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With Jackson's warm welcome to office in 1829, a strong foundation was set for a powerful Democratic rule. With Jackson's Machiavellian theories he believed that the "ends justified the means. " Jackson integrated those beliefs into his presidency and used big government means to create a more democratic nation. Jackson's Democratic thought was in obvious opposition to the ubiquitous Federal Bank of the United States. The monopolistic character of the bank started to take over the banking system and there wasn't any room for smaller private banks. Andrew Jackson viewed this as an unconstitutional act and would therefore fight the bank charter that would obviously renew their system of organization (Document B). Nicholas Biddle, the president of the National Bank, had problems with this and helped bolster the coalition against Jackson.
Daniel Webster, a member of the great Triumvirate, and a Whig, took the case on the side of the bank. Webster's case was that the president shouldn't have such a power, a power considered to be given to a king. (Document I) portrays Andrew Jackson as "King Mob" with the Bank decision veto in one hand and a scepter in the other. This shows Jackson's use of a big power in the Executive branch to achieve a more democratic rule, a "good" action against an "evil" want. The Era of the Common Man started four years before Jackson's inauguration. This was due to the "corrupt bargain" of 1824, when Henry Clay shifted his votes to John Q. Adams in return for the appointment to Secretary Of State.
People felt this was wrong considering Jackson's plurality of votes. Along with this the Western states allowed total white male suffrage forcing Eastern States to allow it thereby doubling the eligible voters (Document J). To gain the support of democracy which at that time was considered to be only white males who were occupying the land. A large influx of voters to the west led to a controversy of what to do with the Native Americans.
In the Marshall decisions of Cherokee v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia, he stated that the Indian and American nations would be separate with their own rules which allowed them to live with and beside one another. (Documents A and D). Jackson's view of a more democratic and therefore more white male rule had no room for Native Americans. This led to Andrew Jackson's use of big government removal of the Indians, sending them to the Oklahoma lands throught his Administration (Document F). This was a big move toward more democracy in the eyes of the times and what was currently acceptable.
In the nullification crisis, Jackson used some big government policies against Calhoun and South Carolina with the force bill, allowing the president to use National Guard force against any uprisings. Jackson saw this as was a way to keep the U. S. from crumbling apart due to sectionalism (Document E). The powerful politician Henry Clay saw this use of as power wrong and unconstitutional. (Doc C. ) Jackson saw this as an act to give back to the common man though. Unless the whole Democratic nation could agreed to let the U.
S. fall to pieces then it wouldn't occur. The idea that the good of the over all community, the nation, is and was more important than the good of the individual state. This was the same idea and concept of the Jackson appointee Roger Taney. In Taney's decision of the Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge of 1837 what's best for the community is more important than the good of business (Document H).
Jackson used big government means to remove Indians, shut down the bank, and stop the nullification crises. He obtained his vision of a stronger democratic America even if it was by using unconstitutional methods.
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Research essay sample on Andrew Jackson Henry Clay
