S. government. The Democrats had tried to protect what the thought was the right way to guard the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and an equality of economic opportunity. But in the world of democracy, everyone has a different view.
Some people supported Jackson’s efforts to preserve their views and beliefs, and others did not.President Jackson and the Jacksonian Democrats proved that they wanted to be guardians of the government, but in reality, showed short in key areas. President Jackson did not uphold the Constitution very well. He went against what the Supreme Court said was unconstitutional and force the Cherokee Nation out of their homeland(Doc g). Going against what the Supreme Court gave a message that President Jackson was prepared to do what he wanted to do, whether it was proven wrong or not.President Jackson also vetoed the U.
S. Bank charter which was deemed constitutional in the McCulloch v. Maryland hearing of 1819. President Jackson thought that the bank was a monopoly and thought that the shareholders of the bank used the bank the benefit themselves instead of the nation.
This decision angered many people, and in Daniel Webster’s reply to President Jackson’s veto (Doc. C), Webster states “It manifestly seeks to inflame the poor against the rich; it wantonly attacks whole classes of people, for the purpose of turning against them the prejudices and the resentment of other classes.Webster thought that Jackson’s veto was a way to get the economic classes to clash together. He blames Jackson that he is trying to separate the country. Webster also states that the veto “extends the grasp of executive pretension over every power of the government. ” implying that Jackson thinks that he can overpower any form of the government or any law that the government has made.
The Jacksonian Democrats and their president did, however, strive to expand political democracy. President Jackson appealed to the working classes (Doc. A), and held the first nominating conventions.Jackson also used the spoils system and awarded those who were loyal to the party by assigning them a governmental office. President Jackson completed so much that in a visit to the United States in 1834, British reporter Harriet Martineau had nothing but positive remarks about the U.
S. (Doc. D). She said that the U.
S. had not only external competence, but intellectual ability as well. She noted that in her visit she did not see signs of poverty or gross ignorance; but that every man was a landowner and they were independent citizens.In her report, she sounded surprised to see that the United States was in such great shape politically, economically and socially. There was, however, an event where Jackson took a wrong turn. When South Carolina asked that all non-slave states make any anti-slavery papers and media that could spark a slave revolt illegal, President Jackson did nothing.
Even more so when South Carolina asked that the Postal Service not transport mail that contained such anti-slavery documents through South Carolina, Jackson was not to be heard from. Considering the Postal Service was a federal department.In the aspect of individual liberty, it seems that this was one subject that did not fall under the Jacksonian’s guardianship. President Jackson did little to expand in this area. The right to vote was still restricted to white males and Jackson did little to help the condition of blacks, American Indians, and slaves. In the South Carolina Acts and Resolutions (Doc.
F), the state discriminated against anything anti-slavery or black freedom. Also, Jackson blatantly showed that he had no intention of improving the condition of Native Americans.In 1838, President Jackson ordered that the Cherokee nation (Doc. G) be removed from their native land in Georgia to Oklahoma. Even thought this was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, Jackson continued with his plan to remove the people in order to expand.
In August of 1834, Phillip Hone witnessed riots in Philadelphia (Doc. E). The riots showed hostility towards the blacks in the city and anyone whose skin was dark. In the riot, several houses were destroyed and police were wounded. This shows that even though northern black citizens were free, they were still seen as lower than the lowest white class.President Jackson and the Jacksonians did show virtue when it came to an equality in economic opportunity.
With the bank veto (Doc. B), Jackson did save the people of the United States from a monopoly that would have been controlled by wealthy Americans and foreigners. Jackson went against the Constitution, but actually helped America in the long run. President Jackson also encouraged economic competition. In 1837, Chief Justice Roger B.
Taney stated his opinion on the Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge case (Doc. H). Both bridges were trying to be built and were vying for their place to be built.This shows that there was more than one way to build the bridge, and different people tried. Economic competition was vital because of the market economy and Jackson allowed it.
All in all, President Jackson and the Jacksonian Democrats did not fare well in their attempt to guard what they thought was crucial in the country’s survival. Even though they did not support the Constitution in crucial areas, they thought it was better for the people, at least white citizens. They also did not succeed in preserving individual liberty. They did, however provide political democracy and economic opportunity.
