Andrew Jackson: political life and presidency

Andrew Jackson

In retrospect, the period of American history from 1820 to 1850 is commonly known as The Age of Jackson because of the far reaching effect that one man, Andrew Jackson had on the American economy, transportation system, domestic policy, and many other key areas. In this paper, the policies and viewpoints of Jackson will be examined within the context of the areas of his most far reaching impact, as well as the possibility that the events that Jackson is credited with facilitating may or may not have taken place regardless of who occupied the White House during this pivotal historic period.

The Spoils System and Nullification

Two actions that are attributed to Andrew Jackson are significant not only because of the events that they put into motion, but also because they demonstrate the power that Jackson wielded during "his age" as it has come to be known. The first of these, The Spoils System, was a system that Jackson used to reward his political supporters and punish his political adversaries simultaneously. Simply put, The Spoils System rewards members of the political party of the winning candidate with jobs and special favors and intentionally withholds such benefits from the opposing party members (Ryan, 1996). Jackson wielded the Spoils System like a magic wand to reward friends and a club to inflict pain on enemies, and in some cases, this system still exists today, albeit secretly.

Nullification, like Spoils, was a popular political and economic tool of Jackson's, which basically granted the power to nullify, or reject unfavorable tariffs, especially in the production of goods by slave labor (Silbey, 1973).

Nullification was one of the state's rights issues that ultimately led to the succession of the Southern United States, and the Civil war, and in some instances, on issues of state's rights in the modern age, the reverberations of nullification are often heard.

The Bank of the United States

Andrew Jackson, as was typical for him, flexed his political muscle in the affairs of the American economy, as shown in his handling of The Bank of the United States. In one of the most far reaching actions of Jackson's second term as president, he refused to renew the charter of The Bank of the United States, resulting in a withdrawl of federal funds from that bank, thereby weakening the entire American banking system, lowering faith in the American economy both domestically and internationally, and some claim leading to the economic woes that would befall the nation in years to come (Sharp, 1970).

Jackson's veto of the measures to renew The Bank of the United States stemmed from his longtime mistrust of the commercial banking system, his fierce support of states' rights, and his desire for an extension of his presidential powers (Meserve, 1986). Similarly, Jackson likewise took actions against people and land as he did with money and commerce.

Indian Removal, Land Sale, and the Opening of the West

In a strange irony, much of the opening of the Western United States to white settlers came as a result of some rather questionable tactics on the part of Andrew Jackson. Regardless of the motives, Jackson, it should be noted, supported and coordinated the forced removal of indians from their tribal lands, and court appeals by the indians often fell on the deaf ears of Jackson loyalists and appointees; these lands were then sold by the U.S. government to the highest bidder or offered in land grants in an effort to "open the West" to settlers and developers (Meserve, 1986). Even for the sake of economic development, these tactics on the part of Jackson are irresponsible at best. Presently, indian nations are still fighting for much of these lands that were taken away so long ago.

Transportation Innovation in the Age of Jackson

Despite the means used to achieve the end, Jackson should in fairness be credited with the vast expansion of transportation across the United States, namely in the form of railroads that were being built in order to reach the newly settled areas of the American west. The massive investments required for these expansions would not have come forth had Jackson not taken control of indian lands and coordinated mass land sales to business interests (Silbey, 1973).