Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson Prior to winning the presidential election in 1828, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams shared deep hatred for each other. When Jackson won the presidential election, his popularity created the age of Jacksonian democracy. It replaced the Jeffersonian democracy, where Jefferson had created a nation governed by middle and upper-class educated property holders. Jackson was a symbol of an age because he represented the common man, was a beloved hero and was a leader who shared similar prospective as the American people.
One of the most significant reasons for Jackson’s popularity during his time period was because he was unlike any other president. He was not born into an aristocratic family like the previous presidents. Therefore was a self-made man, who had started out as a poor farmer then climbed the social ladder to become a wealthy plantation owner. The people placed their trust in Jackson like no other president before, they admired him and believed that he would fight for them, unlike the other presidents who were born wealthy, who did not understand the true prospective of the “people. Jackson eventually proved the people correct because he did take actions that were eventually for the benefit of the people. For example, when the Second Bank of the United States failed because Jackson vetoed Congress’ attempt to recharter the Bank. Jackson felt the bank benefited the rich at the expense of farmers, so by withdrawing federal funds and depositing those in state banks, the rich did not receive a chance to benefit from the bank. Also, because the United States treasurer was required to deposit United States funds in this bank and this effectively allowed the Second Bank to print money and therefore devalue the dollar.
The deposit of United States Treasury funds gave the Second Bank a monopoly on the issue of dollars, and consequently gave the ability to manipulate wars and the United States economy. Jackson was also a professional officer. In the Battle of New Orleans, where he was the commanding Major General, American forces defeated the British army, because he displayed great military leadership. The great victory made Jackson a national hero, which was one of the main reasons why he made a perfect fit for the presidency, which was modeled after General George Washington.
Jackson was a powerful figure also because of his ability to fight for his own justice. Following his wife, Rachel’s death and the “corrupt bargain,” Jackson was furious because he partially blamed John Quincy Adams for these occurrences. This aroused Jackson to get revenge on Adams, so he launched the 1812 campaign and consequently beat Adams. Jackson was truly an idolized figure because he embodied the hopes, fears and social tensions which were shared my most Americans around the mid-1830s. Jackson believed and encouraged the idea of white Americans expanding and settling in the West.
But there was conflict associated with this idea of Manifest Destiny because the Native Americans occupied the land the whites wanted. It would be present mindedness to state that it was selfish of Jackson to be in favor of moving the Cherokees farther West because of his personal reasons because he did decide on what the majority of the white population wanted at that time, which was to push the Native Americans West (specifically Cherokees to Oklahoma), and conquer the land left behind by the Native Americans.
Jackson was the first self-made president, and he was the founder of Jacksonian democracy, which primarily gave power and opportunities to the lower class for the first time, instead the aristocrats, who always had monopolized political power prior to Jackson’s presidency. Having accomplished so much, Jackson without a doubt was a symbol of an age.
