Week 4 Day 3

Today we took a 75 point test on Chapters 9 through 12 from our textbook. Then we watched a documentary called "A White Man's Democracy". The main focus of this documentary is on Andrew Jackson. We got mostly through Question 7 on the worksheet.

As more economic opportunities became available to more people, everyday citizens saw the need to have more say in the government. They saw the link between economic opportunities and political power, so there was a great surge in participation in government. Jacksonian Democracy appealed to the common, everyday American.

Andrew Jackson reflected the vitality and irascibility of the common man. He was masculine, rough, rugged, and a successful military man. His rough childhood and lack of formal schooling or military training made more people relate with him, made him appear less threatening, and made him seem like an underdog. The Panic of 1819 also made people very distrustful of rich people.

However, Andrew Jackson did not appeal to everyone. His reputation for violent outbursts, his obsession with honor and revenge, and his multitude of duels alarmed people. People were actually very scared of him because of his temperament and actions.

Andrew Jackson was a contradictory man. On one hand, he held a lifelong suspicion of the rich and wealthy, but also proudly displayed his own wealth. As a believer in equality and freedom, he was one of the biggest slaveholders in Tennessee. He demanded deference, yet was unwilling to defer to the elites, who he thought had looked down on him his whole life.

Although both Democratic Republicans, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson had differing views on what a democracy should look like. In a Jeffersonian Democracy, the average man would choose leaders, but would not become representatives themselves. The leaders would be chosen from a pool of educated aristocrats. In a Jacksonian Democracy, however, the role of the electorate was to choose, as well as produce, leaders.

The Corrupt Bargain took place during the Election of 1824. The election was between Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Although Andrew Jackson won the most electoral votes out of the four candidates, he did not win the majority, so the vote went to the House of Representatives with just the top three candidates. Out of the running, Henry Clay threw his support behind John Quincy Adams, who then won the election. In the new Adams administration, Henry Clay was named Secretary of State. Andrew Jackson was furious at this and believed a deal between Clay and Adams had taken place. There is no evidence of such a deal, but the events do point to a possible deal between the two men.

The 1828 presidential election between John Quincy Adams, running for a second term, and Andrew Jackson was a very nasty one. Supporters on both sides tried to sully their opponent's name. John Quincy Adams was accused by Jackson's supporters of corruption, pimping, and supporting special interests. Jackson, on the other hand, was called a vigilante, an unprincipled adulterer, a dueler, and a bastard son of a prostitute by the National Republicans, Adams' supporters.

Unfortunately for the National Republicans, their strategy backfired and helped Jackson's campaign instead of hurt it. By emphasizing his fiery, iconoclastic nature, they made it easier for the people to relate with Jackson and see him as one of their own.