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RussellMohrt
APUSIPeT.4
April10,1996
Andrew Jackson: Advocate of the Common Man
ln 1829, Andrew Jackson,a lawyer and Generalfrom Tennessee,
was inauguratedas the first President
representingthe Westemstatesand the commonman. The new statehoodof someWestemterritories,*re triumphof
universalmale suft4ge in all states(exceptin RhodeIsland), and the evolutionof nominatingconventionsgave *re
commonman more power in choosingand electingthe Presiderrt. A generaleuphoricfeeling and democraticspirit
lingered amongthe peopleafter the Era of Good Feeling. Like Jefferson,Jacksonstroveto insure equaleconomic
opportunityfor all menandequaldistributionof wealth. He despisedthe specialprivilegesof the aristocracyandhad an
inveteratefaith in democracy.However,the mostproformdaspectof Jackson's
presidencywashis politicalactionsin the
government.Represenfing
ttre idealsof the commonman and carryingout legislatweto insurethoseidealswere two
differenttasks.Jacksonsonian
democracy
wascharacterized
by a strongbeliefthatanyonecoulddo anything.His plessurg,
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sometimesruthlessmetrodsof achievinghis political goalsreflectedhis determination
to representthe commonman as / i . ! 4 r^U:tl'
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r"*oval of theIndians;however,on the average,theresultsof Jackson's
actionsweremediocrein theirattempts F r g "-q
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to helpthe commonmanas seenin his policywi*r the SpoilsSystemandthe destructionof ttreBankof the UnitesStates.
Reflectingvoiceof public opinionJackson'sIndianRemovalAct of 1830entailedthe brutal removalby force
of the NativeAmericansfrom the landseastof theMississippiRiver. TheAmericanpublicdid not careabouttheIndians;
therefore,Jacksondid not careaboutthem. Jacksoninsistedon the removalofthe Indiansbecause
theIndian'slandscould
"ovm"
be cultivatedby u*ritesettlers,andtheIndiansdid not haveto paytaxes,did not
land,andcouldnd vote. Jackson
representedthe cornmonman, and the Indianscertainlydid not fall into Jaclson'sdefinitionof commonmen. The
Seminole,Sac,and Fox fibes rose 4gainsttheir white oppressorsin violent rebellion. However,ttre higNy civilized
CherokeeNation in Georgiaappealedto the SupremeCourt. Chief JusticeJohnMarshalljustb decidedthat Georgia's
law did not extendto the CherokeeNation;therefore,the Cherokees
did not haveto move. Jacksonflagrantlydisregarded
the SupremeCourt'sdecisionandorderedthe removalof the Cherokees.TheTrail of Tearsfrom Georgiato theterritory
that is now Oklalromamarksthe paththe CherokeeNationhad to walk undergun point becauseof Jackson'smandate.
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By representingthe cornmonpeople,Jacksonfailed as a Chief Executiveand Chief Diplomat. He did not enforcethe
decisionof the SupremeCourt and brokethe treatiesmadewith the Indians. His defianceof the SupremeCourt was
punishableby impeachment;
however,the pmple'slove for Jacksonwasso strong,the,yoverlookedhis crimes. Jacftson's
brotheftood wittr the peopleand dedicationto representpublic opinion superseded
morality,humanity,and eventhe
Constitutionitself
In keeping with his democratic"anyonecan do anything"principle, Jacksonremodeledthe bureaucratic
infrastructureof ttregovemment.As party leaderandvoiceof public opinior4he institutedhis spoilssystemwhich was
bpsedon a rotationof civil servtrrtseveryfour years. Jacksonarguedthatno manhasanymoreright to anofficial station
than another. He eliminatedthe representatives
of the aristocracyandtheir staleideasby firing 1200old officials and
the commonman.
hiring 900 new officials. The new influx of officialsbroughtwith them freshideasand represented
Therefore,Jacksonexquisitelyreflectedpublic opinionby instituting*re spoilssystem. The spoilssystemdid makethe
govemment more closely tied to the people; however, Jackson'simpetus for the spoils system was to reward loyal party
workers. As political parly leader, Jackson excelled becausethe men comprising the cabinet had political views sinllar
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to him. As chief administrator, Jackson'sastions were not consummatebecausethe new officials were not necessarily
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educated or experienced in carrying out official duties. The rotation system also created a lack of continuity in dre
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govemment. Jacksonmay have succeededin representingthe common man, but he did not consult his cabinet for advice '
on a regular basis. Frequently he counseledinformally with hiJ fitchen Cabinet'which was comprisea o4,'n$lAe to upper
class ,ciii#..'
for ttre most part, Jackson'simplementation of the spoils system showed his dedication to upholding the
interestsof the common man, but his policies were not necessarilyderived from his cabtnet.",.,+ ' /\c r',( ',i{tr.
Once again, Jacksonrepresentedpublic opinion by waging war againstttre Bank of *re United States. Although
the bank had been debatedfrom the standpointsof statesrights vs. the federal govemment and democratsvs. Federalists
since the time of Jeffersonand Hamilton, Jacksonmade *re destruction of the Bank his own crusade. Jacksonviewed the
Bank as an evil instrument of its aristocratic president, Nicholas Biddle. Jackson'sgrievances with the Bank were as
follows: fraudulent issuanceof paper notes without the appropriate back-up specie, too powerfirl and too conservative,
most of the investors were foreign, stdte banks could managethe nation's money just as effectively, Biddle used tlre bank
to influence political euuntr,irffconstitutional, and the upper class made profiE at the expenseof flre working class. Even
though the Bank had been declared constitutional in the triat McCulloch vs. Maryland and was effectively managing tre
govemment's finances,Jacksonvetoedthe Bank Bill of 1832. Jackson'slandslidevictory in ttre electionof 1832 showed
that the people supportedhis decision and gave Jacksonthe assururcethat the Bank must be destroyed. Jacksondestoyed
the bank by divetting govemment frrnds into smaller statebanks which becameknown as "pet banks". As the destruction
of the Barrk slowly progressed private wildcat barrks issued inflated paper money without the specie to back it. Land
speculation and inflation escalateduntil Jackson issued his Specie Circular which demanded specie payments for land
purchases;however,the wildcat banks did not have the specieto back ttreir paper money. Therefore,inflated land ptices
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plummaed and speculatorslost money. The destructionof the bank also precipitated *re Panic of 1837 signaling Jackson's i
poor performance u$ manager of economic well-being. The economic depressionresulted from a lack of confidence in
the state banks. The statebanks had to curtail their loans becausettrey issued too much inflated paper monoy. In this case,
the economicdepressionfollowing Jackson'sdestructionof the Bank was injqlous to the common folk.
Andrew Jackson obstinately implemented dernocratic policies always "1:'tii.r #rtlridir;rd''#
the common man.
At the time, the people sought a larger role in the govemment, and Jacksonwas the perfect Presidentto tum the feelings
of the people into true poliry. Jackson'sruthless removal of the Indians demonstratedhis adherenceto the voice of public
opinion eve,nin the face of immorality. He hated the special privileges of the upper class and saw every nun as equally
capable. For example, he implementedttre spoils systen by replacing many fullJife,'bilee, bureaucratswith averagemen.
Jacksonmade a statementapporrting averagemen to his cabinet, but he ironically did not always consult his cabinet. In
the same way, Jacksondestroyedthe Bank of the United Statesbecauseit strengthenedthe upper class'shold on the federal
government, but the destruction causedthe Panic of 1837 becausethe $tate banks did not adequatelyreplace the Bank.
All in all, the removal of tlre Indians exemplified Jackson'sdetermination to represent the common man, but Jackson's
policies did not necessarilyhe$ the cornmon man as exemplified by the spoils system and the destruction of the Bank of
the United States.
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