History test 4: Jackson's Presidency

Jacksons first campaign

1828

Jackson's time in office

1829-1837

SC repeal of nullification

1833

Jackson assassination attempt

1835

Expiration of National Bank Charter

1836

Draining of the National Bank

1837

Paragraph 6: Conclusion

By the end of Jackson's presidency, The country was very different than when his first term had began. The economy was crushed, the idea of an "imperial presidency" had been established, and the Whig Party was gaining traction. For Jackson, had become very controversial, and is still to this day. So does he deserve to be ranked among great American presidents? His presidency, like most presidencies, had both benefits and drawbacks, but left the country in a poor economic state. I would argue that far more great than his actual presidency were his campaigns, which changed the face of American politics forever.

Paragraph 6: US Bank

Finally, Andrew Jackson was forced to deal with the National Bank of the US. Jackson has always disliked the bank, whose charter was set to expire in 1836. Nicholas Biddle, the bank's president, had hoped to renew the charter four years early, with the assumption that Jackson would not veto it right before an election year. Instead, Jackson did veto it, and formed his entire platform for the next election around "killing the monster" that was the National Bank. It worked, and Jackson was elected to a second term with Martin Van Burin as his Vice President. In order to do this, Jackson wanted to "drain its blood" by taking all of the federal money out of the bank. He had to fire to secretaries of treasury to do so, but he ultimately succeeded, taking all of the money out in 1837. The result- a major depression.

Paragraph 3: Challenges

In spite of the image he created during his campaign, public perception of him changed during his time in office, which created challenges for Jackson. He became known as somewhat "grouchy" and difficult to work with, and for good reason. Jackson's wife died before he got into office. He was in poor health from chronic diseases and old injuries, and coughed blood, and dealt with an assassination attempt in 1835. He was also very controlling and was attacked by the press for being "imperialist" and everything he appeared to have claimed he wasn't. Jackson was attacked for being a spoils president as well, having fired 20% of federal employees when he entered into office, only to replace them with his own friends. All of this was further evidenced by the Peggy Eaton Scandal. One of Jackson's cabinet members married a women who had been married to a sailor. The sailor, who had not been around for a long time, ended up committing suicide. Peggy was shunned by the families of other cabinet members. Jackson likely saw his own wife in Peggy, who had also suffered at the hands of the press for a similar situation. When the cabinet members' families didn't change, he fired almost all of them. Jackson took a lot of heat for all of this, making him very angry.

Paragraph 2 example: Campaign

Jackson transformed the political process of campaigning through his unique methods. After feeling that he lost unfairly in the last presidential election, he campaigned again in 1828, and immediately captured the hearts of the common American people. Not only was Jackson already beloved as a war hero, his campaign showed the beginning of grassroots politics, and Jackson presented himself as a regular man. He became known as "Old Hickory" and as a man who'd grown up a poor farmer, and worked hard and honestly to get to where he was. He appealed to regular people and set himself apart from the usual "stuffy" or pretentious politicians before him, claiming that he was a man of the people. John Quincy Adams attempted to smear his image with dark aspects of his past, and Jackson did the same in return. Nonetheless, he was so widely adored by the American people, he doubled voter turnout and won the election easily. In spite of the image he created during his campaign, public perception of him changed during his time in office, which created challenges for Jackson.

Paragraph 4: Native American Removal

Jackson would face three major issues during his presidency, the first of which being the removal of five civilized Native American tribes from the Southern United States (US). These tribes included the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Chickasaw tribes. Although his hero, Thomas Jefferson, had addressed the removal of Native Americans earlier, with the Louisiana Purchase, he had left these five tribes alone. The removal process was long and costly, but it was agreed in a very close vote in Congress that these Native Americans would be relocated. Although the Cherokee took the issue to the Supreme Court where a Judge ruled it unconstitutional, Jackson went through with it anyway, and there was no real way for the judicial branch to stop him, cementing the idea of his "imperial" presidency. The Cherokee were removed by force, and three of the remaining tribes decided to go willingly in the hopes of securing the best land they could for themselves. Only the Seminoles remained, and were also forcibly removed after three wars. Thus, Jackson facilitated the controversial removal of all five tribes in spite of the unconstitutional ruling.

Introduction Example

Many regard Andrew Jackson as one of the greatest American presidents. During his campaigns and his time in office (1829-1837), Jackson undeniably changed American politics and made several important achievements. However, his presidency was controversial, and the country was left in a poor state when he left office, undermining this great reputation. While Jackson wasn't a terrible president, he was not necessarily one of the greatest.

Nicholas Biddle

President of the Bank of the US

Paragraph 5: Nullifiction

The next major issue Jackson would face as president would be the attempts in North Carolina to nullify a federal tax. In an effort to protect the northern economy in the Union, Jackson passed a tariff that became known in the south as the "Tariff of Abominations". South Carolina refused to collect the tariff. Based on the ideas of Jefferson and James Madison, who believed in a "higher law", they felt they had the right to nullify a law they found unfair. Though Jackson admired Thomas Jefferson, he felt that he had never threatened the union, and that South Carolina was doing just that. Jackson was furious. This shocked South Carolina. They felt that Jackson would understand, not only because he is a Southerner, but that he'd also see their ultimate goal. The idea was that if a tax could be nullified, any anti-slavery law that would eventually come could be nullified, protecting the southern way of life. Instead, Jackson requested to invade South Carolina if they did not collect the tariff. However, he also asked congress to lower the tariff to give South Carolina an opportunity to back down. South Carolina repealed the nullification in 1833, and Jackson's Vice President Calhoun, who was very pro-slavery, was insulted. Calhoun resigned and joined the Whig Party, which was on the rise.