What is Jacksonian Democracy?
Jacksonian democracy describes American politics in the age of Andrew Jackson. Its supporters saw themselves as ordinary farmers, craftsmen and settlers fighting a privileged circle of bankers and officeholders. They wanted public office open to anyone, the vote for every white man, and a government that did not hand favors to the rich. They were also suspicious of a strong national government, except when it came to expansion and the power of the president. The movement was democratic for some, but it shut out women, enslaved people and Native nations.
Core beliefs
- Ordinary citizens, not a wealthy elite, should hold political power.
- Public offices should be open to any capable citizen and rotated often.
- A national bank gives bankers and the rich unfair power over everyone else.
- The federal government should stay small and not hand out favors to special interests.
- Land should be opened up to settlers and the nation should expand westward.
- The president speaks for the whole people and may check Congress.
History
Andrew Jackson became a national hero for beating the British at New Orleans in 1815. In 1824 he won the most votes but lost in the House to John Quincy Adams, which his backers called a stolen election. Martin Van Buren and others built a new party around him, and Jackson won in 1828. Many states had by then dropped property tests for white male voters. Once in office he backed the Indian Removal Act of 1830. It led to the forced march of the Cherokee and other peoples to the west, known as the Trail of Tears. In 1832 he vetoed the renewal of the Second Bank of the United States, and he faced down South Carolina in the Nullification Crisis. A financial panic hit in 1837, soon after Van Buren took office. James K. Polk, a Jackson ally, later won Texas and a war with Mexico.
Variants
The movement was never one thing. City workers, some called Locofocos, fought banks and monopolies and wanted hard money. Southern Jacksonians cared most about states' rights and the protection of slavery. Westerners wanted cheap land and room to grow. Historians also differ on its meaning. Arthur Schlesinger Jr. saw an early version of reform liberalism, while later writers have stressed the harm it did to Native people and Black Americans. A separate use of the word describes a style of foreign policy that prizes honor and military strength.
Criticisms
Critics at the time, led by the Whigs, called Jackson 'King Andrew' for his use of the veto and his firing of officials. Historians point to the cruelty of Indian removal, which cost thousands of lives, and to the way the party protected slavery. Economists note that killing the national bank left the money system unstable, which many blame in part for the Panic of 1837. Admirers answer that it brought ordinary white men into politics and fought entrenched privilege.
In practice
Jacksonian ideas shaped the Democratic Party for decades and the habits of American politics: mass parties, campaign rallies, and the idea that the president is the voice of the people. The spoils system gave jobs to loyal party workers. On the 12 axes, it scores high on Culture, toward National identity, and on Foreign policy toward Strength. Structure leans Local, because of the stress on states and the dislike of a strong center.