...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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...DBQ: “ Jacksonians Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. In light of the following documents and your knowledge of the 1820’s and 1830’s, to what extent do you agree with the Jacksonians’ view of themselves? According to the Jacksonians, they were guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity; this I agree with, for the most part. There are things in which evidence does not support the Jacksonians’ protection of the U.S Constitution and individual liberty. However, there are multiple examples of the Jacksonians guarding political democracy and equality of economic opportunity. Many documents from the time period of the 1820’s to the 1830’s provide obvious proof of the Jacksonians’ preservation of political democracy and equality of economic opportunity. The Jacksonians plainly guarded the political democracy through the people’s part as a whole in government, (doc E) especially in elections. Some refer to “democracy” as “mob rule” and with good reason as (doc E) Philip Hone’s Diary of Philip Hone described many riots during the election times. These riots seem negative as persecution of blacks also took place during the election and law riots, but nevertheless theses riots are evidence of political democracy. The Jacksonians’ claims to conserving political democracy are also proven...
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...Jacksonian Democrats helped to create a more democratic America and because of this, believed to be many things, some real and some fictional. In most cases they perceived themselves as defenders of equal economic opportunity, even though they occasionally put their own interests before those of the people. They also thought of themselves as guardians of political democracy, while using class differences to their advantage to bring support. Jacksonian Democrats felt that they were the protectors of the Constitution and of individual liberties but many times they put their rivalry with the Northeastern industry and Whig politics before these ideals. While Jacksonians correctly viewed themselves as guardians of political democracy, equal economic opportunity, and individual liberty, they were often more interested in developing these concepts rather than protecting them. Jackson was a strong opponent of the unequal and aristocrat dominated economic structure in most of America. He was very against the Bank of America because he believed it to have a monopoly on banking and felt that it was owned and run unjustly by wealthy aristocrats who were not always true Americans (B). It must also be noted however, that while the Bank of America was undoubtedly corrupt (Nicholas Biddle was known to have given sums of money to close friends, and was also known to regularly bribe newspapers and similar media.) it also did what it was supposed to do very well. It provided money and credit...
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...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 opportunities for everyone...
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...The Jacksonian Era was a period that occurred in the early eighteenth century between 1820 and 1845. This was a time characterized by regional diversification and rapid growth, as it was almost the same time the Industrial Revolution took place. The elected president, Andrew Jackson, introduced new laws in his administration, such as the Indian Removal Act. The powers of a president were increased and this didn’t please the citizens who held the superior social class. During this era, there were heated debates about slavery and the mistreatment of thousands of American citizens. The Industrial Revolution began to set in and as a result, the masses moved toward the cities. The reason being is that people were attracted by mechanization...
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...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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...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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...Philip Pratt 5th Jacksonian Democrats In the Jacksonian time period of late 1820s to the 1830s, Jacksonians Democrats saw themselves guardians of the U.S. Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. Except for a few discrepancies they did actually live up to these goals and values. They got some of their values from former President Thomas Jefferson, being that they didn’t like the elitists and cared about the common man. Jacksonian Democrats did in fact keep the U.S. together during Jackson’s Presidency, and successfully protected the rights stated in the Constitution except the Indian removal act of 1830.` The Natives American Indians posed as a problem for Jackson because he didn’t know what to do with the ones living in the south, he failed to protect the Indians rights. He decided to remove them and relocate them west of the Mississippi River, to Oklahoma on the famous trail known as the Trail of Tears. Jackson stated he did this to save to Indian culture, but really it was to forcibly remove them from their land and give it to White Farmers. Did the Indians have rights like the white males? Jackson kind of laugh that off and in doing so failed to uphold the Constitution, because he didn’t see them as Americans (which they were not, they were considered a “domestic, dependent nation”). An example of this is when John Marshall head of the Supreme Court decided it was unconstitutional to remove the Indians from their lands and...
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...April 10, 2014 American History Final Essay Throughout American history, democracy has been an ever changing system of government; however it is far from perfect. It is constantly shaped by wealth and people of higher power. This played a significant role throughout the early 1800s in limiting the power of African Americans and people of lower socioeconomic statuses. These issues began to rise between the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy from the start of the American Revolution through the Civil War. During this time period, a vast number of changes were implemented into the system of democracy, many of which still remain active today. Democracy created a variety of conflicts between the “Whigs” and the Democrats during the mid-1830s. These battles were fueled by their different beliefs regarding the economic issues of policy, political leaders and different class powers. “Like the Federalist of the 1790s, the Whigs wanted a political world dominated by men of ability and wealth” (Henretta 313). The majority of Whigs were yeomen whites who did not support the power of democrats who were mainly planters (313). These planters were driven by the sole purpose to acquire property and combine man labor with the world’s resources, they did this through slavery. These men believed they possessed the right to replace government if they felt it could not properly protect them and their property (Farless lecture). Most southern planters began to blame their short-comings on...
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...April 10, 2014 American History Final Essay Throughout American history, democracy has been an ever changing system of government; however it is far from perfect. It is constantly shaped by wealth and people of higher power. This played a significant role throughout the early 1800s in limiting the power of African Americans and people of lower socioeconomic statuses. These issues began to rise between the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy from the start of the American Revolution through the Civil War. During this time period, a vast number of changes were implemented into the system of democracy, many of which still remain active today. Democracy created a variety of conflicts between the “Whigs” and the Democrats during the mid-1830s. These battles were fueled by their different beliefs regarding the economic issues of policy, political leaders and different class powers. “Like the Federalist of the 1790s, the Whigs wanted a political world dominated by men of ability and wealth” (Henretta 313). The majority of Whigs were yeomen whites who did not support the power of democrats who were mainly planters (313). These planters were driven by the sole purpose to acquire property and combine man labor with the world’s resources, they did this through slavery. These men believed they possessed the right to replace government if they felt it could not properly protect them and their property (Farless lecture). Most southern planters began to blame their short-comings on...
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...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 of the public in government. The...
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...The era of the “common man” refers to the openness of politics to all white male citizens, instead of the restricted few of elite property owners. The Jacksonian Period has lived up to its characterization of the “common man” through politics, reform movements, and economic development. Politics during the Jacksonian Period were widely extended, as new groups were given the right to vote. Before the 1820s, states secured electoral votes to white male property owners or taxpayers. When new states from the West joined the Union, adopted constitutions guaranteed that all adult white males were capable of voting and holding office. Though most state reforms were peaceful, the Rhode Island constitution prohibited more than half of adult males in...
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...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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...APUSH Study Guide 8 A weak Confederacy and the Constitution, 1776-1790 Themes/Constructs: The federal Constitution represented a moderately conservative reaction against the democratilizing effects of the Revolution and the Articles of Confederation. The American Revolution was not a radical transformation like the French or Russian revolutions, but it produced political innovations and some social change in the direction of greater equality and democracy. The American Revolution did not overturn the social order, but it did produce substantial changes in social customs, political institutions, and ideas about society and government. Among the changes were the separation of church and state in some places, the abolition of slavery in the North, written political constitutions, and a shift in political power from the eastern seaboard toward the frontier. The first weak government, the Articles of Confederation, was unable to exercise real authority, although it did successfully deal with the western lands issue. The Confederation’s weakness in handling foreign policy, commerce and the Shays Rebellion spurred the movement to alter the Articles. Instead of revising the Articles, the well-off delegates to the Constitutional Convention created a charter for a whole new government. In a series of compromises, the convention produced a plan that provided for a vigorous central government, a strong executive, the protection for property, while still upholding republican...
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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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