Andrew Jackson’s presidency is rife with controversy. From the Nullification Crisis (1832-3) to the Indian Removal Act (1830) his administration increased the influence of the presidency while attempting to limit the federal government's power. Jackson believed one of the best ways to reduce the power and elitist influences in the national government was to expand and change democracy. What did Jackson do to facilitate the expansion of democracy? What caused Jackson to make these changes? And what was the lasting effect of the expansion of American democracy under Jackson?
Fig. 1 - A portrait of President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson Expansion of Democracy
To understand the policies Jackson put in place to expand democracy, it is essential to look at the core values that guided these policies. Jackson and his supporters, called Jacksonians, followed a political philosophy in which they looked to end the control of the federal government by political elites.
Did you know? Since the late 1790s, the government was dominated by a single political party: the Democratic-Republicans.
During Jackson’s first campaign for president in 1824, the Democratic-Republicans began to split, a fissure that became permanent after John Quincy Adams won the election of 1824. Jackson saw this as a monopoly by political elites, separate from the party, and created the Democratic party to oppose the controlling faction.
Fig. 2 - A map of the Electoral votes of the Presidential Election of 1824.
Did you know? These events and beliefs guided the founding platform of the political policy of the Democratic party. These policies aimed to remove control of elites in congress and give political sovereignty back to the “common man.”
Expansion of Democracy Definition
Let's take a quick look at some essential definitions for this explanation.
Expansion of American Democracy
Also known as the Age of Jackson or Jacksonian Democracy, the expansion refers to the policies and actions of President Andrew Jackson in his two terms as president from 1828 to 1836, in which he expanded suffrage, promoted manifest destiny, implemented patronage systems in the government, limited federal power and consolidated power to the executive branch, promoted laissez-faire economic policies, and opposed a national bank.
Jacksonians
The name for supporters of President Andrew Jackson.
Monopoly
When one individual, company, or group has exclusive control over an industry or political institution. Jacksonians believed that the political elites had developed a monopoly over the federal government and the control of America.
Causes of the Expansion of Democracy
As mentioned before, Jacksonians reacted to the perceived control of political elites, especially during the administration of President John Quincy Adams. Adams was a proponent of the American System. A collection of economic and political policies increased the federal government's scope and power through taxation, tariffs, and national infrastructure.
To Jacksonians, this violated the value of the state’s rights. They believed that the federal government did not have the right to regulate state economic activities, pass tariffs that would benefit one region over another, or force states to grow revenue for national projects such as roads or canals. Jackson’s Democratic party platform positioned itself against many of these policies. It looked to change the voting demographics of the nation to ensure the “common man”- white male voters - had a more influential role in politics.
Did you know? As a result of Jackson's support for the "common man", Jackson won the Presidency as the head of his new Democratic Party in 1828.
Phases of the Expansion of Democracy
The expansion of democracy under Jackson did not happen overnight, as many policies faced opposition in Congress by the National Republican Party and then later the Whig Party. Nevertheless, Jacksonians presented the following values as essential to expanding democracy and democratic values within the nation:
Expanding SuffrageLeading up to the 1820s, voting rights, even for white men, were limited. Many states enacted land-ownership laws, poll taxes, and other barriers that made it difficult, if not impossible, for poor white men to vote. Jacksonians held that the right to vote should be held by all white men, regardless of their socio-economic status. Before Jackson took office, many states had loosened their voting laws and allowed more white men to vote; however, it was under Jackson that local parties became energized to get once disenfranchised white male voters to the polls.
Manifest DestinyThis is the belief that it was the destiny of the United States to expand and control the North American continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This belief was vital to Jackson’s expansion of democracy because the more land the nation owned, the more excellent the opportunity for poor white men to succeed as farmers.
PatronageAlso known as the Spoils System, patronage placed a political candidate's supporters into appointed positions while removing opposition appointees. Again, the idea behind this was to increase the political participation of the “common man.” Patronage created the possibilities of office and accountability to the political candidate if the appointees had poor government service. However, in practice, patronage often led to inept or corrupt officials that promoted loyalty over actual qualifications for the positions.
Strict ConstructionismA political philosophy that adheres to a strict interpretation of the Constitution and the powers granted to the federal government. Initially, Jacksonians viewed this as a total limitation of national power. Still, it evolved to a limitation of federal power through consolidating power in the hands of the President and the executive branch. The idea began that the one person elected to that office, rather than the hundreds of congressional delegates, would be more responsive and accountable to the majority that elected them.
Laissez-FaireJacksonians promoted a hands-off approach to federal economic policy and de-regulation. At the core of this policy were tariffs, such as the Tariffs of 1824, 1828, and 1832, which many Jacksonians saw as unconstitutional because they would benefit one region and harm another. These policies eventually led to the Nullification Crisis of 1832, which saw a reduction in tariffs and an expansion of presidential power through military force.
Opposition to BankingSpecifically, the monopolies of large government-granted banks, especially the national bank, which many Jacksonians saw as an infringement on a state’s right to regulate its internal economy. Overall, Jacksonians were wary of banks as government institutions used to manipulate the “common man.”
Fig. 3 - A satirical political cartoon mocking the Spoils System implemented by President Jackson
Exclusion from the Expansion of Democracy
Though expanding voting and increasing the participation of voters in democracy can be seen as a good value focused on civil liberties and virtue, it should be noted that these expansions under Andrew Jackson were targeted toward one demographic group: poor white men.
Jacksonians did not extend the same expansion of suffrage or encourage the participation of women, free African Americans, indigenous peoples, or other minorities in the United States. In some cases, the democratic progress for minority groups stalled under the Jackson administration and regressed. For example, it was during Jackson’s presidency that the Indian Removal Act (1830) was passed and implemented. Jackson used the military to forcibly remove the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Creek tribes from their lands in the southeast.
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