October 28

Blog #57 – Andrew Jackson’s Legacy

When I look back at the chapter on Andrew Jackson, I try not to judge the guy too harshly using our 21st Century point of view.  This “Age of Jackson”, the 1820s – 1830s, seems to be an era of change with the Market Revolution (mass production and factories) occurring with the movement of people out West.  Plus, it was a time period when almost all white males were able to vote.  It seemed like a time of progress.

Yet, we see that Jackson destroyed the BUS (Bank of the United States) with a veto in 1832, and removed the Indians of the “Five Civilized Tribes” from the East Coast of the country across the Mississippi where they were thought to be no more of a threat.  He illegally seized Florida from the Spanish while a general in 1818.  He also vetoed (among his record 12 vetoes) national spending bills on canals, roads (Maysville Road), and bridges that would have improved transportation and lowered costs.   He thwarted Henry Clay’s American System at practically every turn.  These “evil schemes” were seen by AJ as a way to make “rich men… richer by acts of Congress” and deny the fundamental American principle of  “equal protection and equal benefits.”

Thirteen polls of historians and political scientists between 1949 and 2009 list AJ as one of the top ten Presidents in history.  He’s on our currency ($20).  Yet, he’s not known for any foreign policy initiatives like the Monroe Doctrine.  His domestic “achievements” are more known for whom he harmed or disabled and not creating positive, groundbreaking laws.  Yet, he got us through the nullification / tariff crisis of 1833 without resorting to war or violence in South Carolina.  He stood for Union and against secession.  And, he (with the help of V.P. Martin van Buren) helped “meld” his followers into the “most successful and durable political party,”  the Democratic Party.

To quote the Miller Center: “Jackson’s own character polarized contemporaries and continues to divide historians. Some praise his strength and audacity; others see him as vengeful and self-obsessed. To admirers he stands as a shining symbol of American accomplishment, the ultimate individualist and democrat. To detractors he appears an incipient tyrant, the closest we have yet come to an American Caesar.”   Is it possible that Jackson was a contradiction embodied in one man?  Or do historians see the best / worst of their times in Andrew Jackson because he so symbolized his time period?

So, where do you see President Jackson’s legacy?  Was he a patriot or a tyrant?  Both?  Did his presidency have a more positive impact than negative?  Explain.

250 words MINIMUM.  Due Wednesday night, Oct. 30 by 11:59 p.m.  

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Posted October 28, 2013 by geoffwickersham in category Blogs

76 thoughts on “Blog #57 – Andrew Jackson’s Legacy

  1. David Gardner

    Forty four men have held the office of president of The United States of America. And as they all came to run the office slightly different then their predecessors, there has yet to be a president that has run the office like Andrew Jackson. Jackson has been labeled differently by different people. People have gone so far as to call him a tyrant. But, like every other president Andrew Jackson had his flaws. But these flaws do not take away from the fact that Andrew Jackson was a true American patriot. The word patriot means “a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.” Andrew Jackson displayed the characteristics of a true president, during, and before his presidency. Before he became the president, Jackson (as a general) conquered Florida by basically walking in and claiming it as his (America’s) own. This is kind of the tyrant like mentality that people refer to. Jackson did suffer two gunshot wounds prior to becoming the president, one the shoulder, and one to the chest, which was not removable. Jackson, as president, was always big on holding together the Union. He demonstrates his Unionism when his avoids military action with South Carolina. Jackson never wanted the government to become a “rich man’s tool”, and because of this he always had the “working class’s” interest in mind. One of the main reasons that people viewed Jackson as a tyrant was because of his veto power. Jackson countlessly throughout his presidency used the power of the veto to his advantage. Basically this gave him the power to have his way and give and monopolize the government with his power. Even with his love for power, Jackson only did it for the country that he loved. And all of his pros and cons, help portray Jackson as an intrepid maverick, that embodied the American presidency, a true patriot of America.

  2. Chya Boy T (ain't no room for brendan in this town) Walsh

    Andrew Jackson is personally, one of my least favorite presidents ever. The only really cool thing he ever did was get rid of the Bank of the United States. He was also a complete racist, and acted on this racism. Andrew Jackson took the homes of over 100,000 Indians only to send them somewhere equally intolerable in the west where later they would be once again removed from their homes because another powerful group of white men aren’t satisfied with the massive amounts of land they already posses. Andrew Jackson was also to blame for the way today’s political campaigns are run; with personal attack ads discrediting and poking fun at the opponent instead of positive ads informing the reader/watcher/listener of how the aforementioned politician is actually going to solve the issues at hand. He also was the original two faced egomaniacal president we see today who only cares if the people like and agree with him instead of stating his voice and running the country the best way he see fit. Andrew Jackson contradicted himself a lot. So no, i do not think Andrew “King Mob” Jackson flaxon waxon was top ten material.

  3. Grant A

    Andrew Jackson was a very eccentric man. He was known for his mentality of my way or the highway and didn’t take gruff from anyone. However this made Jackson a hero. He was the first president born to a poor family and the first true peoples president. His followers where the men and women of the west the “new Americans” and they lived by the same code do it your own way and rely only on yourself. Jackson exemplified this by being the only president to disobey the Supreme Court and one of few to threaten invasion of a disobeying state. This was really need at the time because it brought the country together and made it more unified at a time where it was drifting apart. For instance when South Carolina threatened with session against the tariff Andrew Jackson offered two options for South Carolina, accept our terms or die. Which made it very clear who was in charge. Andrew Jackson also expanded the power of the presidency and made it clear which of the three branches was the most important. With the many veto’s of important laws that he disagreed with he made the executive branch more powerful. Jackson presidency was very impactful and set the standard that the most homespun self-made man would win in the political office. The general population enjoyed the honesty and down to earth of many of the politicians like Jackson. It set the standard that the average very day to day American was more important than the rich wealthy ones., and with this sense of attitude America became what it is today.

  4. KY W

    I believe that “Old Hickory” was both a tyrant and a patriot. He was a contradiction in one man. While Andrew Jackson was president there were a lot of changes happening in America. This time period between the 1820s and 1830s is known as the “Age of Jackson”.This era is an era of Market Revolution, America was becoming more industrailzed and more people migrated out west. They were too cramped and wanted more space so they collected their items and hit the road to find land out west. Jackson had to figure out what to do, how to run the country and benefit everyone and not just the rich. In 2013, you see Jackson’s legacy whether you realize it or not. Jackson and Van Buren, his vice president, birthed the Democratic party that we still have today. Im not saying this makes Jackson a saint. Jackson did ignore the supreme court more often than he should have, he killed the Bank of the United States, he removed the Indians from their land and was the reason the Trail of Tears happened. Also Jackson used his veto twelve times, a record high today. In my opinion the good that Jackson does outweighs the bad. He successfully tamed South Carolina without war, and his foreign policies like the Monroe Doctrine. Without Jackson we may not have the DEmocratic party that we have now. To me that outweighs the bad but it doesn’t make me forget about it. In my eyes Jackson is one of the greatest presidents of the United States.

  5. Paige W.

    Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States of America. Some see him as a super patriot fighting for the greater good of the union and others see him as a tyrant doing as he pleased without regard of others. Andrew Jackson destroyed the national bank simply because he didn’t like it, removed an entire nation of people for the sake of manifest destiny (the belief that Americas needed to expand across the continent). Although Jackson did a lot of bad for the duration of his presidency he also did some good, Jackson reduced the national debt to $33,733.05, the lowest it was since 1791, encouraged participation in voting for the common man, and he kept the Union together which was one of the main goals of the central government at the time in his eyes. At the time of Jacksons presidency I feel as though he thought he was doing the right thing at the time, the best thing for the greater good of the Union and people agreed with him. Obviously now looking back on this we know that Jacksons actions were cruel and tyrannical. Some examples of his display of tyranny would be the Indian Removal Act of 1830, commonly called the trail of tears, which forced thousands of native americans off of their homeland and into Oklahoma and he also forced congress to pass the Force Bill which gave the federal government more authority over the state government. In the end Jacksons legacy left a few light scars in the country of America, although they are light they are still there.

  6. Rebekah H.

    Andrew Jackson is probably one of the most controversial presidents in the history of the United States of America. When faced with the choice of categorizing him as more of a tyrant or a patriot, you have to take a lot of things into consideration. Based off of what I have learned, I would say that Andrew Jackson was more of a tyrant. While he did do a few good things such as avoiding war and bloodshed with South Carolina, creating a successful political party, and advocating a union, his poorer choices outweigh. I feel as if Jackson got caught up in the “spur of the moment” being president and used that for his own gain rather than for the gain of America as a whole. His pride and selfish nature continually stood in the way of the good of America. For example, he used his veto power more times than his predecessors combined. This proves that he was using his position as a source of personal power. In this way, he was the most tyrannical leader the U.S. had had since breaking free of Great Britain. He also caused the genocide of thousands and thousands of Native Americans in the U.S. despite their efforts to assimilate into the American culture. In addition, he destroyed the national bank, which caused a widespread recession throughout the country. Although in a lot of these cases he may have felt like he was doing the right thing, his perception was lacking. He failed to see the long term effects that his decisions would have. Given, the time period was much different than it is today, some of his choices as president were seen as audacious even then. While Andrew Jackson may have had patriotism in mind, his acts were seen as tyrannical.

  7. Leo Dudas

    Andrew Jackson was a man that knew how to get things done, Simple as that. I understand that some may view him as a tyrant due to the fact that he had to put some people in harm’s way in order to do what he felt was best for the country which he helped shape into what it is today. He was nicknamed “Old Hickory” for a reason; he was a tough guy that blew through any obstacles in his way from getting where he wanted to be. His actions, although somewhat tyrantish (If that s a real word), were unquestionable intended to benefit America. Even before his presidency while he was still a war General he did what he thought was right when he took over Florida. His mind set when going against the president was simple, he wanted to get Florida and nothing could stop him. He wasn’t going to waste the time of obtaining the area legally when he could use force and get Florida now. People now and days could look at this and label him a Tyrant, but he truly was doing what he felt was right for his free country. People also claim Jackson was a tyrant because of his obsessive use of the veto power. He may have used more vetos that all of his predecessors combined, but I truly believe he did so with his best intentions. Jackson preached a government ruled by the people so he obviously had the countries present and future in mind when making the decisions he made, so no, Jackson was not a tyrant but a patriot that loved the country he helped create.

  8. Zach Trunsky

    Andrew Jackson was elected as president of the United States, but throughout his presidency he acted as if he were a king. Andrew Jackson, nicknamed “Old Hickory” was famous for being a general in the war of 1812 and becoming a military hero. He was a very unique and eccentric man who easily won the support of the general population of the United States. He was known for his ideals where the federal government should lean in favor of the masses, and be run and controlled by the masses. It was clear that he favored the masses in the beginning of his presidency after he invited a mass of commoners into the White House, which turned out to be a disaster. However, Andrew Jackson never fully supported his ideals while president. He acted more like a king and ran a powerful government, which opposed his original ideals. He first used his power when he was elected when he immediately replaced old government officials with new ones who were loyal to Andrew Jackson and supported his ideals. Jackson also was a stubborn president, and he used his power to support his stubbornness. He used the veto twelve times during his presidency, while all of the previous presidents together used t only ten times. He repeatedly denied acts supported in the legislative branch if he didn’t like them. He never supported bills supporting public transportation and always found a way to stop Clay’s American System when it reached him. Jackson also showed his traits of tyranny when he imposed the “tariff of abominations” which imposed a heavy tax on foreign goods, which was in favor of northern textile mills and against southern cotton plantations. Jackson’s most tyrannous act, however, was the Indian Removal Act where he commanded his troops to evict the southern Cherokees and march them out to Oklahoma. This march, known as the trail of tears, was a long and treacherous march where many got sick and some even died. Andrew Jackson had some good ideals that protected the masses, but overall he was more of a tyrant rather than a good president.

  9. Joey Rubin

    Andrew Jackson was both a patriot and a tyrant. He succeeded in showing how the executive branch was flawed and how a president could abuse his power. It is therefore safe to say that it is not necessarily his fault that he was a tyrant but maybe the fault of his predecessors for opening the door for one man to wield so much power in a country so worried about aristocracy. Jackson was a patriot though because he succeeded in keeping the union together and extended suffrage to all white males, extending American democracy and pushing towards we the people truly being the people. Jackson’s presidency had more negative impact than positive. He displaced thousands of Native Americans and shot down the Bank of the United States. In addition, Andrew Jackson overturned congresses vote for internal improvements (canals, roads, and bridges) which would have lowered the cost of transportation. In doing this, he hurt the common man (out west) who he so fervently fought to help. Before he was even president, Jackson seized Spanish Florida both illegally and against the commands of his captain. This man was a hypocrite, making him a true American. Jackson fought for extending suffrage and equality but yet held slaves and led the Trail of Tears. Although Jackson did more negative than positive, he did do some positive (besides establishing universal white manhood suffrage). Jackson won the Battle of New Orleans in the war of 1812 which helped to inspire a new nationalism and give Americans the illusion of “winning” the war of 1812. He also avoided war with South Carolina to keep the union together. All in all, he did more negative than positive like I said and was both a patriot and a tyrant.

  10. Natalie Cooper

    Looking at Andrew Jackson’s legacy I think that he was more of a tyrant than a patriot. To me, the things that he did that were harmful to others or lead to bad events later on stand out more than any of the good things he’s done. While Andrew Jackson did get us through the nullification/tariff crisis of 1833 without resorting to war or violence in South Carolina, and he stood for Union against secession, Andrew Jackson’s “achievements” are more known for who he had harmed and disabled. He did many bad things throughout his presidency. The Indian Removal Act, which pushed Indians out of their homes and into a new territory where they wouldn’t be considered a threat, was a devastating decisions that he had made which cause many Indians to die. He seized Florida from the Spanish in 1818, which was illegal and it might’ve been seen as the right thing to do at the time to gain more land for the country and that’s what people would do back then but I don’t think that he should’ve done it. Also, he vetoed national spending bills on roads, canals and bridges which would have improved transportation and lowered the cost of goods because it would’ve made it easier to transport things. That just shows that it seems like he wasn’t really trying to help improve the economy of the United States of America. While Andrew Jackson may have done some pretty good things during his presidency, I think that overall his legacy was negative and made him more of a tyrant than a patriot.

  11. Brendan Doll

    In our great counrty we have had fouty four presidents. each one the next different from the last. President Jackson was On the fence of being between a political tyrant and being the greatest leader since george washington. Althought there were a couple of great things we should celebrate that he was able to do in his term of office one being that he did not resort to war when facing a rather small problem in SC He was able to portay an important role in creating the Democratic Party through JAcksonian democracy. JAckson firmly beleived in respecting states rights and there laws as well as there very own respective governing bodies JAcksons first priority was keeping the union the way it was. Although jackson was not all good hepromised in hs oath to abolish things that were already established He was the Primary reason for the cause of the Trail of Tears. He just absolutely went around the supreme courts back in keepin the cherokee nation, As well as trying to remove the very act he implanted.. As he is known for the main reason he destroyed the bank of the U.S, went against everything in Henry Clay’s administration and vetoed several different things that could have been a real game changer for the American population. Although he can be viewed differentlly me personally i believe that jackson can be viewd as a importiant leader to this country and should be celebrated in suck a way im hearin a new day called AJ day honoring him

  12. Brooke Cirone

    This isn’t the first time I have been asked to ponder this question. I was also asked in 8th grade by my history teacher, Mrs. Ajlouny, and it was a major project. Although I have learned more about him this year than I did that year, I still stand with the answer I gave in 8th grade: Andrew Jackson was a tyrant. Out of all the presidents, Andrew Jackson is by far my least favorite. After seeing the positives and the negatives he caused during these times, it seems to me Jackson saw himself as brilliant and above all people. He seemed to think it was okay to veto and ignore the Supreme Court. He also fired more office officials than all the previous presidents in the years passed. Although helping us through many rough sports through our country’s history, I find that the number of innocent Indians was too high for my likings. For someone to kill that many people only because of their craving for land only proves what a selfish person they can be. Although he saw it in America’s best interest, I still find it to be the works of a tyrant. In his defense, which is hard for me to even say because I really dislike the guy, everything he did, he did while thinking about our country. Also, he formed one of our two major political parties today: the Democratic Party. It’s cool he did all of this; however I still find that most of his work was that of a tyrants. I will probably forever hate him but mostly from his making of the Trail of Tears.

  13. David Sherwood

    I believe that instead of a glowing democrat and patriot or a raging tyrant, Andrew Jackson was a very rigid man. He had morals, beliefs, and opinions, and felt very justified in just about all of them. If he wanted something it was not easy to stop him. It appears as if most of Jackson’s decisions – both those representing the common people and those that appeared to be more tyrannical – were made based on not so much a relentless fight for democracy and equality, but more on a burning hatred and stubborn opposition to the wealthy and power. Jackson spent the majority of his presidency not fighting for democracy but fighting against aristocracy. We see an ideal example of this in the abolition of the Bank of the United States. Jackson argued that the BUS was simply to make the rich richer and was disadvantageous for the common folk. He even dubbed it unconstitutional, which had already been deemed false in the Supreme Court. Although he used these arguments to support his justification, the destruction of the BUS had a negative effect on the whole country, throwing it into economic turmoil. Rash decisions like this one give Jackson an characteristic hot-headed, aristocratic hating unionist, instead of a fighter for rights. He made some good decisions but Jackson could have done a lot more good for his country if he was a little less narrow-minded and more willing to sacrifice for the good of the country. In hindsight, it’s a little disappointing.

  14. Annie Moore

    Andrew Jackson is both a tyrant and a patriot. To his supporters, he stands as a shining symbol of American accomplishment, the ultimate democrat. To his opposition he appears to be a tyrant, the closest we have come to an American Caesar. Andrew Jackson once said “I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me.” This quote describes Jackson’s presidency extremely accurately. His controversial conduct while in office lead his opponents to form the Whig party. He left a very permanent impact on American politics and the presidency. Many believe that Jackson was a tyrant because he vetoed more bills than any of the previous presidents put together. He is also known for completely ignoring Supreme Court rulings and doing what he wanted anyway. “I cannot be intimidated from doing that which my judgment and conscience tell me is right by any earthly power.” This quote by Jackson underlines the fact the he was a selfish, tyrannical ruler. He did not make decisions based on the interests of the whole nation but on his own personal benefit. Andrew Jackson was a Patriot because he was a direct representative of the common man. “Old Hickory” did not remove people in office and replace them with his friends or friends of his party; he let people who seemed deserving stay in their position. Andrew Jackson was both a patriot and a tyrant. He made tough decisions and used his authority to its fullest extent but he also strived to represent the people and had the countries’ best interest at heart. Andrew Jackson implemented policies that affected the territorial, political, and economic development of the United States. He was elected by southern and middle-state voters that would become the Democratic Party. He also changed American politics by running a political campaign that reached out directly to the American voters.

  15. Blake Small

    Andrew Jackson is a very controversial president. But he was definitely a patriot, I think it’s easy to call him a tyrant when you look at what he has done just on the surface. When deciding if “Old Hickory” was a great man you can’t just scratch the surface, you have to dig deep and find reasonings behind his so called “tyrant” ways. Firstly he was a general in the war of 1812 and to be in that kind of war you have to have thick skin and be able to look ahead for the better of the country and not just one man. When taking over Florida today seems very controversial, where would we be today if he hadn’t of done that? People forget the repercussions of what wouldn’t have happened and forget what did happen and how greatness happened. Yeah he probably could have waited and acquired it legally, or if he didn’t another president might have. But he wasn’t leaving it for chance if we obtained Florida, he knew that it was the time to strike and that we wouldn’t have another opportunity like this again for a while. Also Jackson could be called power hungry or a tyrant for how he so called over used the veto. But he wasn’t just vetoing to veto, he knew what he believed and he stuck by it, he didn’t like what was being presented to him and thats that. Andrew Jackson always had the people in mind first, and I truly believe that throughout his presidency that he always put the peoples and countries best interest in front of anything and everything no matter the cost. He is a patriot and should be celebrated just like any other great man in history.

  16. Nick Hornburg

    Andrew Jackson’s time as president of the United States made him an American hero to some and a hindrance to the American dream to others, making him without question the most controversial president in American history. People who believe that Jackson was a hero state that he saved the union from secession when his mutinous vice president John Calhoun toyed with the idea of South Carolina seceding from the union due to the tariff of abominations. Those who say that Jackson was the first and only American King back up their point with his ruthless and inconsiderate removal of the Indians, including the five tribes that were assimilated into Georgian Society. Jackson’s detractors also point to his record twelve uses of the veto and his repeated ignorance of the rulings of Chief Justice John Marshall and the Supreme Court. While both sides have fair points to support or oppose Jackson, I personally believe that Jackson was a good president and his presidency and his administration positively affected this country. In my opinion, Jackson’s administration was so pivotal because through his actions, he redefined what the Executive Branch was capable of. While the Indian Removal act was inexcusable, Jackson paved the way for the common man. By letting common people into the White House for his inauguration, he began a changing of the guard that allows the common people to contribute to the government, making it more of a country “for, by and of the people” instead of “for, by and of the social elite,” an action that paved the way for nearly every president after him.

  17. Ian Rice

    Andrew Jackson can be seen as a hero and a villain, a patriot and a tyrant. I believe Jackson was a tyrant by displacing millions of Natives across the Mississippi River even if they weren’t hostile. I also believe he was a tyrant when he vetoed spending bills that would have improved national transit and lowered transportation cost. Though in some aspects Jackson was a tyrant he was more of a patriot. Jackson would always champion the national cause and fight for it while never giving up his ground which gave him the nickname “Old Hickory”. His seizure of Florida though illegal boosted national pride and extended the borders of our nation. Jackson stood for Union and against secession. I believe that Jackson’s presidency had a positive impact. I believe this because if Jackson had not displaced the Natives and pushed them off the frontier America would have had to resort to violence to keep moving westward. Without Jackson the union may have splintered 40 years earlier when South Carolina threatened to wage war but Jackson was able to avert that crises. Finally Jackson’s presidency had a positive impact because it set the epitome of a true American patriot in the form of Andrew Jackson.

  18. Seth Allen

    Andrew Jackson was a very controversial president. Basing many of his prejudices off personal opinions and holding grudges for a lifetime contributed to that. Also he was the first president to actually “take over the government”. President Jackson while in office replaced more positions than all of the presidents before him combined. Many saw this as tyrant like behavior. The Whig party went on to call him “King Andrew”. The Whig party was mostly formed to go against Jackson. Lead by Jackson head rival, Hennery Clay, The Whigs were anything against Jackson. They represented the every day person, joined with the anti-masonic party, and were for the B.U.S. As this was going on Jackson created a party of his own, the democrats. The Democrats were against the BUS, represented the aristocrats, favored the union, and were against nullification of federal laws. This statement of being forced to represent the upper class was very different than how Jackson was viewed coming into office. In Jacksons first term before the development of his democratic party as one of his most bold moves “The Indian Removal act”. This act took Indians out of their homes and moved them west to make more room for the growing western American population. The Indian removal act also known as the trail of tears was categorize by 99.9% of historians as a tragedy. Along the way many Native Americans became sick and died. Jackson did this because of the expansion westward and he hated the Indians. But to appeal to the public during this time Jackson did adopt an Indian boy. Overall Jacksons Legacy is a patriot with more negative impact than positive.

  19. Karlie S

    Andrew Jackson was about the worse guy there is. I admit he did some good things for us in the past, but he did a lot more worse things. the one that really bugs me in the Indian Removial act. He was the biggest racist in the world. Yet when he was killing off a tribe of Natives, he ended up finidng a baby and claiming it as his own! This gets on my nerves so much! Then we have the fact that he vetoed national spending on things like, roads, canals, and bridges. This would of helped expand the size of the nation making it easier for people to move around. Also because it would make good cheeper because you could better move them around. Jackson also took Florida from the Spanish in 1818, I understand that at the time this was the thing to do, but you could of bought the land from them! The one good thing I will give credit to Jackson is the nullification/tariff crisis of 1833. He helped the nation thru this time and I don’t know what would of happened if he did not. Over all I think Jackson was a bad guy, a tyrant, yet he is a part of our history no dought.

  20. George G

    Andrew Jackson’s legacy was more of a patriot than a tyrant. Yes he did use the veto more than all of the previous presidents combined but he used it in what he thought was right for the country and for the common man. He vetoed the B.U.S because he believed it was unconstitutional because the man in charge of the bank, Nicholas Biddle, was making secretive loans to big corporations and to his friends. He used the bank’s money to keep himself in charge so Jackson had a reason to veto the bill. Jackson also vetoed Henry Clay’s American Systems bills because he thought they were meant to keep the rich richer and the poor poorer. Another plus that happened during Jackson’s presidency were unheard of things, such as all white men being able to vote and hold office. But some bad spots on his legacy as president were the forced removal of the “Five Civilized Tribes” from the East Coast. It is also important to remark that he did illegally conquer Florida in 1818 but while this didn’t happen during his presidency, it can’t really be used to justify his being a tyrant during his presidency. Jackson did put his own party members into his government but it still shouldn’t be said that this was a tyrannical move because that was just how things work. While he did have the final say in bills, he also greatly expanded the rights of the president and the power he has. Many call him a tyrant yet he should be remembered as a national hero for his great contributions to this great country.

  21. audrey laprot

    Andrew Jackson acted as both a tyrant and a patriot during his eight years as president of the United States. He did a lot of good things during his presidency and some really bad things. Some good things he did during his presidency were: he avoided a civil war, he tried to do everything in his power to stop the government from becoming a tool for the rich, and he helped shape the Democratic Party into what it is today. He avoided a civil war by stating that keeping the Union was the most important thing. He wanted to help all the backwoods farmers in the west. Jackson and his Vice President, Martin Van Buren, helped form the Jacksonians into a powerful political party. On the other hand, Jackson did a lot of bad things. He destroyed the Bank of the United States, which caused bank failures and the panic of 1837. He abused his power multiple times by using the veto (12 times). When Georgia wanted to remove the Indians and the Supreme Court ruled against it, Jackson encouraged Georgia to remove the Indians anyway. The Indian Removal Act was a betrayal to the “Five Civilized Tribes” and ended in the death of hundreds of Native Americans on the Trail of Tears. Although Jackson had good economic times during his presidency, he left his successor, Martin Van Buren, with quite a mess. Andrew Jackson also abused his power when it came to the American System by vetoing it. The American System would have made better transportation systems and lowered cost of transporting goods.

  22. Chuck C.

    Andrew Jackson’s presidency is a sketchy and interesting thing. He did some good but he also did some bad. The good he did was that he shut down the seriously corrupt Bank of the United States, he supported the common man, He used the veto when he thought something was corrupt, and he didn’t deal with any crap from South Carolina, even though it was his home state. The bad things he did were turn on the Indians, boot them from Florida, Trail of Tears, he may have overused the veto a little too much, and he took money from the Bank of the United States and put it into individual state banks which aided in the panic of 1837. But did Jackson really cause it, no he did not. What caused it was in fact the steep decline of cotton prices and the decline of two huge British banks who suddenly demanded their loans back.

    The trail of tears was the fault of Jackson though, he decided that these tribes, who had assimilated to white culture, were in the way of the developing United States, so he marched them out of Florida and made them walk all the way to Oklahoma. He betrayed the natives, but that was not recognized as something bad until long after the event and the death of Andrew Jackson.

    Andrew Jackson was both patriot and tyrant, you can not acknowledge one without also acknowledging the other. He had his faults and weaknesses, but he also had his strengths.

  23. Quinn Costello

    When I look at the scales of patriot or tyrant, Andrew Jackson stands at about the center. He may even lean a little on the tyrannical side. President Jackson was a person who went and got what he wanted, how and when ever he wanted to. He was a man of the people. Andrew Jackson grew up in a poor family and made his way up to the top. In the election record numbers of people came out to vote. He opened the White House to all people for a party. Jackson ushered in a new age of democracy. When problems arose like South Carolina, Jackson managed to a hold the union together without violence. Jackson’s presidency had a dark side though. He used the power of the veto 12 times, more than all the other presidents combined. Jackson had a burning hatred for the men who ran The Bank of the United States. He felt the BUS was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court Sad the BUS was constitutional, but Jackson still went ahead and destroyed the bank with a veto on the re charter. This caused a domino effect and caused many of the smaller banks to fail. Jackson also was tyrannical because he caused the forced removal of the Indians, to the west of the Mississippi, so white men could have their land east of the Mississippi. He also, though before his presidency forcibly took control of Florida so Americans could have more land. In my opinion Jackson was a tyrannical patriot. He did many good things For the U.S., but he also did many not so nice things.

  24. Nick T.

    Andrew Jackson is one of the greatest presidents we have had; not only a patriot but putting a positive impact on America before he left the White House because he kept South Carolina in the tariff crisis of 1833 without force, he took down the Second Bank of the United States, and he created the Democratic Party, and defended Americans by getting rid of things that Andrew Jackson saw as a way to make rich men richer by acts of the American Government. South Carolina was about to succeed from the union in 1833 when a tariff imposed on cotton made southerners feel like a slippery slope was being implied on slavery, making southerners push for nullification even. This ended after Andrew Jackson threatened South Carolina to pay the tariff or he would march America’s army down there to force them to pay for it because he believed in keeping the union whole. Andrew Jackson did a good thing for destroying the Second Bank of the United States with a veto in 1832 because of its corrupt president Nicholas Biddle who gave money from the BUS to friends and even used federal money to pay for propaganda in newspapers to make him look better to the American public. Andrew Jackson did a good thing to create the Democratic Party at the time because they needed a group to oppose Henry Clay’s American System and keep people in office that were truly for the people. Andrew Jackson was a great president because of his accomplishments and was unique as a president because he was the only one who was true and pure American man defending American freedoms.

  25. Kelsey DeCarteret

    Andrew Jackson was one of the most powerful and influential presidents of the 19th century, although, at times, he seemed to be more of a tyrannical leader than a president. He exhausted his power as an individual using his veto power a record of twelve times. He created the spoil system where he filled political positions with his supporters to make him more powerful. He rejected bills that would have improved transportation and lowered the cost. One major law he passed was the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which was responsible for the relocation of more than 90,000 Indians from the eastern United States to territories west of the Mississippi River, known as the Trail of Tears. This upset many people and Andrew Jackson is remembered for this evil, unacceptable act. He also destroyed the second Bank of the United States, leaving the nation without a central bank capable of monitoring the nation’s money. Another one of his tyrannical actions was when he was a general in 1818, he illegally seized Florida from the Spanish. He also did some things that people liked. For example, he opposed the American System, created by Henry Clay, because he thought it was created just to make the rich men richer. He also helped our country through the nullification / tariff crisis of 1833 without resorting to war or violence in South Carolina. He wanted the country to be unified and stood against succession. Lastly, he helped create one of the most successful political parties, the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson did a lot of good and bad when he was president, but he helped the country move forward.

  26. alex straith

    I feel that president Andrew Jackson was just another president. I feel that we as a nation have way to high expectations of what the presidents should do. The president himself does not contain that much power to do stuff instead he can say you can’t. The people of America expect that the everything the president say will happen will. But he has to run it through congress where the is no guarantee that it would succeed. The president’s main power is that of a figure head. (Witch can directly do very little in the way of making policy) everything needs to be run through congress. [[resident Andrew Jackson used his power to say not to things to the full extent since everything he did was perfectly legal I belkve that he does not qualify as a bad president but since he did not manage to convince congress to run anything through I don’t think he qualifies as a good president either. Historically I don’t believe that Andrew Jackson didn’t make the right choice when it comes to the bank of the us but since he didn’t have as many historic records to go off of veins booms and busts I don’t blame him for his decision. He chose what he though was best for the economy. But in the end hiss decision to remove the bus caused credit to become hard to get undoing why it was removed in the first place .that is why I don’t think that Andrew Jackson was a bad president.

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