The Jacksonian Era
Introduction
When he became the president of the United States in 1828, he had no experience as a politician. However, he had success in the military. As a result, he sought the help of Martin Van Buren, where he was able to ensure a sense of nationalism from every state in the country. As a result, he was referred to as a common man by coming up with not only political changes but also economic changes that were felt throughout the United States (Van Buren, 26). As a result, this paper will look at the significant political changes brought during the Jackson era. Also, the paper will look at how these changes had a significant impact on America and society. Lastly, it will delve into how the changes impacted influential United States presidents.
Political changes during Jacksons era
President Jackson believed that voting should be granted to all white men regardless of the socio-economic status. It implies that an individual will no longer have wealth to be allowed to exercise his democratic rights. However, this change excluded blacks and women from voting in the country. Furthermore, he believed that it was the destiny of the country to expand to the west. As a result, he provided more land to whites.
During Jackson’s era, he disbanded the political parties and created the current one Democratic party, which was headed by him (Taylor, 60). The Democratic Party is still functioning today. Besides, he used the power of vetoing bills due to the reason that the Congress opposed his policies. Hence, he had too much control over the Congres. He is the only president in the history of the United States to have paid the debt of the state by reducing federal debt to only 33733.05 dollars, which was the lowest figure since the year of 1791. However, this was one of the causes of depression experienced between 1837 and 1844 (Magliocca, 602). Due to this crisis, there was an increase in national debt.
Impacts of the changes
The changes brought by Jackson were significant in ensuring that there is an increase in the number of voters in the United States. Also, there were land acquisitions by the whites from native Indians. In current times, the party introduced by Jackson has had a significant impact on the political matters in the United States. People are still using his party, seeking elective positions (Opal, n.p).
Relating the impacts of these changes with President Abraham Lincoln
Jackson fought for the rights of poor citizens who were not allowed to vote. It is the same way that President Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation that was critical in freeing slaves within the confederacy in 1863. It was a significant step in ensuring the end of slavery in the United States.
Work Cited
Magliocca, Gerard N. “Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab. By Steve Inskeep (New York, Penguin Press, 2015) 421 pp. $29.95.” (2016): 602-603.
Opal, J. M. Avenging the People: Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law, and the American Nation. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Taylor, Jeff. “Andrew Jackson: Our First Populist President.” (2019): 60.
Van Buren, Martin. “Andrew Jackson.” African Americans and the Presidents: Politics and Policies from Washington to Trump (2019): 26.