Jacksonian democrats were only guardians of political democracy, individual liberty and equality of economic opportunity, and the United States Constitution when it benefitted them. They were inconsistent in their handlings of these political notions. Voting in the elections during the 1820s to 1840 was more popular than ever. After the financial panic of 1819 white males without land demanded that they have suffrage and the ability to hold office; they were granted in the era of the Jacksonian Democracy (PK). White men now had universal manhood suffrage.
But Andrew Jackson thought that voting rights should be given to all white males. Also Jefferson thought only educated political elite could run for office but Jackson thought that any white male could run for office. Another thing that the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracy disagreed on was on economic problems. For example, Jefferson thought the Yeomen farmers were the “chosen
One arguments showing that public participation advances democracy is that it allows a wider range of candidates to run for presidency that are not part of the Washington establishment. This enhances democracy because the public have a wide variety of candidates to choose from and can pick the candidate that they believe will represent and support their political ideology. The process is therefore opened up to outsiders who do not initially have a national reputation such as Bill Clinton in 1992, Barack Obama in 2008 and Hillary Clinton in 2008 also. For example Hillary Clinton was considered an outsider because she was a female candidate and only male candidates have yet made it to presidency. The fact that the process is open to unlikely candidates and the public have the right to choose such candidates means that democracy is advanced because the decision lies with the public.
This lack of democracy and in many cases, violence, towards the mentioned groups leads me to the overall conclusion that whilst Jackson may have attempted and possibly succeeded in democratising politics, at the same time he failed to democratise American society. Andrew Jackson can be seen to have democratised American politics from the moment he was first elected due to his image as the “Common man”. Having risen from poverty in the South with very limited formal education, Jackson was the first President to appeal and to represent the interests of the non-landed classes like the traditional Southern states where he grew up. Because this was so new a concept, voters were given the opportunity to make a decision: to either support Jackson’s non-autocratic views or to disagree with them. This was the first time in American history that voters were given such choice due to difference of opinion of the two candidates, leading to the development of the two-party system.
As compared to their predecessors and contemporaries, they were most certainly the more democratic party. But, they were somewhat less democratic than present-day Democrats. Most states had either universal white manhood suffrage or taxpayer qualifications for voting rights, and there was a higher voter turnout. For their time, they were an extremely democratic party, but they did not advocate woman’s suffrage or non-white suffrage. However, as shown by Documents B and C, Jackson’s decisions concerning the National Bank certainly did not show a democratic trend; nor did his actions portrayed in Document G, nor the ones that made Document F necessary.
For example, we elect politicians at the local, county, state, and federal levels. We elect mayors, council members, congressmen, senators, and a president to represent us.A democratic republic is not the same as a direct democracy. In a direct democracy, all citizens, not just elected representatives, create and vote directly on each law. The Founding Fathers of the United States did not want, or trust, direct democracy. Click for Republic or Democracy?
‘Government he said should offer “equal protection and equal benefits”.’ However this only applied to white males. Women, black people, and Native Americans were excluded from this. Jackson’s definition of democracy is probably far from the definition we have today however there must be some consideration as it was one
Jacksonian Democracy and Jeffersonian Democracy are both different forms of government between the 1800s and the 1840s that were based on the ideas of U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson. But there ideas on leading the country were quite alike. Each man that defended the Jeffersonian democracy expressed views in their speeches and debates reflect those who defended the Jacksonian democracy. Also, each democracy had a different philosophy on controlling the country then the other. But the basics of their philosophies were the same.
The United States presidential election of 1828 made a rematch between John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson. The Election of 1828 was unique in that nominations were no longer made by Congressional caucuses, but by conventions and the state legislatures. The election was unlike those before it mainly because of the "corrupt bargain" specifically between Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. Jackson was not rich, not from one of the old, established American families. He had not much education and no connection with the founding fathers.
Lastly, the role in society played a major factor as well in the voting rights. The right to vote was essentially guaranteed only to white males. The right to vote was, in effect, dominated by the more affluent and restricted to men. Political democracy was not at all a reality to many Americans during the early days of the Colonial period. In 17th-century America, a married woman could not own or control property, even her own wages.