Andrew Jackson was an infamously ruthless President. The seventh man to take office, he formed his Presidency uniquely and is arguably the man who shaped the modern Presidency to what it is today. Jackson was the first of the Democratic Presidents we are familiar with now and was the first to extend the Presidencies power and to use the veto to stop something he thought would hinder the country, rather than simply being unconstitutional. Many factors influenced the way he governed during his terms, ranging from his humble beginnings to his military career. In this essay I shall examine the many reasons why he was either venerated or despised by so many people, but ultimately I believe he was more despised for his strong views and ruthless approach …show more content…
Early in Jacksons administration he passed the Indian Removal Act (1830) which gave the government funding to remove the ‘Five Civilised Tribes’ which included the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole Indians – a total of nearly 60,000. The act authorised the relocation of the tribes previously situated to the east of the Mississippi river to the west. The act didn’t allow the forced removal of the tribes but it allowed Jackson to negotiate with the tribes for their land which he did and led to their removal. This was made worse as the tribes unlike the other Indian tribes had done all they could to integrate into American society. For example, the Cherokee tribe created their own written language which set a precedent for Indians, they established education for their children, and even created a constitution which they had to adhere to. A Choctaw chief when they arrived at Little Rock described the transition as a “trail of tears and death”8. This is a very clear example of the Indians who were removed by Jackson despising him. Not only did the Indians despise him for it, but so did a lot of the American public including John Marshall who was the chief justice of the Supreme Court who ruled in the case ‘Worcester vs. Georgia’, that Georgia could not impose its laws upon the Cherokee people. Despite this ruling, Jackson used the Georgia crisis to negotiate the Indians from the land. Many people disagreed with this and despised him for it because he went against the Supreme Court and wiped out the Indians from their native land so the cotton industry could expand which many thought was morally
Andrew Jackson was a man of many accolades. He served in the Revolutionary War and was a general in the War of 1812. He aided in founding the Democratic Party and became the first governor of Florida; not to mention being the seventh President of the United States. While his list of accomplishments is extensive, it is sometimes clouded by his alleged boisterous and lewd behavior. Stemming from this behavior is an ample amount of scandalous activity, both personal and professional.
The Indian Removal Act, which is the law authorized the president to negotiate with Indian tribes for their removal to west of the Mississippi River in trade for their lands, was passed by congress on May 28, 1830 since the President Jackson signed into this law. In other words, this law enabled to remove the Indians from their native lands. Through the Indian Removal Act, the five civilized tribes Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole were affected and forced to relocate their tribes from east of the Mississippi River to area in the west. President Andrew Jackson was a strong opponent of Indians and fought against them before becoming president in 1828. Even though some of people opposed this act, most Americans who lived in southern area supported this Indian Removal Act.
In the current situation, Jackson believed that the Indians would only live in constant warfare with Americans if they remained in the states, and that being "surrounded by the whites with their arts of civilization" would "doom him to weakness and decay (Norton Mix, 141)." He then argued that the nation's sense of "humanity and national honor demand that every effort should be made to avert so great a calamity (Norton Mix, 141). " By providing a solution for both sides, Jackson took on a sympathetic approach to justify the removal of the Indian tribes to the West of the Mississippi River where they "may be secured in the enjoyment of governments of their own choice (Norton Mix,
During the 1800’s, Andrew Jackson ran and won presidency in 1828 “(class notes/recorded notes, chapter 11)”. People wondered if Jackson would be a good president after winning presidency in 1828. Jackson became the seventh president in the United States and is known to be a man of contradictions “(class notes/recorded notes, chapter 11). Jackson was Anti-Black and Anti-Indian “(class notes/recorded notes, chapter 11)”. Jackson had no certain event but rather a candidate of a separation “(class notes/recorded notes, chapter 11)”.
The Indian Removal Act authorized Jackson to give the Indians land west of the Mississippi in exchange for their land in the states, but could not force them to leave. He violated and broke commitments that he even negotiated with them. He tried to bribe the Indians and even threatened some of them. Alfred Cave organizes his article thematically and is trying to prove
Andrew Jackson served a remarkable presidency and boasted many social and economic changes. In the wake of those changes Jackson worried about the central government's propensity toward abuse of power and the accumulation of power in the hand of a small political and economic elite (Latner). He was really focused on the balance of power in the government. He was a popular spokesperson among the majority of the united states. (Trail of Tears).
The era of Andrew Jackson which was nicknames the era of the “common man” certainly lived up to its name. As the seventh President of the United States, Jackson had a major effect on the life of the common man, in such a way that the life of the common man would never be the same again. Jackson’s aim, after the manner in which he was defeated in the Presidential Election of 1824, despite receiving more popular votes than John Quincy Adams who took on the office, was to reduce the power and the authority of the elite. When he came into power after the 1828 election Jackson began to carry out his proposals. Jackson expanded the voting right to all men, in accordance with the Declaration of Independence of 1776 which declared that “all men are created equal” instead of just the elite.
This was a major breakthrough for Jackson’s administration, as one his underlining goals as president was to grown the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson’s planned to repair the Indian and white relations by allowing the Native American’s to choose if they wanted to live in the United States or on their own land. If they lived in the United States they could learn how to become a civilized race and grow within the United States laws. If they chose to live on their own land the Indian tribes would be required to move to an area set apart from the United States which is only to be used for the Indian tribes. The territory that was set aside for the Indian tribes was west of the Mississippi
As the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson had a significant presidency that is still debated about today. Andrew Jackson’s legacy is tarnished by his treatment of slaves, removal of Native Americans with the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and the political turmoil involving his cabinet. Despite this, Andrew Jackson is ranked among the top ten presidents because his presidency significantly shaped the United States. From a very young age, Andrew Jackson was a patriot at heart and fought for his country. During the Revolutionary War, young Andrew Jackson was a messenger boy who delivered letters and messages through the dense woods of the Carolinas to the American troops.
Brittany Randall-Neppl APUSH Period 6 Mr. Kloster 12/19/2014 Andrew Jackson: Champion of the Common Man or Tyrant Andrew Jackson was born into a common life but overcame his mediocre beginnings to become a powerful politician; in 1828 he was elected president of the United States. However, he abused this position of power and made several choices that were detrimental to the welfare and rights of the American people. Jackson implemented the spoils system on a national scale and had unofficial members of his cabinet who did not have to answer to Congress. After South Carolinians were upset by the Tariff of 1832 he was angry toward those who did not agree with it. He also destroyed the National Bank and authorized the Specie Circular.
Andrew Jackson’s sentiment towards the Native Americans was certainly not a kind one. Manifest destiny was a popular belief among Americans, including Jackson, and he would go to the extent of forcing Native Americans out of their homes to reach their “ordained goal”. He believed in the expansion of southern slavery which is why he pushed for removing the Indians west of the Mississippi, which makes it the more disgraceful. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 said that it will allow American government to offer in-state territories to the Indian’s for their western land. This wasn’t the case when the U.S. went in and drove the Indians out by force.
Although Jackson was important, he was part of many terrible things. Around the 1820s there were many major indian tribes in eastern United States such as Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole. This soon came to a change. Andrew Jackson thought these Indians were in the way of eastern development, using the Indian Removal Act which the congress had approved he decided to kick them out and send them west. In 1831 the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee Indians had the right to self government and the United States could not interfere with that.
The time has come to make a judgement of the great Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States from 1829~1837. Although some people didn’t like Jackson very well due to very few of his decisions, he made many good decisions during his presidency. Andrew Jackson should be remembered as a hero of the common man due to his unifying leadership, generous approach of governing, and concern for economic equality. The first reason that Andrew Jackson should be remembered as a hero is because of his unifying leadership.
Andrew Jackson disobeyed a direct order from the Supreme Court, which it means he was above the law. I really wonder how Americans tolerated him, at that time, he was cruel to the Indian common man. Because of him, the Native Americans have the worst end of the Trail of Tears. They are the ones who are forced out of their traditional homes and sent away on a journey of pain and death. Those who had fallen ill, most of the time died, and those who had the will to move on were able to make it to the end and start new lives.
Born into a non-aristocratic poor family, somewhere in the Carolina’s on March 14, 1767, was a man named Andrew Jackson. Jackson, also called “Old Hickory” was a very bold proactive man in American history. From being a military hero and founding the democratic party to enacting the trail of tears and dismantling the of the Bank of the United States, the man and his legacy are a prominent topic for scholarly debate. Some believe he was a great president and some believe he was the worse president. But if you look at it from a moral perceptive or in the eyes of a foreigner, Jackson’s legacy was far more villainous than heroic.