Good Andrew Jackson Essay Example

Andrew Jackson was the seventh American president. His humble background endeared him to the people. He was the first man from the western region to become president. His main agenda in office was to extend executive powers. Jackson’s legacy has elicited both support and criticism in equal measure. His ranking among the top 15 American presidents is possibly due to his decisions on critical issues such as the war on the bank, the Jacksonian democracy, the Nullification crisis and the Indian Removal.
Jackson vehemently opposed the re-charter of the Second Bank of the US, arguing that Congress had conferred too much power on the bank. The bank managed paper currency and all federal funds. He argued that corporate monopolies were likely to abuse such powers and engage in corrupt practices. Hence, he withdrew all federal funds from the bank and deposited them in state-chartered banks, causing panic in the financial sector. As a result, the Congress censured him in 1834. His actions gained the support of the public who were against elite dominance.
The Jacksonian democracy focused on expanding presidential powers and geographical borders. Jackson believed that a government functioned well when protected against encroachment on its powers. He further expanded voting rights to the public and encouraged public participation in governance. He spoke against corruption within the government and adopted a system of frequent employee rotations to prevent laxity. His resolution of the nullification crisis further increased his public support. He resolved the crisis by reaching a compromise with his critics, opting to reduce tariffs rather than initiating military attacks on South Carolina.
Jackson also passed the Indian removal Act upon clinching the presidency. The Act enabled Jackson to sign treaties with Indian tribes, promising to uphold their sovereignty and give them fair compensation if they moved from the east to the western part of the Mississippi river. Those who resisted were evicted and forced to march westwards, causing the death of thousands of Indians. Some whole tribes were massacred by the military. Jackson supporters hail him as a war hero whom they could depend on to vanquish the enemies of the state.
In my opinion, Andrew Jackson’s success has been overstated. Although his intentions for fighting the bank were noble, he showed a lack of respect for the law and other governance structures. He made a unilateral decision to withdraw all government funds from the bank without following the procedures stipulated by the law. Jackson’s democratic philosophy only applied to white American males who had the right to vote. He suppressed abolitionist movements against slavery, passed racist legislation and ignored minority groups. In addition, he practiced the spoils system of rewarding political supporters with government jobs. This system encouraged employment discrimination as unqualified political followers secured jobs at the expense of qualified people. Jackson proved to be untrustworthy when he ignored the treaties he signed with the Indians. He supported their eviction without offering them any monetary compensation. Furthermore, thousands died of hunger and diseases during the long trek westwards. Therefore, on a scale on A to F, A being the highest score and F being the lowest score, I would award Jackson a D. This grade encompasses his little successes in matters of compromise and decision-making while highlighting his many failures in matters of democracy and human rights preservation.