Jackson Dbq Essay

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* The Age of Jackson, from the 1820's to the 1830's, was a period of American history full of contradictions, especially in regard to democracy. * During the Age of Jackson, enslavement of Blacks, the ultimate form of inequality, was at a new high in America. At the same time, enormous disparities of wealth existed between rich merchants, industrialists and planters, and immigrants. The Jacksonian Democrats were, to some extent, champions of the Constitution, democracy, liberty, and equality. However, in other ways, Jackson and his followers clearly failed to live up to their ideals. Jackson was a true democrat and a true protector of the common man. (Doc A) This shows how Jackson was true to his ideals and was for the common man. Yet, paying attention to the message in context lends a lot of support to the view that Jackson was a true democrat and a true protector of the common man. One example was the Second Bank of the US. Established in 1816, the Second Bank of the United States had, by the 1830's, become a tool of the rich Northeasters that failed to respond to the people and states' needs. Its president, Nicholas Biddle, typified all that many Americans despised in Northern businessmen. Being that the Bank represented a true defiance of equality of economic opportunity, Jackson fought the bank passionately. In 1832, Jackson vetoed the bank's charter. (Doc. B) Clearly, Jackson was willing to fight the bank as an anti-democratic institution. And, surely to his delight, within a few years, lacking federal funding, the Bank collapsed. Around the same time, another issue faced the nation. In 1832, South Carolina, sick of high protective tariffs that had been increasing since the Tariff of Abominations of 1828, decided to nullify a national law, the Tariff of 1832. * Jackson was furious. In response, he passed the Force Bill allowing an
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