Andrew Jackson was the 7th president of the United States of America, inaugurated in 1829, and keeping the office to himself until 1837. Jackson can be considered one of the founders of the modern-day Democratic Party. His presidency marked the end of the Federalist party, which stopped taking part in presidential elections since 1816. However, his actions and policies towards ethnic minority groups such as Native Americans and African Americans were controversial. This can be seen in the 1830 Indian Removal Act, and the number of slaves Jackson owned.
Andrew Jackson managed to build his political career by exploiting the hatred of white Americans towards other ethnic groups living in the U.S. In his message to Congress announcing the Indian Removal Act, he constantly stressed his attention on the unwillingness of Indians to “to submit to the laws of the States” (Jackson 1830). Furthermore, in 1845 shortly before his death, Jackson had around 161 slaves (Cheathem and Mark 327). Therefore, the role of slavery in his political career should not be underestimated either, as he remained a slaveowner throughout his whole life. Andrew Jackson was simply advocating the importance of white Americans in the U.S. development, which the majority saw as “the privileges of a few.” (Corbett et al. 254).
To conclude, Andrew Jackson was a somewhat controversial president who laid the foundations for the Democratic Party of the United States. He managed to gain the support of the white majority by carefully playing around with their hatred towards the other ethnic groups living in the still-developing U.S.A. Jackson ignored the needs of the minorities, reassuring them that the American government can control their fate better than themselves. This is mainly seen in the 1830 Indian Removal Act.
Works Cited
Cheathem, Mark R. “Andrew Jackson, Slavery, and Historians.” History Compass 9.4 (2011): pp. 326-338.
Corbett, P. Scott, et al. U.S. History by OpenStax. 1st ed., XanEdu Publishing Inc, 2014.
Jackson, Andrew. Transcript of President Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress ‘On Indian Removal’ (1830).