In 1828, democracy changed with the election of Andrew Jackson for president. This democracy’s philosophy was that all governing that was necessary would be done directly by the people of America. Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. This self-serving view was exceedingly hypocritical, as shown through the National Bank, the Nullification crisis, and the Native American’s Trail of Tears.

Andrew Jackson decided not to recharter the National Bank in 1832, stating that it was for the good of economic equality. This started what is known as the “Bank War.” In his veto message (Doc B), Jackson maintained that he was protecting United States citizens by not passing the recharter. His belief was that the Bank was monopolistic and therefore unconstitutional. However, the bank was declared constitutional in McCulloch vs. Maryland in 1819. He felt that this “monopoly” would favor only the wealthy and because it only used hard money, would devastate the poorer citizens in America. This is where his reasoning that it was not economically equal wa

Jackson destroyed the Bank, causing class animosity, such as the riots in New York and Philadelphia described by Philip Hone, a businessman and Whig. (Doc E)

The Democrats of Jackson’s administration were very adamant about maintaining their image as the party of the “common man” and the protectors of liberty. However, they were typically wealthy Westerners and Southerners, never poor farmers or Northeastern merchants. In addition, they believed primarily in the liberty of white males. Women, African-Americans, and especially Native American’s were of no pressing importance. Though he Marshall court upheld Native American rights in three different cases, Johnson vs. McIntosh, Cherokee vs. Georgia, and Worcester vs. Georgia, Jackson refused to recognize Indians as equals. Also, white citizens wanted the fertile and extensive land of the Indians, in particular the Cherokees, though Cherokees were the most civilized, having their own constitution and language. This land was most desirable because the tobacco grown in Georgia exhausted the soil and the Indian land was not yet exhausted. Jackson, who had fought Indians at one time and was a hero for doing so, still was hostile towards Native Americans and supported the states in wanting to push them off the land. When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee Nation in Worcester vs. Georgia, Jackson refused to enforce the ruling and white settlement continued to encroach into Native American

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