In 1828 through a campaign filled with mud slinging on both sides, Andrew Jackson became the seventh President of the United States. More than anything, it was victory for control of government by the common people which was the idea that became known as "Jacksonian Democracy". The election of 1828 was the beginning of Jackson's revolution. Andrew Jackson won the election by 647,000 votes to 507,000, and 178-83 in the Electoral College. Far more people voted for president than in 1824. This led to one of the most significant events of Jackson's period because a new two-party system emerged from the election.
Indian removals were one of the ugliest events during the Jackson years. Jackson was responsible for moving the Cherokee Indians from Georgia to reservations located west of the Mississippi River. In these terrible times thousands of Cherokees were forced along the "Trail of Tears" to the West. This was so named because about 25% of the people died in route of disease, starvation, and exposure to the cold. Jackson felt that the Indians would be better off "out of the way" and this move settled his policy on voluntary emigration west of the Mississippi. The kicker here is that Jackson did this despite the fact that the Cherokee had previously been recognized as a nation with laws and customs of their own. .
Jackson developed the system of rotation in office. This system was developed to remove long term office holders and to protect the people from a development of a long-standing political group and was one of the positive impacts of his time.
The tariff was one of the major controversies in the United States during the years of his Presidency. Jackson's strong support for a unified nation over states rights would hold the country together during this crisis. Jackson promised the south a reduction in duties to levels established in 1828, which were acceptable to southerners as opposed to the higher rates since then.
