Andrew Jackson became a ranked representative figure to a great extent by his praise from the common men, the contempt he received from the Whigs, and his personal viewpoints on social and political matters. During Jackson’s time in office (1829-1837) he lead the nation at a very critical period and made many reforms in law to strengthen the nation. From 1816-1826, Americans were starting to obey the law of the land. In Document B, Flint reflected on this particular decade. Around 1816 there was more violence, but by the time Flint stated “I have never experienced anything that resembled insult..,” that was near the end of decade when more people started to respect each other. Jackson presented “general equality of condition among the people” according to Document D. This article indicates that the common men were satisfied with Jackson’s contributions. . In Document A, McCartney stated that Jackson was “the imbodiment of the true spirit”. This demonstrates that the people of American felt Jackson stood for everything America had to the best of his ability. Many wanted to pay tribute to his legacy at his funeral. On the other hand, the Whigs did not support Jackson’s authority. Jackson vetoed the bank policy in 1832 because he did not agree with it as explained in doc H. He felt that since every bank across the nation would have the same policy and currency, it was thought of as a monopoly. After his unexpected veto of the policy, the people who were against him, such as the Whigs felt that he was abusing his power as the president. In Document C, the cartoon portrayed Jackson as a dictatorial king, trampling on the constitution. In addition, Jackson decisions were impacted on what he viewed as morally right or wrong. In Document E, Weld questioned the morality of slavery: “ is slavery, as a condition for human beings, good, bad, or indifferent?”. Being a slave owner, Jackson found nothing wrong with slavery. This article indicates the question of slavery did not affect Jackson. In Document F, Grimke represents the women of 1830s by stating “laws which have been enacted to destroy her independence […] rob her of some of her essential rights”. Jackson and many others in this time period would view this article as ridiculous. It was written by a woman which shows she’s bias, and many people including some women did not care about women’s rights. Therefore, it shows how women’s rights were viewed at this time. In the Fort Hill Address (Document G), Calhoun backed up South Carolina nullifying the Tariff of Abominations (1828) by stating “this right of….nullification….I conceive to be the fundamental principle of our system….”. Jackson and Calhoun, had the complete opposite viewpoints of nullification: Jackson was against it and Calhoun supported it. Since his extent was so great, he was willing to do what he felt was best for the country even if a small group did not agree. His views mainly favored the common men and that gave him a lot of popularity.
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