Everything about Jacksonian Democracy totally explained
Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political philosophy of
United States President Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed in the footsteps of
Thomas Jefferson. Jackson's
Democratic Party was resisted by the rival
Whig Party. More broadly, the term refers to the period of the
Second Party System (1824-1854) when Jacksonian philosophy was ascendant as well as the spirit of that era. It can be contrasted with the characteristics of
Jeffersonian democracy, which dominated the previous political era. Jackson's equal political policy became known as Jacksonian Democracy, subsequent to ending what he termed a "
monopoly" of
government. The Jacksonian era saw a great increase of respect and power for the common man, as the electorate expanded to include all white male adult citizens, rather than only land owners in that group.
In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the
executive branch and the Presidency at the expense of
Congressional power, while also seeking to broaden the public's participation in government. Jacksonians believed in enfranchising all white men, rather than just the propertied class, and supported the
patronage system that enabled politicians to appoint their supporters into administrative offices, arguing it would reduce the power of elites and prevent aristocracies from emerging. They demanded elected (not appointed) judges and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values. In national terms the Jacksonians favored geographical expansion, justifying it in terms of
Manifest Destiny. There was usually a consensus among both Jacksonians and Whigs that battles over slavery should be avoided. The Jacksonian Era lasted roughly from Jackson's 1828 election until the slavery issue became dominant after 1850 and the
American Civil War dramatically reshaped American politics as the
Third Party System emerged.
The philosophy
Jacksonian democracy generally was built on several principles:
» ;
Expanded Suffrage: The Jacksonians believed that voting rights should be more important. During the Jacksonian era, white male suffrage was dramatically expanded throughout the country.
;
Manifest Destiny: This was the belief that Americans had a destiny to settle the
American West and to expand control over all of North America from the
Atlantic Ocean to the
Pacific. The
Free Soil Jacksonians, notably
Martin Van Buren, however, argued for limitations on expansion to avoid the expansion of slavery within the Union. The Whigs generally opposed Manifest Destiny and expansion, saying the nation should build up its cities.
» ;
Patronage: Also known as the
spoils system, patronage was the policy of placing political supporters into appointed offices. Many Jacksonians held the view that rotaing political appointees in and out of office wasn't only the right but also the duty of winners in political contests. Patronage was theorized to be good because it would encourage political participation by the common man and because it would make a politician more accountable for poor government service by his appointees. Jacksonians also held that long tenure in the civil service was corrupting, so civil servants should be rotated out of office at regular intervals.
; Strict construction of the Constitution: Like the Jeffersonians who strongly believed in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, Jacksonians initially favored a federal government of limited powers. Jackson said that he'd guard against "all encroachments upon the legitimate sphere of State sovereignty". This isn't to say that Jackson was a states' rights extremist; indeed, the Nullification Crisis would find Jackson fighting against what he perceived as state encroachments on the proper sphere of federal influence. This position was one basis for the Jacksonians' opposition to the Second National Bank. As the Jacksonians consolidated power, they more often advocated a more expansive construction of the Constitution and of Presidential power.
;; Laissez-faire economics: Complementing a strict construction of the Constitution, the Jacksonians generally favored a hands-off approach to the economy. The leader was William Leggett of the Locofocos in New York City. Jackson believed that when the government took a stronger role in the economy, it made it easier for favored groups to win special privileges, which was anathema to a nation run by, and for, the common man. In particular, the Jacksonians opposed banks, especially the national bank, known as the Second Bank of the United States.
The historical era
Election by the "common man"
Though elected by the
United States House of Representatives,
John Quincy Adams was the first president ever to be voted for by the common citizenry, as the
1824 United States Presidential election was the first in which all free white men without property could vote (with the exception of 6 states). Issues of social class have been much discussed by historians (Wilentz 1982). For more details, see
Social Class in American History.
The
Anti-Masonic Party, an opponent of Jackson, introduced the national nominating conventions to select a party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, allowing more voter input.
Factions 1824–32
The period 1824–32 was politically chaotic. The
Federalist Party was dead, and with no effective opposition, the old
Democratic-Republican Party withered away. Every state had numerous political factions, but they didn't cross state lines. Political coalitions formed and dissolved, and politicians moved in and out of alliances.
Many former Democratic-Republicans supported Jackson; others, such as
Henry Clay, opposed him. Most former Federalists, such as
Daniel Webster, opposed Jackson, although some like
James Buchanan supported him. In 1828,
John Quincy Adams pulled together a network of factions called the
National Republicans, but he was defeated by Jackson. By the 1830s, the Jacksonian Democrats and the
Whigs politically battled it out nationally and in every state.
Reforms
Jackson fulfilled his promise of broadening the influence of the citizenry in government, although not without controversy over his methods.
Jacksonian policies included ending the bank of the United States, expanding westward, and removing
American Indians from the Southeast. Jackson was denounced as a tyrant by opponents on both ends of the political spectrum such as
Henry Clay and
John C. Calhoun. Jacksonian democracy had a lasting impact on allowing for more political participation from the average citizen, though Jacksonian democracy itself largely died off with the election of
Abraham Lincoln and the rise of the
Republican party.
Jacksonian democracy was also known for the economic
Panic of 1837 due perhaps to policy decisions made by Andrew Jackson himself.
Jackson created a system to clear out elected officials in government of an opposing party and replace them with his supporters as a reward for their electioneering. With Congress controlled by his enemies, Jackson relied heavily on the power of the veto to block their moves.
Jacksonian Presidents
In addition to Jackson himself, his second vice president and one of the key organizational leaders of the Jacksonian
Democratic Party,
Martin Van Buren, served as president. Van Buren was ousted by
William H. Harrison. Harrison died just 30 days into his term, and his vice president,
John Tyler, quickly reached accommodation with the Jacksonians (and, indeed, was expelled by the
Whig Party while he was still a sitting President). Tyler was succeeded by
James Polk, a staunch Jacksonian, who was the last of the true Jacksonian presidents. During and just after Polk's term, both the Democratic Party and the
Whig Party were split by the
slavery issue, with the Whig Party dissolving and ultimately being replaced by the
Republican Party.
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