Jacksonian Democracy and its Role in his Election
The primary aspect of Andrew Jackson that appealed to the American people, resulting in his re-election was his ardent support of the fundamental democratic ideals. These ideas were not originated by Jackson, rather they were already in the minds of the people at the time and Jackson was the first president to utilize them in his quest to gain election as president. In contrast to many previous presidents, Jackson was very careful in closely adhering to the democratic ideas of the country's founding fathers. Particularly, Jackson paid close attention to following the democratic ideals described in the Constitution in terms of economics by attempting to maintain a strictly capitalist economy. As a result, Jackson was able to gain election in 1828 and again in 1832.One aspect of Andrew Jackson that was beneficial to him in his quest to become president was his life prior to his running for election. As a child and young man, Jackson lived a very varied life. He rose from being a youth in a war-torn family into a member of the upper class of society through long, hard, work and perseverance; and a bit of luck. His diverse background, which was uncharacteristic of a presidential candidate, allowed him to relate with the peopl
e that he would represent when he became president. Blum, John, M. et al. The National Experience: A History of the United States. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanvich., 1993. Jackson's response to the proposed nullification act by South Carolina illustrated his great commitment to the democratic government of the United States. The nullification act that South Carolina proposed would allow the government of South Carolina to nullify the effects of any national tariffs on South Carolina. The South Carolinians misinterpreted the tariff and believed that it was discriminatory against the economic classes of the south, however Jackson's only intent in the implementation of such a tariff was only to provide the government with greater monetary resources. The nullification act would violate the democratic ideals stated in the Constitution concerning the balance of power between the National and State governments. Jackson fought vehemently against such an act by South Carolina because it would compromise the power of the constitution. In the end of the standoff concerning the nullification act, true to his faith in the people, Jackson partially gave in to the wishes of the people by compromising on the subject. In the final agreement, Jackson agreed to gradually lessen the tariffs over a period of nine years and the South Carolina government withdrew the nullification act. Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition and the Men who Made it. New York: Random House., 1973. This fact that many of the people felt that they could relate to Jackson only helped him in his bid for election. The primary idea behind democracy is that the representatives of the people must act and make the decisions that the people themselves would make if they were able. The people of the United States of America had increased confidence in Jackson that he would be able to carry out his
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Approximate Word count = 1280
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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