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Andrew Jackson and Democracy

 

            Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. In the light of the following documents and your knowledge of the 1820s and 1830s. To what extent do you agree with the Jacksonian view of themselves. U.S. president Andrew Jackson and his followers of the Democratic party created the political doctrine referred as Jacksonian Democracy, which is an expansion of Thomas Jefferson's previous established democratic principles. Encouraging the strength of the executive branch, Jacksonian Democracy was established at the expense of the Congressional power. Democrats encouraged the idea of the common man and believed in the giving power to all white men rather than the prosperous nobles. Jackson and his followers believed in rotating many common men through office to allow active participation in government. Jackson's presidency highlighted individualism disregarding persons' background and education level. Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as promoters of the underdogs and creators of equal opportunities. .
             Jacksonian Democrats were, to a great extent, the guardians of the United States Constitution and political democracy. To some degree, they were promoters of individual liberty, while lacking as the promoters of economic opportunity.
             Much like Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson had a rigid interpretation of the US Constitution which encouraged the guardianship of his followers, the Jacksonian Democrats. During Jackson's presidency, he used his veto power twelve times, which was more than the ten vetoes of all previous presidents combined. The reasoning for many vetoes of unconstitutional laws was, in result, to uphold and protect the United States Constitution. For example, Jackson vetoed the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States. On July 10, 1832, in his veto message, he stated, "I sincerely regret that in the act before me, I can perceive none of those modifications of the bank charter which are necessary, in my opinion, to make it compatible with justice, with sound policy, or with the Constitution of our country" (Doc B).


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