Few presidents have been more polarizing, or popular, than Andrew Jackson. To many of the educated elites he was a dangerous, poorly educated, and uncultured frontiersman who used populism to assert unprecedented power. However, to a majority of the American people he was one of them. He was so popular that he not only won election to the presidency twice, but he also even received the largest number of votes in the presidential election that he ended up losing in 1824. Many Americans saw Jackson as someone who understood them and the things that they were concerned about. They admired his tenacity and willingness to use all the means at his disposal to accomplish his goals. In this discussion you will first learn more about Jackson and his policies and then discuss the pros and cons of some of his major policies.
View the presentation on Andrew Jackson and the Jacksonian Era.