party system was his legacy. Jackson's drive for party organization was spurred by his own difficulties with Congress. Unlike other famously strong Presidents, Jackson defined himself not by enacting a legislative program but by thwarting one. In eight years, Congress passed only one major law, the Indian Removal Act of 1830, at his behest. During this time Jackson vetoed twelve bills, more than his six predecessors combined. One of these was the first "pocket veto" in American history. Jackson strengthened...
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