Andrew Jackson was the first true populist President. All of the previous Presidents were perceived as coming from a sort of aristocracy. The little guy had never been represented. In addition, the Jackson supporters were still steaming from the election 0f 1824 which they argued (not without merit) was stolen from Jackson when John Quincy Admas was selected by the House of Representatives despite Jackson winning the popular vote. Sound familiar?
Jackson, a southerner, ruled against the South during the “Nullification” controversy. Tariffs had just been imposed which would turn out to jumpstart the economy. South Carolina, however, argued that they would be hurt by the tariffs. So, they vowed not to implement them. Jackson’s response was not mild. Although he believed in state rights, he also did not support the right of a state to dissolve itself from the Union at will based on an economic law. His warning to the political leaders in South Carolina was to tread carefully as they were veering closely to treason. No further resistance occurred.
Like other war hero Presidents, Jackson wanted no part of foreign wars. His predecessor had begun the process of organizing a UN-like agreement with other western hemisphere nations. Jackson reversed this immediately. His reasoning, “the moment we engage in confederations, or alliances with nations, we may from that time date the downfall of our republic.” He did not want the young country dragged into other countries’ wars because of an agreement.
President Jackson viewed the federal bank as a disaster for the country. He called the Bank of the United States a “monster” due to its immense power and corruption. He correctly believed it interfered with politics and bribed elected officials and journalists. Read that again! There is nothing new under the sun, is there? This was not idle talk by Jackson. Several newspapers that were against the central bank suddenly changed their views after receiving huge loans. In addition, several senators were accused of accepting loans and bribes in return for their support. Jackson vetoed a bill to recharter the bank in 1832, thus killing the national bank.
The Jackson administration is the only one in American history to pay off the national debt completely. No more must be said on that! Debt. Paid. Off.
President Jackson also gutted the federal workforce by targeting career civil service employees who did not meet his standard. They were replaced by new blood or not replaced at all. It was an early American version of draining the swamp. His goal was to combat government corruption by removing those who were making a career out of government “service”.
Why is Jackson a controversial figure today, especially amongst his own Democrat Party? The Indian Removal Act. In theory, this was not presented as a hateful solution. Jackson seemed to truly believe this would be the ultimate benefit of Indians. The implementation of it, however, was tragic and terrible. Rather than trying to integrate Indians into American culture, Jackson posed the solution of moving the Indians to their own lands where they could live as they chose. It was a popular solution in America. Unfortunately, the removal of Indians resulted in too much suffering and too many deaths. It’s easy to dismiss this as simply being a product of the time, but the Jackson administration could have placed Indian lives above enacting the policy as quickly as possible. By not doing so, this remains the only major black eye in assessing President Andrew Jackson.
Imagine if every President governed as he did. We'd be a much better country.
Jackson, a southerner, ruled against the South during the “Nullification” controversy. Tariffs had just been imposed which would turn out to jumpstart the economy. South Carolina, however, argued that they would be hurt by the tariffs. So, they vowed not to implement them. Jackson’s response was not mild. Although he believed in state rights, he also did not support the right of a state to dissolve itself from the Union at will based on an economic law. His warning to the political leaders in South Carolina was to tread carefully as they were veering closely to treason. No further resistance occurred.
Like other war hero Presidents, Jackson wanted no part of foreign wars. His predecessor had begun the process of organizing a UN-like agreement with other western hemisphere nations. Jackson reversed this immediately. His reasoning, “the moment we engage in confederations, or alliances with nations, we may from that time date the downfall of our republic.” He did not want the young country dragged into other countries’ wars because of an agreement.
President Jackson viewed the federal bank as a disaster for the country. He called the Bank of the United States a “monster” due to its immense power and corruption. He correctly believed it interfered with politics and bribed elected officials and journalists. Read that again! There is nothing new under the sun, is there? This was not idle talk by Jackson. Several newspapers that were against the central bank suddenly changed their views after receiving huge loans. In addition, several senators were accused of accepting loans and bribes in return for their support. Jackson vetoed a bill to recharter the bank in 1832, thus killing the national bank.
The Jackson administration is the only one in American history to pay off the national debt completely. No more must be said on that! Debt. Paid. Off.
President Jackson also gutted the federal workforce by targeting career civil service employees who did not meet his standard. They were replaced by new blood or not replaced at all. It was an early American version of draining the swamp. His goal was to combat government corruption by removing those who were making a career out of government “service”.
Why is Jackson a controversial figure today, especially amongst his own Democrat Party? The Indian Removal Act. In theory, this was not presented as a hateful solution. Jackson seemed to truly believe this would be the ultimate benefit of Indians. The implementation of it, however, was tragic and terrible. Rather than trying to integrate Indians into American culture, Jackson posed the solution of moving the Indians to their own lands where they could live as they chose. It was a popular solution in America. Unfortunately, the removal of Indians resulted in too much suffering and too many deaths. It’s easy to dismiss this as simply being a product of the time, but the Jackson administration could have placed Indian lives above enacting the policy as quickly as possible. By not doing so, this remains the only major black eye in assessing President Andrew Jackson.
Imagine if every President governed as he did. We'd be a much better country.
