Andrew Jackson: A True Man of the People Research Paper

Abstract

Andrew Jackson the 7^th U.S president was born on 1767 in one of the states in the U.S. Orphaned at a young age, Jackson spent his teenage life hopping from one job to another and he even had a stint in a British Jail. At the age of only twenty four years, Jackson married Donelson Robards who was a divorcee.

In the dying years of the 18^th century, he served in the Tennessee Constitutional Convention, House of Representatives, Senate and even in the Tennessee Supreme Court.

During the battle of the Tennessee troops and the Creeks in 1812, Jackson was the commanding officer and he helped in delivering victory to the Tennessee troops.

Jackson was elected as the 7^th U.S President in 1828 and for the years that he was on the throne, he introduced reforms, which favored the common man from the political class that had existed for a long time.

Introduction

Andrew Jackson the 7^th U.S president was born on 1767 in one of the states in the U.S. Orphaned at a young age, Jackson spent his teenage life hopping from one job to another and he even had a stint in a British Jail. At the age of only twenty four years, Jackson married Donelson Robards who was a divorcee.

In the dying years of the 18^th century, he served in the Tennessee Constitutional Convention, House of Representatives, Senate and even in the Tennessee Supreme Court.

During the battle of the Tennessee troops and the Creeks in 1812, Jackson was the commanding officer and he helped in delivering victory to the Tennessee troops.

In the following years, Jackson’s aptitude in war was evident when he helped in the capture of two Englishmen suspected of terrorism in Pensacola. Jackson was elected as the 7^th U.S President in 1828 and for the years that he was on the throne, he introduced reforms, which favored the common man from the political class that had existed for a long time.¹

The reason why Andrew Jackson is known as “A Man of the People” is the numerous reforms that he introduced to help the common person in America.

Once he ascended to the throne, Jackson engineered constitutional reforms that granted him permission to carry out far-reaching reforms without being limited by the constitution. In addition to the domestic reforms, he vetoed a bill seeking to

enlarge the United States Bank and constantly ensured that he was informed of any improvements in the internal affairs of the federal government.

The policies that he introduced were so popular with the working class and the plantation farmers from all over the country such that he received a landslide victory in his reelection bid in 1832.²

Indeed, Andrew Jackson is believed to be the president who vetoed the most bills in the American History. His policy in life was that one needed to reward loyalty and to constantly ensure that he appealed to the masses. In order to ensure that he was in touch with the public, he appointed men and women who were in touch with the society as his personal advisors.

This was in contrast with his predecessors who only relied on their cabinet for advice. While this was laudable, it had a negative effect since most of the cabinet members were rich people who only wanted to protect their interests without being concerned on how it affected the common person.

However, Jackson knew that if people were to believe that he had their best interests at heart then he had to have advisers who were closer to the people. ³

When he first ascended to the presidency, numerous sectional issues that had not been addressed by previous presidents existed. Many states from the South were of the opinion that they needed to retain most of their rights.

However, Jackson felt that if America was to prosper then there was need to ensure that all the states were reading from the same script.

Since most of the states were complaining of tariffs, he introduced a moderate tariff that was supposed to apply in all the states. Despite his good intentions, South Carolina wanted to nullify the tariff and declare it unconstitutional. However, Jackson stood his ground and forced South Carolina to adhere to the tariffs.

In 1832, Jackson used his immense power to veto a charter for the Second Bank of America. Although the government claimed that the bank could lead to more investments, Jackson saw it as a mere strategy by the wealthy to increase their wealth at the expense of the poor.

This forced the government to save their money in the existing banks, which then loaned it to the ordinary people. Because the federal money was in excess, the banks were forced to lend out the money in an indiscriminate manner and this led to high levels of inflation.

In order to pacify the people and stop the easy flow of money, Jackson demanded that no liquid money was to pay for any land purchase but instead gold or silver was to be used.

Although this would pose problems later on, it solved the problem and this led people to believe him even the more. Jackson’s intention was well intended and it coincided with his nature of putting the interest of the people first.⁵

In 1830, Jackson showed another side of his caring nature when he supported the expulsion of Indians from Georgia. Although the act made him to be chastised by the West, his only consolation was that he had the support of the people.

To support his actions, Jackson invoked the Indian Removal Act that had been passed in 1830. However, the American Supreme Court had passed a ruling preventing the government from expelling them but Jackson disregarded the ruling.

In what later came to be known as the Trail of Tears, government troops led close to 15,000 Indians from Georgia to their ancestral land. Indeed, a president who is ready to risk losing support from his peer countries and even disregards a court decision to support the wishes of the masses is nothing but a man of the people.⁶

After retiring from active politics in 1836, Jackson maintained a lively interest in national politics. In order to ensure that he was not locked from national politics and from making decisions touching on the common person, Jackson had handpicked Martin Van Buren as his successor.

Buren’s election ensured that Jackson would remain in the limelight and influence major decisions. In fact, it is believed that Andrew Jackson was a major figure in white House until the time of his death on June 8, 1845.

In the years before his death, Jackson prevented the reintroduction of the Second Bank of the United States Charter, which he believed would oppress the ordinary Americans.

Although there are many explanations for Jackson’s interest in ordinary citizens, it is believed that his poor upbringing made him close to them. Once he ascended to the presidency, he did anything possible to ensure that they were free from oppression by the political elite.⁷

Conclusion

Andrew Jackson is considered as one of the greatest American presidents in history. To begin with, he was the first President in the U.S to come from a poor background. Having been orphaned from a young age, Jackson had to overcome many odds to become the American president.

After spending many years with ordinary citizens, Jackson felt closer to them and he constantly fought for their rights when he became president. On more than one occasion, Jackson risked losing the support of the States and that of other nations to fight for causes that he believed would help the poor.

Even after his two terms had expired, Jackson worked behind the scenes to ensure that the bills he had blocked were not reintroduced. This can only be considered nothing but a great and pure love for the people that he represented.

Footnotes

1. Kelly, Martin. Andrew Jackson-7^th President of the United States, 2011. Web.
2. Watson, Thomas. The Life and Times of Andrew Jackson, 1912. Press of the Jeffersonian pub. Co, 23-25. Print.
3. Wilentz, Sean. Andrew Jackson, 2006. Times Books, 3-10. Print. compromise tariff was enacted to ensure that no state paid higher tariffs than others did and this increased his standing among the people who had for long had to content with uneven distribution of resources. ⁴
4. Kelly, Martin. Andrew Jackson-7^th President of the United States, 2011. Web.
5. Wilentz, Sean. Andrew Jackson, 2006. Times Books, 3-10. Print.
6. Berry, Christina. “Andrew Jackson-The Worst President the Cherokee Ever Met” All Things Cherokee. Web.
7. Wilentz, Sean. Andrew Jackson, 2006. Times Books, 3-10. Print.