AJ - Jacksonian Democracy (Lesson)

Jacksonian Democracy

“Jacksonian Democracy” refers to the period of American history under the leadership of President Andrew Jackson. While there was expanded democracy with advancements in universal male suffrage and appeals to the “common man,” the Trail of Tears occurred as a result of Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 and was one of the most tragic events imposed by the American government.

Executive Support

President Andrew Jackson and his supporters encouraged a stronger executive branch and a weaker Congress. They also wished to extend voting privileges to those citizens who previously lacked the right and security of suffrage. Collective efforts during this period by Jackson and his supporters are known as “Jacksonian Democracy.”

Jacksonian Democrats’ platform for universal male suffrage drastically increased the number of voters in the United States. Jacksonian Democrats believed in the “common man” of the era and not just a wealthy, land-owning, educated elite voting bloc. Their work to extend voting rights to more males was rewarded with supportive votes from those “common men” who had recently gained the right to vote. The Jacksonian Democrats’ opponents re-emerged and formed the new Whig Party. The Whigs, in contrast, were supported by the upper class and sought to promote and support industrial expansion. After the “Era of Good Feelings” during the Monroe Administration, Jackson’s presidency reignited the political and social divide in the United States.

As the Jacksonian Democrats supported a stronger executive branch, Jackson rewarded those supporters who helped him win the presidential election of 1828. Jackson is known for the “spoils system,” he devised to reward his supporters with government jobs and contracts. The “spoils system” caused the turnover of virtually all federal employees with the election of each new president. Jackson’s rationale was that the president in power should surround himself with people who understood and supported the goals and policies of the administration.

 

State's Rights

With support for a stronger executive branch and a weaker Congress, Jackson and his supporters also sought to strengthen states’ rights. While the issue had existed since the emergence of political parties in the Early Republic, disagreement on the subject reached new heights during the Jackson administration. Congress passed a number of tariffs to protect domestic industries. These tariffs were viewed in rural and agriculture areas to protect Northern industries while increasing taxes and the cost of domestic goods. Jackson’s vice-president from South Carolina, John C. Calhoun, argued that the states should be able to nullify federal law in favor of a state’s right to determine the governance in a given state.

Nullification was based on the idea that a state could nullify or void a federal law it deemed to be damaging or unconstitutional. Calhoun, so adamant about the issue of states’ rights, resigned so that he could further pursue protecting states’ rights including his home state of South Carolina. The Nullification Crisis of 1832 peaked when a compromise was reached in order to avoid President Jackson’s deployment of federal troops to South Carolina to enforce federal law. Calhoun and South Carolina’s state leaders went to extremes to justify their assertion of states’ rights and demonstrated the stark divide in the United States—a divide that led up to the Civil War.

Indian Removal

Without a doubt, the most infamous, damaging and disgraceful event for Andrew Jackson and his administration was the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and its subsequent implementation. Andrew Jackson strategically aligned himself with the “common man” in order to push for universal suffrage and gain their support. To keep broad support among the “common people,” Jackson pushed for measures to free up western lands for settlement. As a hero of the War of 1812, Jackson was known for his attacks on Native American tribes. In conjunction with his desires to open up lands to settlement, his attacks continued into his presidency, but this time they were political in nature. In 1830 Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This act forced thousands of Native Americans to leave their lands and resettle west of the Mississippi River to allow white settlers to farm the land.

Most Native American tribes unwillingly agreed to the measure between 1830 and 1838; however, the Cherokee Nation in Georgia refused. Georgia had passed laws that did not recognize the Cherokee Nation or their laws. When gold was discovered in North Georgia on Cherokee land, the state of Georgia worked to force the tribe off their lands to free it up for settlement and prospectors. The state enacted a law that made it illegal for the indigenous people to dig on their own land for fear that they might find gold, depriving the white settlers of the gold that the indigenous people might find. In response, the Cherokee Nation filed a lawsuit to regain their lands. This case ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court whereupon Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall ruled in favor of the Cherokee Nation. In Worcester v. Georgia, Chief Justice Marshall’s opinion was that the state of Georgia did not have the authority to act against the Cherokee Nation.

However, Andrew Jackson did not let the ruling stand. He famously stated, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!” In 1835 Jackson and his administration began the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their lands, the last tribe to be removed from east of the Mississippi River. (The other tribes had moved previously through treaties or land deals with the government. The Cherokees were the last group of Native Americans to move west.) Thousands of Cherokees lost their lives on a brutal march west which now is referred to as the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears legacy is recognized as one of the most tragic moments in American history.

POLITICAL CARTOON OF ANDREW JACKSON IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS