Jacksonian Democracy refers to the historical times in the United States during the rule of Andrew Jackson. The U.S. has retained its democratic governing system, whereby lawmakers and leaders make changes to enhance the welfare of its citizens. Andrew Jackson established a democratic movement petitioning for the rights of all people. The president focused on opposing and eliminating the aristocratic perspectives, thus enhancing the benefits of democratic government. The Jacksonian democracy aimed to challenge the power of Eastern elites and support entrepreneurs. The movement extended the country’s borders and expanded voting rights for the citizens. However, the democratic movement imposed various social and cultural ideas that benefited society’s lower and middle-class individuals. Therefore, the Jacksonian democracy enhanced the freedom and equality of citizens in the United States, thus giving people more power and representation in social visions by securing economic independence and enjoying the liberty to live as per their wishes.
The Jacksonian Democracy prioritized the average person’s rights but benefited the average white person. The movement emphasized the strength of the president, and it focused on boosting public involvement in politics (MacDonald, 1906). The Jacksonians insisted that judges take on political roles, thus guaranteeing their freedom from extraneous pressures and preserving the rule of law. In the social and intellectual contexts, the Jacksonian movement represented a varied, occasionally tense national alliance rather than an uprising of a particular class or region. The president ensured that United States citizens received equal rights and limited governance (Feller, 2017). Hence, the equal rights rule provided privileges to minority groups hindering the wealthy majority and favored classes from enriching themselves from public resources.
The Jacksonian democracy opposed other reform groups and emphasized a political culture foundation. Jacksonian democracy reorganized several federal institutions and extended the right to vote to most white men over 21 years (Emödyová, 2020). The movement considered nativism as a horrible manifestation of snobbish Puritanism. They cautioned Sabbath observance, temperance advocates, and other would-be moral uplifters not to force their morality on others. Therefore, the Jacksonians advocated for white men’s opportunity to achieve economic independence and be free to live as per their wishes, all within the framework of a wholly devoid legal privilege code and representative government (A&E Television Networks, 2019). Hence, citizens received freedom, enjoyed the country’s privileges, and expanded their boundaries.
The democratic government ensured that it attained equality and freedom to live for its citizen. Jacksonian democracy enhanced freedom to live and vote, expanded borders, and embraced slavery. Since these policies failed to regard enslaved people as citizens of the United States, they were excluded from their freedom rights (Emödyová, 2020). This made Tocqueville believe that the democratic movement regarding equality would impact individualism in the future. De Tocqueville supported democracy but criticized the perspective of equality in the U.S. due to the way they treated enslaved people (Feller, 2017). Therefore, equality leads to centralization, which gives the paternal government power to intrude into citizens’ lives, thus threatening their freedom. Hence, the government could ensure citizens enjoy equal rights from all perspectives by providing both material and social rights.
In conclusion, the expansion of suffrage, voting rights, freedom to live, and equality were the main features of the Jacksonian Democracy. The democratic government provided equality and freedom rights to its citizens, allowing them to have more power over social visions and enjoy social liberty and economic independence. The previous electoral process was unconstitutional and required different qualifications in each state, limiting voting to men of property. However, President Jackson proposed voting rights for all white men. The president emphasized the term “the people” than the elite. The policies adopted during Jacksonian’s presidency, such as freedom to live, suffrage, and voting rights, resulted from a decentralized economic system and would divide the country in the future.
References
A&E Television Networks. (2019). Jacksonian democracy. History.com.
Emödyová, L. B. (2020). The Evolution of the Democratic Party, 1828-2008.Tomas Bata University, Ziln.
Feller, D. (2017). Andrew Jackson: The American franchise. Miller Center.
MacDonald, W. (1906). Jacksonian Democracy, 1829-1837 (Vol. 15). Harper & brothers.