52 thoughts on “Blog #132 – Who was the better democrat – Jefferson or Jackson?”

1. Eleanor Limbaugh November 3, 2020 at 4:27 pm

   One of the most important aspects of democratic government is its ability to answer to the people. This was an issue in America’s beginnings, when leaders struggled to determine what role populism should play in our developing nation. It’s an issue today, when conflicts over topics such as representation and voting rights continue to dominate. Time and time again, making one’s voice heard has proven itself to be an invaluable factor in maintaining fair democratic government. Given this, Andrew Jackson was a better democrat than Thomas Jefferson, because he more fully embodied the democratic ideal of a government run by and for the governed.

   During the Jeffersonian era, the common citizen did not vote directly for the President, or in many cases even for his representatives in the Electoral College. It was the duty of elected officials to vote in the way they believed was best for the country, disregarding regional interests. Additionally, voting rights at the time were limited to white, property-owning men, a policy informed by Jefferson’s visions of an agrarian democracy. By the time of Jackson’s presidency, however, a crucial early step was being taken towards the expansion of voting rights when property ownership began to be omitted from voting requirements. This meant that more and more people were voting, often directly for the President or electors at that point. They were also voting for additional positions such as judges and state governors. Jackson believed that government offices were held by and for the common people, and any white man of voting age was considered a viable candidate for political office. Conversely, in the Jeffersonian era, office holders were normally chosen out of an existing pool of educated, wealthy, land owners. This was out of a belief that not everyone was fit to hold political office, and some men were simply better than others for the job. Jefferson-era politicians worried about tyranny arising from the majority exercising control over the minority, be it the wealthy, small states, or even slave owners. Jackson-era politicians worried that tyranny would arise from office holders not answering to and representing the people that elected them.
2. Samuel Goodman November 4, 2020 at 5:29 pm

   When it comes to democratic values, these being liberty, justice, and equality, there can be many different interpretations of what policies fit into these categories. Both Jefferson and Jackson used policy and influence to push their view of democratic values on the country. In comparing Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, there is one major difference, this being the belief in a limited federal government or a strong federal government. This major difference is what, in my opinion, gives us our answer on who is more democratic.
   Andrew Jackson started his career in politics pushing the envelope of American Democracy. Moving west to Tennessee and starting his political career there, gave him a unique view for a politician at the time as most did not have the experience in western American that Jackson had. These views of expanding rights for the common man and majority rules government are what gives Jackson the win in this matchup.
   In many key issues, Jackson chose democratic values over political swaying and rulings. Although I personally do not agree with these actions, I do feel it makes Jackson the more democratic president. Jackson, in his fight against the national bank, used every bit and more of his power to win. Believing the BUS was unconstitutional, he vetoed the extension of the BUS, stating it was too large to be considered a “Free enterprise.” He also withdrew federal deposits from the BUS to kill it, between 1832 and 1836. In contrast, Jefferson allowed political influence to get to him in his decisions with the national bank. Although he argued against it at first, he allowed its existence. To me, Jackson seems to uphold the values he believed in and used his presidential power to hold his ground, where Jefferson allows issues to pass.
   The issue of expanding suffrage was fought for by both men, but Jackson went farther in his expansion of voting rights. Jefferson expanded voting to land-owning men, but Jackson, coming from the western states that were excluding land requirements for the right to vote, believed that all white men had a right to vote no matter the amount of land they own. Although this could be considered marginal by today’s standards, it was a huge step for democracy at the time.
   Finally, Jackson in dealing with the tariff crisis with South Carolina, Jackson showed that he would push his democratic values even if he had to do so through force, hence the Force Act. Jackson, although being very headstrong, still put his democratic values 1st when dealing with the nation’s issues. He used the extent of his power to fight for his values, even if this meant marching on a state.
   Jackson is known as a controversial president, and for good reason. He fought hard and violent political battles. He pushed the limits of his power and made rash decisions. Although doing this, Jackson, in my eyes is still more democratic. To me, it seems that his extreme political moves were done with his democratic values in mind. Jefferson thought a lot about when to stand his ground and fight for his values, as opposed to allowing things he didn’t agree with to occur because he saw the fight as more damaging than the case he opposed. On the other hand, Jackson would put his values first and make every decision based on them. Sometimes this hurts the country and sometimes it helped, but to me, it gives the controversial figure of Andrew Jackson the edge over Jefferson as more democratic.
3. Emerson Lagrou November 4, 2020 at 5:33 pm

   I think that overall, Jefferson was a better democrat than Jackson. The first reason for this is Jackson’s incredible amount of vetoes. While Jackson used twelve vetoes, an insane amount for that time, Jefferson did not use any. This shows that Jefferson was a better democrat because he was letting the people who passed bills make the countries decisions. Since the people who pass bills are representing the people of the nation, Jackson was not listening to the wishes of the people.
   A second reason that Jefferson was a better democrat was that Jefferson used more limited executive power, closer to what was given to him by the constitution. Jackson on the other hand expanded his executive power as much as he could while trying to limit the power of the other branches of the federal government. This shows that Jefferson was a better democrat because by allowing the branches of government to all have equal power, checks and balances were able to work, and the checks and balances system is essential to American democracy.
   One more way that Jefferson was a better democrat than Jackson can be seen in their views on nullification of federal laws in individual states. Jefferson helped to come up with the concept of nullification, which is when a state chooses not to enforce a federal law they feel does not benefit their people. Jackson however, was fiercely opposed to nullification and used the Force Act of 1833 to force states to enforce a tariff they did not want to. This shows that Jefferson was a better democrat because Jacksons opposal to nullification caused him to silence the wishes of the people. Jefferson’s views in favor of nullification put the people of the nation before the power of the federal government. The power of the people is one of the key parts of Democracy.
   When all of their policies and views are considered, Jefferson was a better democrat than Jackson. While both of them liked to be thought of as for the common man, Jefferson was better at giving the nation what the people wanted. Jackson did everything he could to give power to himself and take power away from the other branches of government, and consequently, the people.
4. Drew Ruprich November 4, 2020 at 5:42 pm

   Based on the blog, I believe that the better democrat was Andrew Jackson. I think this because he fought more for the people than Jefferson did (the argument discusses which president was a better democrat, not which president was better in general, so the bad things Jackson did and his questionable morals don’t really apply to this argument). Jackson, first, played a role in expanding voters’ rights. These actions limited property restrictions on white men, so more of the people’s voices could be heard. Jefferson on the other hand, mainly favored agrarianism, which benefitted only farmers. This also goes along with Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase, in that the newly bought land would mostly benefit farmers, not the rest of the nation, which included businessmen and urban workers. Also, during Jefferson’s time as president, the government functioned mainly at the national level. This does not reflect democratic ideals. Jackson was also viewed as “The Common Man” for what he did for the people. Although today we realize that it was very wrong, the removal of Indians was beneficial to most Americans. Jackson also used his power to fight tyranny with the Spoils System, which involved removing many government officials to replace them with new ones who would ‘carry out the will of the people.’

   Jackson was also very aggressive in office. This can be viewed as a bad thing, but it did help him carry out his democratic plans. One way he did this was by destroying the bank. He believed that the bank was harmful to the states’ rights and dangerous to the liberties of the nation’s people. So, acting for his people, he destroyed it. This did cause economic stress, but he believed it to be worth it. Lastly, he believed in the Specie Circular, which meant that people must buy new land with hard money. This was done for the people as well, by slowing paper money growth, reducing inflation, and curbing land speculation.

   Both presidents would not be suitable democrats today, as they both favored a certain group of people over the country’s entirety. For example, neither of the presidents pushed for African American rights or women’s rights. However, in my opinion, Jackson was the better democrat overall for his time because he did what he believed was best for the people and took action to do it.
5. Maggie DuRoss November 4, 2020 at 8:17 pm

   In my opinon, the answer is clear; this question is merely a formality. Jefferson was clearly the better democrat. As I read I tried to remain unbiased until I finished the entire blog post, but even after the first two paragraphs I could tell what my answer would be (I had already guessed it would be Jefferson before I even started reading). The very first paragraph focused solely on Jefferson, outlining his basic beliefs and “goals” for the country. The next paragraph was set up to try to paint Jackson in a positive light but in reality, simply stated the things already changing when Jackson came to office (specifically the lessening of voting requirements). Another pending change was brought forth by Jackson’s vice president (then a NY senator), concerning the expansion of political parties to reach state and local levels as well as federal. The first paragraph alone, what I think was the only positive writing about Jackson in the entire passage, wasn’t even describing his work. Another issue tipping the scales toward Jefferson in my mind was how Jefferson and Jackson responded to the national bank and BUS, respectively. Although Jefferson was opposed to the national bank, he respected its existance once established, leaving it alone. Jackson, however, wasn’t nearly as mature in response to the BUS as Jefferson was to Hamilton’s bank. Jackson had his third Secretary of State (he fired the previous two as they refused to do this) to keep taking money out of the BUS. Jackson then took the opportunity to use his own illegal meddling as an indicator that the BUS was failing, and should be repealed. Pretty shady, man. Another obvious evaluation of morals was presidential perameters. Jefferson never once vetoed a single bill (not that vetoing automatically makes you evil), whereas Jackson vetoed 12. He grossly abused his executive powers, irreversibly setting a precedent for future presidents. One more thing was the issue of slavery. While yes, Jefferson owned slaves, he pubically denounced it and claimed the only reason he didn’t manumission his slaves was because he was in too much debt to set up sustainable livlihoods (yeah, I’m sure, but it’s better than Jackson). Jackson, on the other hand, snuffed out the publication of abolitionist papers, extinguishing citizens’ first amendment freedoms of speech. Not to mention his whole Trail of Tears massacre. Sure, Jefferson’s Embargo Act caused a dip in American economics, but it’s better than a seven-year depression that was caused by him (Panic of 1837 occurred when Van Buren was president, but we all know who’s fault it was. Time to throw Jackson under the BUS).
6. Ciera Green November 4, 2020 at 10:36 pm

   I believe that Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat. He believed in the power of the people, as stated in the blog, he trusted the common man to make the right decisions politically and didn’t view them as an unruly mob incapable of making rash decisions. He felt the farmers were the base of the economy so he worked to expand the land they had access to, therefore providing space for more men to be able to vote. Although Jackson did work to expand more land for the men, he forced the Native Americans out of their own territory aggressively which caused more harm than good in my opinion. In regards to choosing presidential candidates, Jackson did provide more opportunity for the common man to have a position in office, regardless of their class, but he also removed many officeholders that he felt weren’t in his best interest unlike Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson listened to the people’s concerns and worked to lower and eventually remove things like the whiskey taxes, while Jackson was ready to fight any states that complained about taxes, like South Carolina. He threatened to hang people in South Carolina if they didn’t collect taxes and he enforced the “Bloody Act”. Jefferson also did not overuse his power as president and veto any bills. In contrast, Jackson vetoed 12 bills which was more than his predecessors did combined. Jackson excessively used his powers, and mostly did things his way, threatening anyone that resisted. Jefferson was usually a strict interpreter of the constitution but with reference to the Louisiana purchase, he felt that it was too good of an offer to pass up and it did not directly affect the country negatively as did the Indian Removal Act. Jefferson also supported a limited federal government and did not tend to excessively use federal power over the people. Jackson was very aggressive and many times violent, he blocked mailings of anti-slavery newspapers and authorized the force act, which showed he did not listen to the people. Furthermore, he ignored supreme court decisions and vetoed numerous bills, showing that Jackson really saw himself as holding all the power over the country. From this, it is concluded that Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat because he followed more of the democratic principles as president.
7. Hailey Young November 5, 2020 at 12:28 am

   The better democrat, in my opinion, is Jefferson. Jefferson can be seen as the better democrat compared to Jackson. When prompting political involvement to the average person, Jackson expanded people’s right to vote by letting more urban workers, white landless people, immigrants in the North, West, and Northern small farmers to vote. He also made sure these people within the state and local branches were involved in the national party system. Though Jefferson made sure the farmers were educated on politics and were involved with the elections, he did not expand the voting rights to people who didn’t own land. Jefferson kept his national party to the federal government. Though he trusted the common man to make good political decisions, political parties only functioned at a national level. Jackson, in this case, got more average people involved. When being considered for political office, under Jefferson, candidates were chosen from educated, wealthy, landowners. Under Jackson, political office positions were chosen from almost any white male of voting age. Jackson involved the common man more in government than Jefferson. In Jefferson’s time, the presidential candidates were chosen by the party’s Congressional leaders in a caucus. In Jackson’s time, presidential candidates were chosen by the party’s national convention. Jackson’s way of being promoted by the people was better as a democrat. Economic views of Jefferson and Jackson were different. Jefferson at first, did not believe in the national bank, but as time progressed, he accepted it. He also didn’t let the federal government get too much into the economy, there was limited spending, he believed that the agrarian economy was more important than manufacturing. Jackson fought with the BUS and led us into the Panic of 1837. Like Jefferson, he also limited federal government spending. In this case, Jefferson did a better job of making sure the people were involved compared to the government. But, Jackson still did a good job. The relationships between federal and state governments can be seen differently between Jefferson and Jackson. Jefferson was flexible when state purchases were made, he went from a strict interpretation of the constitution to a loose interpretation when the Louisiana Purchase happened. But when dealing with the Embargo Act, he went back to federal power. Jackson believed in a limited federal government. He was a strong nationalist, when going against South Carolina about a tariff, he threatened to send troops if they didn’t follow his orders. In this case, Jeffferson is the better democrat, he believes in the common man, they don’t always have to agree with him. Jefferson exercised limited power as an executive, he didn’t veto any bills, and he made sure to limit federal power when dealing with the states. Jackson, on the other hand, abused federal power, he vetoed many laws and he went against the Supreme Court. While both Presidents have similarities and differences, Jefferson, in my opinion, is the better democrat. He doesn’t abuse power, which is what democrats are all about. While both good examples of democrats, Jefferson was a little bit better in the end.
8. Ella Blank November 5, 2020 at 8:23 am

   Based on this article and my prior knowledge, I believe that Thomas Jefferson is a better democratic politician than Andrew Jackson. I believe this because Jefferson was willing to make compromises, adapt his mission to modern needs, and exert his power only when necessary. Jackson was rash and quick to resort to violence, and he also did not respect other departments of the federal government.
   Jefferson was a better democratic president because he listened to and acted on other’s opinions. The Bank of the United States, which was created by Hamilton in 1791, was not liked by Jefferson prior to his presidency. He believed that the bank was better for merchants than farmers, which was who his primary following was made up of. In the end, Jefferson did not get rid of the bank early during his time in office. He did, however, change his political views to fit the times. Jefferson was elected under the premise that he would approach issues by strictly following the constitution. In 1803, Jefferson had a chance to make a deal with France for land in the Mississippi river valley. This new land would benefit his people because it would give them more space to farm on. The constitution says nothing about the president’s ability to buy land, and Jefferson chose to take a loose interpretation by going through with the purchase. This example of him adjusting his ideals shows how he was willing to change if he thought that it would help the country. Jefferson’s ability to use power only when necessary is the last reason why he was a good democrat. Jefferson never once used a veto in his presidency, compared to Jackson’s twelve vetoes. He also implemented the Embargo Act. Although the events resulting from this act did not go to plan, he did use his power in a way that he thought would possibly benefit the country.
   Compared to Jefferson, Jackson did not follow many democratic principles. Many people liked Jackson because he seemed like a patriotic war hero who helped the country win the War of 1812. Although this might be true, he has since used his violence in negative ways. He forcibly removed entire Native American populations out of their sacred lands. He also threatened to go to South Carolina when they nullified a tariff he put in place in 1833. Another reason why Jackson is not a democratic politician is because he tried to remove newspapers from the mail that were against slavery. Congress did not allow him to do this, so then he tried to go over their heads’ and ask the postmaster general to remove the mail instead. This is illegal, and a violation of the first amendment. Jackson also ignored the supreme court’s rulings on at least two accounts. Jackson was not a good democratic person because he was sneaky, disrespectful, and violent.
9. Matthew Meilinger November 5, 2020 at 5:01 pm

   Overall, I think that Andrew Jackson was the bigger democrat. He wasn’t called the “champion of the common man” for no reason. The main reason that I think he’s the bigger democrat is because he got rid of certain restrictions to vote, so more people could. This helped the common man have more of a say in Congress. Prior to Jackson, in most states, in order to vote you must own property, in addition to being a white male. This left the poor with no say in Congress. The year Jackson was elected to the presidency, property restrictions on voting had started to disappear across the country, and this process continued during Jackson’s presidency. This expanded suffrage helped the common man get more representation in the federal government. Jackson believed in the Spoils System, in which he removed people from government positions because he believed those offices should be for the people. He appointed new government officials who would carry out the wishes of the people. He did this because he thought it was in the best interest of the country. However, Jefferson did what was best for only a portion of the country. He did what he thought was best for an agrarian society, which he supported. Jefferson did everything in his power to help farmers, including the Louisiana purchase. He looked at the Louisiana Purchase as a way to increase the farming populations, and allow new generations of farmers to settle there and be able to vote. He didn’t do as much to help those pushing for a strong industry like Great Britain had. In addition, during Jefferson’s presidency the government functioned primarily at the national level, which was not supportive of democratic ideals. Moreover, everything Jackson did during his presidency was for the people of the whole country. While he may have been aggressive in cases like the Nullification Crisis, he did what he believed was best for the people of the entire country. Another example of this was Indian Removal. Although this decision is questionable morally, it did help the economy of the country. Lastly, he believed in a weak central government, but a strong executive branch, which he thought was best. Ultimately, I think Jackson was the bigger democrat because he always did what he thought was best for the whole country, not a portion of it like Jefferson.
10. Kyle J Konopka November 5, 2020 at 6:13 pm

    In their respective times as presidents of the United States of America, both Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson did many things to help spread the democratic ideals. The democratic policy was one that strived to improve the country for the common people. They pushed for a weaker federal government so that the state governments could have more freedom. While both men accomplished this in their own rights, Andrew Jackson clearly did more for the democratic ideals than Thomas Jefferson.
    The first ground on which Jackson surpassed Jefferson was voting rights. Both of them made changes that allowed more people to vote, but Jackson helped a great deal more people than Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson, while in office, made the Louisiana Purchase. This opened up land for farmers to move west into and establish farms. These farms would be counted as property. At the time only land owning white men could vote, so this increased the number of men with property and in turn the number of voters. Jackson, however, did something different that allowed more people, still, to vote. During his presidency, Andrew Jackson eliminated the property requirement for voters. This meant that all white men could vote now. This allowed working class citizens to have their opinions heard as before the majority of citizens were workers that did not own land of their own. Over the next twenty years, the voter participation increased to nearly eighty percent amongst the white male population.
    Another instance in which Thomas Jefferson was bettered was in the choosing of presidential candidates. Under Jefferson, presidential candidates were decided by a relatively small group of wealthy landowning individuals. This didn’t give much opportunity to common citizens to decide or vote on who they would like to see in office. Andrew Jackson changed this too. Under his presidency, presidential candidates were nominated by their parties. Because of the expansion of voting rights, almost any white male of voting age could potentially be put forward as a candidate. This took the power of deciding the office officials away from the wealthy and placed it in the hands of the average working class citizen.
11. Belle Mason November 5, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    In my opinion, Jefferson was the better democrat. He was the better democrat because he didn’t believe in a strong central government, and he believed in state governments. This means “the people lead” by participating in state government. This was a very democratic belief and Jefferson really believed in the people leading. He had faith in the people to make the right decisions in regards to politics. Jackson on the other hand had, by the end of his presidency, expanded the power of the president, a big part of the federal government. Jackson had vetoed so many bills he was considered “King Jackson”. Being compared to a monarch during your presidency is definitely not a good sign for being a democratic leader. Jefferson also promoted the economy through expanding farming and agriculture. We see an example of this in the blog post during the Louisiana Purchase which boosted the economy. By expanding the amount of land we had to farm on, he was expanding the amount of people that could vote, which was giving more people the option to participate in their government. Not only were more people able to vote because of this land, but more people could farm which created more food and goods for the people which also boosted the economy. Jackson had vetoed the BUS renewal which, along with the British banks causing worries and drop in cotton prices, puts America into a 7 year depression. Jackson had done many things he thought would boost the economy such as his tariffs but in the end he ended up hurting the economy and the country. Jefferson believed and led for the people. Jefferson, as written in the blog post, decided to change his view of the constitution, through the Louisiana Purchase, for the good of his people which is very democratic. He wanted to lead the country in a way to set it up for success even after his presidency. Jefferson promoted schools and education (for white men) which boosted the economy by educating the common folk and raised the well being of (white) men. In the end, it was up to who led more as a democratic leader, and for me it was Jefferson. Jackson may have tried to lead as a good democratic president, but in the end, in my opinion, Jefferson was the better democrat.
12. Austin White November 5, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    I believe that Jackson was the better democrat out of him and Jefferson. They both showed primarily democratic ideals but Jackson just seemed to be a slightly more consistent democrat. On the idea that democrats supported the common man and their influence in national politics, I think that Jackson hit the mark. During the jackson presidency the right to vote was much more widespread amongst the white male population due to less land ownership restrictions. This showed how the presidency under Jackson had more democratic ideals than that of Jefferson’s presidency. But while Jackson may have the leg up on this, Jefferson did as well have some important effects on the common man’s right to vote. Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory which spread the right to vote for many white males by giving them easy access to the land they needed to obtain that right. But this was just not as widespread and was not truly promoting the voting rights of the common man.
    For both presidents, views on the Bank of the United States and promoting the economy were surprisingly similar. Both Jefferson and Jackson fought the Bank of the United States but Jefferson came to accept it while Jackson ended up killing it with a veto near the end of his presidency, which sparked the worst depression in American history. For Jefferson on the other hand, he instituted the Embargo Act that killed all American exports which initially devastated the economy, but ended up sparking American industrialization and gave a country a sort of kick in the behind to start being independent. This shows us that both presidents supported the democratic ideals of the country.
    Jackson showed his use of power during the presidency by asserting his veto power among the many bills that have been passed to him throughout his presidency. While Jackson believed in a limited federal government, I was apparent through his actions as president that this is not true and that he adopted the democratic ideals of a strong federal government. He did this by vetoing a total of 12 bills during his presidency as well as passing the Force Act in an attempt to force the state of North Carolina to collect their tariffs. But in the Jefferson presidency he did not assert the amount of federal power as Jackson, Jefferson did not use his veto power once during his presidency and initially adopted the strict interpretation of the Constitution. In conclusion, Jackson has shown that he was a slightly better democrat than Jefferson.
13. Allison Jasinski November 5, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    In my opinion, Thomas Jefferson was a better democrat than Andrew Jackson. Jefferson believed that the common man was capable of making the right political decisions, not that they were an unruly mob incapable of making decisions as mentioned in the blog. He had an agrarian vision for America and thought that farmers were the backbone of the economy. When he made the Louisiana purchase, he allowed the farmers to own more land and new farmers to have some land to call their own. Now that more people owned land, more people could vote. He thought education was important for farmers to stay informed on political policies so he pushed for public schools. Jackson also worked to obtain more land for farmers but did so by forcibly removing the Native Americans from their territory which, in my opinion, is very wrong. In-office though, Jackson allowed for more opportunities for the common man to hold a position in office as he removed about a dozen officeholders when he was elected. Thomas Jefferson, however, did not remove people from their positions when he was elected. Instead, he worked with other government officials to lower and eventually eliminate the whiskey taxes. This was different from what Jackson did. For example, when South Carolina decided to nullify the tariff in 1833, Jackson fiercely defended the Union and was ready to send troops to South Carolina to enforce their compliance. Jackson also used his veto power twelve times, compared to Jefferson who did not veto any bills. Jackson vetoed the Bank of the United States which ultimately ended up leading to the Panic of 1837, a seven-year-long economic depression. His other eleven vetoes stopped the federal government from funding internal improvements such as roads and canals which would have benefited the American economy. Another way Jackson abused his power was by ignoring Supreme Court rulings on multiple occasions. Jackson did what he wanted to do and some of his actions contradicted others. For example, he wanted to balance the federal government and cut government spending, but he wanted money to be spent where he wanted it to be spent. He was skeptical of federal road-building programs, but if the road was being built in an area that was run by his political supporters, he would be more sympathetic to the road. In conclusion, I think that Jefferson was a better democrat because he followed more democratic policies and did not abuse his power.
14. Faith Whitted November 5, 2020 at 7:51 pm

    In my mind, Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat. While Andrew Jackson claimed that he was for the “common man” and a “president of the people,” I feel that he abused his power immensely as the president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson truly advocated for the yeoman farmer and an agrarian country.
    Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803 so that people could move westward and expand the U.S. territory. This would allow for new farmland and also give more white males the right to vote in the presidential elections. Jefferson also tried to limit the power of the federal courts so as to favor the state governments more.
    Thomas Jefferson also passed the Embargo Act of 1807. This was especially hard on the American economy, but it did have unexpected advantages. As stated in the blog post: “…ironically, spurred on domestic manufacturing to meet the needs of the American people.” Even though it wasn’t necessarily intentional, Jefferson’s Embargo Act ended up having its advantages to the American people. In addition, Jefferson worked to lower the whiskey tax and he eventually eliminated them. One could argue that Andrew Jackson was trying to benefit the state government by stopping federal government spending on internal improvements around the country, but in reality, it “…probably would have benefitted the American economy.” When it came to foreign affairs, I believe that Jefferson truly had the best interests of the American people (white males) at heart.
    Many people in the federal government did not wish to expand the voting rights to all white males of voting age. To Thomas Jefferson, and also Andrew Jackson, it was important for the common-man to be able to contribute his voice to the country. But Thomas Jefferson, specifically, valued education. He was an avid reader and kept a large library at his home in Virginia (Monticello). When it came to expanding voting privileges to all white males, Thomas Jefferson thought that it was very important for these potential voters to be well-informed on political topics. To achieve this, Jefferson promoted public schools while he was the president and governor of Virginia.
15. Lea Milanini November 5, 2020 at 8:16 pm

    Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson both had strengths and weaknesses in promoting the democratic ideals during their presidencies.
    Jefferson wanted his democracy to be based upon “yeoman” farmers, and started off with this aspiration. During Jackson’s presidency, the Democratic party then expanded to include Southern slave owners, urban workers and immigrants in the North, and Western and Northern small farmers. During Jefferson’s time as President, suffrage was open to white males owning land; those voting individuals did not vote for as many officials as in Jackson’s time (for example, in Jackson’s time, white male citizens could vote for electors in the Electoral College, when they couldn’t in most states during Jefferson’s time). Furthermore, in Jackson’s time, suffrage was expanding to get every white male citizen to vote. While Jefferson was President, political parties were only at national level. While Jackson was President, the party systems expanded to include state and local branches that coordinated their actions with the national party. As President, Jefferson didn’t remove many officials from the government in favor of his own, but he did try to limit the power of the Federal courts. On the other hand, Jackson removed dozens of government officials, as he believed that positions in the government could belong to any common man.
    In terms of political issues, Jefferson was initially against the U.S. Bank, but finally accepted it. In contrast, Jackson fought against the Bank, until he eventually killed it. Jefferson had a lot of cooperation from his Republican-dominated Congress, and didn’t use any vetoes to defend his causes, unlike Jackson. Jefferson promoted the Embargo Act that was actually beneficial to America’s manufacturers (which the Democratic-Republicans were not really close to). Furthermore, Jefferson employed a loose interpretation of the Constitution to make the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, when his party normally believed in a strong interpretation of the Constitution.
    Based on the previous comparisons of the two presidents, I would probably have a tendency to say that Andrew Jackson was a better Democrat. In fact, he helped develop the suffrage to a larger white men citizenry, and assisted in getting more people in the Democratic Party. When Jackson was President, the political parties also expanded to be more local, and therefore include more of the common man (and representing more of an equality among America’s inhabitants, a Democratic belief). Finally, Jackson fought for his party’s wantings until the end (he fought against the U.S. Bank until it vanished, on the contrary of Jefferson), and never hesitated to use his veto power to get the government to go along with his wills, which he believed were also the people’s wills. However, when saying Jackson was a better Democrat while leading the country, we must also consider the fact that Jackson was living in a time period where people had come to develop new viewpoints on society, and that Jackson’s decisions and actions were certainly influenced by those changing minds that Jefferson didn’t necessarily encounter.
    Even if it may seem so after reading the previous lines, Jackson was not a perfect Democrat. Indeed, he considered the federal government to be dominant over the states’ rights, and he manifested considerable power over them (as was shown during the nullification crisis with South Carolina); this was against the Democratic belief in a limited government. Jackson also took a lot of power for himself; he believed in a strong executive branch in the federal government. He himself used his veto power a lot, and even ignored some Supreme Court decisions at least twice. This affirmation of power from his part gave him a lot of authority and capacity over the rest of the country, and did not stand for the Democrats’ belief in a limited government and equality for all men (as he was standing up for his wills, which he assumed were also the people’s wills).
    Overall, I do still believe that Andrew Jackson may have been a little more of a Democrat than Jefferson; however, I do still have to insist on the fact that Jackson was living in a time period where the outlooks of the country’s population had already evolved in comparison to Jefferson’s time period. Jackson was actually adding on to the ideas Jefferson had started establishing. Finally, I must also say that none of them really fulfilled the Democratic want of equality, as they never truly did anything concrete to include African Americans, American Indians, or women in politics.
16. Mark Bossio November 5, 2020 at 8:19 pm

    I believe that Andrew Jackson was a better democrat. Jackson was seen as the common man’s president, and in my opinion did more for the common man than Jefferson. Even though Jefferson expanded the right to vote with any white male that had easy access to land, Jackson did more by giving the right to vote to any white male citizen. Jefferson gave the farmers with land the right to vote, and I believe that Jackson did more by giving the more urban workers white males the right to vote. In Jackson’s mind he saw every educated white citizen as having the ability to become a political candidate, while Jefferson generally believed that the wealthy educated were the ones who should be in politics. Even though I believe that Jackson is the better democrat I think that Jefferson ended up getting more land for the nation to use. Jackson’s Indian Removal Act moved several tribes from their land and relocated them west of the Mississippi, but the land that was obtained doesn’t really compare to the sheer amount of land that Jefferson got from the Louisiana Purchase. Jackson removed dozens of office officials believing that those offices were for and by the people, and not ones that should be held exclusively by the office holders. Jackson and his cabinet viewed themselves as carrying out the will of the people while elected in office. Jefferson made the dreaded Embargo Act, though with good intentions, it completely tanked the economy of the United States, It killed American exports, and lowered the cost of agriculture products. Even though Jackson fought to kill the BUS and did kill it, eventually causing the worst depression but that happened after his presidency. During Jackson’s presidency, he vetoed a lot and out of his 11 vetoes, more than half were towards cutting federal spending on internal improvements. These most likely would have benefited the country’s economy, but Jackson believed in limited federal government debt. Jackson believed in a limited federal government. Even though Jackson tried to march down to South Carolina to enforce a tariff, as well as trying to pass a law saying that people couldn’t be mailing out anti-slavery newspapers, I believe that Jackson did more for the common man, and tried to benefit the country over his individual or parties interests. In my opinion, Jackson was the better Democrat.
17. Emerson Mousseau November 5, 2020 at 8:28 pm

    The comparison between Thomas Jackson and Andrew Jackson is similar in many ways. Every president wants to help their people differently, both Jackson’s were on the white, wealthy, male voter side. But the presidents wanted to help them in different ways. Andrew Jackson wanted to expand the land west for the white farmers. This allowed the farmers to purchase more slaves and increase the slave trade value. During Andrew Jacksons presidency, he did a similar purchase as Thomas Jefferson. This purchase was named the Louisiana Purchase. This purchased allowed southern slave states to expand their territory and took Native Americans land. With this new land, their was an increase in white males voting. When Andrew Jackson became president he wanted to be better than Thomas Jackson. When Andrew Jackson entered the White House he had an uncertain policy agenda and wanted a reform and a determination to settle relationships between the states and the Indian tribes within the borders. Thomas Jefferson viewed the role of federal government as being poor. He wanted to make up for this lack of effort by creating a national capital and a federal district. This allowed the county to work much faster. By going faster I mean, voting, creating laws faster, and almost establishing the country faster. Once Thomas Jefferson won his second term against John Adams he purchased the Louisiana Territory from France he expanded his interpretation of the Constitution. But Thomas Jefferson stood firm in ending the spreads of slavery and maintaining his view of the separation of church and state. In the end, Jefferson completed two full and eventful terms as president. But Andrew Jackson also did some pretty important things is his presidency. Andrew Jackson destroyed the second bank of the Untitled Sates. This destruction of the second bank led to the states having to run their banking system. Andrew Jackson also founded the Democratic Party of The United States. Both of these presidents accomplished so much in the years they were in office. Personally I believe that Thomas Jefferson was a better Democratic president. I believe this because he created the land we live on today. By expanding our land, we were able create more diverse cultures and make mistakes that we learned from to benefit our society later on in life.
18. Jack Abbot November 5, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    After reading the blog and with my past knowledge of President Jefferson and Jackson, I see President Jefferson as the better democrat. Jefferson was more impactful on the expansion of the right to vote, he bought the Louisiana territory which led to more white people owning land and being able to vote. Now, During Jackson’s era a lot more people were given the right to vote, but this was made possible by states, not Jackson. Both Jefferson and Jackson thought the government should have limited power in the economy. Jefferson worked with congress to lower the whiskey tax and eventually banish it, he also limited the government’s spending. Counteracting his belief of governments not controlling the economy is the Embargo act of 1807 and him letting the BUS stay. The BUS although it was owned by the government, benefited the people and let them borrow it for their own decisions. Andrew Jackson limited the power of government in the economy by vetoing bills, a lot of bills, and destroying the BUS. Jackson also protected and enforced the tariff of 1828, which South Caroline highly opposed. One thing that I believe was more democratic of Jackson was the way he was elected into office. Jackson was nominated for office after a whole convention, while Jefferson was nominated by a few respected officials, although I believe that the other topics outweigh this topic. A strong reason for why I believe Jefferson was a better democrat was because he limited the power of the federal government more than Jackson did. Both were advocates for a strong state government and a weaker federal government, but Jackson empowered the executive branch! When going into office Jefferson kept many of the government officials when he came into office, but Jackson removed dozens of officials. Furthermore, Jefferson never vetoed any bills, and Jackson vetoed 12! That is more than all the past presidents combined. Jefferson exercised strong federal power by using the navy to enforce an embargo, and to protect American ships from pirates. Protecting the ships was using strong federal power, but the purpose was to protect state ships, and to help states benefit from trade. Jackson enforced federal power quite often, mostly the power of the executive branch. During a tariff crisis with South Carolina, Jackson used his power in the executive branch to force the state to follow the tariff by passing the Force Act. He would send troops to South Carolina if they refused to collect the tariff. Many historians believe that even if he didn’t gain permission from the legislative branch to pass the Force Act, he would have gone to South Carolina and enforced the tariff anyways. Lastly, Jackson used his government power to stop anti-slavery acticles from being sent to the south, even though Congress disapproved when he asked them. In all, Jackson is a better democrat because he was more influential in increasing voting rights, limiting the government’s role in the economy, and limiting the power of the executive branch.
19. Kirsten Jasinski November 5, 2020 at 8:58 pm

    In my opinion I think Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat, sure the embargo act of 1807 put a giant damper on the American economy, but it also made Americans realize how important imported goods were to us. Jefferson was finally able to defeat the barbary pirates, and stop the seizing of our ships by the British and French for good. Thomas Jefferson is also responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the US in 1803. I think Jefferson made America stronger, and more unified during his presidency than Andrew Jackson did. Jefferson kept everyone’s best interest in mind, while Jackson really only focused on the white people, specifically the white males during his presidency. Not only did he forcefully remove thousands of Native Americans to the west, he also lowered the requirements to vote so that pretty much every white male who was of age could vote. Now that sounds like a good thing, but when Native Americans, Women, Black people, and other minorities could still not vote, his accomplishment seems of less importance to me when still about half of the population could not vote. He was all about state rights until South Carolina didn’t want to enforce the tariff of 1828, he threatened to hang them, that does not sound like a very presidential thing to do. Not to mention that he replaced 20% of the federal staff with his supporters who were way under qualified. His overuse of the veto power also made it seem like he had extreme power over everyone else in the union, even the supreme court. The Specie Circular, an executive order signed by Andrew Jackson ordering the purchase of federal lands to be paid for in gold and silver, was ultimately the reason for the panic of 1837, causing so much chaos among the Americans. Now he did have some good things happen during his presidency including the inventions of the Cotton Gin, Steel plow, Reaper, and the Telegraph that ultimately led to the industrialization of America. Even with those contributions to America, it still seems as if America is very divided at the time. There are some people in support of Andrew Jackson, and his removal of the Indians, some people didn’t like the idea of that, just as the tariffs, the North was in favor of them but the South was not. I know not everyone is going to have the same opinion, but when Jefferson was president I don’t think we saw as much civil unrest as we did when Jackson was president. There were a lot more prominent issues during Jackson’s presidency that led to many conflicts between the American people as opposed to Jefferson’s presidency which was the first time America seemed to be making progress on improving everyday life since the Revolutionary War.
20. Alex Koellner November 5, 2020 at 9:08 pm

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oCewv48uzjiNTycoGW4dKs_pLe1qjikF8eexkrLWbwA/edit
21. Katherine Amend November 5, 2020 at 9:10 pm

    President Jackson believed in expanding voting rights, also known as ending the expanded suffrage. Jackson believed that all white men should get the right to vote, not just white males that owned property. Now during the 19th century there was a barrier being built preventing white males from being able to vote.Voting right before Jackson expanded them were- White male, that owned property and paid taxes on their business /land. But after the civil war every state had dismissed the property requirement to vote all together. This helped him win and become president,this also named him as a common man in politics, he did not come from a private schooling. This was just the beginning of the expansion to voting.

    Both ran for president but during their separate time they had very different rules let me explain. When Jefferson ran for president against John Adams, they tied and they decided to pass the 12th amendment to make the electoral college much more simpler. THis caused THomas Jeffseon to win the election. Now when Jackson ran for president he ran in 1828 and ran against John Quincy Adams who was a republican. Andrew Jackson won there was no tie and he won fair in sqaure.

    Thomas Jefferson was against a strong central government and wanted each state to have rights.And he was known for being a founding father of democracy for that reason. He believed that the economy should play a small role in americans lives. He also got rid of some unwanted federal taxes like the whiskey tax. What did Jackson do for the federal government and economy? Well Jackson withdrew federal funds from the BUS. This caused the economy to plummet in the end. So thus he felt different than Jefferson; he felt like the bank was needed when it was needed. Jackson also wanted federal power over the states.

    Jackson believes that the federal government should have more power than the states. THis caused the nullification of 1832, when south carolina did not want to pay taxes on imports which they relayed on imports. This almost caused a civil war laugh out loud. Jefferson on the other hand felt like the states should have more rights than the federal government. He felt like every state should have their own freedoms. Like in 1832 when South Carolina did not want to be taxed on imports.
22. Samuel Walsworth November 5, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, both representing the Democratic-Republican Party and also having the privilege of being some of the most influential presidents in American history, both making landmark decisions in their time and are without a doubt the two defining presidents of their party. Despite these similarities however, and the unquestionable influence both of these men have had, Jefferson is without question, the better president.

    The Democratic-Republican Party had stood for a couple key ideals most notably a small, decentralized government, only going within the boundaries the constitution had set, democracy, and westward expansionism. Jackson professed he was for weak government, but he flexed his government muscle maybe more than any other president had until that time. Vetoing laws left and right and threatening force on South Carolina during the nullification crisis, he wasn’t a tyrannical monarch as political opponents and cartoons at the time depicted him as but he was tougher on the opposing party in comparison to any other president had been at the time. Jackson’s most notorious and controversial act as a president was the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forced tribes along the southern border to move from what had been their homeland for perhaps millenia, further west so farmers and plantation owners could use the land for cultivation. This removal of tens of thousands of Native Americans and the march to their reservation was known as the Trail of Tears, and thousands of Indians perished during the journey. In another example of how authoritarian Jackson was during his time as president, he directly violated the Supreme Court’s decision that the Indian Removal Act was unconstitutional, but he ignored it, because the Supreme Court didn’t have the ability to enforce its decision at the time. Thomas Jefferson, in comparison, where Jackson had sometimes completely ignored its borders, Jefferson made an attempt to stay within the boundaries set by the Constitution, Jefferson’s two most controversial decisions were the Embargo Act of 1807 and the Louisiana Purchase. The Embargo act crippled merchants who could no longer sell their excess goods and buy from Britain, for which they had relied on for so long, so many goods had went to waste and what had been an attempt to show Europe that they needed America’s trade, they hurt themselves much more than they had hurt Europe. Eventually the embargo was overturned, but the effects of this embargo would lead to the War of 1812, which is a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who you ask. The Louisiana Purchase was not controversial because it was a bad financial decision, it was an amazing one that gave them acres for pennies, but because it was an act that the Constitution had not specified the government could do. This was especially controversial because it was Jefferson who did it, who constantly talked and preached about staying within the lines of the Constitution.

    In short, Jefferson stayed true to the description of a Democrat-Republican for the most part, increasing expansion, democracy and generally keeping the government in check. Jackson not so much. Jackson’s greatest achievement was being elected as president, by the common man for the common man for the first time in American history as white non-landowners could vote for the first time in Jackson’s election, Jackson himself being the first definitive self made president coming from a rough childhood. But other than this I struggle to think of a decision made by Jackson that wasn’t problematic in some way. Jefferson’s legacy is much more apparent, being a key framer in the constitution and having a large and looming influence on America even when he wasn’t president.
23. Kasen Korstanje November 5, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    I believe that the better Democrat between these two is Thomas Jefferson. Some of the core beliefs of the democrats at this time were that they favored a small central government and that they favored an agrarian society. When it comes to government size, Jefferson stood with his party’s ideals. He tried his best to limit the power of the federal government all through his presidency. On the other hand, Jackson abused his power. He talked a big game, and said that he supported a small government, but his actions proved otherwise. First, Jackson defied supreme court cases and did whatever he wanted, regardless if the supreme court labeled it as unconstitutional. Also, Jackson used the presidential veto more than all of his predecessors combined. Jefferson never used the veto. Some may say that Jefferson brought harm upon the United States with the embargo of 1807, but that’s nothing compared to the panic of 1837 that took place during Jackson’s presidency. The panic of 1837 was a result of Jackon’s use of executive power. He had used a veto upon the bank of the United States, an entity that the Supreme Court had already deemed constitutional in a previous case. Things then spiraled out of control economically and everything resulted in the worst financial crisis that the United States has seen up to this point in time. Jefferson also did more to promote his vision of an Agrarian society than Jackson. When he was president, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory in order to spread farming and agriculture into the middle of North America. Many people began to migrate over to this new land and set up farms. During Jackson’s presidency, Jackson forced Native Americans off of their land in the south and relocated them. The result of this big move was what looked like a little patch of land compared to Jefferson’s Louisiana Territory. Finally, there’s one more piece of evidence that supports Jefferson. When it came to government officials, Jefferson went with what was best for the country, not himself. Jackson used the spoils system to appoint many new government officials that supported him. This was another abuse of his presidential power, and it strengthened the power of the government, the opposite of those democrat beliefs at the time.
24. Hayley Bedell November 5, 2020 at 10:12 pm

    Between Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, it is my understanding that Jefferson was the better democrat. Democrats, with a lowercase d, were in support of democracy- a government ruled by the people, for the people. First off, during his presidency, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory for the benefit of the future generation of farmers, and so those future generations would be able to come in and vote. Yes, Jackson’s presidency led to the elimination of property requirements to vote, but at the same time, free Black men, in many states, lost the right to vote altogether. In my book, this makes Jackson lose points. Next up, the support from the people. Jefferson was selected by the Congressional leaders, amongst other candidates, and then the people took to a vote. Obviously, the electoral college was involved, but Jefferson was qualified AND voted for. Sure, Jackson was also voted for, but at that time, any white male could run for president. Jefferson’s qualifications, and the fact that he won the first time around, gets him some extra points. Next, Jefferson came to support the national economy. He came around, and eventually backed Hamilton’s national bank, further benefiting the country. He supported manufacturing, commerce, and shipping, and even helped to lower and remove taxes. Okay, sure- he was the man responsible for the embargo act, which did not work in our country’s favor, but said act was eventually repealed. However, Jackson was not at all beneficial to our country’s economy. He destroyed the BUS and enforced the specie circular (which was not AT ALL in support of the common people). This, with a mix of banking issues with Britain, sent the United States into a deep depression. Jackson’t policies in this case were the complete opposite of what a democratic leader would ideally do. Lastly, Jefferson respected the state’s power. He never abused his power to veto, and stayed within the guidelines for the executive branch. On the other hand, Jackson overused his power to veto, he tried to tell South Carolina that the federal government had more power, and his efforts made the executive branch come off as tyrannical. This all goes to show that Thomas Jefferson was a better democrat than Andrew Jackson.
25. Max Young November 5, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    I believe that Jefferson was a better Democrat than Jackson. I feel like Jackson always did what was best for him as opposed to what’s best for the country. He’s very selfish. Jefferson tended to do what was best for the country. For example, the Louisiana Purchase really benefited farmers and helped agriculture life. Also, with this purchase it allowed more people to vote. Another thing he did that benefited the country was promote public schools. With this promotion of public schools he made sure that us as a country would be educated especially on political topics. Also, even if he didn’t agree with someone’s political belief he didn’t shame them or look at them as a bad person. He still viewed them as part of the country even without believing in the same things other people did. Jefferson never agreed with Hamilton but he never just tried to kill him for his beliefs. Jefferson at first struggled to believe in Alexander Hamilton’s proposal of the Bank of the United States but eventually just came to accept it. This is very different from Jackson. Jackson didn’t try to accept things he didn’t believe in he just went straight to vetoing it. An example is what he did with the BUS. What Jackson did with the BUS was just bad for the country. He decided to remove the deposits of the government funds which just weakened it. As said before Jackson really liked to veto a lot of things. More than half of his vetoes stopped federal government spendings on internal improvements throughout the country which would have for sure helped the economy. Jefferson never vetoed bills which isn’t good or bad, but I just feel like some of Jackson’s vetoes were just called due to him being self centered. The big difference between the two is that Jefferson would change his beliefs if he believed it was the right thing to do. For example, Jefferson has always believed in a very strict interpretation of the Constitution until the Louisiana Purchase. When he was speaking about his change from a strict to loose interpretation of the Constitution, he said “A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen:but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation.” This shows that if he has to change his beliefs for the better good of the country then he’ll do so. Jackson on the other hand would stick to his beliefs and there would be no way for anyone to make him look at the other side. Lastly, both Jefferson and Jackson have their pros and cons, but I think that Jefferson did more for the better good of the country making him the better Democrat in my opinion.
26. Dylan Stojanovic November 6, 2020 at 12:06 am

    During both Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson’s presidency, there was a rise in the rights to vote amongst white people. One of the most significant things Jefferson did in his presidency was purchasing the Lousiana Territory from the French which gave America a lot more land and helped people get more land to meet the voting requirement. In Andrew Jackson’s presidency, states dropped the land requirement in voting and almost all white men were allowed to vote, which they did, as 80% of eligible voters voted in the 1840 election. When Jefferson ran for president, he was neck on neck with Federalist John Adams and won, essentially marking the end of the Federalist Party and instituting the Democratic-Republican party. Just like Jefferson, Jackson’s presidency also was the start of a new political party beginning the democrat party, though his road to the presidency was more difficult. Jackson originally won the popular vote in the 1824 election, but because of no majority, Henry Clay picked John Quincy Adams to be president. He did absolutely obliterate Quincy Adams in the next election, however. For the economy, both Adams and Jackson did not do a good job with it despite trying to make it for the better. For Jefferson, his bad decision was the Embargo Act which prevented trade with any other country, hurting the economy severely. Jackson’s bad decision was ending the bank and the news spreading to Britain, who competed with other banks leading to the panic of 1837. While both believed in limiting the national debt, Jackson severely opposed the BUS and vetoed many laws involving the economy. Jefferson ended up accepting the BUS and didn’t veto any bills. For the power that they had, both had a pretty significant amount of power, however, Jackson was more controlling. For example, he vetoed 12 bills, more than any president at the time. None of the vetoes could be overturned as the congress didn’t have that power yet. He also refused to listen to multiple supreme court rulings. Jefferson was more laid back but he still had plenty of power. He made the decision of the Louisiana Purchase along with changing his view of how to interpret the constitution. Overall, I think Jefferson was a better democrat. I believe he set up the country to be equal, and if it weren’t for him, we would not be nearly as united as we are now, as I think he set up the example. Jackson was also good, but he was controlling and some of his decisions hurt more people than help. You can make the argument that Thomas Jefferson’s Embargo Act was very bad for the people, but he had a reason to do that and it was what he thought was the best for the country while Jackson made the decision to get rid of the BUS despite the congress’s passing of bills, which led to the panic of 1837. Both did very good things in their own ways, but I have to give Jefferson’s more laid back approach the deciding factor of who was the better democrat.
27. Alexander Moore November 6, 2020 at 12:06 am

    I think that Jefferson is the better democrat because of the policies and ideas during his presidency. Jefferson promoted political involvement. Jefferson involved the common man by promoting public schooling to educate people on political topics. Jackson similarly expanded voting rights by starting to eliminate the property requirements to vote. Both Jefferson and Jackson believed in the common man to make the right choice while voting. During Jefferson’s presidency, the candidates for office were usually educated, landowners. On the contrary, during Jackson’s presidency, a candidate for office was any white male. This was caused by the expanded voting rights. Jefferson while he was the president, did not support the BUS. Jackson supported an agrarian economy but also knew that manufacturing and shipping were important. Jefferson accepted the BUS and didn’t try to destroy it. Jefferson also tried to lower the whisky tax and eventually got rid of it. Jefferson had a very negative impact on the economy because of the Embargo act of 1812. Instead of letting the BUS exist, Jackson vetoed the BUS and destroyed it. This combined with the Specie circular led to one of the worst depressions in American history. Along with vetoing the BUS, he vetoed many other bills to improve internal systems. The improvements in internal systems would have likely had a positive impact on the country. Both Jackson and Jefferson believed in limited federal debt. In the end, both Jackson and Jefferson damaged the economy. Jefferson changed his beliefs for the best outcome for the country. This is shown when he abandoned his strict interpretation of the Constitution for the good of the country. Jackson exercised a limited federal government but a powerful executive branch. Jackson alone vetoed more than any of the previous presidents combined. Jackson would take action against a state if they tried to nullify a tariff. .During Jeffersons presidency, an elected official was expected to do what was best for the country. Jefferson changed his views if he thought that it was for the good of the country. Jackson wouldn’t change his view even if it was for the better of the country. While both Jackson and Jefferson were both good democrats, I think that Jefferson was the better democrat because of his policies while president.
28. Grace Khamis November 6, 2020 at 12:25 am

    In my opinion, Jefferson was the better democrat. I believe this for the following reasons. First of all, Jefferson seemed to be much more open-minded and open to change when conflicts arose. This is a very crucial trait in a democrat. For example, Jefferson had a very strict interpretation of the Constitution at first but later changed his mind during the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. In Jefferson’s words, “a strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen: but it is not the highest.”. On the other hand, Jackson remained generally close-minded and stubborn throughout his presidency as he continued to believe in a limited federal government. He was highly against national banks and used his veto power (which he overused and took advantage of) against the Bank of the United States in 1832. Jackson also turned down at least two Supreme Court decisions during his two terms and greatly abused his federal power by vetoing an exceedingly large amount of bills in his presidency. He vetoed a total of 12 bills from Congress which apparently was “more than the previous six presidents combined” as stated in the blog post. This was highly frowned upon by the people of the United States. On the contrary, Jefferson did not need to use the veto once throughout his entire presidency and instead “acted as a guide to Congress in order to get his policies passed. Another example of this is when Jefferson eventually gave up his fight over Hamilton’s Bank of the United States and learned to accept it. He had a specific vision for the country. Alternatively, Jackson was so against the Bank of the United States that his battle against it eventually caused the Panic of 1837 and “sparked the worst depression in American history until 1893”. He also refused to allow the federal government to go through with internal improvements, which would have been better for the economy in the long run. His recklessness in this sense caused severe damage to the American economy. Although Jackson was seen as the “president of the common man”, Jefferson had a better vision for the United States. These examples show that Jefferson was more stable, if you will, as a democrat rather than Jackson.
29. Maya Juratli November 6, 2020 at 1:16 am

    Although I think Jefferson and Jackson were relatively close in terms of who was a better democrat, I think Jackson carried most of that weight. One main reason I think that Jackson was the better democrat is his contribution to the expansion of voting rights. As mentioned in the first section of the blog post, during the time of his era and presidency, voting restrictions were greatly reduced in terms of property/land ownership, albeit mostly for white men. This was such a fundamental part of his presidency and values, that it became a primary part of the so-called ‘Jacksonian Democracy.’ But even though this was an improvement that was limited to white men, it was the stepping stone for expanded suffrage, where black men would be able to vote, and eventually women. But these things would not have been possible had the first few steps not been made first. On the other hand, Jefferson was a firm believer in the validity of public opinion, but by not working to give those people the vote, it leaves those thoughts void. Thus, Jackson was the better democrat in terms of voting rights/suffrage.
    Another reason I think Jackson was more of a democrat than Jefferson is his stance on the Second Bank of the United States (B.U.S). As we learned in this chapter, Jackson was a firm disbeliever in the B.U.S. He thought that it was bad for regular farmers (his supporters), and worked to remove it, an event that was shortly preceded by the Specie Circular of 1836. By declaring that land could only be bought in gold/silver and withdrawing federal funds from the banks, he greatly devalued the B.U.S, and it would shortly dissolve. On the contrary, although Jefferson was primarily opposed to the bank, he worked with it and focused on other things. This stands in stark contrast to Jackson’s unwavering stance in opposition to the B.U.S. Because democracies are more into limited government and the B.U.S./first bank were federal powers, decreasing their power is more compatible with democracy.
    My third and final point in favor of Jackson’s democracy is how he got into office. By the time Jackson was elected, as mentioned in the blog post, the restrictions for candidacy, much like voting, were much less prevalent than the time of Jefferson. Thus, Jackson, like his image, was more of a man of the people, which is a big idea in democracies. Also, when Jackson was elected, he established the Henchmen/Spoils system mentioned in our book. By voting for Jackson, the voters were casting a vote for the people he would end up appointing to government positions. Thus, if the previous candidate appointed someone the people thought reflected the candidate, when their new president (Jackson) came along, he would get rid of them, and appoint officials who reflected his views.
30. Liv Chapman November 6, 2020 at 1:18 am

    To try and determine who was the “better” democrat is a loaded question. Personally, I think that neither of them were outstanding people, hence them both being slave owners, but if we are putting it into the measure of who made the best impact on America or who ran the United states with more control, Jefferson. Jefferson was far more humanitarian towards the Natives, he held an open mindset and wasn’t afraid to contradict his past views, he was better with money, and had a strong set on his views for America. One of the largest events in American history was the Louisiana Purchase. “During Jefferson’s presidency, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803 which, when settled, would allow for new generations of American farmers to establish their own farms and be able to vote” (Wickersham). The Louisiana Purchase was so significant in the history of the United States, it gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans. The Mississippi River and New Orleans were both relied on and used heavily by farmers to ship their crops and make an income. Without the purchase, expansion Westward would have slowed down a lot and we probably would have settled somewhere in Texas. “To Jefferson, education was important for these farmers to stay informed on political topics, and so he promoted public schools while governor of Virginia and president” (Wickersham). Education was very very important to Jefferson. On the contrary, Jackson could care less about the education of America. He believed that institutions for Public Education both undermined freedom of religion and restricted individual liberties. Very different views on education. “As previously mentioned, Jefferson did not veto any bills during his two terms” (Wickersham). Disregarding the fact that vetoing bills is not deemed a bad “act” some might say, but abusing the veto power is absurd. Jefferson had the power to basically veto whatever he wanted but, vetoes were extended federal power… which is not something the democratic party agreed with. On the other hand, “Jackson ignored Supreme Court decisions at least twice (McCulloch, Worcester) and vetoed 12 bills from Congress, more than the previous six presidents combined” (Wickersham). Jackson proceeded to abuse the power he held and vetoed absolutely anything and everything he disagreed with. People began to view Jackson as an abusive king, he was known for abusing his power to veto. My last point as to why I believe Jefferson was the “better” democrat, Jefferson had an open mindset and wasn’t afraid to change his views. “In the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, he moved away from his strict interpretation of the Constitution and took a more expansive or loose interpretation of his foreign affairs power” (Wickersham). Despite the fact that Jefferson had a strict interpretation of the Constitution, he changed because he knew this was better for America. Once again, contradicting Jefferson, Jackson was very stubborn and strict. There are two examples from the publication I would like to point out; “Jackson ignored Supreme Court decisions at least twice” (Wickersham). “Jackson, on the other hand, fought with the BUS and wielded the veto against it to kill it in 1832” (Wickersham). Both of the citations prove Jacksons obstinate mindset. Jackson ignored the supreme court a couple of times and would not come to peace with the BUS for a long period of time. He refused to recharter the National Bank because it went against his beliefs. From my perspective, it doesn’t seem like Jackson was making a decision that was best for the United States, but being close minded as to what is right and wrong according to what he thinks and only him. In conclusion, I believe that Jefferson was the better democrat, he believed in education, made decisions for the good of the US, was not abusive with his power, and was consistent with an unprejudiced mind.
31. Mori Miller November 6, 2020 at 1:42 am

    I believe that Thomas Jefferson was the better Democrat. Jefferson believed in and fought for less federal power in all cases, and didn’t make exceptions to advance his own power, unlike Jackson. Andrew Jackson vetoed 12 bills and threatened military force on South Carolina for their nullification of the tariff of 1828, which is a direct contradiction to the Democratic belief that state rights are more important than federal power. Jefferson fought to lower taxes, “during Jefferson’s presidency, he worked with Congress to lower the whiskey taxes and then eventually eliminate them.” never vetoed a bill, worked with congress to limit government spending, and according to the blog,”After taking office, Jefferson did not remove many government officials but did work with Congress to try to limit the power of the federal courts” Jackson also asked Congress could pass an act that would basically silence anti-slavery opinions, which is a huge overstep of federal government power. Granted, Jefferson did complete the Louisiana purchase but his reasoning behind it is that a strict interpretation of the law is one of the most important things a citizen can do, but not the most important thing. The Louisiana purchase benefited Americans in the long run by providing common farmers with more land to have to themselves, and more places to settle. Jefferson believed that the common yeoman farmer who owned his land was the bedrock of American democracy and he promoted public schools in Virginia so that common white men could get more involved in politics instead of just elites. He also trusted the common man to make political decisions, so he would try to make the common man as politically involved as possible. Jackson did a good job of this by expanding voting suffrage to white men who didn’t own land and even free black people in some circumstances. In conclusion, Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson were both strong Democrats, but Jefferson did more for democratic ideals than Jackson, whether it be lowering taxes, not abusing executive power, or limiting federal judicial power. Neither of them were good people by any metric, but they definitely did a good job advancing their democratic party’s beliefs.
32. Rachel Mercer November 6, 2020 at 7:19 am

    Democracy is described as a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. To find who the better democrat is, we must see who runs their government as close to this definition as they can. Jefferson was the first one to be president out of him and Jackson. Jefferson believed the common man should be trusted to make the right decisions politically. During both Jefferson and Jackson’s presidencies, a large amount of land was purchased or moved into so people could become landowners and be able to vote. Before and during Jackson’s presidency, many states passed laws that allowed more urban workers and landless men the right to vote. In some states, very high-class Black men were allowed to vote as well. Jackson’s time as president seemed to have the most democratic policy for voting because it is now more of the population and in the definition, it states, “a system of government by the whole population”. Elected officials in the state also differed quite extensively between Jefferson and Jackson. The candidates, under Jefferson, were usually chosen based on democratic republic-education. Under Jackson, these candidates could be any white male of voting age. Candidates were more and more likely to be elected by voters. During Jackson’s presidency, the policy on voting for people other than the president became very big and this is a large piece of democracy; not just choosing your own president, but also having elected representatives. While Jefferson’s presidency was all about voting for what was best for the country, Jackson allowed people to vote based on what they felt was right and what the people wanted. This is also key in a democracy because in a democracy people need to have a voice and the thing that is best for the government or country itself, may not be what the people want. Jefferson did not veto any bills, but he still managed to put a dent in the U.S. economy by implementing the Embargo Act of 1807, which killed American exports. This did not make the economy of the United States very strong. Jackson, on the other hand, vetoed many bills. Many of those bills would have benefited the U.S. economy because many worked on internal improvements for the country. Jackson did believe in increasing the federal debt, but this was still damaging to the economy. Both Jefferson and Jackson did not have great views for the economy, but Jackson did have the countries best interest in mind by trying to reduce the federal debt and not increase it. Jefferson followed the constitution very closely, almost never interpreting it loosely. When he did interpret it loosely, it was to protect the common man and do what was best for the country. Jackson seemed to believe in doing things his way. He vetoed 12 bills and ignored the Supreme Courts’ decision twice. He made sure that South Carolina’s tariff was collected when they wanted to nullify the tariff. Jackson went over many people’s heads during his presidency. In this situation, Jefferson probably had better democratic ideals because he followed the constitution closely, which was something the people had agreed upon. Overall, Jackson was the better democrat because he made it possible for many new people to vote and made the elected officials have to be voted in instead of elected based on their knowledge by people already in the government. Jackson also favored people’s opinions. Although he also used his power in the government to an extreme extent, he still managed to help the whole population or the eligible members of the state to have more of a say in the government and have a voice.
33. Malena Price November 6, 2020 at 7:48 am

    In my opinion, Jackson was a better democrat. We must have in mind what democracy is, it is a form of government where the whole population elects their representatives. While neither Jefferson nor Jackson gave voting rights to every citizen of the United States over 18, Jackson did expand voting rights. During Jefferson’s presidency, only landowners had the right to vote. When Jackson became president he expanded the right to vote to almost every white male, allowing urban workers and landless white men to vote. While there are many things Jackson did that are seen as unconstitutional, like all the bills he vetoed or the abuse of his executive power I feel he was a better democrat. However, I do not think Jackson was a better president, simply because Jefferson believed in and trusted his country as a whole more than Jackson.
    So, yes, I do think Jackson was a better democrat, but Jefferson was a better president.
34. Chase Richardson November 6, 2020 at 8:20 am

    Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were both similar and different in many ways. However, I would argue that Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat. The first reason I believe Jefferson was the better democrat was because he put his trust in the average person to help make political decisions reasonably. Andrew Jackson professed to trust the common people, but he often favored the opinions of wealthy white people over the “common man.” Secondly, Jefferson gave more people the right to vote, including free black men. Conversely, Jackson removed this privilege, instead giving more power and privilege back to white people. Jackson also liked the spoil system; he would hire only people that he knew or wealthy white men. Jefferson, on the other hand, would try to maintain the people who were already working in office, and not hire anyone new. Both Jackson and Jefferson disliked the idea of banks; they did not trust them and they believed that placing all of the people’s money in one area was dangerous for American society. Jefferson eventually came to accept the existence of Hamilton’s bank, but when time came to add the second national bank Jackson was not on board with the idea. Instead, he ended up vetoing it and even threatening to “kill it.” This example of economics shows that Jefferson and Jackson are similar, but they still believe in different things. Another large difference between Jefferson and Jackson is their use of federal power. Jefferson vetoed approximately 12 bills during his presidency. He also believed in a limited federal government, ignored the rulings of the Supreme Court at least twice, and when the South Carolina tariff crisis occurred, he was a strong Nationalist and was prepared to march into their state. Jefferson, on the other hand, was much less aggressive; he opposed a strong central government. Jefferson did not veto a single bill during his two terms in office, though he did use his power to create the Embargo Act. Jefferson and Jackson were very similar in some aspects, but different in others. I believe that Jefferson’s less aggressive and more consistent leadership helped him to be a better democrat than Andrew Jackson.
35. Ian Duncan November 6, 2020 at 8:23 am

    After reading these areas of similarity and difference, in my mind, Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat. Jefferson and Jackson were both political outsiders at the time of their presidency, and were similar in many ways. But, Jefferson’s political career showed him to be the better democrat. First of all, Jefferson trusted the common man to make the right political decisions. Unlike Federalists and others before, Jefferson did not view the common man as an unruly mob incapable of making rational decisions, promoting political involvement for the average person. Jefferson also expanded the right to vote for new farmers. That when new farmers bought land, they could now vote. Which with more farmers, increasing voters. This was apparent when Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory. “Which when settled, would allow for new generations of American farmers to establish their own farms and be able to vote.”
    As Jackson became president, many states were expanding the right to vote to white men without land. “For some African American men, their voting rights were taken away or a very high bar for property requirements were demanded.” These instances of discrimination, and other unfair actions tainted Jackson’s presidency. One of those biggest instances was forcibly removing Native tribes from the southeast part of the country. Even after a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a tribe, he forcibly relocated them. Leading to the trail of tears, one of the worst events in Jackson’s presidency. “During Jefferson’s time. The duty of an elected official was to vote on what he believed to be the best choice for the country and not vote primarily for regional interests.” Jefferson would have bi-partisan officials to ensure the best choices for the country. Jackson would instead, would remove dozens of government officials one he became president. And, filling them with his own people of choice, who would be favorable to him and his ideals. These replacements were stated as for and by the people by Jackson, but these “for the people” men instead ruled for Jackson’s agenda. Jefferson did fight Hamilton’s Bank of the United States, but eventually came to terms with it. Jefferson would also lower whiskey taxes and lower government spending (through negotiation, not vetoes) showing that he acted in the interest of a great democracy. Jefferson’s “biggest knock against the economy” was the “Embargo Act of 1807 that killed American exports, dropped agriculture prices, but ironically, spurred on domestic manufacturing to meet the needs of the American people.” Which was originally done in good interest to stop attack on American ships, but ended up being carried out wrong. Jackson would also fight the Bank of the United States. But, used the extreme power of the veto to do so, and shady dealings such as removing deposits of government funding from the BUS. Jackson used 11 other vetoes, more than half of those stopped federal government spending on internal improvements around the country, which would have benefited the American economy. Jackson would intentionally damage democracy and the prosperity of the people, but Jefferson caused damage unintentionally. Jefferson had original political beliefs such as a strict interpreter of the Constitution. He moved away from his beliefs, for what in his eyes was a benefit to the people. Jefferson would put his political beliefs aside, to govern fairly and prosperously. “Jackson, on the other hand, believed in a limited federal government (Congress and the Courts), but an expansive vigorous executive branch.”Jackson would ignore Supreme Court decisions at least twice (McCulloch, Worcester) and vetoed 12 bills from Congress. Jackson would continually use extensive power, like against South Carolina, and anti-slavery newspapers. Showing Jackson was not in interest for democracy, but saw himself as some sort of supreme ruler. After detailing both these presidents terms, I believe that Jefferson was the better democrat. Ruling fairly towards all people, and exercising commands that would expand rights to all people, not just the ones he thought favorably of. Comparing to Jackson’s unfair commands, and his unfair rulings benefiting the people he liked.
36. Lindsey DeGrendel November 6, 2020 at 8:37 am

    I believe that Jefferson was the better democrat. Jefferson thought that the farmers were the backbone of American democracy. He bought the Louisiana purchase to help expand and promote their farming. He wanted his cutinizes to have more opportunities to vote. He knew that the more farmland available would lead to more landowners, which meant more voters. He also cared about the education his citizens were receiving. He wanted farmers to stay informed on political topics, so he strongly supported public schools. He also didn’t think less of his citizens than himself, and he wanted them to be independent. “Jefferson trusted the common man to make the right decisions politically and didn’t view them as an unruly mob incapable of making rational decisions.” However, Jackson on the other didn’t have as virtuous morals. During Jackson’s presidency, for some African American men, their voting rights were taken away in states such as New York or Pennsylvania. Jackson was also very aggressive when it came to the removal of the Indian tribes. “Jackson worked to expand the amount of land that white farmers could own by forcibly removing Native tribes from the southeast part of the country and relocating them west of the Mississippi River.”
    Secondly, Jefferson believed that manufacturing, commerce, and shipping were important, however, he believed the agrarian economy was more important than those aspects of the economy. He also worked to eliminate the whisky tax and kept government spending to a minimum. In addition, he didn’t veto any bills during his presidency.
    Rather Jackson weakened and killed the BUS by removing government funding to it. This led to the worst depression America had ever seen. Jackson was also against internal improvements in the country, this had a negitve impact on America. “Of his other 11 vetoes, more than half of those stopped federal government spending on internal improvements around the country, which probably would have benefitted the American economy.”
    Finally, Jefferson was always looking out for his Americans, even when they were abroad. “When the Barbary pirates continued to seize American shipping in the Mediterranean, Jefferson sent American warships and mediators to deal with this threat to American neutrality and commerce.” Jefferson also looked to stray away from strict interpretations of the Constitution. “He used a more expansive or loose interpretation of his foreign affairs power.” This new interpretation of the Constitution led to less of a narrow view of federal power.
    In contrast, Jackson believed in a limited federal government and wanted to stick with a strict interpretation of the constitution. Jackson also ignored Supreme Court rulings multiple times and vetoed 12 bills from Congress. He ignored and disregarded what Congress had to say and didn’t and to listen to them. Also, when abolitionists started mailing anti-slavery newspapers to Southern religious and political officers in the South, Jackson requested that Congress pass a law to stop these mailings. When Congress said no, he declared that all American postmasters take out anti-slavery promotion from the U.S. mail.
    For these reasons, I believe that Jefferson was the better democrat.
37. Brandon Counts November 6, 2020 at 9:53 am

    Jefferson had an agrarian vision for the United States, he believed that the independent yeoman farmers would be essential for the United States. He purchased the Louisiana territory in order to give the farmers more land so a new generation of farmers would come. Jefferson trusted the common man (farmers) to choose what he viewed as the correct political decisions. Under Jefferson, the only people who could vote were white landowning men and sometimes slave owners.
    Before and during Jackson’s presidency more states were allowing non-land owning white men to vote. Jackson’s soon to be secretary of state, Van Buren, expanded the party system. Jackson also gave farmers more land by acting on the Indian Removal Act.
    Jefferson originally fought against the idea of Hamilton’s bank but eventually came to accept it. Jefferson believed that new age things like commerce, shipping, and manufacturing were important for the economy, but because of his agrarian beliefs, he viewed farming to be more important than all of those things. Jefferson did a good job of keeping government spending under control, the biggest knock to Jefferson’s economy was the Embargo of 1807 which put the country into a depression.
    Jackosn decided to fight the BUS by using vetoes to slowly destroy the BUS. In 1836, after all of the vetoes, bad banking news from Britain, and the Specie Circular Jackson put the United States in the worst depression it has ever had at that point in time. Both Jackson and Jefferson believed in limited federal spending.
    During Jefferson’s two terms he didn’t veto not one bill. When the Barbary pirates were seizing ships in the Mediterranean, Jefferson sent mediators and American warships to deal with this threat. When Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory he shifted from his strict interpretation of the Constitution to a more loose one. Due to Jefferson’s shift in interpretation, he also began asserting more federal power.
    Jackson believed in having a limited federal government, but he wanted the Executive Branches power to be expanded. Jackson ignored Supreme Court decisions and vetoed 12 bills which were more than the previous 6 presidents before him. Jackson was also a strong nationalist and during the tariff crisis when South Carolina wanted to nullify the tariff of 1833, Jackson was prepared to march on the state.
    I believe that Jefferson was the better democrat because he had a better economy than Jackson even though he went through a depression, but Jackosn also had an economic depression and it was worse than Jefferson’s. Jefferson was also a more limited executive compared to Jackosn, Jackson created the spoils system which gave the president a lot of power. Jackson asserted federal power over state power multiple times, for example, he was ready to march on Soth Carolina for trying to nullify the tariff of 1833. One thing Jackson does have over Jefferson is that he did more for the common man than Jefferson did by allowing them to vote.
38. Luke Goodwin November 6, 2020 at 11:00 am

    Both Jefferson and Jackson were advocates for the wide expansion of voting rights. They both advocated for the voting rights of landless white men, although moving away from this shared goal is where they differ. Jefferson had an agrarian vision for the country, and his important role in the Louisiana Purchase proves this. Not only did he get more land for people to buy, which would give them voting rights, but he also set up future generations who would benefit from this new American territory. Jackson, on the other hand, forced harsh restrictions on or removed African American men’s voting rights. Jackson also forced Native American tribes out of their land in order to get more land for white farmers. This is extremely unjustifiable, and for the topic of voting rights and the common man, I would say Jefferson was the better democrat. During Jefferson’s presidency, the candidates would be chosen by rich white men, and during Jackson’s presidency, a caucus was held in order to determine the candidates. I believe that for this topic Jackson’s means of selecting candidates is much better and fair for the people of the United States, making him the better democrat in this instance. Despite Jefferson’s agrarian views for the future of our country, he passed the embargo act of 1807, which would prove to be disastrous for farmers financially due to lowered crop prices and fewer ways of exporting crops. Although Jefferson nearly ruined the market for farmers, he did remove the whiskey tax. Jackson fought against the national bank, which led to a depression lasting until 1893. Both Jackson and Jefferson negatively affected the economy in detrimental ways, and for that, I would say they’re tied for the title of the better(or worse) democrat. Jefferson exercised his power through the navy and the army. He would send them out to defend against Barbary pirates and he would also enforce laws or embargos. Jackson, on the other hand, would exercise his power by frequently vetoing things that he didn’t agree with. In this case, I would say that Jefferson was the better democrat due to his interest in protecting America over benefiting himself. Overall, I would say Jefferson was the better democrat, not because of the good things he’s done, but because of the less bad things that he did.
39. Lauren Kamp November 6, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson’s fingerprints are ingrained in the modern democracy we enjoy today. Both men were formative leaders of their age, served in the nation’s highest office for multiple terms, and influenced the outcome of future elections. While it’s difficult to declare a superior representative for democracy, I believe Thomas Jefferson is the better democrat for his promotion of democratic ideas while he was in office that endured and grew into the future.
    While Thomas Jefferson was born into a more privileged position then Andrew Jackson, he did not forget the common man. To the contrary, Jefferson was a champion of the common man and envisioned an America dominated by small property owners farming their own land. The massive lands acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and the exploration of Lewis and Clark underscore Jefferson’s commitment to expand land and opportunity for the common man. For Jefferson, it appears property ownership, voting and being American were synonymous. In fact, in Chapter 6, we learned that Jefferson was not a fan of urban areas as they would leave the common man property less. While Andrew Jackson worked to eliminate property as a prerequisite to voting, his focus was exclusively white males and at the expense of Native Americans. Thomas Jefferson believed that all men were equal. While his actions as a slave owner did not support this ideal, he at least aspired to the idea. Jackson’s actions tell a different story; the only common man was the white man.
    Both Jefferson and Jackson were giants in the Democratic Party and influence their own office and the fortunes of others. However, I believe Thomas Jefferson’s work for the Democratic Party to specifically remove the power of the Federalist Party makes Jefferson a more enduring champion of democracy. We learned that the Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, envisioned an exclusive elite group of educated, landowners (rich white guys) running the federal government. While they were hired to work for the people, the Federalists didn’t necessarily believe it should be run by the people. Jefferson challenged that core belief and the Federalist never won another election after 1796. This represents a critical and crucial piece to make our democracy long lasting and fair. While Andrew Jackson was very successful in providing political opportunities for himself and his advocates during his lifetime, it does not have the long lasting impact that Jefferson provided by killing Federalist ideals.
    Finally, Jefferson’s actions as the President compared with Jackson’s actions as President are in stark contrast and show Jefferson to be a better representative of democracy. Jackson’s clear abuse of his executive powers characterized him almost like a monarch, ignoring Supreme Court rulings and vetoing legislation that didn’t meet his worldview. On the other hand, Jefferson worked as the head executive of America to affirm our position in the world and to mentor Congress to pass legislation rather than overuse of veto power. While both men were champions of the common man and therefore democracy, I believe it’s Jefferson’s actions and ideals that stand tall over time.
40. Nadia Whalen November 6, 2020 at 11:23 am

    -Who promoted political involvement for the average person, for instance, the expansion of the right to vote? How was this done?

    I don’t think a straight Jefferson or Jackson answer can suffice. Both of our past presidents advocated for the common man to make the decisions. Jefferson describes trusting the common man as being able to make the right decision, along with knowing the farmers would be a large percentage of the vote. He pushed for them to be educated at public schools to be more informed. Additionally, Jackson, was known as the first common man as president, so the common people were his people. While in office, he pushed to expand the voting restrictions, making more common citizens able to use their voice to vote. Although, with his strong views on slavery and oppresing African Americans, he lowered some of their ability to vote.

    -Who was considered for political office? Who chose the presidential candidates during their time?

    During Jeffersons time, the majority of the people in political office were wealthy white men, or sometimes slave owners. During his time he didn’t elect anyone into office, so things stayed mostly the same during his time in office. It would’ve been nice to have seen him make changes for the people, but he also didn’t seem to make any changes for the worse. On the other hand, when Jackson was in office, things had already changed from Jefferson’s time. One expansion was the ability to run for office being opened. It was now possible for any white man, eligible to vote, to run for president, which was why he was able to be elected. Additionally, in his time in office, he replaced many government officials. He would remove them for, in his opinion, not being in the support of the people.

    -How did each man view the federal government’s role in promoting the economy?

    Both of these presidents had strong beliefs against the US Bank. At some point while in office, they both tried to remove or push against it in order to limit the control of the government. In the case of Jefferson, he had strong opinions on the bank, created by Hamilton. The two already had significant tension, which very well may be part of his opinions, but over time, he accepted the bank. Additionally, he worked to lower and eventually remove the whisky tax, which sprouted rebellions and significant tension throughout the country. While he did remove a tax, he also passed the embargo act, which sprouted even more issues, by shutting down americas trade. In the case of Jackson, he was always against the bank, and joined BUS to weaken it. Additonally, he vetoed 11 bills while in office, half of them being about limiting the executive branch to spend money on internal affairs, which would’ve likely benefited the country, had they gone through. Overall,both of these men abused their power at some point in office.

    -How did each man view the relationship between the federal and state governments? Did they exercise limited power as the executive?

    In this case, Jefferson didn’t have any extremely strong views on this relationship. He did have the Luisianna purchase, which put him in strong association to the federal governments, but on the whole, he didn’t put too much strain on those governments in either ways. He let them do their thing, if something was important, he could step in, but overall, he never really had to. In the case of Jackson on the other had, he was very strongly opinionated on the power over the state governments. He vetoes 11 bills sent from his states, being more than all of his previous presidents combined. He had an overpowering control over these states and eventually there was an uprising against him. It was led by his vise president and he eventually lowered his control, in south Carolina, specifically. In the end he was limited, but he was way overpowering.

    Sorry its a few hours late.
41. Milan Tillman November 6, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Jefferson was a better democrat than Jackson for many reasons. During Jefferson’s time in office he displayed democracy more than Jackson because Jackson was very forceful to get his way. For example, Jackson used the veto 12 times which was more than any president had ever used during their term. He shut down the supreme court’s decisions and justified himself by saying that he was doing what the people wanted. Another example of Jackson abusing his power during his time in office was during the Indian Removal. Jackson wanted to provide farmers with more land to plant cotton and other cash crops, so he decided to relocate the Native Americans off their land to Oklahoma. He also wanted to improve American defense during wars because oftentimes Native Americans would help the other country. He justified this by saying that the relocation would benefit Native Americans and they would be safer. In addition, during the Tariff conflict of 1832, when South Carolina tried to nullify the tariff and break away from the union, Jackson went to Congress and got support to put the Force Act in place. This act allowed him to place troops in South Carolina to enforce the tariff. This almost resulted in a civil war between the federal government and South Carolina, but it was eventually diffused by Clay’s compromise tariff. This conflict proved that Jackson was willing to risk war to get his way and have everyone respect what the laws that he put in place. Another reason that Jefferson can be viewed as more democratic is because Jackson was viewed as such a tyrant during his time in office, that a whole political party was created for the sole purpose to go against Jackson and try to stop him from gaining power. During Jefferson’s time, he advocated for common man, like farmers, to have more say in government. Jefferson did not use his veto power once during his time in office and he tried to protect American interest without abusing his power as best he could.Jefferson did have some instances where he abused his power and didn’t follow the teaching that he promoted, but overall he displayed democracy for during his time in office than Jackson.
42. Mike Ajluni November 6, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    In my opinion Jefferson was a better democrat for multiple reasons, including his new rules and ideas during his time in office. Both of them expanded voting rights and made a huge impact for the common man, however Jefferson promoted political improvement, while Jefferson still made some very controversial and questionable choices which made him look like a monarch. Jefferson also did more for public schools. The difference between Jefferson and Jackson’s presidency was when Jefferson was president the candidates were mostly just white landowners but while Jackson was president it was any white man. This expanded voting rights. Jefferson got rid of the tax on whisky. He also did not support BUS. Jefferson’s biggest negative was the Embargo of 1812. Jackson vetoed and destroyed the BUS which was controversial and led to one of the worst droughts in american history. It was not just that however. He vetoed many more things which could have been good things with positives like the improvement of the internal system. Both Jackson and Jefferson believed in limited federal debt. Even though both of them hurt lots of things like the economy, Jefferson was less stubborn and adjusted to help the country. An example of this is when he did the Louisiana purchase and was less strict with the constitution. Jackson however, overused his power and acted like a monarch. He would threaten states if they went against tariffs and forced Indians to move out for more land. Jefferson’s elected officials were experienced in politics while Jacksons was his supporter. Both had their goods and bads, but I feel Jefferson was overall a better democrat.
43. Colin Keane November 6, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Who is a more of a democrat

    First off Andrew Jackson is more democratic than compared to Thomas Jefferson. Democrats want a strong central government. Andrew jackson did a great job making a strong central government, by abusing his power in office. Jackson also replaced dozens of the government officers (which was way more compared to all the other presidents). Andrew Jackson also made the federal government rule over all the states. He also controlled the economy by using the veto a lot and controlling what he would want.
    You could say that Jefferson is a better democrat because he improved the federal governments role in controlling te economy, like when he controlled the economy by the embargo. Jackson controlled the economy through vetoing bills that would effect the economy. Jefferson also did not remove many government officials because he believed that he should do what is best for the country. On the other hand Jackson replaced many of the officials making him have more power, because they serve directly under him. When that happens he can have backup to essentially get what he wants, and what he wants is a stong central government. Jefferson did not like the thought of Hamiltons bank, but once it was a thing he didn’t care. Jackson immediately vetoed the bill to create a second national bank. This is showing Jackson is a stronger supporter of the democrat party. He also removed the native americans who lived in florida or the States at the time and moved them to the west. This allowed white men to own more land. Jackson allowed white men that did not own property to vote. You could say that Jefferson also abused his power when he bought Louisiana but Andrew Jackson abused his power way more. Andrew Jackson vetoed so many bills, including the creation of the second national bank, and the nullification crisis with south carolina. By vetonig these bills this shows that jackson wanted a better central government which is exactly what a democrat wants. There is also a picture of Jackson being a king, and standing on the constitution. The picture tells us that Jackson abused his power to create a stronger national government.
    As you can see, the reasons why Jackson was essentially a better democrat, he replaced many of the government officials to serve him, this gave an unfair advantage to make a stronger central government that Jefferson did not have. Jackson vetoed many of the bills that would be opposing to the democratic party, on the other hand once the first bank of the US was created Jefferson didn’t care about it. he abused his power to create a stronger national government. Lastly he spreaded the democratic party everywhere even slave states (Which was very hard to do), and Jefferson did not do a very good job of that. By these actions you can clearly see that Jackson was basically more of a democrat then Jefferson.
44. talia November 6, 2020 at 1:07 pm

    Talia Rubin

    Who was the better democrat and why?

    I believe that Thomas Jefferson was the better democrat for many reasons. First, Jefferson represented at the core democracy by attempting to aid the state and resisting corruption. In reference to the yeoman farmers, he felt that government was to uphold civic virtues for benefit only, and for cultivation of the land. Further, Jefferson felt that government was to protect the people, and not violate the rights of the people. In regards to the expansion of the right to vote, Jefferson was in favor of having farmers vote, stay informed, and educated. In opposition, Andrew Jackson viewed the head of state, himself, as in a position of power. He believed in the strength of presidency solely and promoting or expanding suffrage for white males only. Jackson’s democracy relied heavily on a circle of advisors and was a departure from previous presidencies.

    Again, under Jefferson, candidates were chosen based upon a democratic republic which translates to the people having the ability to choose their elected officials. As it was a public affair, candidates were usually wealthy, educated, and landowners. The presidential candidates were chosen by national convention in 1824. Once Jackson became president, he removed dozens of government officials often and tyranny was seen racing through his presidency.

    In my opinion, Jefferson’s main view to cultivate the land would then essentially assist manufacturing, commerce, and shipping was better in promoting the economy. Jefferson worked with congress to lower taxes, eliminate them, and keep government spending low. Even though the Embargo Act of 1807 hurt American Exports, it actually increased domestic production. Similarly, Jackson was in constant battle with the BUS and this did not promote the economy. This constant struggle sparked the biggest depression in American history. As both men may not have been business savvy, Jefferson, seems to have had the edge in creating a more cohesive democratic plan.

    Jefferson believed that the federal government must not violate the rights of the people, and so states could decide the constitutionality of laws passes by Congress. Jefferson did not exercise a limit in powers, but took a more expansive approach with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. On the contrary, Jackson’s beliefs favored a federal government of limited powers. Jackson also did not exercise a limit in executive powers, ignoring Supreme Courts, and vetoing bills.

    In summary, I am more aligned with the democratic views of Thomas Jefferson.
45. catherine bean November 6, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    Both Jackson and Jefferson are regarded as faces of the democratic party. Saying this, it also must be acknowledged that a great deal has changed since their times. Quiring your blog, Jefferson believed that independent farmers that have access to abundant farmland would provide the bedrock of American society. It was these farmers who owned their land who were eligible to vote. This ownership of property was somewhat a test of character that land-owning yeoman farmers should be able to meet. Under Jackson, He believed that there should not be a property requirement for voting and that suffrage or the right to vote should be expanded as the US was moving Westward. It was Jackson’s belief that every free, adult, white male, should be allowed to vote no matter how he made his living. Where these two differences can be shown in Jeffersons’ more limited view of who was the common man as compared to Jackson’s view. Additionally, an interesting similarity for both Jackson and Jefferson is that neither believed that women, slaves, or should Native Americans should be allowed to vote. As it concerned Native Americans, both felt that while the native culture needed to be maintained, they nevertheless had negative policies that caused both hardship and relocation of Native Americans. (Indian removal act for example) on the political spectrum, Jefferson believed that candidates should be chosen based on the idea of a democratic republic; educated, usually wealthy, and landowners (sometimes slave owners) Jefferson additionally believed tyranny came from exerting the will of the majority over the minority. Moreover, during Jefferson’s time candidates for president were chosen by the Caucasus of political leaders. These Caucasus would nominate their top candidate. In contrast, Jackson believed that all men were qualified to hold office. During his time, nominating conventions were introduced. Here, the party’s national convention would name the presidential nominee. Under this system, it allowed for more officials to be decided by the voters. Moreover, Jackson believed that government officials and their offices should be for and by the people. With regard to federal power, Jefferson moved away from his strict interpretation of the constitution as it pertained to foreign affairs. ( Louisiana purchase, Barbary pirates) he also believed in the power of the supreme court. Jackson in contrast believed in a limited federal government and a wide expansive executive branch. Unlike Jefferson, Jackson ignored the supreme court rulings. ( McCulloch Worcester) while there’s more to compare and contrast exprecillay in the era of industrialization it would seem that these two men had both strengths and deficiencies. As Jackson came after Jefferson I would argue that his view of the common man taken with his view that industrialization was essential for American growth would make him a better democrat.
46. William Penoza November 8, 2020 at 12:48 am

    In order to answer the question of who is a better democrat, we must first know what we are asking. Being a democrat is to follow the guidelines of a democracy. We use a democracy today, as we are currently voting for who we want to be our leaders. The oxford dictionary defines democracy as, “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives”. So when asking if Thomas Jefferson or Andrew Jackson is the better democrat, we must so who conforms best to this definition.
    Both of these men tried their best to expand the vote in America. They believed that the more people that could vote the better the country could decide on a leader. Both men wanted the common man to be able to vote. During Jackson’s presidency, There were lots of laws passed that allowed non-land-owning white men to vote. There were even some laws that allowed some rich black men to vote. When we compare these laws to the definition previously stated, we see that Jackson’s presidency had a more democratic voting system. The definition says that the government is “by the whole population” not just the land-owning white men.
    When Jefferson was president the candidates were chosen by democratic-republican beliefs. When Jackson was president, almost any white man could run for president. This is closer to what we see today where any American citizen can run for president. It is also closer to the definition of democracy because it better allows the people to chose who they want to lose. Jefferson didn’t veto any laws while he was in office. This lets the people use their voice. Also under Jefferson’s presidency there was the embargo act. This crushed the economy and he didn’t listen to the American people when he needed to realize that it was hurting his own people more than it was hurting the british.
    In the end, I believe that Jackson was the better democrat. The had some similarities in their presidencies, but Jackson appealed to the definition of democracy more. He listened to the people. He expanded who could participate in he government. He wanted everyone to be able to vote and he did as the people told him to.
47. geoffwickersham (Post author) November 9, 2020 at 10:33 am

    I believe that Jefferson was the better democratic leader. While Jefferson did work mostly in the country’s interests, ultimately the reason for my opinion is because of Jackon’s downfalls. Jefferson did what he thought would be best for the country, and when what he wanted did not work out, and he lost, ( Example, the BUS) he took the loss gracefully, following the preciders without hurting the American people. (Too much, or at least less than Jackson.). Jackson was known as ‘the man of the people’, but we must look into why. He was for the common people, or at least the common people who could vote. He was for the white man. He went against the freedom of slaves, and instated the Indian Removal act, and while racism was so unfortunately wide-spread, Jackson took it so far. He actively went against the supreme court, most notably in the Worcester case. While Jefferson did have slip-ups, like ruining the economy in exports, Jackson did not take losses at all. He went against the law, to the point where American’s were calling his rule akin to a king’s. Overall, while both had messed up, Jackson deliberately went against the court and people, and did what he could to secure white male voters, no matter how barbaric it was. Jefferson did what he believed was right, even if in a modern lense his attempts to grow agriculture in the US might seem hairbrained, then, it was what he thought would cause success to the country, for the good of everybody.

    Lily D.
48. Kaitlyn Sanders November 9, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    I believe that Andrew Jackson was the better democrat and upheld the ideals of American Democracy better because of his disestablishment of the national bank, how he treated the Nullification Crisis, his belief in the power of t and the expansion of the vote.

    Jefferson believed that farmers owning land should and would be allowed to vote – “…land provided the basis on which they could vote in all manners of elections…” – therefore the common farmer who owned land “would provide the bedrock of American democracy”. Keeping the common man knowledgeable politically was just as important to Jefferson too,“…education was important for these farmers to stay informed on political topics, and so he promoted public schools while governor of Virginia and President.” Thomas Jefferson saw the common man as “…an unruly mob incapable of making rational decisions,” so as much as he promoted involvement in politics because of land ownership, and creating education for the common man, he believed that they were incapable of making the correct decisions – he thought lowly of them when it came to politics.

    During Jackson’s term the right to vote began to be modified, “…state constitutions allowed for more urban workers and landless white men to vote…,” although leaving African American’s voting rights at little to none – if they owned a certain amount of land they had the ability to vote. Jackson “…forcibly removed Native tribes…” from the Southwest and relocated them west of the Mississippi River so that he could expand the amount of land white farmers had the ability of owning.

    Jefferson believed in the ideals of the Democratic Republic, and that candidates should be “…educated, usually wealthy landowners (and sometimes slave owners).” He worked – with Congress – “…to try to limit the power of the federal courts,” and he didn’t remove many government officials. During his time “…each party’s Congressional leaders held a caucus during the election year and nominated their top candidate(s).” But during Jackson’s time “…officials were decided by the voters including state and local judges, members of the electoral college, and state governors.” Jackson believed in “carrying out the will of the people” while in office so he fought to keep government official offices open, because tyranny “…in Jackson’s time, was seen as elected officials ignoring the will of the people and imposing their own values and views on issues.” Andrew Jackson truly believed in the power of the people and that they were capable of making the right decisions – unlike Jefferson.

    Thomas Jefferson didn’t like the idea of Hamilton’s bank but in the end came to an acceptance with it. On the other hand Jackson despised the BUS “…and wielded the veto against it to kill it in 1832.” Jackson’s other 11 vetoes “…stopped federal government spending on internal improvements around the country…,” the idea he presented and followed through with these vetoes “…would have benefited the American economy.” As for Jefferson, he lowered taxes on whiskey and worked to keep government spending under control, but when he issued the Embargo Act he “…killed American exports, dropped agriculture prices, but ironically, spurred on domestic manufacturing to meet the needs of the American people.” Both Jefferson and Jackson weren’t ‘subscribed’ “…to pro-business policies and would eventually damage their country’s economic prospects.”

    Jefferson tried to protect American interests abroad, by acting as a ‘guide in Congress’, “…he moved away from his strict interpretation of the Constitution and took a more expansive or loose interpretation of his foreign affairs power.”

    Andrew Jackson “…believed in a limited federal government (Congress and the Courts) but an expansive and vigorous executive branch.” He continuously ignored Supreme Court decisions and continued to veto bills from Congress. He was a “strong nationalist” and when the Nullification Crisis happened he was ready to march into South Carolina and “enforce the collection of the tariff” when they refused the tariff.

    So overall Andrew Jackson is the better Democrat, because he made decisions based on what he thought was for the greater good of the people and the country.
49. Jayson Smith November 14, 2020 at 2:05 pm

    Both of these presidents believed in limited federal spending, as well as allowing the common man to vote. They were extremely similar in many ways, however, I believe that Jefferson was the better democrat. Although both Jefferson and Jackson did a lot for the common man to expand voting rights, Jefferson ultimately did more with the Louisiana Purchase, which created a lot of land that farmers could settle on, meaning more voters. That land would also serve a settling lands for many generations to come. Meanwhile, while Jackson did increase the number of people who could vote, it was not to the same degree as Jefferson, and he did it by forcibly removing Native Americans from their land.
    Jackson also abused a lot of his power as the president, specifically the veto which he used 12 times while in power. One of those vetoes was when Jackson destroyed BUS which led to one of the worst droughts ever, and was a very controversial choice. Jefferson, on the other hand, exercised his power through the army of the U.S. and did not abuse his power as much as Jackson. Jefferson was not without flaws however. One of his worst choices as president was the Embargo Act, which crushed U.S. exports and dropped agriculture prices, sending America into a depression.
    In Jefferson’s presidency the candidate was chosen by whit men how had a lot of money. Because Jefferson was born into a wealthy family. Despite this, Jefferson never turned his back on the common man. However in Jackson’s presidency any white man who was eligible to vote was able to become president, which is how Jackson got elected, as he was not born with high status. While both of these men did good things and bad things for this country, I feel like Jefferson was the better democrat
50. Diego McIntyre November 15, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    I think that Jefferson was more of a democrat because of his forward thinking ideas during his presidency. Both Jackson and Jefferson expanded voting rights and benefited the common man more than presidents before them, however Jefferson promoted political improvements, while Jackson made very controversial choices making him look like a monarch. Jefferson also did more for public schools. Jefferson got rid of the tax on whiskey, which was hurting many of the american farmers who made the whiskey. He also wasn’t in favor of the BUS. Jefferson’s biggest negative was the Embargo of 1812. Jackson vetoed and destroyed the BUS which led to one of the worst economical situations in american history. However Jackson made many other mistakes. He vetoed many more bills which could have been great positives, such as improvements of the internal system. Both presidents believed in a limited amount of federal debt. Even though both of them had their fair share of bad decisions, Jefferson was less stubborn and adjusted a lot more to help the country. For example, when Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Purchase in order to benefit the american people. On the topic of Jackson, he abused his power and acted like a monarch by threatening states if they went against tariffs and forced Indians to move out for more land. Jefferson’s elected officials were experienced in politics while Jacksons were only his supporters. In conclusion, I feel Jefferson was the better democrat because of his dedication to the common man and the fact that his choices were a lot less damaging to the economy than Jacksons.