Jacksonian Democracy First in Order

Jacksonian Democracy First in order to understand the concept of Jacksonian Democracy, one must first disregard their twenty-first century notion of what it means to be democratic. This paper will take a close look at how the term democracy changed between the Revolutionary War and the Jackson's time period. It will discuss briefly a couple of factors that made up Jacksonian democracy. Still mainly, this paper will explore what democracy meant for white men, women, Blacks and Indians during this time.

This paper will examine the ways in which Jacksonian Democracy promoted equality and opportunity for White men and how the free market played a great role in this. This paper will also explore how Jacksonian Democracy resulted in oppression for women, Black and Indians. This paper will attempt to consider how Jacksonian Democracy can be seen as democracy at all for these specific groups.

During Andrew Jackson's presidency the concept of democracy began to change into a majority rule rather than a society of virtuous citizens acting collectively for the public's best interest. A major factor in why this happened had to do with the economic climate of the United States and its economic relationship with Europe. Due to the Industrial Revolution, a new market and its expansion was directly affecting the political environment of the States. More and more goods were being shipped to Europe as great demand set in for American products.

These changes did not agree with earlier political practices of Republicanism but offered numerous opportunities for White males. They prospered as they represented the majority of citizens in the country and therefore, they were given more rights than woman, Blacks or Indians. This shift in market and political belief directly influenced the lives of people who were not white and male. Out of all the groups mentioned, women faired the best under Jacksonian Democracy due to their well-defined place in the home.

They did not suffer from the competition that the white male represented to males of other races. Because the white male was the majority they were given first choice at land and commerce opportunities. As degrading as it may sound, the women were better off because they where they belonged. There was no question of where they would earn their worth in providing a home for the men.

Also in many ways, this time period put them on a pedestal in that they were not expected to participate in dirty work like politics or business but they were to remain home, clean and unruined. Still they were not considered equal to the white man, as "women's work" did not require the sweat of men's work.

The Blacks of this time were not treated much better although black males suffered discrimination when it came to competing for work and housing simply because they did not have the rights of the majority. Instead, even the freed men suffered the stigma of slavery. The white majority was concerned that without "slavery" their jobs would be at risk of being lost to the Black men. It was fear that motivated the whites to act as they did.

Still this divide defined segregation, as we know it today because the Blacks were expected to take on work that the whites did not want and these were referred to as "nigger" jobs. The Blacks were also excluded from predominately white type jobs and this in fact enforced that the Blacks would remain separate by establishing their own communities and later colleges. Still the Blacks did not have it as bad as the Indians who were treated less the human. During this time, the Indians were forcibly relocated.